What Has Changed Today?

we had to wait until people’s desires would sufficiently develop …Now it is up to every individual as to how he or she will realize themselves.

Posted on February 22nd, 2011 at 4:39 pm

Question: Why was the wisdom of Kabbalah hidden from the people? Was it not to harm those who were not ready for it yet? What has changed today? Is it that we became ready, and it can help us now?
Answer: People might have started to use Kabbalah egoistically, just to gain pleasure through it, and that is a type of Klipa (Shell) of improper use. Until man’s desire ripens for the wisdom of Kabbalah, he shouldn’t approach it because his unripe desire will turn Kabbalah into a completely different activity.
We see how many people use Kabbalah to produce (and sell) all kinds of beliefs, religions, and meditation practices. However, if a man’s desire has ripened for spiritual evolution, it guides him in this collective field of souls that is filled by the Light, and he moves like an electron in the field, reaching the right place. That is how it evolves.
Therefore, throughout our whole history, we had to wait until people’s desires would sufficiently develop and it would become possible to reveal the wisdom of Kabbalah to them. Now it is up to every individual as to how he or she will realize themselves.
Kabbalah was hidden until the souls matured to make use of it. Man’s desire was not prepared for it since it was unclear what desire was related to. In the instant when desire reaches maturity, it becomes clear that it relates to the correction of self, the wisdom of Kabbalah, or the masses who simply follow Kabbalists. However, until all souls have completely intermingled, it was impossible to say this.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/20/2011, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot”
Related Material:
Why Kabbalah Was Kept So Secret
Open The Door To Tomorrow
Kabbalah: Wisdom Or Knowledge?

Introductory Course to Kabbalah - Lesson 1 - What is the Wisdom of Kabbalah?

Lesson 1 - What is the Wisdom of Kabbalah?
By Michael Laitman, Ph.D

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The revelation of the Upper Power, feeling Him and uniting with Him

The Wisdom of Kabbalah is called "the wisdom to receive", because it speaks about the revelation of the Creator – about the way to receive the revelation of the Upper Force, to feel Him, to see Him, and to unite with Him.

We receive the knowledge contained in this wisdom through people just like us, who lived in this world and suddenly, something higher than this world was revealed to them. That which they saw and felt they began to record. They began to measure the feeling, to examine it and go back to it. Very slowly, their notes accumulated into books, which now comprise the foundation of the Wisdom of Kabbalah.

While we are busy studying Kabbalah, we are attracting a special kind of power called "the Surrounding Light". By it we could also reach a state from where we'll see like them, the wider, supreme reality. This reality will help us to know who we are, where we have come from, where we are heading towards – and will provide us with the answer to the question "what is the purpose of our life?"

Lesson 1

What is the Wisdom of Kabbalah?

• Why do the Kabbalists appeal to each and every one of us to study the wisdom of Kabbalah?



• What is the soul? How does it develop?



• Does something exist outside of us, or is it simply an illusion?



• Who are the Kabbalists?



• How is it possible to know who we are, where we come from and where we are headed to?

In item 155, towards the end of the Introduction to the Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the TenSefirot) Baal HaSulam (Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag) writes: "…Therefore we must ask: why did the Kabbalists obligate each person to study the wisdom of Kabbalah? Indeed there is an important thing here, worthy of being publicized: there is a magnificent, invaluable remedy…"
What invaluable remedy? And he explains that we all have a soul. And this soul exists within every one of us in a dormant state.

In order to awaken the soul and open it, we have to develop the soul so that it can absorb the Upper Light coming from above. The progression of the soul is effected by the Upper Light. The reason why we haven't developed enough until today is that we haven't attracted the Upper Light toward ourselves.

What method should we now use to do this? While studying, especially during the next two hours we should strive to attract the Upper Light. This is done in a simple manner: we do not forget why we are studying and what the purpose of our learning is. It is not only to know what's written and understand what I'm explaining, but to live it, to reach it, to feel it working inside you – because we're talking only about what's inside us.

Outside of ourselves exists only the Upper Light from above, The Creator; and anything that we're able to imagine – all of it, it's in oneself.

Spiritual worlds, this world, everything we can think of, all of it, is to be found in ourselves, inside us. And if it seems to us that there's anything located outside ourselves, it's simply an illusion. Whoever will later be rewarded and see these things from the worlds above, will see that this is indeed so – that everything is found inside a man.

