ARI Films

Our Life's Alternative

What does Kabbalah deal with? It deal with the question, "What is the purpose of my life?"

It's quite simple. From a young age, man starts asking this question, and then he forgets about it during the course of his life.

Kabbalah is for all those people, who regardless of how old they are, are still searching for the answer to this difficult question. These people get a little depressed, realizing how empty their life is, but their depression is not an illness, they just can't find themselves in this life. Why? Because that is the way that man is created.

Throughout the history of mankind, [Rav Laitman drawing] his desire evolve from the most basic ones, like sex and hunger—remember the words of the poet, "Love and hunger rule the world?"—which constitute the first kind of desire. The second kind of desire is for wealth; the third kind is for power and fame; the fourth is for knowledge; and the fifth is for spirituality.

The first kind refers to animal desires, because they also exist in animals. Wealth, power, fame, and knowledge, are human desires, since to satisfy them, man must be surrounded by other people, whereas when he is alone, he feels urges of sex and hunger.

The last kind is a desire for spirituality. If a man is born and gradually evolves through the above-mentioned desires, then he is said to be "inside this world."

Humanity is moving on, while these desires keep constantly changing and developing. By emerging inside us, they call for progress of science and technology and culture, etc, and this is the way that humanity has developed throughout its history. Finally, we have to reach a state when, in addition to all the previous desires, we will acquire the spiritual ones. However, certain people can receive these desires earlier, long before the masses will feel them.

Spiritual desires are expressed in a man when no other desire of this world attracts him anymore, when he sees that nothing can possibly fulfill him; his life remains empty and it's meaningless. And that's when he starts searching. And this search is not caused simply by disappointment; there's a new desire growing in him.

In our time, especially starting from the second half of the 20 th Century and later, this is characterized by more and more people awakening to the spiritual desire sent to them from above. It creates an inner contradiction, since [Rav Laitman drawing] in man's heart—I'm drawing a heart simply because it symbolizes a combination of all our desires—beside all of the previous desires, the fifth one descends from above. It

does not refer to our world, and man feels a conflict between the previous four desires and the last one. It causes man an inner discomfort, and it ultimately leads a man to Kabbalah.

Such people come to us, and we show them the entire picture, and how they can fill this new desire. [Rav Laitman drawing] But, since it descended from above, it can't be filled with our world's products; only the Light from Above can fill it. This Upper Light is called, "the Creator," because He both Creates the desire, and fills it.

So, if this most-exalted desire manifests in a man, then Kabbalah can show him how it can be filled. Other than that, he is no different than other people who fill their lives with a mixture of sex, food, wealth, power, and a little knowledge.

The fact is that Kabbalah demonstrates a certain spiritual construction [Rav Laitman drawing] called, "soul," or "Adam." These are just names, so please don't associate them with anything. This soul, or "Adam," is divided into 600,000 fragments. Each fragment in turn splits into numerous parts, and descends into man's body, into his heart.

A man must completely fill this spiritual desire during one lifetime. If he fails to do that in this life time, still being at the preparation stage, unaware of this point in the heart, he will reincarnate time and time again. Therefore, each generation is composed of the same souls, which are in turn part of the one general soul.

There are 600,000 basic souls, dressed in bodies in our world, whereupon they split into as many souls and necessary. People are sort of "standing in line." As one body dies, another comes to take its place, allowing a man to work in it, until finally the soul completes its way and is filled with the Upper Light.

Man in our world has to completely fill [Rav Laitman drawing] this particle with Light, exactly how as it was, where it was, here [Rav point to words "Soul = Adam"] on the spiritual level. So, in-spite of all the desires of this world, he has to fill this spot with Light. If he does this, than man will simultaneously exist in our world, and in the Upper One. Both these worlds will be united in Him. Such a state is a completely corrected and filled soul, on the level of the Upper World, while living in ours. This condition is called, "the end of correction."

If I sometimes omit the word, "soul," please remember that correction of the soul is meant. This is what Kabbalah deals with.

Man goes through all the necessary stages of his life, finds Kabbalah, and by using this method, completes his way through this lifetime in our world. Upon reaching the spiritual dimension and achieving absolute delight, omnissions and eternity, he won't have to return to this wonderful world. The task of Kabbalah is to provide man with this method.

