Kabbalah Los Angeles

What is the Torah?

It is the force that corrects us, connects us, and comes to us in its many manifestations. This force is capable of bringing us the recognition of evil, its correction, connection with the good, and shows us examples of unity; that is, the entire system of our correction is called Torah.

ZA (Zeir Anpin) of the world of Atzilut is called Torah because I try to resemble this image, this system, by assembling all the souls in Malchut of the world of Atzilut in such a way that the connection between them resembles the structure of ZA of the world of Atzilut.

In this case, all the souls included in Malchut of the world of Atzilut unite and enter into adhesion (Zivug) with ZA of the world of Atzilut, with the Creator. This is how we reveal the connection and adhesion between us.

It is impossible to understand the Torah if you do not study the science of Kabbalah. Everyone knows this book that seems to tell the story of some people (like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and about events that took place in ancient times with the people of Israel. The Torah is written in such a way that everyone thinks it is a historical tale, and even children can understand.

But the sages say that there is a secret code in this story and that there is not a word about this world in it. In fact, it encodes a story about the governance of all of creation, the entire universe, all the forces of nature that were, are, and will be, visible and not visible to us, felt and not felt by us—about everything.

It talks about the Creator, about the upper force that is above our world, along with all the upper worlds that we have not yet discovered, about His relation to the whole creation, and most importantly, how this creation can correctly react to how it feels its existence.

The creation is given the opportunity to change itself so that, through all these concealments, through all the worlds and spaces, it can reveal the upper force that controls it and thus change its reality, which is the goal.

Kabbalists say that everything is in our hands; we just need to understand the code of the Torah. Just as with the help of a familiar programming language, you can operate a computer, with the help of the Torah, with the help of a special code, by reading this book correctly, you can enter the computer that controls all of reality and begin to control it and your whole life through this code.

Therefore, we need the science of Kabbalah to change our fate.

In many Kabbalistic sources, it is said that the spiritual is attained only by the power of prayer. Most people in the world think they understand what prayer is, but in reality, this is far from the case.

In the science of Kabbalah, we study:
Behold that before the emanations were emanated and the creatures were created, The Upper Simple Light had filled the whole existence. And there was no vacancy (The Ari, The Tree of Life).

The upper light (the Creator in His unrevealed form) filled the desire that He created out of nothing. “Something from nothing” is precisely the act of creation.

Then the Creator began to modify and transform this desire into something from which an independent created being could later be formed. He performed various actions upon it until the desire shattered into many parts, which in Kabbalah is called the shattering of the common soul (Adam).

The fragments of the common soul divided more and more until each of them became a point, the point in the heart which ignites within us and through which we feel a longing for the Creator.

At first, this sensation appears unconsciously. We do not know where it came from or why it gives us no rest, but it leads us to a Kabbalistic group. This is how our spiritual path begins.

While working in the group, we begin to understand that in the nature of creation, there is no other material besides egoism, as it is said: “I created the evil inclination and gave the Torah for its correction.” Egoism was intentionally created by the Creator so that one could immerse oneself in it, take it along, and then, by correcting it, ascend to the Creator.

Therefore, our task is to reveal egoism within ourselves and bring it to its correct form, which is called “desire” (Hisaron).

The point is that when we are immersed in corporeal desires, we do not influence the spiritual system; we are not within it. But a properly formed desire, directed toward integration into the spiritual system of Adam, toward uniting with its parts, is called “prayer,” i.e., a request to connect and function correctly within the general system of creation.

That is why it is said that everything is attained only through prayer, through the proper formation of one’s desire.

"Thus, the sages have found an adequate language without trouble by which they could convey ‎their attainments to each other by word of mouth and in writing from generation to generation. ‎They have taken the names of the branches in this world, where each name is self-explanatory, ‎as though pointing to its upper root in the system of the upper worlds….

For this reason, the sages of Kabbalah have chosen a special language that we can call “the ‎language of the branches.”"

(Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 1, Inner Observation).

The language of branches is a language for communication, not for attainment.

