A question I received: Naturally, every book influences people even if it’s a health-food book. When we read Rabash’s articles about the group or Baal HaSulam’s articles like “Matan Torah” (The Giving of the Torah)” and “The Arvut” (The Mutual Guarantee), it’s clear to us that these articles speak about unity. When we read The Zohar, we believe that Kabbalists wrote about unification, but this isn’t obvious to us from the text. How does this text influence people?

My Answer: There are books that affect understanding. For example, when we read an organic cookbook, we understand what this book is about and this affects our mind. However, The Zohar is written in a way that doesn’t speak to our physical mind, which is why we’re unable to understand this book. The Zohar speaks to our spiritual mind; yet, at present, we don’t have a spiritual mind. We weren’t created with it; rather, we must attain it. We can’t yet understand what the authors of The Zohar wrote about; to do so, we must rise to the level of their mind and sensations.

Sometimes we can feel these changes inside ourselves such as when we suddenly perceive things that previously we were unable to grasp. All at once, we can see that there’s an absolutely different perspective from which we can view things. This is an inner perspective that doesn’t exist in this world. In this world, so far, our vantage point is with the intention of Lo Lishma (for the sake of receiving). Consequently, once we understand the meaning of Lishma (for the sake of bestowal) and acquire the spiritual mind and senses, we will feel as if we are from another planet, not from this world.

The Zohar is written in two layers in order to bring us to this. The first layer is tales that are seemingly about this world, but are written in a very strange form such as about the Tabernacle, animals, the Sinai desert, and so on. The second layer is a more inner level written with Kabbalistic terminology such as Zeir Anpin, Malchut, the three lines, ascents and descents, Aba ve Ima, and so forth.

We have no connection with either of these planes. Essentially, however, these are not two planes, but two languages that speak about the same phenomena. I can still visualize the plane that is closer to me, the one that seemingly speaks about this world such as a tent, the Tabernacle, and people that do things. I can also visualize the second plane, somehow, of the right and the left lines, up and down, the passing of the Light, and ascents and descents of Partzufim.

A lot of effort is needed to visualize both planes as one whole and see that all of this is within me. This is about my connection with the forces of bestowal; all of this is only about the forces of bestowal. Where are the Tabernacle, the tent of gathering, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut? Everything is within me. I must treat both of these planes like they are my inner spiritual qualities. I want to bring them out from within me and feel them, which is called “Opening The Book of Zohar” or revealing it. This is why Segula (Remedy) operates here.

Cookbooks or weight-loss books brainwash us. We acquire the author’s mind, he influences us, and his opinion begins to interest us. The Zohar doesn’t “brainwash” or coerce; it doesn’t contain anything like that. The remedy in it only operates according to our desire. We need to have a very strong desire so The Zohar will really influence us so that spirituality will become revealed to us.

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A question I received: You said that when a person reads a text written by a great Kabbalist, he may suddenly see additional words appearing in the text, as if they are printed in the book. Does this effect also happen when the text is translated from Hebrew into other languages, such as English, Spanish and Russian?

My Answer: It makes no difference how the book was printed and what font or language it is using. As long as the original text was written by a person with spiritual attainment, then even when the book is translated into another language by a regular, professional translator, you will still see all of these phenomena. That’s because they depend on your aspiration to attain what is written there.

According to your current desire, you are seeing a book and certain words printed in it. If your desire changes, then instead of the book with printed words in it, you will see a source or system that brings you Light. You will see it as a spiritual fulfillment.
(From the second lesson at the North American Congress in Buffalo)

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A question I received: Why can’t everyone understand The Book of Zohar?

My Answer: First of all, your mind won’t help you reveal anything. If we read The Book of Zohar trying to understand it with our minds, then we will see nothing more than a system of Musar (ethics), repeated warnings, instructions and strange tales.

It is only by opening up a new sense inside you, called the point in the heart, that you will begin to see a whole world when reading that same story. The Book of Zohar will suddenly begin to reveal itself within you.

Remember, there’s nothing outside of you. We think that the spiritual world is somewhere out there, but actually it becomes revealed inside us. When a person begins to attain qualities and definitions inside him, he enters deep inside the text of this book. The book itself begins to clothe within him, and the person reveals everything he is reading inside of him.

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In truth, all development happens by means of the Light, which is concealed from us. And even though everything is done by the Light alone, when this takes place in our egoistic development, we don’t know anything about the Light and are not connected with It in any way. Therefore, when a person develops, he becomes more distant from the Creator, because he understands that he can do without Him. After all, where is the Creator in our world and how is He present in all that I do?

This is why the era of Enlightenment took place, when people left religion. But now, after all our development, we are revealing that we have reached emptiness. After studying and understanding this world, we now see that it is dirty and horrible. But the most important thing that we have come to understand is that the more we develop and the more efforts we make and despite becoming smarter and more skilled in some ways, things just keep deteriorating and the world becomes worse. So by developing the world, we have only made it worse, not better.

This is why people are reaching a point of despair. But this is not enough, and the Upper Force will not allow humanity to run away from it all through drugs. Together with all that is happening, the point in the heart is surfacing in people, and it is pulling them to further development. This is where we come up against a problem: on one hand, this point is egoistic, because it’s the reverse side of holiness. But even though this egoistic point is a result of the breaking, it can be turned into an altruistic point. We can turn it into a “drop of semen,” which will become a spiritual embryo.

As for the rest of the ego – this entire world – I cannot make it spiritual since all of it is inanimate matter. So, in order to develop spiritually, I then come to the group and the Kabbalah books, but still remain in the same place like a donkey, until I finally “get it”: I need an Upper Force, the Light that returns one to the Source and then I begin to demand It and plead with the Creator to become revealed to me and to correct me.

