Entries in the 'Q&A' Category

Only Your Free Time Counts In Kabbalah

freetimeTwo questions I received on proper Kabbalah study:

Question: How can someone dedicate appropriate time to studies if he or she discovers Kabbalah in their 40’s and dedicates most of the day to work to maintain a family, and the little spare time to their spouse and children? It’s very hard these days to even stop and find a few minutes to study or reflect and the 40 hours a week work routine seems something so difficult to remove or change.

My Answer: It’s not a matter of time. It’s only your free time that matters and whether you contribute it entirely to your correction.

Question: I live in Israel but do not speak and read Hebrew yet. My friend who studies in a Yeshiva told me that if I learn Hebrew I will have so much more books to read about Kabbalah like Rav Kook, Rav Nachman etc. He said after a conversation that I sound like I have a good grip and is in a good position to learn Hebrew, but since I only read the books that are translated to English by Bnei Baruch I stand before many options but am limited because I only read Rabash and Baal HaSulam.
I truly feel like those books, you, and the group is enough for me, but what do I know? So my question is, can I get as far as I am supposed to go only by the books translated to English, or will my progress be better and faster if I can read books from Rav Kook and Rav Nachman too?

My Answer: What you are reading now is absolutely enough. In addition, watch us continually on the  Kabbalah TV – Channel 66. You will get all the Light from there!

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Our Bodies Have No Connection To Spiritual Forces

каббалист Михаэль ЛайтманA question I received: I am giving a Kabbalah internet class with a group of eight people right now. One couple has studied other Kabbalah books on their own. They talk about the Sefirot as lights in parts of our body that need to be awakened and they are confusing me because I have studied with you that the Sefirot are levels of attainment.

Can you explain to me what the Sefirot really are so that I can clarify it in the group? I want to tell this couple that they can’t come and confuse the students with other Kabbalistic views that are not authentic. They also mentioned a book named Bahir that they say is very important in Kabbalah, but I haven’t heard of it here in Bnei Baruch. I need to establish with them that we study only authentic Kabbalistic writings and not every Kabbalistic book that is found out there.

My Answer: Don’t listen to those who say that our body is a receptacle of spiritual forces. This is the foundation for all mistakes. As for the book Bahir, nobody understands it and because of this, many are reading this particular book. It would be better if you would avoid these people.

Why Does The Creator Treat Us So Poorly?

poorlyTwo questions I received on Kabbalists’ attitude to the world:

Question: Our Kabbalah study group in Seattle was asked to give a presentation on Kabbalah to a club that meets to learn about different spiritual traditions. The talk went very well and after it was over, one of the participants asked: “What do Kabbalists say we should do with desires when they rise within us?” How would you have answered such a question?

My Answer: We will fulfill them with the understanding of the Creator.

Question: If the Kabbalists do and have always known all, in my opinion, they are responsible for explaining to all of humanity and even individuals, why the Creator seemingly treats them so poorly.

My Answer: It’s you, not Kabbalists, who perceive the Creator’s attitude in this way. You will understand the rest on your own once your impressions of the world start changing.

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Blame, Judgment, And Forgiveness

blameThree questions I received on relating to others:

Question: I’m yet to understand, how is man to blame for anything if there is None Else Besides Him? He pre-determines everything, so how do you criticize issues of this world at all? In addition, on the path of trying to believe there is only Him, isn’t it harmful for a person to criticize all that is around him being that this is said to only be a reflection of himself?

My Answer: Egoism was created to be changed, while everything else was created to be used in its original form.

Question: If we were to observe without judgment and live each moment with love and compassion, would suffering in the world cease to exist?

My Answer: No, it’s not enough. We have to add similarity to the Upper Force into this, because only then will we achieve true love instead of imaginary love. That is the only way all the troubles will cease to exist.

Question: With all I have read from you about Kabbalah, I have never heard a discussion of forgiveness of another human being. I run a Jewish support group and we have been focusing on forgiveness. I feel this is very important for spiritual health. I would like to know what you believe.

My Answer: When a person is above this world, there is no need to forgive anyone because he does not take resentments into account.

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The Light Will Correct Us

lightwillThree questions I received about spiritual correction:

Question: As a student of Kabbalah, I naturally want to experience the sensation of the Creator, but it seems that the more important thing is being changed or corrected so that my desire is to bestow to others. I am uncertain about something. Is feeling the desire to bestow to others experiencing the sensation of the Creator, or is there more? Is experiencing the sensation of the Creator like a kind of “high” or euphoria?

My Answer: Even before acquiring the quality of bestowal you will sense the Creator slightly, from a distance.