First of all: while studying, think that we're all a large group that is uniform and special. We have one big desire, a big vessel, through which we attract a great spiritual Light. I'm here in order to enable this process to materialize, I support it, I'm doing it for you, and you should strive to create a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere for all of us together.
It's important to know that we are about to receive a very great power from Above, a power that will help us to progress and climb the spiritual ladder. Then you will feel and see it. This is most important.

Additionally, I won't use any specific book and I'll tell you, what my sources are. But as a matter of fact, it is not important where it is coming from. My purpose is to give you foundations, and every time I'll use something from different places in the books.

At the end of the lesson there will certainly be questions and I hope everyone will receive an answer. If not, I will answer later, through the Internet or during the next lesson.

How did we acquire the knowledge that you are learning with these lessons?

We learned it from people like us that lived like us in this world, and suddenly something higher then this world has been revealed to them. They began to see through walls, through people, through where they were living – inside caves, in tents, maybe palaces. They began to see something outside of this world and they began to write down whatever they saw and felt.

They began to measure this feeling, to examine it and constantly analyze it. In short, they began to discover an entire new world outside this one. Slowly they gathered their impressions into books, which have become the basis of the wisdom of Kabbalah.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is called "The Wisdom of Kabbalah" because it speaks of the revelation of Godliness. How to receive revelation of the Upper Power and to feel It, to see It, and be united with It. That's what they wrote about, and what they have left to us.

Why did they write? First they achieved, afterwards they wrote. They measured, they repeated all their experiences, and really talked with each other through their books. However, their writings were understood only by those that had personally achieved the feeling of the Upper World.

And by studying what they wrote, we receive the Surrounding Light. While we are thinking and looking forward to attracting the Surrounding Light towards us, to enjoy it, then with its help we also can reach a state where we'll see like them, a larger, superior reality. And this reality will help us to know who we are, where we come from, where we're headed to in the future.

That is to say that by studying the Wisdom of Kabbalah and the books written by the Kabbalists, we can observe two influences: the first one is that one Kabbalist is passing on his knowledge to another Kabbalist, who can read and walk through the same places where the author has been – to go up, and go down, exactly like him – in short, really to live, to experience the same situations described in those books.

The second influence is upon us: for now we enjoy it as Surrounding Light. Without understanding what it is, we strive to attract towards us the power which will improve us and will raise us to the same situations as the Kabbalists.

Therefore, it is worthwhile reading from these kinds of books that indeed have special powers, great powers. Although there are many books written about Kabbalah, we do not read all of them (there were a great number of Kabbalists that wrote in all kind of languages and in many forms). However, we take special books, written by people from the level of the end of Correction, from a very high step. Besides, those books were written especially for us, for those below the Barrier who are willing to pass over it. In all, we don’t have many of those books: the books of the Holy Ari, the books by Ramchal (whose writings we don't study yet, because he wrote in a very special language, at least the external language is written like this), and the books by Baal HaSulam.

Kabbalah Course - Perception of Reality Lesson 1 - I and the Reality Around Me

By Michael Laitman, Ph.D

The wisdom of Kabbalah is a method of research to reveal the true reality

At the present moment we are in a certain state of perceiving reality. In our childhood we thought that the world was full of forces and ghosts, as told in fairy tales, and this was not observed by adults, but it existed for us, and we lived in that world. true reality

At a later stage this view of the world disappeared, although even today it seems to us that to some extent these forces do exist.
The truth is that we are constantly searching for them. We want to know about the world in which we exist, because without this knowledge we will not be able to survive, enjoy, to eliminate the feeling of uncertainty. We need to know how to answer the questions, "Who am I, what am I exactly, and what does tomorrow hide?" We are awakened by questions out of the desire to improve our situation, out of curiosity, and from the desire to understand the world better. These questions push a man to know the reality in which he lives.

Lesson 1

I and the reality around me

There are two parts of reality - I and what is outside of me

Balance - when my external sensation of the world and my inner sensation are at peace with each other.

I need to know who I am, what the nature of the surrounding world is, and how to achieve equality of form.

Can man construct his own reality?

What is the inclusive law of reality?

We are in a certain state of grasping reality.

When we were children, it seemed to us that the world was filled with forces and ghosts, like we used to read in story tales, that the grown-ups didn't see. We used to live inside that world. At a later stage, this sensitivity began to disappear gradually, although even today it seems to us that certain forces exist. The truth is that we are constantly searching for it. We demand to know the world in which we exist, since without it, it is not possible to exist, to survive, to enjoy and overall, to get rid of the sensation of uncertainty.
"Where am I, who am I, what am I, and what does tomorrow conceal from me?" People begin to contemplate these questions out of their desire to improve their situation. This arises out of curiosity, and a will to understand the world better. These questions are pushing us to know the reality in which we are living.

