Kabbalah - What is It?

Is it a science, a religion, a teaching? Is it secret or evident? Is it something we can sense and evaluate? Is it outdated, or is it relevant in our time?

Kabbalah is wisdom about the universe. However, it studies much more than the part of the universe that we perceive through our inborn five senses. Kabbalah explains that the universe is, in fact, much wider than what we perceive through our five senses. It teaches about that part of the universe that we currently don't perceive.

Kabbalah explains how the universe began, how it develops, and how it will end. It studies the universe’s general structure and all of its particular details. This wisdom consists of several sections, all of which talk about the general law of the universe and how we can attain it.

If we break it into sections, then Kabbalah covers:

• The creation of the entire universe and all of its levels: still, vegetative, animate, and human.

• The phases and the final goal of the entire evolutionary process, including man's part in that process.

• The connection between our current state and the states we were in before we appeared on the Earth.

• The purpose of existing in a biological body for several decades and perceiving the surrounding world through the body and its five senses.

• Our state after we leave this world.

• Our reincarnations and the relationships between them.

• The way of evolving to a higher, spiritual form while living on earth.

Where Did the Authentic Kabbalah Come from?

The wisdom of Kabbalah appeared over five thousand years ago. Its roots go back to deep antiquity, the Sumerian-Akkadian period and the time of ancient Babylon. However, Kabbalah remained virtually hidden from humanity for millennia.

Despite the concealment, people have always been interested in it. Renowned scientists and philosophers the world over, including Newton, Leibniz, and Pico Della Mirandola investigated the wisdom of Kabbalah and attempted to understand it. Johannes Reuchlin, a humanist, classics scholar, and expert in ancient languages and traditions, writes in his book, De Arte Cabbalistica: “My teacher, Pythagoras, the father of philosophy, took his teaching from Kabbalists … He was the first to translate the word, Kabbalah, unknown to his contemporaries, to the Greek word philosophy…”

Yet, to this day, authentic Kabbalah is tainted with many misconceptions and misrepresentations, such as red strings, holy water, spells, miracles and whatnot. Evidently, only a few know what authentic Kabbalah is really about.

Therefore, one must first clarify what the wisdom of Kabbalah is. Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag puts it this way in his article “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah:"

"...this wisdom is no more and no less, than a sequence of roots, which hang down by way of cause and consequence, in fixed, determined rules, interweaving to a single, exalted goal described as 'the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures in this world."

What does this mean? It’s saying that there is an Upper Force or the Creator, and there are forces that descend from Him to our world. We are here, in our world, and we are governed by these forces. They’re similar to the forces we are aware of, like gravity or electromagnetism. The only difference is that these forces are of a higher order, and they act while remaining hidden to us.

“The Creator” is the ultimate, all-inclusive force. He is the sum of all the forces in the universe and is the highest of all the governing forces. The Upper Forces descend from the Creator, going through phases called “spiritual worlds,” and finally they give rise to our world and man inside it. This constitutes the subject of the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Discovering Our Connection with the Upper Force

"All kinds of unpleasant situations are sent to us so that we will finally understand that it is not the external things that we should fear, but the lack of contact with the Upper One, the absence of spirituality." Awakening to Kabbalah, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD
If we were aware of the Upper Force that's always influencing us and arranging everything in our lives, then we would know the secret of life. We would know what life's grand purpose is and how everything in our life is led by that purpose.

So how do we reveal this Upper Force? We have to learn from the people who've already revealed it. Such people are called Kabbalists, and they have written books that can help anyone discover what they have discovered. By reading their books, one gradually begins to feel and understand how the Upper Force motivates his life and why it brings about the things that happen to him in life.

The authentic wisdom of Kabbalah deals with this only: revealing the Upper Force to a person in this world. Or as Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, author of the Sulam commentary on The Book of Zohar, puts it: "This wisdom is no more and no less, than a sequence of roots, which hang down by way of cause and consequence, in fixed, determined rules, interweaving to a single, exalted goal described as--"the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures in this world." (The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah)

Authentic Kabbalah has nothing to do with temporary distractions like lucky charms and magic spells, red strings or holy water. Rather, it is an ancient, time-tested wisdom that helps people open their eyes and discover their interrelation with the Upper Force.

This is not something you will feel in your imagination one moment and forget about it the next instant. It is a discovery of a whole new reality that you did not feel before. Kabbalah explains that there is a vast spiritual world concealed behind the picture of reality surrounding us. And this hidden reality is intended for us. Once we discover it with the help of Kabbalah books, we will feel life's perfect and eternal flow, and experience genuine, lasting joy. Studying Kabbalah, one suddenly realizes where everything comes from and that life has no coincidences. One tangibly feels that everything in our world comes from the Upper Force. As a result, one begins living in harmony with the Upper Force and avoids making mistakes in life.

In practical terms, learning about the Upper Force gives us real knowledge about how to live correctly. We become conscious of what is harmful to us and are able to avoid it. One gains a spiritual vision, where he sees the full scope of existence, the entire system of reality and how to use it to benefit the world. Hence, Kabbalah is a practical and essential wisdom.

Kabbalah: God is Altruistic Nature

Of all parts of Nature, only man puts his own interest before the needs of the system. Kabbalah shows how we can operate according to the altruistic laws of Nature, which in Kabbalah is the same as God. In a presentation at a Tokyo hall in November 2005, evolutionary biologist Elizabeth Sahtouris stated that "Every molecule, every cell, every organ ... has self-interest. When every level in the body shows its self-interest, it forces negotiations among the levels. This is the secret of Nature. Every moment in your body, these negotiations drive your systems to harmony."

Quite similarly, Kabbalists state that cells in organisms unite by reciprocal giving for the sake of sustaining the whole body. Each cell in the body receives what it needs for its sustenance, and spends the rest of its energy tending to the rest of the body. At every level of Nature, the individual works to benefit the whole of which it is a part, and in that finds its wholeness. Without altruistic activities, a body cannot persist. In fact, life itself cannot persist.

Both science and Kabbalah acknowledge that the biggest, if not the only, problem with our world is us. Below are two examples of such states of mind:

"I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image" (Stephen Hawking, British cosmologist and physicist).

"And in simple words we shall say that the nature of each and every individual is to exploit the lives of all other people in the world for his own benefit, and all that he gives to another is only out of necessity. Even in that there is exploitation, but it is done cunningly, so that his friend will not feel it" (Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), "Peace in the World").

Thousands of scientists, judging by the latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, already state that we must stop working against Nature, as we have been doing for centuries, and begin to work in harmony with it. They explain that Nature already knows what to do and when to do it. If we only get out of the way, things will sort themselves out. Just as each body has its immune system, Nature has mechanisms that maintain its balance.

This balance is a dynamic equilibrium controlled by interrelated regulation mechanisms, in which Nature thinks not of particular elements within it, but of the whole system. Just imagine the havoc our body would fall into, if each organ cared only for its own good, instead of caring for the good of the whole body.

In such a state, organs would steal blood vessels from one another, denying neighboring organs nourishment and oxygen. Organs producing antibodies would direct them against other organs because other organs would be considered foreign bodies, and the ones with the strongest antibodies would destroy the other organs. Soon, very soon, the body would die, and its self-centered organs would die with it. When such a process happens in an organism, it is called "cancer."

The fact that Nature does exist and that it isn't destroying itself every single moment is proof that Nature does not work egoistically. It is a proof that Nature works as a system, putting the well-being of the system before the well-being of its parts. In Kabbalah, when the system's needs come before the needs of the part, it is called "altruism." In an altruistic system, the particular elements constantly contribute to the system, whether it is an organism or a human society.