The word "Kabbalah" derives from the infinitive, "Lekabbel"—to receive, so the method allows filling the soul completely with the Upper Light, including all of man's desires, both material and spiritual. A combination of animal and human desires, with the spiritual ones, is impossible since they are filled from different sources.

Question: Desires are easy to understand, but what is a spirit? They say a desire for the spiritual?

What is spiritual?

We don't know what it means; we just feel that in our entire world, there's nothing that can be the source of pleasure. I can fill all my material desires—food, women, money, power, fame, knowledge—I know where to find these things. I may not be able to get them, but at least I know where to look for these pleasures.

As for the spiritual pleasures, man is at a loss. He doesn't know where to look, and he feels bad, without seeing any opportunity to fill himself in this world. He may try to forget it, and that's what we normally do.

As children we ask questions like, "What am I living for?" But later, influenced by hormones, ignited by adolescence, we tend to forget about it. The source of this kind of pleasure is hidden from us. We just feel that there's something that pulls us, but we have no idea where to turn, to find its source. Revealing this source is the first task of our studies.

What we are really looking for…

It's implanted into us as a pure desire—I wish something. But what exactly is it that I wish for, I don’t know yet.

Question: You said that a soul passes from a man to a man, until it achieves its absolute perfection?

No, not from man to man, but rather one body dies and the soul dresses in a new one.

The meaning of reincarnation

Question: Does the soul which has completed its evolution start from the beginning?

No, no. Long before filling his soul completely, a man already feels it. [Rav Laitman drawing] The distance between the ultimate state and this world consists of 620 levels, and man knows and sees these levels of attainment in advance. They are studied in Kabbalah. All Kabbalistic books describe these levels and what is felt on each of them.

When a man completes his spiritual ascent, there's nothing more for him to do in this state of separation from his soul. At this point he associates himself with it, so there is no sense of returning to this world and reincarnating. In some cases there is a need to do that, to help other souls, to unite with them, but this happens quite rarely.

Separating the body from the soul

Question: What happens to man's soul when his body dies?

It's not the person that dies, but the body dies. This is a big difference. Man's body dies, and he feels the separation. Even before his death, he associates himself with the point, the soul.

We live inside our desires. If they are the first four desires, then we fill them through our body, through our five senses. The spiritual desire is not received through the body; it is given from Above. The Upper Light directly enters this desire, while our body plays no role in this process; whether I have a body or I don't is irrelevant. So, as soon as I establish contact with the Upper Light, I start communicating with It, and filling myself with It.

In other words, I start climbing these steps higher and higher; I fill myself and I pay no attention to my body. I lose interest in it. It's like a tiny pleasure, compared to a great one. It's totally suppressed by the stronger delights. Therefore, a man continues to live in this world, feeling all these four desires, but if he chooses to use them, he does it only to satisfy his spiritual desire.

My teacher gave me a very simple example which I couldn't understand at the time. He used to say that a person who begins to feel his soul looks at his body as something that doesn't belong to him; he doesn't associate himself with it. And therefore, when his body dies, it feels like he is just changing a shirt. So, upon achieving the goal he doesn't have to change clothes anymore. He doesn't have to correct himself with the help of this obstacle in the form of human flesh. And he continues to exist only in the spiritual dimension.

Question: Does he feel eternity?

He can feel eternity much earlier, as soon as he can feel his soul.

Kabbalah—the exact science of emotions

Question: What data is this elegant concept based on?

Everything we know in Kabbalah was received from people who attained it through the point in the heart, through their own souls. Once they did, they described all their sensations, the results of their research. Kabbalah is a science, and it is based on a precise mathematical apparatus.

The ideas are expressed in the form of graphs and formulae. You see that we approach the material quite technically. If we continue with our studies, we will become spiritual technician. Instead of discussing feelings, we'll speak about vectors and forces. Say, a gravitational force of a desire will be accurately measured by it—unlike psychologists and psychiatrists who don't know what to do with our desires—we will distinguish them, and work with them. So, whatever information we posses was received from the Kabbalists. In other words, they are people who have attained the Upper World—they felt it; they researched it at various levels, and they passed this knowledge onto us.

The first such book was written by our forefather, Abraham. Abraham was the first known Kabbalist. And the book that he wrote is called, Sefer Yetzira (The Book of Creation). This was written a very long time ago, about 3500 years ago.