Question: I understand that you need to have the need for correction deep in your heart and pray for it to happen. However, the more I look at the people surrounding me and their actions, the more I hate them. For example, I feel this way every time they play loud music at 4 a.m. or drop all kind of things on the ground, or are violent with each other. How can I love this society? I hate it completely, but on the other hand there’s the need for correction.

My Answer: It’s not them tormenting you. The Creator does this so you will turn your attention to Him!

Question: What should one do if he has no desire to function in his day to day life, such as at work?

My Answer:You should earn what is necessary for your sustenance, and leave it to the Light to perform the spiritual correction.

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The Antidote To Fear

hope_thumb.jpgQuestions I received on people’s fears:

Question: Can you explain why more and more people are engaging in so called divination techniques such as tarot, yi ching, and astrology?

My Answer: They turn to these techniques because they fear the future and its total unpredictability in a fast-changing world.

Question: At what stage does a person stop feeling and fearing the evil in their heart?

My Answer: As soon as he understands and sees that everything comes from Above.

Question: It seems like some situations and states keep on coming back. And even if I in some way can understand what I have to do to get out of these states, it gets harder to do so. Is there some way to use this blockage in a good way? Because I feel like I’m coming to the same situations again and again and that they are growing in strength.

My Answer: It’s because you do not learn from them.

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Charity Or Kabbalah?

wisdomneeds_thumb.jpgTwo questions I received on the benefit of charity work:

Question: I am a member of an international altruistic group. They dedicate time to help the community in many ways and they want me to be the treasurer. I want to dedicate my time to Kabbalah and therefore I feel divided about what I should do. Please help. Is helping the community considered bestowal or is disseminating Kabbalah more important?

My Answer: It’s a pity to spend time on things that do not do any good in the end, as we can see from the work of different charitable organizations.

Question: For decades I have given away at least 10% of my income. It goes to charitable organizations that provide people with ways to improve their lives as well as to the spiritual communities I belonged to prior to Kabbalah. Does this giving fit the definition of Maaser?

My Answer: No, because this money was not used to help others draw closer to the Creator and to develop their souls, but for servicing earthly bodies.

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Kabbalah Worldwide

worldwideQuestions I received on Kabbalah dissemination:

Question: How do we ask the Creator to rise above the hatred and repulsion of our personal life towards others?

My Answer: Do this by disseminating Kabbalah, because we will be able to accomplish this by attracting the Light.

Question: Should we feel pleasure from disseminating?

My Answer: Yes, because the more we disseminate, the bigger is the correction that we introduce into the world.

Question: If the two million subscribers to Kabbalah were to have the intention to ask for spiritual ascent and unity at a point in time in the future and they were to commit to it for at least a week, would this not bring us closer to revealing more Light or breaking the illusion we live in? And if it were possible, could we not try by preparing a quality advertising campaign on Facebook, TV, internet radio, Twitter, and other venues to take action?

My Answer: The matter depends on all of us! Start organizing this worldwide campaign!

Question: What is the purpose of the other Kabbalah learning center in the world? If Bnei Baruch is the only learning center which provides authentic Kabbalah, is this one meant to mislead people? How can we explain this to them to be able to help them?

My Answer: We have to disseminate the authentic Kabbalistic sources and demonstrate to everyone that only free studies and a true understanding of these sources provide the Light of Correction.

Question: Why do you think that more and more people are drawing to the study of Kabbalah?

My Answer: Because you also sent a question to me, for example!

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The Light Affects Us No Matter What State We Are In

the-machsom-is-the-same-everywhere-even-in-japanTwo questions I received about beginning Kabbalah study:

Question: Do we need to have the point in the heart before we can begin to correct ourselves and our relationships with others?

My Answer: No. You can begin in any state.

Question: I have a group of five to six people who do not have Internet, and so I am giving them Kabbalah lessons in Spanish with recorded lessons of the ARI Learning Center in my computer. I am giving them the first 15 lessons. Is this OK and can I give them the virtual lessons I took before or the new one starting in January?

My Answer: It does not matter. Let them listen to any lessons, even those intended for very advanced students. The Light always works and its effect does not depend on understanding. It’s more important to pay attention to the teacher.

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The Cure For Every Disease

lifeTwo questions I received on mental and physical illness:

Question: How does Kabbalah explain mental illness and how can it be solved if not through conventional methods (which as we know do not seem to work)?

My Answer: Only the general correction will save us from these illnesses.

Question: Why does the Creator force us to be consumed with the physical body by giving us terribly painful conditions and deformities that we cannot fix in this world? He wants to raise us to Godliness, but forces us to live despicable lives where the troubles of the body prevent us from even functioning in this world. Why is this so?

My Answer: We cause all the diseases ourselves by our unwillingness to correct ourselves. See Items 69-71 of “Introduction to The Book of Zohar.”

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