Humans, in almost every aspect, are just another animal species. But there is one aspect in which we are different from Nature: We put our own interest before the interest of the system. This is the essence of egoism. We don't need to teach animals, plants or rocks how to behave. Their behavior is always in harmony with Nature, altruistic, putting the system's needs before their own. This is why when prey animals hunt, they hunt only enough to sustain themselves, and thus maintain the natural balance of their habitat.

But humans don't hunt to eat; they hunt to gain wealth, to exploit. This is why we have penalties for poaching. The only problem with the human race is that, unlike animals, it runs on an egoistic "operating system" instead of an altruistic one. To mend ourselves and to stop disrupting Nature's homeostasis, we need to install an altruistic operating system instead of our current, faulty system.

And to find the missing disk, you need to go to the "program vendor," the Creator. In Kabbalah, the words "God" and "Nature" are synonymous. This is why they have the same numeric value: 86. Kabbalists have discovered and upgraded a method that teaches how we can replace the egoistic disk with an altruistic one, and today, when many already recognize that a real change of heart is necessary, they are stepping to the fore and introducing it to the world.
By Bnei Baruch
Published: 12/17/2007

Developing Our Latent Sense

We feel that there is a world, an entire universe around us. But what we don't realize is that there is another part of the universe that we don't feel. Let's call it the "upper" part of the universe.

Presently, we perceive what our five senses can absorb, and they only allow us to attain a part of the universe called "our world." However, Kabbalists explain that we have the ability to penetrate much deeper. We can delve through our world into nature and perceive the Upper World. Let's take a closer look at how we can do this.

We perceive our world through our five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We also build physical instruments such as microscopes or telescopes that widen the range of our senses' perception. But all the instruments we create can only expand our senses' perception and hence they can't let us perceive something beyond the reality called "our world."

Again, all investigations we conduct in our world are confined to our five senses. And as long as we are confined to them, we cannot begin to see, feel, and understand what lies beyond our senses.

O ur imagination is also a product of our five senses and the experiences which stem from them. We cannot imagine an object or a creature unless it resembles something that our five senses are familiar with.

For example, if you ask someone to draw an alien from another planet, he will draw it according to the elements he is familiar with from our world. And if you ask someone to describe a fantastical scenario, he will no doubt describe something which is fundamentally very similar to this world.

We all live in a small world and are not able to feel or imagine anything beyond it. And since our science and philosophy are also limited to the perception of our five senses, they too cannot help us understand what lies beyond this world. Therefore, to get behind the scenes of our world and recognize the forces that affect it - we need a new sense.

The wisdom of Kabbalah offers a person the method to develop his latent, additional sense, called the "screen." Using the screen, one can penetrate through our world and reveal deeper, inner layers of reality, which influence our level of reality. Hence, the Kabbalists call these layers "Upper Worlds." These worlds are like the layers of an onion, where our world is in the midst of all the worlds.

To summarize, we naturally feel only the innermost sphere in all of existence, but Kabbalists explain that 'this world' is just a small fragment of the true reality. It's the fragment we are able to feel with our inborn five senses. But if we develop the additional sense called "the screen," we will feel the Upper Worlds that Kabbalists feel. This is what Ka bbalah teaches: how to acquire the screen.

www.kabbalah.info

5 Stages of Desires’ Development

Kabbalists discovered that our desires for pleasure evolve by 5 stages:

1) The first, and most basic desire, is the desire for food, health, sex, and family. These are necessary desires for our survival.

2) The second stage is the aspiration for wealth. Here we think that money guarantees survival and a good quality of life.

3) The third is the craving for honor and power. Here we enjoy controlling others, as well as ourselves.

4) In the fourth stage appears the desire for knowledge. Here we think that having knowledge will make us happy.

5) But only when the fifth, and last stage of desire appears, we become attracted to an unknown “something” that is beyond us. Here we feel that connecting to this unknown “something” can bring us greater and lasting enjoyment, and we search for ways to make this connection. This desire for something higher is called “the desire for spirituality.” more…

Taken from “Kabbalah in Our Times: Spirituality, Kabbalah and the 21st Century” in the “What Is Kabbalah?” environment of Kabbalah.info

VIDEO: Rav Michael Laitman, PhD explains the process of evolving desires:

Watch more videos like this at Kabbalah TV

Related Posts:
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Kabbalah and Philosophy
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What is Spirituality? What is a Soul?
Time to Act
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Kabbalah TV Live Stream - Weekly Schedule of Live Broadcasts

Including 3 new courses starting in December
www.kab.tv/eng

All times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST) unless otherwise noted

Daily Lessons with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD
Sundays to Fridays - 6 Days a Week
8:20pm - 9:15pm - 1st Lesson
9:15pm - 10:00pm - 2nd Lesson
10:00pm - 11:00pm - 3rd Lesson

Sunday Beginner Virtual Lesson Series with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD
NEW Lesson Series starts December 9, 2007 based on articles of Baal HaSulam
Sundays
9:00am - 10:30am

World Assembly of Friends (Yeshivat Haverim)
Sundays
12:00 noon - 1:00pm

Beginner Lessons for Israelis in the U.S. East Coast
NEW Course Starts December 9, 2007 (no lessons until then)
Sundays
2:00pm - 3:30pm

Beginner Lessons for Israelis in the U.S. West Coast*
NEW Course Starts December 10, 2007 (no lessons until then)
Mondays
* 8:30pm - 11:00pm (PST)
11:30pm - 1:00am (EST)

Lectures with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD at the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center, Israel
Tuesdays
12:30pm - 2:00pm
Fridays
2:00am - 4:00am

‘Ask the Kabbalist’ - Rav Michael Laitman, PhD answers questions from the public
Thursdays
1:30pm - 2:30pm

Related Posts:
I Shall Not Die but Live
What is Ego? What is Shame?
Worldwide Unanimous Agreement
Rav Michael Laitman, PhD encounters the ARI Online Kabbalah Students in Toronto
Physical and Spiritual Connections

How Do We Renew & Improve Education? The Hot Question in Bnei Baruch

How Do We Renew & Improve Education? The Hot Question in Bnei Baruch
November 21, 2007 at 9:05 pm · Filed under Daily Lessons, Education

From Today’s Daily Lesson:

What began as a daily Kabbalah lesson with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD turned into a 2-and-a-half-hour long question-and-answer super session on the subject of education—its crucial state in our world today, and how to optimize education for our following generations.

Bnei Baruch are now clarifying a new system of education based on revised study methods, new teacher requirements, how to train the world’s next generation of leaders, how to use media and globally-connected technologies in the most beneficial way for humanity’s development, and how to fulfill the educational needs of our future generations.

Download the Full Lesson: wmv video | mp3 audio

Related Posts:
Welcome to the Official Kabbalah Blog of Bnei Baruch
Kabbalah and Philosophy
Rav Michael Laitman, PhD encounters the ARI Online Kabbalah Students in Toronto
Spiritual Search
VIDEO: ARI Online Student Video

www.kabbalahblog.info

TV Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on Bloomberg show “Night Talk” with Mike Schneider

TV Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on Bloomberg show “Night Talk” with Mike Schneider
November 22, 2007 at 11:13 am · Filed under Interviews, October Tour 2007

Download the Interview: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (WMV)

BLOOMBERG TV (October 24, 2007): Mike Schneider, on Bloomberg’s “Night Talk,” interviewed Rav Michael Laitman, PhD investigating Kabbalah from a variety of angles. The interview was composed of 3 parts, each detailing a specific angle on Kabbalah:

Part 1: The Mystery Surrounding Kabbalah
• Kabbalah – What Is It?
• An Ancient Wisdom that Predates Judaism
• Kabbalah and Judaism – What Is their Connection (if any)?
• Is there One Individual Figure Who Occupies a Position of Leadership in Kabbalah?
• Prophecy – Is there such a thing in Kabbalah?