The next one was written by Moses, who described the spiritual world, who described the spiritual world through the language of narrative. Moses called this book—and we still read it today—he called it "The Torah." It is not a collection of stories about a tribe with Nomads. It is in fact a detailed description of spiritual levels, their structure, and functions. But, he revealed it in the form of a historical account.

Then, there was the Talmud. It is a book that seemingly dictates to us laws of man's behavior in our world, but it's full of extremely complicated descriptions of the spiritual reality, and it is totally unrelated to our world, but it is rendered in the form of legal verdicts, or tales, or prophecies.

All in all, we have four kinds of languages for describing the Upper World—so called, Mikrah (the language of the Torah); the language of tales and parables; the legal one; and the language of Kabbalah. The latter is the most precise since it operates with purely technical values, graphs, formulas, tables, etc.

In general, all so-called sacred books are called that because they describe not our world, but the Upper spiritual one. They tell us about the Creator and His actions.

It makes no difference what language they use for that purpose. When a Kabbalist opens one of these books, say the Talmud, the Bible, or any other, regardless of who may have written it during thousands of years, he sees the Upper World, while someone unaware of Kabbalah, without this special feeling in his heart, is totally unprepared to see what is really written there. He takes it either as an ordinary story, or a number of actions that he's obligated to do. Therefore, while reading such books and perceiving the information only with his five senses, a man interprets it as a description of our world, or otherwise the spiritual one, if he can feel it.

Scientific criteria in the wisdom of Kabbalah

Question: Are all the criteria of science present in Kabbalah?

Yes, they are. Everything you find in science is also present in Kabbalah. Here is our essential textbook—The Study of the Ten Sefirot. If I open it at a certain page, I will read the following:

The Returning Light, emanated by the Partzuf of the spiritual object, upon its ascent leaves a Reshimo.

The text describes a phenomenon in the spiritual world. If I read it in a Kabbalistic language, I can't possible think that it's happening in our world, or that it's a story of a Bedouin tribe described in the Torah.

When we read the Bible, we assume that it's a history of the Jewish people. This language, however, doesn't confuse me. I see that it describes a spiritual realm.

Moreover, if I go through a certain inner preparation process and begin to feel with my new addition sense, with my point in the heart, then I am able to see what he describes.

It is similar to a musician looking at notes and hearing the music inside of his head. He knows how each of them sounds, and that they combine into music, whereas I see them only as worm-like symbols, and I am unable to understand their meaning.

It's not the text that I see in a Kabbalistic book, but the whole picture, since I adapt it to me feelings, so that it lives inside. If I'm not a Kabbalist yet, then I won't see anything but the bare text. That's why Kabbalah is called "a secret science," because if a man achieves in acquiring this additional organ, then Kabbalah is revealed to him, otherwise, it remains concealed.

The fact is that we're born with five senses—smell, touch, sight, hearing, taste—I'm like a black box, with five holes in it [Rav Laitman drawing]. Whatever enters the box through the holes is felt in my heart and my brain as something that I call "my world." Actually, I don't now what enters my box, what exactly exists outside of me. In fact, nothing really enters me. I only perceive my own reaction to some unknown influence.

Suppose it's my ear membrane [Rav Laitman drawing]. It may be damaged, more or less sensitive. According to its condition, I would hear better or worse, perceive sounds of a higher or lower frequency. It doesn't depend on the sound, but it depends on my inner parameters, thus, I perceive something and I call it "sound." The same applies to all of the other senses.

We happen to be a totally closed system and we sense only our inner reactions to some irritation which isn't known to us and will never be. We will never feel or understand that, inside the closed system. So what does my additional organ provide me with?

My five basic senses create a picture in me which I define as "my world." I have no idea what it's like; I just react to something outside of me and I get this picture. If I acquire the sixth sense, in addition to the basic five, then it enables me to start absorbing information from above, and not through my body, but directly, so that I can sense the true world existing outside of me. That way I perceive absolutely objectively; I have an objective attainment of the universe, unspoiled by my innate parameters. That's what Kabbalah provides me with.

Like any other science, it posses as huge scientific apparatus; demonstrates a remarkable repeatability of experience. I can assure you, as one that went through regular science school, and then came to Kabbalah, it is purposefully called a science, since it has very little to do with religion.