For example, when listening to physicians, I may understand certain commonly accepted terms but not their underlying meaning because I am not a doctor. I do not know exactly what they are saying about the functioning of organs, medical parameters, tests, and so on. That is, the language of doctors may consist of words familiar to me, yet I lack the knowledge required to comprehend and evaluate them.

The same applies to Kabbalah: I may read Kabbalistic books in any language and, at the same time, understand nothing in them. Therefore, there is a difference between knowing the words and understanding their meaning.

The language of branches does not speak about the mechanical meaning of words such as “screen,” “restriction,” “reflected light,” “direct light,” Hassadim, Hochma, and so on. Rather, it speaks about the fact that a word in our world designates a branch stemming from its root in the spiritual world.

When perceiving a certain word, I hear the name of a branch in our world and instantly imagine its root in the upper world: the quality of bestowal, closeness, separation, connection, and so forth, that is, everything relating to the interaction of parts within the single system of creation.

In general, the system of HaVaYaH is revealed relatively quickly, and afterward, all kinds of nuances begin to appear, secondary and tertiary discernments, and so on. These harmonics add a great deal of feelings, and very important ones at that, because the quality of perceiving spiritual properties and actions depends on them. Therefore, even the slightest shades produce a tremendous effect and add depth to spiritual information.

The Book of Zohar describes people, animals, gardens, and the fruits of trees. because this is the language of branches. The authors of The Book of Zohar could not write otherwise since these are the names of parts of our soul.

Baal HaSulam writes differently, using Kabbalistic terms such as Zeir Anpin, Malchut, and so on. The matter is that in describing spiritual properties, there are four languages. Baal HaSulam used the language of Kabbalah, not the language of branches.

They say women adorn themselves for men. But women claim they do it for themselves. And yet, a woman's desire to beautify herself is not self-indulgence. Kabbalah explains that the root of this phenomenon is divine. A man is fine with a small closet, but a woman needs an entire wardrobe, and yet she feels as if she has nothing to wear.

A woman's nature is the nature of Malchut (to receive), which must correct the desire to receive for herself to the desire to receive to bestow, meaning to clothe herself in the Light of Hassadim (the light of bestowal). Hence, women's desire to wear jewelry, cosmetics, lipstick, pretty clothing, and so on.

This stems from a higher spiritual root: through the Masach (a "screen," a restriction of the desire to receive for oneself) and the Reflected Light (the intention to receive only for the sake of bestowal), Malchut is obliged to "decorate," to "paint herself"—to clothe herself in the Light of Hassadim. Only in this way can she function.

Again and again, she feels destitute. And so, it's perfectly natural for a woman to "have nothing to wear," despite a full closet. This stems from nature itself. It's not her fault; it's not a matter of being spoiled. Poverty can suppress this trait, but it awakens at the first opportunity. Sometimes, a woman is willing to go without food and drink—just to look good. That's nature.

What can we do about it? How can we balance it? Everything is balanced only to the extent of our striving for a higher goal. Adornment won't help here. The Creator is unimpressed.
According to one's level, one's nature, and the root of one's soul, each person again and again finds balance. And then, the outfit or makeup itself is unimportant—everything is determined by the goal. We simply use the means at hand, depending on the degree of corruption and improvement of our current state.

Whatever a woman says, she dresses for a man. And why? This also has a spiritual root. This stems from the need for connection: Malchut must connect with Zeir Anpin. Zeir Anpin is complete in itself, and it is Malchut that carries all needs. A man must understand this. This is precisely why a man is obligated to provide a woman, and especially her offspring, with everything they need; and yes, to give his wife jewelry.

But in essence, it is not about adornments. At the highest level of the connection between a woman and a man, a woman wants a man to understand her, listen to her, and appreciate her. Why does she need this? A woman needs connection. After all, her desire is much greater than his capacity. We are designed in such a way that until a man imparts spiritual fulfillment to a woman, she will remain unsatisfied.