Part 2: The Buzz Surrounding Kabbalah
• Madonna in Kabbalah – What’s the Deal?
• Ethics – Why We Don’t Need Them
• Science and Kabbalah – Are they Competitive or Complementary?
• Kabbalah Involves No Rituals of Any Kind
• Kabbalah Is a Method. Is it a Philosophy as Well?
• You Don’t Need to be Trained in Traditional Judaism Before Studying Kabbalah

Part 3: The Modern World Surrounding Kabbalah
• World Problems. Their Causes. Their Solutions.
• Improve Personal Behavior, Relationships and Family Connections
• Terrorism – the Source of the Problem (Is the Same Source as Every Problem)
• Philosophers and Kabbalah
• What Is the Main Change that Happens to You When You Study Kabbalah?

Related Posts:
Radio Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on The Maria Sanchez Morning Show, Los Angeles
Radio Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on Fox News Radio Show “A Few Moments With,” New York
Radio Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on The Brian Sussman Show, San Francisco
Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on his Upcoming USA Tour
Interview between Rav Michael Laitman, PhD and Vladimir Molchanov

www.kabbalahblog.info

5 Things You Should Know About The Zohar

5 Things You Should Know About The Zohar
November 5, 2007 at 11:41 pm · Filed under Zohar

1) What is The Zohar?
The Zohar is a collection of commentaries on the Torah, intended to guide people who have already achieved high spiritual degrees to the root (origin) of their souls. more…

2) Who is The Zohar For?
The Zohar was written for people who have already achieved spiritual perception. more…

3) Who Wrote The Zohar, and When?
According to all Kabbalists, and as the beginning of the book writes, The Zohar was written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), who lived in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. more…

4) Why was The Zohar Hidden for So Long?
The Zohar was kept hidden for 900 years, between the 2nd and the 11th centuries CE, since those who possessed its wisdom understood that at the time, people did not need it and would misunderstand its contents. more…

5) Where do I Find Out More About The Zohar?
Bnei Baruch provides introductions and free lessons on The Zohar, as well as shorter articles describing concepts from The Zohar, and how to prepare for the encounter with these concepts. more…

www.kabbalahblog.info

As far as traditional Kabbalists are concerned, string’s not the thing - an Article in The Telegraph

As far as traditional Kabbalists are concerned, string’s not the thing - an Article in The Telegraph
October 31, 2007 at 6:58 am · Filed under News, Press

THE TELEGRAPH (October 26, 2007): This month, the popularization of Kabbalah has definitely seen a significant turn from the faddish to the authentic. Journalist Jill Moon contributed to this month’s press demystification of Kabbalah with her article “As far as traditional Kabbalists are concerned, string’s not the thing.”

Rather than scratching around the surface of conflicts in opinion between different brandings of “Kabbalah,” Moon took an investigative dive into Bnei Baruch’s teaching of Kabbalah, searching for how Bnei Baruch defines authentic Kabbalah, its purpose and its fundamental concepts.

“The goal of Kabbalah is to change the ‘will to receive’ into the ‘intention to bestow,’ or to become more like the ‘creator,’ that wants everyone to be fulfilled,” Moon quoted Bnei Baruch senior instructor Michael R. Kellogg, who teaches live, interactive Kabbalah introductory courses for free at the Learning Center.

“The literal definition of Kabbalah is the revelation of ‘his Godliness’ to his creatures. In other words, it means that here, in this world as we exist, we are in complete and total concealment of any upper power of God … Kabbalah is the revelation of this thing called ‘God,’ meaning not revelation of belief, but of actually sensing the force called ‘God,’” Kellogg continued.

Moon went on to quote Kellogg discussing the work between intention and egoism in Kabbalah, and how Kabbalah explains our evolution in terms of evolving egoistic desires. Moreover, Kellogg fit in the very popularization of Kabbalah within this explanation, in that “all other desires have been fulfilled, and now the desire for spirituality is coming out. Egoism had to grow to a point that society is ready for Kabbalah.”

Click Here to Read the Full Article

Feature Article in Kabbalah Today Issue 8

Natural Disasters Explained through Kabbalah
October 22, 2007 at 9:10 pm · Filed under Articles, Kabbalah Today

Feature Article in Kabbalah Today Issue 8

As Rav Laitman spreads the word around the United States and Canada this month on how Kabbalah holds the solution for the global crisis, the feature article “The Tip of the Iceberg” in Kabbalah Today Issue 8 presents the same message, focusing on natural disasters.

“The Tip of the Iceberg” discusses the major increase of natural disasters around the world in relation to what is causing them: the rules that control nature and our attitude to these rules. Nature’s most fundamental principle is interconnectedness and unity, and as human beings, we are not realizing our potential to actualize this interconnectedness and unity among ourselves. more…

Click Here to Read the Full Article

Radio Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on The Brian Sussman Show, San Francisco

Radio Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on The Brian Sussman Show, San Francisco
October 19, 2007 at 9:19 pm · Filed under Audio, Interviews

SAN FRANCISCO (October 11, 2007): Rav Michael Laitman, PhD was interviewed on the Brian Sussman Show, KSFO-560AM. Sussman tried clarifying both what is Kabbalah and also extended the investigation to see what Kabbalah’s outlook is on political and religious issues.

Expert says Kabbalah best understood as a science - an Article in the South Jersey Courier Post

Expert says Kabbalah best understood as a science - an Article in the South Jersey Courier Post
October 21, 2007 at 5:22 am · Filed under Interviews, News

COURIER POST (October 20, 2007): Spirituality columnist Kim Mulford interviewed Rav Michael Laitman, PhD for her Saturday column “Keeping the Faith.” As well as the usual ice-breaking questions about Kabbalah that Rav Laitman often gets asked by journalists, like whether it is a religion or mysticism, whether someone practising a religion can also study Kabbalah, and whether the Kabbalah Rav Laitman teaches is connected to the Kabbalah Madonna studies… Kim Mulford also asked unique questions about the experience of Kabbalah; what it’s like to connect to the Creator and how this is related to its dissemination.

Kim Mulford: What is it like to connect with the Creator?

Rav Laitman: It’s a personal connection. It’s as if you stop caring for yourself and you experience everybody else’s thoughts and cares. You become connected and related and you feel beyond. You don’t just feel it, you really are beyond time and place and motion. You become eternal in a way, because you have eternal perception. It gets you to a point where you just want to give and give.

Kim Mulford: Is that why you want to share this with other people, because you want to give them this same experience?

Rav Laitman: Yes, of course. You experience the harmony of nature and reality and you want to share it. Also, it’s not just a privilege. It’s really an obligation, because the whole of humanity must come to that point where all of us experience that harmony. Actually, the crisis we are experiencing today isn’t coming for no reason. It’s there to prompt us to think about life, to see how we can build our harmony with it. more…

Click Here to Read the Full Article in the Courier Post Online
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More than just Madonna: Kabbalah has millions of online students around the world

More than just Madonna: Kabbalah has millions of online students around the world - an Article in the Canadian Press
October 18, 2007 at 10:31 am · Filed under News

TORONTO (October 17, 2007): Without the Internet, studying Kabbalah every day would be more of a chore for Susan Morales, who already leads a busy life teaching and checking up on her nursing students.

But by going online, her class with her teacher Rav Michael Laitman, which is webcastlive every day from Israel, is just a click away for the Toronto resident who lectures at Ryerson University.

“The miracle of that is just fantastic,” said Morales, 58, who has been doing Kabbalah every day - a requirement for all students - for the past six years.

Laitman is the founder and president of the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education and Research Institute in Israel, which has branches all over the world including Toronto.