Religious people don't know Kabbalah. They keep away from it; they fear it. This is a general attitude, since Kabbalah and religion approach life and the universe quite differently. So, if externally I look like an ordinary religious person, my inner outlook is absolutely different. I know a number of Kabbalists. Although some of them live in Jerusalem or Bnei-Brak—they look like Orthodox Jews so that you can't tell the

difference, but they possess opposing view-points to the rest of humanity, including the religious people. This is because they live governed by the additional sixth sense, and not by their basic five senses.

Every One According to One's Own Kli (Vessel)

Question: Will two basic Kabbalists see the same in a phrase from a Kabbalistic text?

What do you mean the same? Lets take a phrase from The Study of the Ten Sefirot.

Say you're a Kabbalist, and so am I. Both of us will read the same phrase; are we going to see the same? No we aren't, or perhaps we are. And how are we going to verify it? You have one soul; I have another. Well, if you're in the tenth grade, and I'm in the fifth, you naturally understand more than I do. But, what if we're both in the tenth grade or in other words, on the same spiritual level [Rav Laitman drawing]…The fact is that the structure of your soul, it properties, are different from mine. In our world you may be cool tempered, while I may be aggressive; and you may be a jealous guy, and I may be a miser. So somehow we can determine it. In Kabbalah it's very precise. So, if we accurately define both your parameters and mine, we can formulate the structure of our souls.

Each soul consists of 620 inner parts. The combination forms a general structure of the soul. Suppose we call your soul structure Pete, and mine would be Nick. Peter differs from Nick by the Kli, the Kli (spiritual vessel) in which they sense the Light. When the Light is outside of the Kli, it is homogenous, but when it enters the Kli, it's perceived differently by different vessels. Since there's a certain similarity between sensations, they will naturally have something to talk about, though they'll never be able to compare their impressions absolutely. In order to do that, they'd have to merge completely and become one spiritual object.

However, they will always differ in their initial spiritual properties. Naturally we'll always say that this is sweet and that is sour, since we possess a certain inner construction, but some of our sensations will always be different and incomparable, both in this world and in Kabbalah.

Man is locked both in his five senses and in his soul. How can he break through this limited perception? Is this tiny fragment of the universe that I manage to perceive in my senses going to be my great happiness, the ultimate correction? No, it isn't. There's a state a lot higher than that.

When all souls are corrected, Pete's and Nick's, and everyone else's, and they merge into one general soul called "Adam," consisting of 600 000 parts, connected in one system.

The construction inside each soul and the construction of the bond between the souls overlap completely. The result is that each soul is exactly what the other souls feel, and the attainment becomes absolute.

This state is defined as "the end of correction." After this come other state, when the soul receives the Light [Rav Laitman drawing] and rises to its Source, the Creator, and it becomes equal to Him. But we do not study these states in our course, as we cannot feel the spiritual world, for lack of an appropriate instrument, the sixth sense.

So, we are similarly unable to grasp the spiritual levels following the end of correction. We can't imagine these state, therefore all Kabbalistic books describe the spiritual world up to this level, explaining how we can enter the spiritual reality and achieve this state. These levels are called Ta'amei Torah, (Tastes of the Torah). And everybody can and must study them, since otherwise, man fails to fulfill his mission.

[Rav Laitman drawing] The higher levels are called Sitrei Torah (Secrets of the Torah), and there's no information about them to be found in any book. Kabbalists prefer to avoid describing these spiritual levels with others until the world rises to this level and it will be able to grasp them. When will that happen?

If we get back to this graph, I should point out that it covers a period of six thousand years. We are now living in 5762.

Question: There's not much time left…

Not much? Right! But, we'll have to live through it somehow. So, during the period of time that's left, we will all, without exception, have to reach such a state where we sense the point in the heart, feel the lack of filling from Above, and reach this level with the help of Kabbalah. Unless we willingly do what we should have been doing throughout history, since the destruction of the temple, we'll find ourselves in a situation of lagging behind.

If we do not study Kabbalah, and fail to develop the point in the heart, and to ascent to the Upper World, the result is the exile—destruction, hate, and anti-Semitism. If this situation continues, we will feel more and more suffering and hatred. Why? Because the souls that descend to our world are of two kinds: [Rav Laitman drawing] the first is Yehudi—from the word Yehud (unity with the Creator). The second one is "the people of the world." Lets call these souls "Israel" and "the people of the world."