Malchut of the world of Atzilut forces Zeir Anpin to grow. Similarly, in our world, all a wife's demands on her husband boil down to his providing her with her deep essence, her soul. And this is only possible if he uses the wisdom of Kabbalah. And a woman... A woman pushes a man towards the Creator and helps him to relate to the world correctly and manage it like a father in a family, where he loves everyone, and everyone receives everything necessary for their development.

The most important book we have for studying creation is Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the Ten Sefirot). This book is written in a very special way. It has 16 parts, and the first part explains the world of Infinity (circle), where the circle is created by the influence of the Light.

The Light that created the desire fills it and determines everything in it. Therefore, the desire resembles the Light in its form and is under its total control. This state is called the “world of Infinity.” Part two tells us about circles and lines. A circle is created by the desire, which is converted into the line. This line, like a “pipe” that conducts Light, becomes like Him and fills the circles. This action is performed from the lower towards the upper, which means from the created being who wants to resemble the Creator.

Generally speaking, all of creation is created from above by the Creator. The egoistic created being fills the world of Infinity through pipes or through lines. This is how it is built.

Baal HaSulam, Talmud Eser Sefirot (Volume 1, Chapter 1, Part 5):

"The reason was that since the Light of Infinity was completely even, it had to restrict itself evenly on all sides and not restrict itself on one side more than on the others.

It is known in the wisdom of geometry that there is no image so even as the image of the circle (200). However, this is not the case with the Meruba (300), with the bulging perpendicular angle, the Meshulash (triangle) (400), and all the other images. For that reason, the Tzimtzum had to have the form of a circle."

Rabash says in Letter 42:

"And we should understand how can they be as “one man in one heart,” since we all know what the sages said, “just as their faces are different from one another, so are their opinions different from one another,” so how can they be as “one man in one heart” if they are different in their attributes, desires, and intention to begin with? And Rabash answers: If we speak about the fact that each one worries about his own needs, it is impossible to be as one man since they are different from each other. But if they all annulled themselves and each one cared only about the benefit of the Creator, so that there are no private opinions anymore, and all the idiosyncrasies are annulled, and they all enter a single domination. Thus, we connect on an upper level."

This means that our only goal is to ascend above our bodies and to connect through different exercises. Everyone has one spiritual body, one soul. Baal HaSulam says that only one soul was created, which means Malchut of Infinity, one desire. We are incorporated in it and ascend above our separate egoistic bodies, and while feeling ourselves, our bodies, and the states of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, we feel our world. It is because, according to our egoistic concepts, this is what is perceived by our uncorrected desire, and therefore, this is how we feel our reality.

However, when we begin to correct ourselves, we begin to feel what is beyond the levels of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking nature, and begin to feel the connections between them. Later, when we ascend above these connections, we already begin to feel our world. Then the separation that we felt disappears, and so do the connections, and everything merges into one drop, into one whole body.

“When a person, by means of his studies, reaches the level at which he wants nothing but spiritual elevation and at which he accepts only the bare necessities of life in order to sustain his physical existence, not for pleasure’s sake, this is the first step of his ascent to the spiritual world."
(Talmud, Psachim).

Before falling from the spiritual level 2,000 years ago, people could sustain themselves on the spiritual level (in love and bestowal) through restrictions and studying Kabbalah (the authentic, inner Torah). This way, they were able to oppose the egoism that constantly increased inside them.

However, after the people fell from the spiritual level of “love for thy neighbor” into “unfounded hatred,” the sages of the Talmud made a special correction (addition) in the Upper Governance, as Baal HaSulam writes in item 11 of the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot."

Since then, only the “Light of the Torah” (Ohr Makif) can bring about a correction. This Light descends on a person who has gone through the proper preparation (in the group), during the study of Kabbalah with the right intention. It is written: “I created egoism, and I created the Torah for its correction, because its Light returns one to the Source (to bestowal).”

Hence, only the correct kind of study will evoke the Light, which will make all the corrections and changes. So organize your studies—and relax!