Kabbalah, which is Hebrew for reception, is an ancient “method of spiritual growth and development offering an inspiring path of self-discovery and spiritual elevation,” according to the centre.

It aims to answer life’s deepest question: What is life about?

In an interview during a visit to Toronto, Laitman said the Internet plays a major role in getting the Kabbalah message out.

“When I started building the academy in 1991, the Internet was basically non-existent,” he said in Hebrew as he spoke through an interpreter.

Laitman went through some difficult years using “snail mail.”

The web improved communication, and, “as a result now today we have approximately two million students worldwide - about 200,000 in Canada - using the Internet from 47 countries in 26 languages,” he said.

Thousands more practise it through The Kabbalah Centre, another Israel-based organization that uses the web and has branches worldwide.

Through Bnei Baruch, said Morales, classes can be done any time because it has one of the largest archives of downloadable lessons.

“If I wanted to sit in front of my computer and listen and study 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, I could do it and not view (the same) lesson again.”

Rob Taylor, 56, a project management consultant in the power industry, says he’s up at 3 a.m. to study Kabbalah.

Generally he either studies texts or takes classes online with Laitman. Then throughout the day he’s always working on what he learned.

“You start evaluating yourself,” said Taylor, an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a former undercover cop who lives in Toronto.

“Why do I see it this way? Why is it affecting me the way it does?”

In 1984, when he first learned about Kabbalah, there wasn’t a lot of translated material, he said. Until the late 20th century, it was closed to all but a few select and serious students.

“There were commentaries but nothing you could really get your teeth into, to really understand it,” he said.

Then in the late 1990s, things began to change, he said.

“I started coming across material mostly put together by Laitman,” author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah.”

Now, more than 5,000 books are available on Amazon.com, most written after 2000, according to the Idiot’s Guide. As well, more than 200,000 lessons are available online.

Besides books, such as the Idiot’s Guide, making it more accessible to people, interest really ignited after pop singer and actress Madonna became heavily involved.

“When she went public about it, more people were asking about what this is,” said Jacob Kessler, 25, who helped established the Kabbalah Club at the University of Toronto.

“More people started coming out to study meetings or … taking a class here and there at The Kabbalah Centre,” said Kessler, who was introduced to Kabbalah by his parents when he was a young child.

Kessler, who is working on a bachelor’s degree in Judaic studies with a focus on mystical Judaism and Kabbalah, says lots of students are interested in Kabbalah - sometimes classes are full.

But Madonna is only part of the reason why Kabbalah is being studied by so many people these days, said Laitman.

“Humanity is in a global crisis: Divorce rates are soaring, drug abuse, depression. Globalization causes us all to be interconnected and at the same time we’re all hateful to each other,” he said.

“When you lose hope … you start searching. Instinctively people are discovering that the answer to it probably exists in Kabbalah,” he said.

“That’s why kabbalists for the first time in 5,000 years of Kabbalah’s existence are now exposing it to the whole world,” he said. As a result, “we see that Kabbalah is a method for correcting and for restoring balance.”

People of all walks of life are finding it helpful, said Morales. She has met devout Christians, Orthodox Jews, observant Muslims and agnostics studying it.

At the core of Kabbalah, she said, “is the correction of oneself.”

How does one become more like the bestowing creator, or God, said Morales. That’s how spirituality is defined in Kabbalah.

In Kabbalah, correct intentions will lead you closer to God, or the creator, who is a giving force, a bestowing force, said Laitman. “The whole of nature is a giving nature, a loving nature.”

Each organ in our body functions to benefit the body, he said.

If one, however, begins “to pull towards itself to consume the rest of the body” it becomes cancerous, he said.

“This is why Kabbalah states that if humanity rises above its egoism it will not be cancerous towards the whole of nature.”

Today’s interconnectedness “should compel us to rise above our personal egos and achieve the right harmony and connection among us in giving to each other.”

“When Kabbalah opens up the picture of the world to us it kind of forces us to become good,” he said.

Taylor says he gradually turned to Kabbalah during his stints in the Marines and with the police out of frustration.

“You spend a lot of time in those environments because you want to fix things,” he said. “Then you reach a point of understanding that you can’t.”

Finally, “you come to realize that the whole structure begins with individual correction,” he said.

“We have to fix ourselves internally before we can even think about going out there and correcting something else.”

That, he said, “has probably been the biggest change” in his life since he began … studying Kabbalah.

Click Here for the Original Article

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How to Understand Nature’s Program and Know What Path to Take - an Interview with Rav Michael Laitman PhD in Shalom Toronto

How to Understand Nature’s Program and Know What Path to Take - an Interview with Rav Michael Laitman PhD in Shalom Toronto
October 16, 2007 at 11:52 am · Filed under Interviews, News

In an interview with Shalom Toronto columnist Jonathan Dahoah-Halevi, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD explained that studying the Kabbalah can help humanity have a positive influence on the forces at work in the world and reach a high spiritual level to become one with nature and God. The following is an excerpt from the interview:

Shalom Toronto: Does the Kabbalah have the power to solve global problems?

Rav Laitman: The Kabbalah is the answer to all the world’s problems because it deals with the world in general. Man is driven by his ego. The development of the ego leads to hatred, despair, drugs, terrorism and air pollution, and for all those things there is the Kabbalah which teaches us how to relate to the world and our fellow men to reach harmony, to have a positive influence and to reduce human suffering.

Shalom Toronto: How can the Kabbalah solve the problem of air pollution?

Rav Laitman: The Kyoto Protocol [an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions] and other agreements cannot reduce air pollution. Nature has another program. Nature needs to bring us into a state of balance. It is a mistake to think that all we have to do is burn less. What we have to do is understand nature’s program and then we will know what path to take. Air pollution is not the main issue, but human thoughts and behavior are what influence nature and everything else is completely marginal.

Click Here for This Issue of Shalom Toronto, and Read the Full Interview on Page 49

Rav Laitman will be giving a public lecture tonight in Toronto at the B’nai Brith Building, 15 Hove Street (Bathurst & Sheppard).
Click here for bookings, and for more information on Rav Laitman’s United States and Canada tour

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Australian BB Kabbalah Group: Now Is the Time for Kabbalah to Enter the Education System

Australian BB Kabbalah Group: Now Is the Time for Kabbalah to Enter the Education System

http://www.kabtoday.com/epaper_eng/content/view/epaper/5697/(page)/3/(article)/5702

What is Kabbalah? Don’t ask Madonna

What is Kabbalah? Don’t ask Madonna - an Article in the Chicago Daily Herald
October 12, 2007 at 11:22 am · Filed under Press

CHICAGO DAILY HERALD (October 12, 2007): In advance of Rav Michael Laitman’s Oakton Community College Skokie campus lecture “From Chaos to Harmony: Kabbalah as the Solution to the Global Crisis,” Journalist Jamie Sotonoff of the Chicago Daily Herald focused on a key disclaimer Rav Laitman has been questioned about repeatedly throughout his United States tour, that the Kabbalah Rav Laitman teaches is completely different and unrelated to the Kabbalah that Madonna is associated with.

Click Here to Read this Full Story in the Chicago Daily Herald

Click Here for More Details About the Lecture and to Register

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Kabbalah Introductory Lecture by Rav Michael Laitman PhD in San Francisco, Oct. 11 2007

Kabbalah Introductory Lecture by Rav Michael Laitman PhD in San Francisco, Oct. 11 2007
October 13, 2007 at 9:03 pm · Filed under Lectures

SAN FRANCISCO (October 11, 2007): Rav Michael Laitman, PhD gave a public lecture at the Embarcadero Center, Le Meridian Hotel entitled “The Kabbalah Experience”—an introduction to the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Rav Laitman opened the lecture stating that the wisdom of Kabbalah has it written that the year 1995 would see the beginnings of the disclosure of the wisdom of Kabbalah to humanity. In order to explain this, Rav Laitman compared the state that humanity is in today to the state that humanity was in 5,000 years ago, and why this difference has come about.