The Upper Light can come to us through the Machsom (barrier) only via the first kind of souls. All in all, there are 600 000 souls, whereas the Upper part is Israel, and the lower part are the peoples of the world. So if Israel is not developing their point in the heart and fails to receive the Upper Light, then the peoples of the world suffer because we don't correct ourselves. As a consequence we attract hatred and beastly anti-Semitism.

Everything I say is written in various books. I can refer you to the Book of Zohar, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, the works of the Holy Ari, and other fundamental Kabbalistic books.

Our situation will not improve unless we begin to study Kabbalah, and with its help start attracting the Light and conducting it to others. This is the mission we were divinely chosen to carry out, and we have to do it.

Obstacles in the Creator's Light

Question: If we're an obstacle in people's way in the Creator's Light, then maybe we should move over.

We do prevent from other people from receiving the Creator's Light, standing between Him and them, but we can't be nudged since we speak of one general soul, consisting of [Rav Laitman drawing] two parts: Israel and the people of the world. They are also called "vessels of receiving" and "vessels of bestowal." The same goes on in the spiritual world, whereas the Light is first received in the Upper part, and then enters the lower one.

There are no better or worse parts. The peoples of the world have bigger vessels for receiving the Light. Therefore, ultimately, upon reaching this level, the peoples of the world will receive more Light than Israel. Israel just has to complete the mission. In fact, everything is destined to be received in the vessels called, "the people of the world."

Kabbalah puts everything in place. There's only one privilege involved—who must work more; and nothing else.

Solving the Jewish Problem

Question: What happens if the peoples of the world solve the Jewish problem?

The peoples of the world can't solve any Jewish problem since it depends entirely on the Jews to decide to work or not.

Your know, there was a Russian minister named Max Plevior [spelling?]. He used to say that every Jew has to have a policeman by his side that would make him study the Torah.

Question: What would have happened with the world had Adolf Hitler had achieved his goal?

Hitler couldn't have achieved his goals because he had no freedom of will at all. He was just a puppet in the Creator's hands. Pardon me, but this approach is totally wrong. Everything in the world happens with a single purpose, to make do what we have to do.

The peoples of the world have no freedom to behave the way they prefer—neither Sadam, nor Arafat, not Bush; none of them. By our actions, we call for a certain influence of the Supreme Forces—circumstances that look like pogroms and other kinds of pressure. We invite it by a certain combination of our incorrect actions. The rest of our surroundings are just puppets. They will arrive at their correction when we transfer the Light to them. Therefore it said, "all suffering in the world is but for Israel." Only Israel is the cause of all suffering in the world.

From the audience: Each religion has its secret part. Islam…

I don't know. I don't understand anything in other religions.

From the audience (cont.): Each religion has its own Kabbalah…

Kabbalah has nothing to do with religion. There is no Kabbalah in any of them, and I'm not related to it.

From the audience (cont.): Well, Kabbalah is based on Judaism; it accepts basic sources.

No, I can't argue with you.

From the audience (cont.): Then what's your attitude to all other non-Jewish secret teachings?

I have not attitude toward them; I have no idea about them.

From the audience (cont.): They don't exist?

I never said that. I don't know them. This answer allows me to avoid arguing with you. There is no sense in it. These are issues in which I'm totally incompetent.

Puppets in the hands of the Creator

Question: To what extent are we puppets in the Creator's hands?

That's an excellent question. I'll tell you to what extent. Someone correctly said "to 100%." Take a look at yourself from the side. Evidently, you were made by your mother and your father who installed in you all of these qualities.

[Rav Laitman drawing] Lets suppose its you [Rav draws a small black box], with all your pre-determined qualities so that there are no puzzles in you. If we know all sorts of outside influences, wouldn't we know in advance all the possible feelings, reactions, modes of behavior? Is there anything in you that would prevent us from predicting how this specific organism or system should act?

Question: Are the people of Israel also a puppet in the Creator's hands?

We'll speak about it. There's only one parameter in which we enjoy a certain degree of free will.

Question: So you agree that you are not free to choose anything?

Life experience demonstrates that we're all puppets.

The purpose of death and rebirth

Question: Why does man die with all his accumulated knowledge and can't continue his corrections? Why does he have to die at all?