We should interpret the difference between “the place of the world” and “Blessed is the place,” meaning the place of the Creator. In the work, we should interpret that the Creator is the place of His world.

That is, the correction of creation is that the place of the Creator, meaning the lack, called “the place of the Creator,” is that the Creator wants to bestow, meaning the deficiency.

The deficiency that can be said about the Creator is that He wants to do good to His creations. That desire to bestow, when the world is deficient, because they want to bestow like the Creator, at that time, the world will exist in wholeness.

At that time, the Creator will be able to bestow upon them delight and pleasure. Why? Because the reception of delight and pleasure will be in a manner of correction.

RABASH from the article "What Is 'There Is Nothing that Has No Place' in the Work?"

When one engages in the wisdom of Kabbalah, the Upper Light shines from afar upon the student, which he does not feel because he is still uncorrected to receive this light. But this illumination from afar gradually corrects him, making him ready to receive the light onto himself.

-Baal HaSulam, "Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sephirot."

The Wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us about the unity of all worlds and the equality that exists within them in all things, which is revealed up to the highest level in the comparison of attributes with the Creator, and teaches how to develop along this path, avoiding errors.

Rav Abraham Kook, "Orot haKodesh, Volume 2."

For a society to truly function as an organism, it needs to start feeling itself as a single whole. In such a state, a collective mind, sensation, needs, and a mutual perception of reality emerge. Society ceases to be a collection of separate individuals and becomes a unified organism that senses all levels of nature as interconnected and interdependent.

When we include this vast system of nature within ourselves, when we begin to feel it internally, we start to absorb its program. We no longer perceive reality in fragments but as a single integral process. It is as if we feel ourselves originating billions of years ago and continuing billions of years into the future, because we become included in the immense organism of integral nature. Then, we begin to feel the myriad forces acting within it and understand how they influence us and how we, consciously and in a goal-oriented manner, can influence ourselves, our destiny, and our future. We become the only active element in nature, acting consciously above our instincts.

Such attainment is possible when we are integrally included in every level of nature. Then we rise to the highest level of nature, to what we call “the level of the Creator.” In truth, there is no separate Creator as an external entity. Nature itself is the Creator. Reaching such a level means attaining equivalence with nature’s integral law.

The reason society and an organism seem like different concepts today is because our society is broken, fragmented, and internally disconnected. It is like a severely ill body in which its systems are out of balance and no longer support one another. This is precisely the condition of modern society, which we are desperately trying to prevent from a complete collapse. However, when all systems exist in mutual support and balance, each for the sake of the whole and the whole for the sake of each, then society functions as an organism, just like the human body. In such a state, the distinction between “society” and “organism” completely disappears.

Interestingly, what we call primitive communities were, in many ways, integral societies. Their integration existed on an instinctive level, similar to the animal world. Nature held them together automatically through its general law. The difference between humans and animals is that egoism—the desire to enjoy ourselves at the expense of others—has developed in us. Above our animal nature, egoism grows and separates us. Today, precisely because of this egoism, we are required to unite on a higher level, consciously, above it, and together with it.

Animals hold an instinctive connection. Humans need to unite consciously. Egoism does not cancel integration; it elevates it to an entirely new level. When corrected, egoism becomes the means through which we achieve the highest and most complete form of unity.

From Attaining the Worlds Beyond: “Perceiving the Creator”

Faith above Reason

There is no boundary separating our world from the heavenly, spiritual world. But because the spiritual world is, according to its properties, an “anti-world,” it is placed so far beyond our perception that after we are born into this world, we completely forget all about our past condition.Naturally, the only way for us to perceive this “anti-world” is by acquiring its essence, its reason, and its qualities.

How must we alter our present nature to acquire a completely opposite one?The basic law of the spiritual world is summarized in two words: ”absolute altruism.” How can we acquire this quality? Kabbalists suggest that we undergo a transformation within ourselves. It is only through this inner act that we are able to perceive the spiritual world and start living in both worlds simultaneously.Such a transformation is called "faith above reason." The spiritual world is an altruistic one.