Rav Laitman was asked to clarify what makes the Kabbalah he teaches authentic, as well as answering questions on how Kabbalah treats the ups and downs of everyday life, who or what is the Creator, how is peace found in one’s life, Kabbalah on the family, Kabbalah on the education of children, and whether there are age restrictions on the study of Kabbalah.

Download the Lecture: wmv video | mp3 audio

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Michael Laitman's Book Tour October 2007

USA Sydney
City Day Date Time
Chicago Monday 15th 7am
Toronto Wednesday 17th 10am
Miami Friday 19th 10am
Philadelphia Wednesday 24th 6am
New York Thursday 25th 10am

Day/Date/Time Sydney EST

Log into http://www.kab.tv to see it live at the above times

Australian Unity Congress!

Australia BB Group Invites the whole world Kli to our Unity Congress

It will be held on the weekend of November 2nd to 4th.

Starting Friday afternoon till Sunday afternoon.

Location Blue mountains (Leura),

Transport 1 ½ hours drive from sunny Sydney, also close to train station. We have space in group cars going up and coming back.

Cost $100 per person.

Program

Lectures and workshops
Song writing workshops for the World congress in Israel,
Cultural night,
Local area circulation for group effort, newspapers, dvd, and books.
Lots of homemade wholesome food and locally made and distilled pyrtzofka (lots of).


RSVP 25th October

Now Is the Time for Kabbalah to Enter the Education System

Now Is the Time for Kabbalah to Enter the Education System
October 9, 2007 at 12:10 am · Filed under Education

The Soul Is Ageless
Article in Kabbalah Today issue 8

In times when the education system is being criticized for its inability to turn children into mature, confident adults, Kabbalist Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, believes that now is a unique time to introduce a new concept into our schools—the wisdom of Kabbalah. more…

Click here to read the full article

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New Kabbalah.info Website Delivers the Power of Kabbalah to the World

“There has been rapidly growing interest in Kabbalah. For this reason, we have renewed www.kabbalah.info taking first-time visitor needs into specific consideration,” reports Kabbalah.info spokesperson Tony Kosinec.

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New Kabbalah.info Website Delivers the Power and Wisdom of Kabbalah to the World

New Kabbalah.info Website Delivers the Power and Wisdom of Kabbalah to the World
October 5, 2007 at 4:43 am · Filed under Press

Expanded and revised Kabbalah.info website delivers comprehensive information and tools to meet worldwide demand

Tel Aviv, Israel October 5, 2007 – www.Kabbalah.info, the world’s largest online source for free Kabbalah content, has updated and expanded its site to meet the growing worldwide interest in the wisdom and study of Kabbalah. The new site offers quick and easy access to a wealth of information and resources for learning the science of Kabbalah.

“There has been rapidly growing interest in Kabbalah. For this reason, we have renewed www.kabbalah.info taking first-time visitor needs into specific consideration,” reports Kabbalah.info spokesperson Tony Kosinec.

In the past twelve months alone, www.kabbalah.info has attracted 2.5 million visitors – three times more than the preceding twelve months. Kosinec expects this boom to continue rising: “Whether it’s through pop celebrities or quantum physicists, people are hearing about Kabbalah from all kinds of directions, and this media-influenced curiosity is bringing them to our site. Our aim with this new site is to serve this curiosity, providing initial explanations of what Kabbalah is and isn’t, letting people know who it’s for and why it’s studied, and to do this in an entertaining, quick and easy-to-understand way.”

The site offers all of its materials and services free, using the latest Flash technology, video clips and list-style articles to present its message to first-timers. Two minutes on the home page already gives the visitor “3 Things You Should Know About Kabbalah” – an introductory Flash presentation explaining (1) What is Kabbalah? (2) What is not Kabbalah? and (3) What is the goal of Kabbalah?

Visitors can get this information elaborated in the “What is Kabbalah?” environment, or go directly to a guided introductory course (either with a live instructor or recorded lessons). There are options to download free eBooks and audio books, participate in live daily lessons, listen to Kabbalistic music, browse an extensive library of authentic Kabbalah texts, watch video clips and films, and even ask questions and get answers live, daily, with internationally renowned Kabbalist Rav Michael Laitman, PhD – the principle teacher and founder of Kabbalah.info.

“In the end, this site is for everybody because today, Kabbalah is for everybody. Kabbalists throughout history have pointed to our era as the one where the secrets of Kabbalah would become disclosed to humanity. While there is definitely growing interest in Kabbalah, there is still a lot of confusion as to what it actually is and what it can do for people. Our new site has been developed to eliminate this confusion. It makes clear the essence and purpose of Kabbalah, so that after a short time on the site people can see what authentic Kabbalah entails, and decide whether it’s a path they want to take or not,” says Kosinec.

Kabbalah.info was founded by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, Israel-based kabbalist, professor in ontology and the theory of knowledge, and author of over thirty books on Kabbalah. Rav Laitman will be touring the United States and Canada during October 9 – 24, 2007, publicly lecturing on authentic Kabbalah. Click here for location, date and time information.

Read this press release at PR Web

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International Authority on Authentic Kabbalah Brings Ancient Wisdom and Insights to Nine US Cities and Nationwide

International Authority on Authentic Kabbalah Brings Ancient Wisdom and Insights to Nine US Cities and Nationwide
October 4, 2007 at 1:34 am · Filed under Press

Is Kabbalah a religion? Spiritual practice? Science? - What is a Kabbalah Spiritual Boot Camp? - Who studies Kabbalah and how is it compatible with Christianity and other world religions? - Celebrities including Madonna and Demi Moore ignite interest in Kabbalah; learn how their practices differ from authentic Kabbalah teaching. - Find the answer to life’s deepest question “What is life about?” - Where is Kabbalah practiced? Find out about Kabbalah’s dramatic growth and how many people practice Kabbalah in the U.S. and around the world. Worldwide, some 1.3 million people study and practice authentic Kabbalah through the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute, and from October 9-28, the world’s leading authority on authentic Kabbalah will be traveling on a nine city tour of the US, speaking to audiences on this ancient science. Rav Michael Laitman, Ph.D., the founder and president of the Institute, will be available for interviews and can discuss the Kabbalist position on a host of current issues including terrorism, the Iraq War, the difference between celebrity and pop culture practices of Kabbalah and authentic Kabbalah, global warming, etc. At the conclusion of his US trip, he will travel to Monterrey, Mexico, where he will attend the World Wisdom Council and present at the 2007 Monterrey Forum. more…

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What is the One Thing Bnei Baruch Wants from Its Dissemination of Kabbalah?

What is the One Thing Bnei Baruch Wants from Its Dissemination of Kabbalah?
September 25, 2007 at 12:49 pm · Filed under Meaning of Life, Depression, Video

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD discusses the purpose for the dissemination of Kabbalah in the world today.

RAV MICHAEL LAITMAN PhD, OCTOBER US TOUR 2007, INFO PAGE: http://www.kabbalah.info/kabbalah-tour-2007.htm

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Rav Michael Laitman, PhD tours the United States and Canada this October

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD tours the United States and Canada this October
September 23, 2007 at 7:14 am · Filed under News, Notices

Click here for Rav Michael Laitman’s USA and Canada tour information page

This October, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD will be touring the United States and Canada giving public lectures and media interviews. The primary focus of his tour’s message will be the global situation today and humanity’s future, which has been predicted and perceived in the authentic wisdom of Kabbalah since its inception 4,000 years ago.