It's a very good question. You asked, "Why he should die?" I'll explain. The fact is [Rav Laitman drawing] that during your life—as we say, till 120—what you do is accumulate knowledge. We just said that you were born with certain properties. These properties remain unchanged. You were born with certain characteristics and traits, and in the course of your life, you come to the conclusion that there's nothing you can alter. So, you innate qualities cannot be changed; you can only suppress them, being to totally unable to reinvent yourself. But, you can accumulate knowledge, starting from zero, when you're a child.

Question: Could we correct our innate qualities with the help of this knowledge?

For that purpose we die. Forgive me for saying this, but for us it is a good event. So, when you die, you introduce all your knowledge to your next incarnation, with all its new properties.

Everything you know today will naturally be installed in you when you're born next time. This can be seen in our attitude towards computers. However hard I try, I still find it difficult to communicate with them. My daughter, she's 20, look how easy it is for her to master them; it's part of her nature. A cell-phone or any other device is a piece of cake for her. I've been acquainted with the phone for 20 years, whereas she was already born with this knowledge. It's not because I'm old and senile, it's just that she has all these properties naturally integrated within her. All of her prior knowledge has been turned into innate qualities. The same will happen to us in our next incarnation.

Question: Don't we start learning from the beginning?

You continually accumulate knowledge, adding it to your knew properties.

The positive of the negative potential

Question: What do we gain from descending to this world and ascending to the initial point? Who needs it? Surely the Creator doesn't.

The universal mechanism is absolutely perfect, so all this is done only for us. So what do we gain or lose? What's going on, and why?

The fact is that the descent of the soul to this world creates in it a very powerful, negative potential.

From its corrected level, down to its uncorrected one, it acquires negative properties. [Rav Laitman drawing] The soul simply falls down 620 steps against its will, and then afterwards, it manages to correct those properties by itself. After it's done this, it gets the opportunity to feel delights 620 times greater than before the initial descent.

Question: Does the soul become purer?

Not only purer; it attains self-knowledge. Kabbalah is a process of self-knowledge. Now we happen to be in a state of unconsciousness. We're totally unaware of where we are. If we start to open our eyes, purify our spiritual vessel/desires so as to receive the spiritual information, we'll experience all those exalted sensations that were prepared for us.

This is why we make multiple descents to this world, each time climbing a little higher. It depends solely on a particular person or on the circumstances. It's done so as to intensify our sensations; make them 620 times greater than at the initial zero level. I can't define what 620 means. Actually, the sensations become billions of times more powerful.

The common soul splits into 600 000 fragments. Each soul merges with all others, adding its own 600 000 parts, and on and on. And as a result, the achieved sensation equals that of being one with the Creator.

Question: Can life regress?

No, no, no! These ascending steps don't take place in a body; they're just a downfall of the soul.

[Rav Laitman drawing] The soul comes down from the top and man starts from his bottom state. In his next life, man is always closer to the purpose of creation than in his previous one.

Question: Is there a possibility that the process of ascension will stop?

This mechanism is unstoppable. Moreover, it's designed, and started only for us. Outside of all our feelings, we all exist in an absolutely blissful, perfect state.

A sinner first, a righteous next

Question: Are there people who get worse?

They get worse in order to get better. Later I will explain why this happens. It's impossible to perform a good act before performing a bad one.

A point in every heart

Question: Does this point in the heart exist only in Jews?

In principle, it exists in all people, but as a rule, it awakens first in Israel and then the peoples of the world, but only as a rule because throughout history, we’ve had numerous examples of points which awaken in Gentiles—Onkelos, Rabbi Akiva, and many other great Kabbalists were not born Jews. Actually, there is little difference

between the two types of souls; it consists only of who received the Light first and who afterwards.

Question: Can a Hindu person, born with a dot in his heart, evolve with the help of Buddhism, or is Kabbalah the only way for soul development?

Kabbalah is the only method for soul development.

Question (cont): For the Jews?

Not for the Jews, but for everyone, to fill this desire received from above, with the Light.

You’re asking about the relevance of other teachings, methods and techniques invented by humanity. They all have their roots and can be studied. I said I was incompetent on this issue, but it’s not exactly so. So I can tell you that they are preparatory state. They’re the necessary actions that various parts of humanity have to perform to the extent of harm that we cause them.

Question: What did you mean by that last phrase that you whispered?

