This week the book Kabala. Pagrindiniai Teiginiai, a Lithuanian translation of the book Basic Concepts in Kabbalah, became one of the top ten best sellers in the central book store, “Akademine knyga” (The Academic Book).
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From 11.27.08 to 12.07.08 an international book expo, “Guadalajara International Book Fair” was held Mexico. 1,600 representatives from 39 countries participated in the expo, which is regarded as the most important book expo in the Spanish speaking world.
My books were presented at the “Tribuna Israelita” stand, which is an organization that advertises Israeli authors.
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Preface to the Science of Kabbalah (Pticha).
Items 13-16, summary:
13. Similar to how corporeal objects are separated by space, spiritual objects are separated by a difference in qualities. Two people whose views are similar are close, whereas two people whose views are opposite are far. And even if they’re in close physical proximity, they still feel distant from one another. So spiritual objects are close or far from one another only through their qualities: A difference of qualities separates them from one another, while similarity of qualities brings them closer, leading to adhesion.
The desire was created by the Creator, and is neither good nor bad. The creature’s state isn’t determined by the desire, but for whose sake the desire is used. The Creator bestows, and therefore when the creature uses the desire “for the sake of bestowal,” it is similar and close to the Creator. On the other hand, a creature that uses the desire “for its own sake” (for the sake of reception), is opposite to the Creator and hence distant from Him.
For the sake of brevity, in Kabbalah we use the terms: “will to receive” and “will to bestow,” but both allude to the usage of the same desire:
However, one should never forget that the desire to bestow does not exist in nature. There is only the desire to receive (to receive fulfillment, pleasure). However, if this desire is used “for the Creator’s sake,” then it is absolutely equivalent to bestowal.
14. The fourth phase, which feels that it is opposite to the Creator, stops receiving the Light. This action is called Tzimtzum Aleph (the First Restriction). As a result, the desire remains empty. It then decides that it will only receive if this will please the Giver, the Creator.
15. Thus arises a new condition of reception – to receive only for the sake of the Creator. In so doing, the creature attains equivalence of form to the Creator. For example: a person comes to his friend’s house, who offers him to stay for dinner. Naturally, the guest will refuse the food, no matter how hungry he is, because he doesn’t like feeling like a receiver who doesn’t give anything in return (as he would in a restaurant, for instance). However, the host urges and persuades him, saying that the guest will please him greatly by receiving his food. When the guest feels that this is truly so, he agrees to receive the food, because he no longer feels that he is a receiver; on the contrary, he feels that he’s pleasing the host and doing him a favor by agreeing to receive from him.
It follows that despite the guest being hungry and unable to receive on account of the shame of receiving, the host’s persuasion and the guest’s refusal gave rise to a new condition: reception turned to bestowal. This happened due to a change in the guest’s intention. The guest receives, but his intention has changed. It is precisely the force of repulsion of the food, and not the feeling of hunger which is the actual desire, that became the basis for receiving the food.
16. We see that instead of using the desire directly, it is used in an “opposite” manner: the pleasure runs into refusal – the Screen, which stands in the Light’s way to the desire. Then the Reflected Light emerges – the desire to receive for the sake of the host. And only to the extent of this intention - the Reflected Light, the Direct Light is allowed to enter the desire. This reception of the Light is called “Zivug de Hakaa” (striking interaction) – first the strike, then the interaction.
The desires to receive for the Creator’s sake are called “pure” (from egoism). The desires to receive for their own sake are called “impure” (mired in egoism). They cannot receive the Upper Light and hence they are called “spiritually dead.”
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The Lithuanian publishing house “Dialogo Kulturos Institutas” (The Institute of the Culture of Dialogue) has just published a new book in Lithuanian, which is a translation of the English book Basic Concepts in Kabbalah.
The book’s publication was made possible by our friends Rimantas and Daina Meshkenas, who work in the publishing industry.
The publishing house and the united group of Lithuania are starting an advertising campaign of the book. In addition, the book will be presented at Lithuania’s annual book fair in February 2009.