We research this reality in the same way that a little child wanders around a room and studies his surroundings. Later on he grows and builds instruments. We try to develop all kinds of means in order to research ourselves and the world around us.

The entirety of reality is divided into two parts: I, and what is outside of me. There are some, who claim that it is better to research the self and to change it, and with that to change the world around me as if to say, "I will accept the situation differently; I will relax and see the world as being better".

Others say that it is better to stay the way you are, and to "get the best out of the world, and adapt the world to yourself". We see that one way or the other, we are not doing so well.

The best situation, when I am really in harmony with the world, is when I achieve balance with it, that is, when I have full understanding, and when I am in equivalence of desires, powers, thoughts and intentions with the world. When I see that only one thing exists in the world, everyone understands me and everyone has the same desires as I do. This is called balance. There is a no more perfect state than being in that of balance with the world. It is comparable to the sensation of the fetus in the mother's womb. Everything in its surroundings is intended to take care of the fetus. There is no need for resistance, no need for building all kinds of walls of defense. This is what we are really searching for.

How can we attain such a state? In science this state is called homeostasis. 'Homeo' means similar and 'stasis' means equalizing states. Every body, vegetative, living, and of course man, aspires to reach this state. We are attracted to this state at many different levels in the sub-conscious, conscious understanding, forms of materials, liquids, thoughts, and in every level of desire of matter, inanimate, vegetative, living and speaking, in order to become equal in form to its surroundings.

Our aim is to know how to achieve equality of form, to become equal to nature, to merge with the surrounding world, to know how to achieve a state in which everyone will want what I want, and think like I think, where no one will have anything against me, or any desire to give or take something from me by force, where all would be done with love and tranquility. To reach this state, I need to know who I am, what the nature of the world around me is, and how to achieve equality of form.

That is the purpose of the wisdom of the Kabbalah. It teaches us how to reach tranquility, where my sensation of the external world and my inner sensation are in harmony. All of our research of the world and its content is accomplished by science, and for that there are many methods, many means and instruments and techniques that we develop. Year by year, generation to generation, we advance in this area. We can see that we want to reach the state of wholeness, tranquility and to be well, but we actually end up in the opposite state. This happens even though the tools are becoming more and more advanced.

Since everyone aspires for goodness, if you ask anyone in the world they will tell you this is so, then from where does the problem originate? The issue is that we do not know the general reality. We do not know how it behaves, how it is built and how it acts on us. We do not know why it is that we need to equate ourselves, to communicate, to come closer, and to attach ourselves. For that we lack finer vessels. The deeper we penetrate matter in our attempts to understand nature, both ours and of the external world, we see that we are not able to discover what nature desires, the purpose of its existence, nor the essence of every cell and component of reality.

There are researchers who study matter as it is - solid, gas, liquid and so on - and there are researchers who go deeper in their study of matter, to the level of molecules and the chemical relations between them, and the level of atoms and their interior. Some advanced researchers claim that all of these things disappear in some way at a certain degree of depth, after which they can not understand what is happening. This is not due to a lack of tools or instruments but because man is built in such a way that he cannot grasp it any further. Why is this so? Because the human only perceives reality on a simple level, which occurs in relation to the way he or she is present with reality. On more inner levels, the person already senses that reality is doing with him or her whatever it wants to. At the more interior levels the person begins to see that it is not one way or the other but that the person him or herself constructs his or her own reality; reality is but a copy of the person.

Modern scientists tell us that there is some limitation, beyond which our awareness is not capable of perceiving. This is the point of connection between science and the wisdom of Kabbalah. There are such methods of investigation by which we can penetrate into the causes, and understand with certainty why the world exists, what it wants from us, and how we can be at peace and harmony with it. Those who have already studied this and tell us about the results of their research are telling us amazing things. They say first of all that the matter surrounding us is not simply a substance. It is thought; it is the universal desire. They tell us that this universal desire surrounds the whole of reality, and that the general law of the entire reality is to accomplish good for everyone, for all components of reality. This universal law is benefiting not only from the outside into matter, but also within matter itself, inanimate, vegetative, living and speaking, within reality. We must take a step forward towards this desire, towards this thought, in order to equate form with it and attach to it, to understand, to feel and to connect with it.
That is why the wisdom of Kabbalah is called the wisdom of Kabbalah, because it helps us to receive that relation of reality to us, and in return to project our relation to reality.