Therefore, our earthly development is over. All the cultural and scientific development has reached an end. People will now feel that it’s impossible to do anything new in these areas – it has exhausted itself.

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In the News (from Science): American microbiologists have created a synthetic microbial system, wherein altruistic microbes that produced a resource beneficial to the public, at a cost to themselves, nonetheless benefited the most in the end, despite losing the competition to egoistic bacteria in each separate population. The affluence of the altruists is attributed to the statistical effect known as “Simpson’s Paradox.”

My Answer: This is taking place on an animate, egoistic level. This is not the altruism that’s above egoism, but rather one that helps egoism to continue existing in conflicting situations.

The altruism that Kabbalah speaks of, and the one we must attain, is above egoism and it utilizes egoism as a basis. This is only possible under the influence of the Upper Light, and only when one consciously uses one’s egoism, instead of the natural egoism of the animate body.

A Kabbalist’s body works by the same egoistic principle as the body of any animal! The confusion stems from the fact that all the books of the Torah, including Kabbalah, use the word “body” to allude to the body of the soul – or in other words, one’s desires. After all, the desire is the only thing that was created; it is the entire matter of creation.

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In the News (from The Wall Street Journal): “His Empire in Tatters, German Billionaire Takes Life” Adolf Merckle, one of Germany’s wealthiest men, committed suicide. Mr. Merckle’s body was discovered Monday night near train tracks… In a rare interview last month, Mr. Merckle told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung he had survived “many so-called stock-market crashes” but that he “couldn’t calculate a banking and financial crisis of this dimension.”

My Comment: He’s right: there’s never been a crisis like this in all of human history, because the current crisis is “qualitative.” It was caused by the human society’s opposition to Nature. Society has become global and interconnected like a “small village” where everyone is completely interdependent (“the Butterfly Effect”). However, our mutual egoistic hatred destroys all the connections. The effect of broken connections in a single system manifests as a crisis in the system – a crisis in all areas of our activity.

The crisis will not end until we find a solution – a way to be together, united by bonds of bestowal and love. This is what is required of us by the system that we have found ourselves in. We cannot escape these closed connections. We will have to observe the rule, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We can do this through suffering (as we always have) or by realizing that it’s necessary (the method of Kabbalah). The choice is ours.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: People Don’t Realize That We Are Living In a New World
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Baal HaSulam Article: “Introduction to the Book, The Tree of Life”, Item 4

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Three questions I received on the spiritual desire:

Question: First of all, thanks for a great Congress at Blackpool which I thoroughly enjoyed. Which prayers should we be saying as potential Kabbalists? I have watched the children’s lesson on prayer but cannot find the answer. Is there a particular prayer book we should use?

My Answer: A prayer is the heart’s desire. One should do all that one can to make his heart desire the goal of creation – the revelation of the Creator.

Question: Why does the Creator want us to need Him?

My Answer: Because He is the quality of “bestowal and love” within us. And this quality creates a sensation – within us – of an eternal and perfect life.

Question: You say that a person needs to feel a “deficiency.” What kind of deficiency are you talking about: spiritual or corporeal?

My Answer: This means that you must reveal that you don’t love others, and reveal it in such a way that it will suppress your self-love. It is as though you ascend on top of the mountain of your egoism through love for others, and to this degree, the Creator will be revealed to you, or rather, in you.

Related Material:
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Questions I received on smoking, evil, hell, and great desires:

Question: Does smoking interfere with spiritual development and the study of Kabbalah?

My Answer: No.

Question: Is the existence of Kabbalah related to the existence of evil?

My Answer: Kabbalah was given to us in order to transform evil to goodness.

Question: How can you explain it when a person desires to absorb everything that exists and constantly strives to feel the Creator?

My Answer: He is aspiring to the goal of creation!

Question: Is there a belief in Kabbalah that one who blasphemes God can go to hell after death?

My Answer: Hell is shame that “burns you up.” Everyone has to go through it in order to reach Heaven – the feeling of similarity to the Creator.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Book of Zohar. Chapter “Commandments Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen”
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Lesson on the Article: “Attaining the Unity of the Universe”

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In the News: (from TNS): “Online news is ‘highly trusted’ by two fifths (40%) of those polled” Online news seems to be globally widespread with an average of two fifths (40%) across all 16 countries in the report trusting online news, while traditional press is decreasing (39%). 10% of respondents trust blogs, Wikipedia (24%) is as highly trusted as newspapers.

My Comment: In the future, as we will try to minimize our actions and expenses, the printing industry, including books, will become replaced by the electronic industry. The informational sectors of the Internet, such as Wikipedia, will become more objective and will gain people’s trust. But for the time being they are ruled by egoism, envy, competition and prejudice.

Related Material:
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A question I received: You are a scientist, Kabbalist, philosopher, and practice religious observances, but your explanations of evolution are unclear. Do you agree with Darwin’s theory?

My Answer: According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, one of nature’s principles is, “the fittest survives.” However, this theory worked only during the initial stage of life’s development, when the simplest organisms were developing and before they began to unite into complex bodies and distribute the functions between separate organs in a body.

Darwin’s theory can justify any method of enslavement, exploitation, and extermination, which are all done to provide maximal enrichment and safety for specific individuals. This principle justifies our actions when we wage a battle against everyone else, and when we wage a battle against Nature, taking away everything we possibly can from It, draining It of all the natural resources.

Today we find ourselves globally and integrally connected and interdependent, and we cannot continue to behave “according to Darwin,” in a battle for survival. Just like the biological forms of life, humanity has already gone through the stage of the egoistic battle for survival, and now – when it has revealed its interdependence, it must recognize the need for everyone to unite into one whole. And this no longer happens according to Darwin!

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: There’s No Going Backwards In Evolution
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Basic Concepts in Kabbalah: Chapter 4. Perfection and the World

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