Every desire and action that exists in that realm is not dictated by human reason or egoism, but by faith; i.e., by a sense of the Creator.If common sense is a vital tool for our actions, then it would seem that we are not able to completely free ourselves of intellect. However, given that our intellect does not reveal how we can escape from circumstances that the Creator places before us in a hidden fashion, it will not assist us in solving our problems.Instead, we will remain afloat without support and without logical answers to what is happening to us. In our world, we are guided only by our own reasoning.

In everything we do, reason – meaning purely egoistic "reasonable" calculation – is the basis for all our desires and actions.Our reason calculates the amount of pleasure we expect to experience, and matches it against the amount of pain required to exert ourselves to achieve that pleasure. We then subtract one from the other to assess the cost, and then decide whether we will strive toward pleasure or choose tranquility.Such a "reasonable" approach to our surroundings is called "faith within reason." In this case, our reason determines how much faith we will expend.Often, we act without any calculation of the benefit or cost of effort, as in cases of fanaticism or conditioned behavior. Such "blind" acts are called acts of "faith beneath reason," because they are determined by blindly following decisions made by someone else, rather than by reason or calculation.Our actions can also be dictated by our upbringing, having become second nature to such an extent that we must make an effort not to act mechanically, through sheer force of habit.In order to make the transition from following the laws of our world to following the laws of the spiritual world, we must meet certain conditions. First, we must completely discard the arguments of reason and forsake using our intellect to determine our actions. As if suspended in midair, we should attempt to hold on to the Creator with both hands, thus allowing the Creator, and only the Creator, to determine our actions.Figuratively speaking, we should replace our own minds with the Creator’s and act contrary to our own reason.

We must place the Creator’s will above our own. Once we are capable of doing this, our behavior will represent "faith above reason."Having completed the first stage, we will be able to perceive both this world and the spiritual world. We will subsequently discover that both worlds function according to the same spiritual law of "faith above reason."Our willingness to suppress our own reason and be guided only by the desire to give ourselves to the Creator forms the spiritual vessel in which we will receive all of our spiritual understanding.

The capacity of that vessel, i.e., the capacity of our spiritual reason, is determined by how much earthly, selfish reasoning we are attempting to suppress.In order to increase the capacity of our spiritual vessels, the Creator places increasingly greater obstacles in our spiritual path.

This strengthens our egoistic desires, as well as our doubts regarding the Creator’s rule.These, in turn, enable us to gradually overcome these obstacles and to develop stronger altruistic desires. By doing so, we are provided the opportunity to increase the capacity of our spiritual vessels.If we can mentally grip the Creator with both hands (that is, ignore the critical approach of human reason and rejoice in the fact that such an opportunity has presented itself), and if we can endure this condition for at least an instant, we will see how wonderful the spiritual state really is.

This state can be reached only when we have attained the real, eternal Truth.This Truth will not alter tomorrow, as was the case with all former beliefs, because now we are united with the Creator and can view all events through the prism of the eternal Truth. Progress is only possible along three simultaneous, parallel lines.

The right line is faith; the left line is cognition and comprehension.These two lines never diverge, for they are mutually opposed to each other.Therefore, the only way to balance them is by means of a middle line, which consists of both the right and left lines at the same time. This middle line connotes spiritual behavior, where reason is used in accordance with one’s degree of faith.All spiritual objects are coiled around the Creator; they are layered onto Himin the order from which they emerged from Him.