I meant that had humanity evolved in an ideal way, there would have been no need for other methods. They exist in the flaws and the plaques that Kabbalah couldn’t heal because people were unprepared to use it. So various alternative teachings spring up where Kabbalah is neglected. They’re usually against us and ultimately make the way harder.

The link between Kabbalah and Judaism

Question: What is the relationship between Kabbalah and Judaism?

I don’t know why all your questions refer to Judaism. Let me explain. You see, 3500 years ago, in ancient Persia, there lived a Bedouin named Abram. He wasn’t called Abraham at that time; his name was still Abram.

This man started searching for an answer to his questions about the meaning of life. I’m not telling you fairytales; it’s all properly registered in various books.

The Torah says that the Creator revealed Himself to Abram. And he commanded him to pursue his life goal; leave his home, travel to a distant land called "Israel."Later we will find out where it is in the spiritual world. And there he had to share his knowledge with other people, and finally with the whole of humanity. It is described in The Zohar and in other books.

Abraham wrote a book, Sefer Yetzira in which he describes his theory. For him it was a practice. Abraham started distributing the knowledge, moving from place to place and attracting more and more disciples. As a result, his group grew into a Jewish people.

Genetically, we are no different than the ancient Persians, and science has proved this quite decisively. We are not a nation, as comrade Stalin said, "There is no Jewish nation."

In the spiritual world, there are roots of seventy peoples. Today, they are thoroughly mingled and we don’t know exactly who they are, though Kabbalah defines them quite precisely. It’s all very interesting but it refers more to Kabbalistic geography and history. The Jews have no such root. They were all Bedouins, one of whom happened to establish a contact with the Supreme Power, and he parted from his kin. Upon the birth of his first three sons, he organized a group of Yehudi.

The word derives from the Hebrew—"Yehudi," meaning "unity with the Creator." They were exactly like all other Persians; they just different in their ideas. So, when you speak about Jews, you should understand that they are not a nation. The idea behind it is totally different. It deals with the correction of souls, being different from all other peoples by a point in the heart because Abraham and all his descendents and followers received special souls ready to attain the Upper Light. And that’s all there is to it; there’s no other difference. If we lack this point, then we’re the same as all other folks. Abraham’s descendants were the first to receive this unique property for grasping the spiritual world.

The Jews are also called, Ivrim from the word "Ever," "La'avor," meaning one who makes a passage from limited reality of this world, to the spiritual one. Being Abraham’s descendant and possessing a special soul construction, the Jews are able to sense and develop the point before others. But for the general soul to be restored at the time of the final correction, the Temple had to be destroyed and the Jews exiled. It was done for pulling similar, mature souls, fro the peoples of the world. And this process is still continuing; it’s called AHP de Aliyah, in Kabbalah.

Same religion every time

Question: Does it mean that I’ll be Jewish in my next incarnation?

I’m sorry to say it but yes; there’s no doubt about it.

Question: My question may sound inappropriate…

There are no inappropriate questions in Kabbalah. It strips man completely, so there’s no place for anything inappropriate.

The delight in the need, not in satisfaction

Question: Why did the Creator need to make the created soul 620 times better?

You see, without attaining his ultimate state on his own, man will be completely unable to feel it. I feel pleasure when I long for something and I can’t get it, and not when I satisfy my desire, which normally leaves me disappointed. Just think of how

you feel after a very substantial meal. The real delight is felt when I put the very first piece into my mouth. Then the initial hunger is satisfied and the pleasure gradually subsides. So clever people, always save the most delicious bit of food for the end of the meal because greater delight compensates for the lack of desire. Actually, delight is felt at the meeting point—between a desire for it, and the pleasure itself.

If you start researching your desires, for food, sex, money, power, knowledge, you’ll see it quite clearly. Why do I feel satisfaction? I have to work for years to buy a car, but a week after purchasing it, I hardly feel any pleasure. There’s no delight in receiving; it’s in the process leading to it.

How can we turn this process into a never-ending one? That’s what the method provided by the Creator is about. It allows us to reach a state, when one hand we’ll satisfy our desires, and on the other hand, at the same time, we’ll desire more satisfaction.

It sounds extremely unnatural to be simultaneously full and hungry. So how can we create such a desire? It doesn’t exist in our world.

Our soul is opposite to this world, since it possesses that very quality, so called Masach (screen) and Ohr Hozer (the Returning Light). These things are the subject of our studies.