This tour is a follow-up to the success of Rav Laitman’s latest publication, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah (Alpha, a member of Penguin Group (USA) inc., 2007), one of Rav Laitman’s most easy-to-understand and clearly written books on authentic Kabbalah for English speakers to date.

Tour Dates and Locations:

Los Angeles
October 9th at 8 - 9:30 pm
JCC Sherman Oaks
13164 Burbank Blvd. Sherman Oaks 91401

October 10th at 8 - 9:30 pm
The Olympic Collection
11301 Olympic Blvd. West Los Angeles 90064

for further information: 818-985-8900, 310-376-4277
BneiBaruchLA @ yahoo.com

San Francisco
October 11th 8 pm

Toronto
Oct 16th, at 8:00 - 9:30 pm
B’nai Brith Building
15 Hoove Street (Bathurst & Sheppard), Toronto

for further information:
Tell: 416-840-5487
for further information: info @ bbtoronto.info
www.bbtoronto.info

Miami
October 18th at 8 – 9:30 pm
Ramada Marco Polo http://www.marcopolobeachresort.com
19201 Collins Ave. Sunny isles, Florida 33160
Tel 877-327-6363

New York City
October 24th at 8-9:30 pm
Marriot Marquis
1535 Broadway
New York 10036

Click here for more information and contact details

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Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on his Upcoming USA Tour

Interview with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD on his Upcoming USA Tour
September 22, 2007 at 8:56 pm · Filed under Interviews, Kabbalah Today

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD teaching the authentic Kabbalah sources in the Bnei Baruch daily lessons

In recent years, Kabbalah has made a name for itself in the United States. But its fame has not always done justice to the ancient lore that was kept secret until only a few years ago. Now, with the publishing of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah and his upcoming North America book tour this October, we at Kabbalah Today editorial staff decided it was an excellent time to interview Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, co-author of the book. Click here to read the full interview

When we knock on his office door, he hollers, “Come in!” We enter a small, barely furnished office with a large, plain looking desk occupying the bulk of the room. The only noteworthy object on the table is a large LCD computer screen displaying his latest book or article. Rav Laitman, a man of average height in his sixties with vivid eyes and a hint of a smile, ushers us in and gets right to the point: “What do you want to know?” he asks. His direct gaze leaves no room for doubt—there is no small talk with this man. more…

Click here to read the full interview

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Israel, the Role of Jews and the Story of Prophet Jonah

Israel, the Role of Jews and the Story of Prophet Jonah
September 20, 2007 at 4:02 am · Filed under Articles, Kabbalah Today

A Prophet in His Own Country
Article in Kabbalah Today issue 7

Whether we are aware or not, Jews are a people on a mission—to lead humanity to the final correction—and pay heavily for any attempt to avoid that mission. If examine the story of Prophet Jonah, we will understand the essence of this mission.

Click here to read the full article

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VIDEO: Israel and the Nations of the World

VIDEO: Israel and the Nations of the World
September 19, 2007 at 7:18 am · Filed under Daily Lessons, Definitions

From Today’s Daily Lesson:

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD commentates on an article from Rabash’s Shlavey HaSulam, providing the spiritual definitions to the terms “Israel” and “Nations of the World.”

Video clip taken from the lesson on Rabash’s article #25 from Shlavey HaSulam, Volume 4 (19 September, 2007)
Download the full lesson: wmv video | mp3 audio (55 min)

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VIDEO: How Can There Be A Finite Process in Something Infinite?

VIDEO: How Can There Be A Finite Process in Something Infinite?
September 18, 2007 at 4:40 am · Filed under Daily Lessons, Video

From Today’s Daily Lesson:
Rav Michael Laitman, PhD discusses the Thought of Creation in relation to the creation’s sensation of that Thought.

Video clip taken from the lesson “Introduction to the Wisdom of Kabbalah - Lesson 3.”
Download the full lesson: wmv video | mp3 audio (55 min)

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2 Ways to Achieve Perfection

2 Ways to Achieve Perfection
September 17, 2007 at 5:41 am · Filed under Lectures

A lecture Rav Michael Laitman, PhD gave on
Baal HaSulam’s article “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

Baal HaSulam: Bear in mind, that two forces serve to push us up the rungs of the aforementioned ladder, until we reach its head in the sky, which is the purposeful point of the equality of our form with our Maker. And the difference between these two forces is that the first pushes us from behind, which we refer to as the Path of Pain, or the Way of the Earth.

Commentary by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD: Progress always arises out of pain. As a result, our entire life turns into flight from misfortunes and problems towards something that is possibly better. Baal HaSulam calls this path “the path of pain.” Generally speaking, its benefit is that it gives us a possibility to identify our ego as the source of pain. Without having the ego, I would not perceive nature that continuously acts upon me and pushes me forward. I would develop in a different manner. Let’s see what the other path of development is.

Baal HaSulam: The second force pushes us consciously, that is of our own choice. That force stands in front of us and pulls us forward, and that is what we determine as the Path of Torah and Mitzvot. For observing Torah and Mitzvot in order to bring contentment to our Maker, rapidly develops that sense of the recognition of evil, as we’ve shown in The Revelation of Godliness.

Commentary by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD: We attract upon ourselves the Upper Light paying absolutely no attention to the ego, pain and everything else. Only a Light that Reforms is important to us. We are drawn forward as a result. Naturally, we feel everything that is awakened by pain, egoism, and our nature as evil. However, we long for good and because of this recognize evil very quickly.

View this lecture: wmv video | mp3 audio (55 min)
Read lecture transcript: html | doc
Read Baal HaSulam’s original article: html

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2 Ways to Achieve Perfection

We attract upon ourselves the Upper Light paying absolutely no attention to the ego, pain and everything else. Only a Light that Reforms is important to us. We are drawn forward as a result. Naturally, we feel everything that is awakened by pain, egoism, and our nature as evil. However, we long for good and because of this recognize evil very quic

read more | digg story

The Zohar and the Wisdom of Kabbalah Hold the Key for Spiritual Success

The Zohar and the Wisdom of Kabbalah Hold the Key for Spiritual Success
September 11, 2007 at 11:09 am · Filed under Articles

Rabbi Hya’s Vision
Article in Kabbalah Today issue 7

The Zohar reveals a new perspective on life: that all the troubles and suffering we experience are intended to make us realize our own imperfections. To rise to the perception of the complete reality, we need to prefer the internal to the external, to find opportunities to incorporate the wisdom of Kabbalah into our lives. When we do that, we will rise, like Rabbi Hya, to a higher spiritual state, to the reality we truly do exist in. In that state we will be like all the Kabbalists before us, and discover the reality where all the souls are united in their perfect state. more…

–from Kabbalah Today issue 7

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VIDEO: What is Light in Kabbalah?

VIDEO: What is Light in Kabbalah?
September 9, 2007 at 10:03 pm · Filed under Definitions, Video

A spiritual definition of “Light.” Rav Michael Laitman, PhD explains what is Light in Kabbalah, and how one studying Kabbalah draws the Light for the sake of “reforming” or “correcting” his- or her ego.

Click here to view the video at Kabbalah TV

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MUSIC: Hine ka Chomer

MUSIC: Hine ka Chomer
September 9, 2007 at 3:22 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Listen to the file by clicking on the Flash player’s button below:

Hine ka Chomer
Melody by Baal HaSulam

1. Download Version by Seth Breitman and Haim Cotton
2. Download Instrumental Version
3. Download Vocal Version performed by Rabbi Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag (Rabash)

“Those who sing praises at night raise, by their singing, all whose soul sings that song.

When the lower ones begin life by song, the Upper Ones help the lower ones with power, so that the lower ones realize and attain what the mortals are not able to attain. Earth and heavens, Zeir Anpin and Nukva, rise by this power, thanks to this singing.”