Everything in the universe that is layered around the Creator exists only relative to the creations, and all are products of the original created being, called “Malchut.”That is, all worlds and all created beings, except for the Creator, are a single Malchut entity, meaning the root or the original source of all beings. Malchut eventually fragments into many small parts of itself. The total of the constituent parts of Malchut is known as “Shechina.”The Light of the Creator, His Presence, and the Divine filling of Shechina are all known as “Shochen.” The time required for the complete filling of all parts of Shechina is called the "time of correction."During this time, the created beings implement internal corrections on their respective parts of Malchut. Each being corrects the part from which it was created, meaning it corrects its own soul.Until the moment the Creator can fully merge with His created beings by revealing Himself entirely to them, or “until the Shochen fills the Shechina,” the condition of the Shechina (the root of the souls) is known as “the exile of the Shechina from the Creator” (Galut Ha Shechina).In this condition, there is no perfection in the Higher Worlds. Even in our world, the lowest of all, every being must also fully perceive the Creator. But most of the time, we are occupied with satisfying our petty personal desires characteristic of this world, as well as blindly following the demands of the body.There is a condition of the soul called "Shechina in the dust," when spiritually pure pleasures are considered to be superfluous and absurd.

This state is also described as the "suffering of the Shechina."All human suffering stems from the fact that we are compelled from Above to completely reject all common sense and proceed blindly, placing faith above reason. Yet, the more reason and knowledge we possess, and the stronger and more intelligent we become, the harder it is for us to follow the path of faith. Consequently, as we attempt to reject our common sense, we increase our suffering.

Those of us who have chosen the path of spiritual development described above cannot agree with the Creator. In our hearts, we condemn the need for such a way; thus, we have difficulty justifying the Creator’s methods. Yet, we cannot sustain such a condition for a prolonged period of time unless the Creator decides to help us and reveals the whole picture of creation to us.When we feel that we are in an elevated spiritual state and that all of our desires are concentrated only on the Creator, we are ready to delve into the appropriate Kabbalah texts to try to pe*****te their inner meaning.

Although we might feel that we cannot understand anything, despite our efforts, we must continue to return to the study of Kabbalah again and again, and not despair if we fail to understand the subject.How can we benefit from these efforts? In fact, our efforts to comprehend the mysteries of Kabbalah are equal to our prayers asking the Creator to reveal Himself to us. This yearning for a connection is strengthened when we seek to understand the concepts of Kabbalah.The strength of our prayers is determined by the strength of our yearning. In general, when we invest effort into attaining something, our desire to attain it increases.

The strength of our desire can be judged by how much suffering we feel from the absence of the desired object. Suffering, not expressed in words but felt only in the heart, is in itself a prayer.Proceeding from the above, we can recognize that only after strenuous, yet unsuccessful, efforts to attain what we desire, can we pray so sincerely that we receive it. If, during our attempts to delve into the texts, our hearts are still not quite free from extrinsic thoughts, then our minds will not be able to devote themselves exclusively to study, since the mind obeys the heart.In order for the Creator to accept our prayers, they should come from the depths of our hearts.

That is, all our desires must be concentrated in that prayer. For this reason, we must delve into the text hundreds of times, even without understanding it, in order to achieve our true desire: to be heard by the Creator.A true desire leaves no room for any other desires. While studying Kabbalah, we will examine the actions of the Creator and thus can progress toward Him. Gradually, then, we will become worthy of comprehending what we are studying.

Faith, or the awareness of the Creator, must be such that we feel that we are in the presence of the King of the Universe. Then, undoubtedly, we will become imbued with the necessary feelings of love and fear. Until we attain such faith, we must continuously strive for it. For it is only faith that will allow us to enjoy a spiritual life and prevent us from sinking to the depths of egoism, once again becoming pleasure seekers.

Our need to become aware of the Creator must be cultivated until it becomes permanently entrenched in our being. It must resemble a permanent attraction towards a loved one, without whom life seems unbearable.Everything that surrounds human beings deliberately dulls the need for Divine awareness, and sensing pleasure from anything external instantly reduces the pain of spiritual emptiness. Therefore, while enjoying the pleasures of this world, it is vital that we keep them from obliterating our need to perceive the Creator, as these pleasures rob us of spiritual sensations. A desire to perceive the Creator is characteristic only of human beings. It is not true, however, of all human beings. This desire stems from our need to understand what we are, to comprehend ourselves, our purpose in the world, and our origins. It is the quest for answers about ourselves that leads us to seek the source of life.