Happiness, delight, and Kabbalistic text

Question: Is there a notion of happiness in Kabbalah?

I can’t provide you with a precise definition of words in Russian; Hebrew is more appropriate here.

“Happiness” is probably a synonym of “delight.” In Kabbalah, these definitions are technically distinguished, and they’re quite accurate too. Look how our text book is designed. First come Ari’s words, then a commentary, further on is a part called “Inner Reflection,” which explains the material in great detail, in a different manner; and afterwards, follow questions about the meaning of the words and various spiritual phenomena, and answers to them.

You can see that these books are constructed in full compliance with the academic system of learning. The people who wrote them never studied in any school.

The process of happiness

Question: So happiness is a process, isn’t it?

Yes, it definitely is. Kabbalah is a science which not only creates in you new properties, but also allows you to fully understand and utilize them.

The greater the desire, the greater the delight

Question: Does it mean that the closer man is to level 620, the closer he is to reaching a constant, endless pleasure?

The state of receiving constant pleasure is when a man constantly wants to receive Light; receives it, and immediately wishes to receive more and more, and so on. Two contradicting forces merge. Instead of extinguishing each other, they gradually evolve. And there’s no thing like it in our world.

The smallest spiritual bliss

Question: Should I feel at level at level 619 better than at level 1?

I can only tell you that at the lowest level above our world, we will experience sensations of bliss, billions of times more intense than all the pleasures of this world combined, felt by all souls, over all time.

Imagine accumulating all sparks of pleasure, felt by all people on earth, at all times. The first spiritual level above the reality of our world will bring you delight billions of times greater—and this delight will be constant.

Question: Rabbi, what spiritual level are you on?

Well, those who have never studied Kabbalah can’t be on any level. Then there arises a question, "how can we possibly elevate ourselves? There must be a way to do it."

[Rav Laitman drawing] I’m here, at the level of “our world.” And here’s my Machsom, my barrier, and I want to start rising and reach the goal. How do I go about doing it?

In my present state I have no means for that. But to that end, Kabbalists wrote their books. Say a Kabbalist is at some spiritual level—not necessarily the highest one—although all the authors that we study achieve the ultimate correction. So he’s writing a book which he describes what he feels, on his level of attainment. But his sensations are lost on me; I see only strange words and symbols which I can’t comprehend.

However, when I read it, that is, when I perceive printed information through my eyes, and at the same time, wish to understand and feel what he describes, then I attract on myself the so called Ohr Makif, the spiritual Light. And that starts correcting and lifting me higher and higher.

Therefore, we study Kabbalah because there’s no other way to attract the Upper Light and start rising. That’s what they write their books for. Otherwise we have no need for them, since we don’t understand what they describe.

Everyone according to one’s own Kli (again)

Question: Can I, a common man, feel and desire what a Kabbalist feels?

You’re totally unable to copy anyone else’s desires. How are you going to do that? Why doesn’t a puppy enjoy listening to music like I die? He likes to lie at my feet and sleep. If it’s not part of your nature, you’ll never know what it is. If you haven’t received the point in the heart, what are you going to develop? But if you have, with the help of books and good guidance, you will be able to take the correct direction and advance spiritually. Otherwise, you resemble the puppy unable to appreciate music, since you only have your five sensory organs, and you lack the sixth sense, which is essential for feeling spirituality.

Actually, we’re really only waiting for those with the point that has started developing. Other people might come once or twice, and then they’ll leave. Many people come, and just as many go. Only a few who are ready for it decide to stay.

I’ve been into it since 1975, so I can tell you that every year, more and more people join us. The time has come, and The Zohar says that starting from 1995, the masses will come to Kabbalah, since we’re approaching the end of our correction.

In order to attract the Upper Light, there have to be several conditions. I may have a desire in my heart but it’s very weak, whereas in the spiritual world, all our souls are united, so I can use this powerful, common desire.

In our world we are separated. So, if I join a group of people, whose aspirations for spirituality are similar to mine and together we read special books, wanting to rise spiritually, we will be able to attract a very powerful Light. That’s why we organize groups and we use this method, formulated thousands of years ago. The Kabbalists explained how the members of the group should interact and what attitude and connection should prevail among them.

Mastering spirituality is extremely dynamic and lively. This method does not consist in stuffing you with answers; it’s meant to prepare you to find answers to your own questions.