The Sulam Commentary on The Zohar, Shemot, pg. 104.

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New Online Learning Centre Hosts 1000 New Students

New Online Learning Center Semester Hosts 1000 New Students
September 6, 2007 at 8:10 am · Filed under News, Lectures

A review of the first Online Learning Center lecture, written by Ed Stedman.

The new semester of the Online Learning Center started on September 4th with a Fundamentals lesson by Tony Kosinec with more than 800 new students. This was followed by an intermediate lesson also taught by Tony with more than 100 students.

Students come from all around the world including many unlikely places such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Monaco. Of course the 8:00 PM EST time is impossible for some locations on the other side of the world, and so many students will watch the recorded lessons instead of watching the live lessons.

As always, the first Fundamentals lesson started with an explanation of what Kabbalah is and also what it is not. There were the usual questions asking whether Kabbalah could coexist with various religions and mystical practices and also about the nature of reality:
• Can Catholics study Kabbalah?
• Does practicing Judaism help in coming to spirituality?
• Can commandments be skipped altogether?
• Is this world a reality or a dream?

The difference between the new fundamental students and the intermediate students who have already completed the fundamental course is a testament to just how effective the fundamentals classes have been. Tony’s first intermediate lesson featured the “Peace in the World” article from Baal HaSulam and questions centered on the intricacies of the attributes of truth and mercy (discussed in the article).

Many of the intermediate students will be going to the Learning Center Retreat that has been scheduled for October 26th through 28th in St. Louis, and there was some discussion and anticipation of this event.

Further Study

The first fundamental and intermediate technical lessons from Mike Kellogg and Igal Zahavi respectively are scheduled for Sunday September 9th while the first of the Advanced Tutorials conducted by Mark Berelekhis is due to happen on Monday September 10th.

Want to enrol to the new Online Learning Center course? Click here for free registration and more information

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A Trail of Anti-Semitism

September 5, 2007
A Trail of Anti-Semitism
June 4, 2007 at 8:13 pm · Filed under Anti-Semitism, World Peace, Articles

Israeli Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog was quoted as saying, “There is a long trail of anti-Semitism in Europe.” Kabbalah says we must look inside for the reason.
Click here to read full article

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, anti-Semitism will continue to spread and intensify until Jews fulfill their reason for being in this world: to learn how to love their neighbors as themselves, as taught by Rabbi Akiva, and then pass this teaching on to the rest of the world.

Click here to read full article

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VIDEO: The Intention Behind the Action

VIDEO: The Intention Behind the Action
September 3, 2007 at 6:00 am · Filed under Thought of the Week, Video
A section of Baal HaSulam’s article “The Acting Intelligence” with commentary.
Click here to view this video at Kabbalah TV

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Kabbalah Today Issue # 7

Kabbalah Today issue #7 explains the spiritual meaning of the upcoming holidays
September 2, 2007 at 3:22 am · Filed under Kabbalah Today

Kabbalah teaches that the Creator is a force, or quality, of love …

In Kabbalah, the goal is to achieve the Creator, to become like Him. And the means to do it is to love our fellow person, as reflected in the verse, “love thy neighbor as thyself.” If we keep in mind that the goal is to become similar to the Creator, the coming holidays will introduce new meaning to the ceremonies, something that will continue with us all year long.

As part of the effort to promote the goal of love of man, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, founder and president of Bnei Baruch and publisher of this paper, co-authored The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah. Immediately following the holidays, he will begin a month-long tour in North America promoting the message of the book: egoism is humanity’s only enemy, love of man is the only cure, and the wisdom of Kabbalah is the only means to achieve this love.

In the spirit of love of man, we dedicate this issue of Kabbalah Today to the internal, spiritual meaning of the holidays, and to a special interview with Rav Laitman describing the message of his new book. We hope you will enjoy reading Kabbalah Today and feel the love with which it was produced.

View/Download Kabbalah Today Issue 7:
- E-version
- PDF version

Subscribe to Receive the Print Version of Kabbalah Today by Mail

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Free Interactive Video Kabbalah Course

Free Interactive Video Kabbalah Courses Starting September 4
August 27, 2007 at 10:25 pm · Filed under Lectures


Next Course Begins September 4

Part One of our free online interactive courses explains the key to this long hidden wisdom, and provides a firm basis in the Fundamentals of Kabbalah revealing its methodology making clear its true purpose and use. Those who are interested can then move to Intermediate study (semester 2) after which they can join classes taught by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD.

Click here for free registration and more information

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Oregon State University

Oregon State University Philosophy Course Incorporates “Kabbalah Revealed” Book
August 22, 2007 at 6:48 am · Filed under News
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY: Rav Michael Laitman’s book Kabbalah Revealed: The Ordinary Person’s Guide to a More Peaceful Life has been adapted by Prof. Monica Brodnicka for the fall course “Great Ideas in Philosophy” at Oregon State University.
Click here for more information about this course
Click the following for free download or to purchase “Kabbalah Revealed”:
Download Free PDF | Purchase for only $4.95

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The Thought is the Intention: Tips for Maintaining a Correct Intention

The Thought is the Intention: Tips for Maintaining a Correct Intention
August 21, 2007 at 3:19 am · Filed under Thought of the Week
Listen to the “The Thought is the Intention” (”Intentions from the Heart” track #6) audio file by clicking on the Flash player’s button below:
In the science of Kabbalah the thought is the intention. In a regular life thought belongs to the considerations made by the desire to receive in order to receive. A thought is that which you want to do with your desire. The activation of the desire according to an egoistic or altruistic plan, no matter which, is called “thought.” A thought that is clarified regarding its source, meaning for whom is it intended—you or the Creator—is called intention. The intention we are studying cannot be like every other intention of our world. Intention is a thought analyzed in the spiritual work.
The hardest part is to maintain the intention. That is what requires the most effort. It is hidden and not felt. It doesn’t express itself in any way and great efforts are needed to hold on to it. It is always necessary to check and to find out that it is still there. The recognition of evil relates to focusing our intention, as expressed in “get away from evil and do good” (Psalms, 34:15). All is in relation to the intention.
We have to constantly awaken the importance of the intention over all the other activities and inner processes. We have to identify with and connect to the intention, not the action, matter, or anything else. This shows that a person is in the spiritual in his or her work, and is on the path.
Since these are concealed issues, you can tell jokes or perform all sorts of strange actions, and no one will know what is really happening within you. On the contrary, this is a wonderful remedy: The more distant you are from the external action and speech, the better you will be able to keep the intention, stay more focused on it and thereby be charged with a high voltage. A wonderful remedy, a method for self-preservation, as well as other benefits, is hidden here. But this is hard work. more…
Click here to view the complete “Intentions from the Heart” index
Click here to download the complete “Intentions from the Heart” audio book
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All are One and One is All

All are One and One is All
August 20, 2007 at 6:29 am · Filed under Articles, Kabbalah Today
All are One and One is AllArticle in Kabbalah Today Issue 6
The way we perceive reality dictates all that we experience in life. So how do we know that we are not missing something that could have made our experience in this world a whole lot better? more…
Click here for the full article
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Who is He?