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The largest publishing house in Latin America, “Norma Editorial Group,” reports that the book Cabalá para Aprendices (a translation of the English book Kabbalah Revealed) is a bestseller at the international book expo in Santiago, Chile. All 2000 copies that were in stock were sold out on the first day of the expo. An additional edition is urgently being printed for Chile and for the expo’s continuation in Argentina and other Latin American countries.
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Kabbalah Revealed - Free Download
Preface to the Science of Kabbalah (Pticha).
Items 10 - 12, summary:
10. Thus, the Light of Life emanates from the Creator and, passing through the Worlds of AK and ABYA, it separates from the Creator until reaching the smallest desire, where its source – the Creator – is no longer felt. This state is called “our world.” However, by studying Kabbalah in a group with the intention to attain the Creator, one evokes the Light of the Upper Degree, which pulls the desire upwards, giving it the opportunity to ascend the degrees of the worlds all the way up to the World of Infinity. There, one can receive all the Light prepared for him by the Creator back in the Thought of Creation. It is hence written: “The Creator wishes to purify (from egoism) those who aspire to Him; to this end He has given them the Torah (the Correcting Light) and Commandments (the correction of one’s intentions from “for my own sake” to “for the Creator’s sake”).
11. The difference between spirituality and corporeality is this: The intention “for my own sake” is corporeal and its state is called “our world” (Olam Hazeh). The intention “for the Creator’s sake” (or “for one’s friend’s sake,” which is the same thing) is spiritual and its state is called “the Upper World” (or the Worlds of ABYA). The Upper World exists above the lowest of all degrees – our world.
All the ascents, descents, changes and movements that transpire in the Upper Worlds don’t take place in some imaginary space. They are changes in the size of one’s intention “for the Creator’s sake” and the accompanying desire. The greater the desire, the closer it is to phase 4 and the lower it is.
12. The essence of all creation is the desire (to receive pleasure, fulfillment). This desire requires correction. We are commanded to “purify” it with the help of:
Otherwise we will not be able to attain the Upper Goal – the Thought of Creation.
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This is a poster from a book expo in America, showing the book From Chaos to Harmony and many other of our books in English:
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Two questions I received on Kabbalistic texts:
Question: On your website you published a quote about the Segula (special quality) of studying The Book of Zohar, and that studying The Book of Zohar is necessary in our times in order to defend and save ourselves from all evil.
You took this quote from the “Introduction to the Tree of Life” by Rav Yaakov Tzemah, but I wasn’t able to find there one of the parts you quoted, that the revelation of this wisdom will happen during the time of the worst generations, so we would have protection to hold onto in our hearts.
My Answer: Read Baal HaSulam, I was quoting him.
Question: Why do the books of Baal HaSulam and books of Rabash say so little about the process people go through beneath the Machsom? If I am wrong, then please direct me to the appropriate materials.
My Answer: Everything besides Talmud Eser Sefirot and Pticha is written for people who are beneath the Machsom! Talmud Eser Sefirot and Pticha are also for them, in order to study and thereby draw the Light of correction.
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Two questions I received on Kabbalah books:
Question: At the Blackpool Congress you recommended for everyone to have the book Kabbalah for the Student in Hebrew. Why?
My Answer: Experience shows that our permanent students end up learning the original language of Kabbalah - Hebrew, because it is impossible to convey all of the information in a different language, using different symbols. However, this only applies to our permanent students. For example, right now I am in St Louis. The local group, who are Christian Americans, study Hebrew twice a week. They understand it and listen to the lessons with almost no translation.
Question: In one of your recent lessons you said that the texts on a computer screen give less Light than a book. What difference does it make how the text is displayed?
My Answer: It makes a difference, especially for a beginner, who can open a book anywhere, anytime. However, for the new generation, the monitor screen is closer.
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Kabbalah Books in English
Kabbalah Books in Hebrew
The Hebrew book The Two Great Lights is titled after the Biblical verse: “And God created the two great lights.” The book talks about the two great Kabbalists of the 20th century - Rav Kook and Baal HaSulam, who both desired to disseminate Kabbalah among the masses at the beginning of the last century.
They foresaw World War II as well as our global crisis. They understood that humanity is entering the final phase of development, when it is necessary for its survival to educate every person in the spirit of “love thy neighbor as thy self.” This book reveals their prophetic vision of our time and their advice on changing the world.
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