First Impressions Of Kabbalah

Question: I am a new student. When I listen to you, your words sound like a fresh mountain stream. But when I look at a thick book, it becomes scary. What should I do?

Answer: When I began to search for Kabbalistic sources, I ran around to all the shops and could not find anything. Then, suddenly, I came to a place where I found all the books about the wisdom of Kabbalah: Talmud Eser Sefirot, all of the volumes of The Book of Zohar, the writings of Ramchal, and others.

I immediately bought everything because they were nowhere else to be found. To acquire the collection of the writings of the Ari, I specifically went to a small suburb of Tel Aviv, went to the front garden, and knocked on the gate. An old woman came out to me who, after learning what I wanted, said, “I will look to see if there’s something left.” I asked for two sets of the fifteen volumes of the writings of the Ari, but she only handed me one.

She was the wife of a Kabbalist who, during his lifetime, published books, and he probably left her with a large storeroom after his death. That is how it was possible to get the writings of the Kabbalists.

When I brought these books home and began to read, it was like a bolt from the blue; they affected me so passionately. These were my very first impressions. After that, when you become familiar with the wisdom of Kabbalah, you feel how infinitely good it is and that it wishes to reveal the eternity, serenity, and goodness of creation to you.

Question: Did you understand anything from the writings of the Ari when you opened them?

Answer: In fact, at that time, I didn’t know how to read Hebrew. I had a local friend my same age who read them aloud, and I sat next to him and listened. Although I didn’t understand anything, I sensed that this was the most important thing.

I memorized what I heard, and somehow compared it within myself. Different kinds of pictures were born in my thoughts. I experienced all kinds of emotions, something incomprehensible. So, over four or five years, everything was read, and when I came to Rabash, it all instantly took on a completely different form.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 11/20/16