Who is He?
August 17, 2007 at 8:58 am · Filed under Thought of the Week

In the beginning, Rabbi Elazar began by saying, “Lift up your eyes on high and see. Who has created these things?” Lift up your eyes. To what place? To the place where all eyes depend on Him. And who is He that created these things? He is the opening of the eyes. And you should know that this is the concealed Atik where lies the question: Who has created these? And who (ed. “who” in Hebrew is “Mi,” and will be referred to as such herein) is He? He is called from the extremity of heaven on high, as everything belongs to Him. The question arises because of Him, and He is concealed. He is called Mi because beyond Him there lies no question. Thus, the extremity of heaven is called Mi.
Item 7 from the Introduction to the Sulam Commentary to the Book of Zohar.
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Question Your Reality

Question Your Reality
August 16, 2007 at 7:28 am · Filed under News, Perceiving Reality, What is Kabbalah?, Perception of Reality, Notices

QUESTIONYOURREALITY.com - the world’s first ever interactive video FAQ site on authentic Kabbalah, spirituality, world crisis and natural law.
QUESTIONYOURREALITY.com uses cutting edge flash video to deliver the authentic wisdom of Kabbalah in an entertaining, informative and dynamic fashion.
Choose from 5 categories of questions, asked by people off the streets, and receive answers and guidance to free further study on the topics.
Click here to go directly to QUESTIONYOURREALITY.com
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VIDEO: Our Environment - The Collective Soul

VIDEO: Our Environment - The Collective Soul
August 14, 2007 at 10:04 am · Filed under Free Will, World Peace, Video
Our Environment - The Collective SoulOur true environment is one of total interconnection with others, but we don׳t feel this interconnection. Why? What should we do about it? 04:07
Click here to view the video at Kabbalah TV
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Kabbalah for Beginners

Kabbalah for Beginners
August 13, 2007 at 9:45 am · Filed under Books, What is Kabbalah?
Kabbalah for Beginners is a book for everyone who is seeking answers to life’s essential questions. We all have problems; we want to know why we are here, why there is pain and how we can make life more enjoyable.
The four parts of this book tell us exactly how the wisdom of Kabbalah came about, who discovered and developed it, and what they discovered. Afterwards, the book tells us about the world we live in and finally, it explains how we can make our lives better for ourselves and for our children.
Part One discusses the discovery of the wisdom of Kabbalah, and how it was developed, and finally concealed until our time.
Part Two introduces the gist of the wisdom of Kabbalah, using 10 easy drawings to help us understand the structure of the spiritual worlds, and how they relate to our world. These drawings are accompanied by explanatory texts that make understanding Kabbalah very easy.
Part Three reveals Kabbalistic concepts that are largely unknown to the public. For example: the Creator exists nowhere but within us; our senses reveal what they sense, not what is really out there; and reality is nothing but a reflection of our perception, and hence changes when we change.
Part Four elaborates on practical means you and I can take in order to make our lives here better and more enjoyable for us and for our children. It explains how we can implement Kabbalistic principles such as freedom of choice and the power of society, and thus become more whole and fulfilled individuals.
View/Download/Purchase Kabbalah for Beginners:- PDF version- MS Word version- Purchase the Book from our Bookstore for only $7.00
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Why was Ben Gurion so intrigued by what Baal HaSulam had told him?

Why was Ben Gurion so intrigued by what Baal HaSulam had told him?
August 12, 2007 at 10:47 am · Filed under Israel, Articles, Kabbalah Today
Time to ActArticle in Kabbalah Today Issue 6
One windy winter eve in Poland in 1921, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag returned home even more withdrawn than usual. He put his haversack at the corner of the room and sat thoughtfully on the sofa. He did not utter a word. After a long silence, he informed his family: “We are standing on the verge of a new era. I can no longer stay in Poland. It is time to make Aliyah (immigrate) to Israel…”
Baal HaSulam was one of the greatest Kabbalists of all time. He was a unique soul that came into this world to bring us the wisdom of Kabbalah, and to move us closer to a life of happiness, peace, and unity.
“I have a great desire to break an iron wall that has been separating us from the wisdom of Kabbalah,” Baal HaSulam wrote. Indeed, he was the first Kabbalist to interpret the entire Book of Zohar and the writings of the Ari, and to make the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah accessible to every single person. He was also the first to publish a Kabbalistic paper and disseminate it among the people. His heart ached with concern for the future of the people of Israel and the world at large, a concern that controlled his every move. more…
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Mercy and Truth

Mercy and Truth
August 9, 2007 at 9:59 pm · Filed under Articles, Thought of the Week, Quotes

What is the attribute of mercy? Our sages defined it as: “what’s mine is yours and what’s your is yours.” And if all the people in the world were to behave that way, it would cancel all the glory of the attribute of truth and judgment, because if each and everyone would be naturally willing to give everything he has to his fellow man and take nothing of another for himself, then the whole interest in lying to one another would disappear, and there would be no room to speak of the attribute of truth whatsoever, because true and false are relative - and if there were no falsehood in the world, there would be no concept of truth. Needless to say that the other attributes that are there only to strengthen the attribute of truth because of its weakness, would also be cancelled.
Truth is defined in the words: “what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours.” That contradicts the attribute of mercy and cannot altogether tolerate it because in truth, it is unjust to labor and strain for another, because besides causing his friend to fail, he accustoms him to exploit his fellow man. Thus, truth dictates that every person treasure his own assets for a time of need so he will not have to be a burden on his fellow man. more…
Baal HaSulam, Peace in the World.
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VIDEO: Where is Our Freedom?

August 9, 2007 at 10:16 am · Filed under Video
Where is Our Freedom? 02:03We are our ego - the desire to enjoy. Not knowing how to aim our ego correctly is the cause of all our problems. Discovering how to aim our ego correctly means discovering where we have freedom.
Click here to view the video at Kabbalah TV
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Havoc in Modern-Day Babylon

Havoc in Modern-Day Babylon
August 8, 2007 at 8:13 am · Filed under Israel, Articles, Kabbalah Today
Havoc in Modern-Day BabylonArticle in Kabbalah Today Issue 6
The idea of unity among all human beings is no more to us than an imaginary children’s story. Back in babylon, someone had a way for humanity to unite. Today, our world needs such a method more than ever. more…
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Talmud Eser Sefirot and the Need to Define Spirituality Correctly

Talmud Eser Sefirot and the Need to Define Spirituality Correctly
August 7, 2007 at 3:11 am · Filed under Kabbalistic Terminology, Daily Lessons, Definitions
Rav Michael Laitman, PhD teaching Talmud Eser Sefirot in today’s daily lesson
From Today’s Daily Lesson
Today’s lesson began the first in a series of studying Part 1 of Talmud Eser Sefirot (The Study of the Ten Sefirot), by Baal HaSulam.
In his commentary, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD stressed the importance of understanding the correct definitions of the spiritual terminology in this opening part of the text. One needs to attune one’s focus on Baal HaSulam’s definition of each word one comes across in order to properly attune oneself to the text’s spiritual meaning, otherwise one can easily misinterpret the text with corporeal, physical meanings.
Rav Laitman placed special emphasis on the spiritual world (which Talmud Eser Sefirot describes) being completely disconnected from the corporeal, physical world that we perceive through our senses. Therefore, in order to base one’s approach to the study of Talmud Eser Sefirot correctly, and not mix up spirituality with corporeality, understanding the spiritual definition of each term presented in Talmud Eser Sefirot is a must.
To aid the reader of Talmud Eser Sefirot establish the correct approach to the study and clarify the spiritual meanings of the terms presented in the text, Baal HaSulam included tables of questions and answers for the meanings of the spiritual words at the end of each part. In this lesson, Rav Laitman and the students of Bnei Baruch present a very good example for students interested in delving deeper into the study of Kabbalah, of how to use these tables of questions and answers together with the body of the text to best absorb the text’s spiritual meaning.
The lessons on Talmud Eser Sefirot will be continuing daily at 9pm EST on Kabbalah TV, and will be available in the Kabbalah Media Archive.
Download the full lesson: wmv video mp3 audio
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Kabbalistic Terminology

Kabbalistic Terminology: “Spiritual Degree” “Sefirot” “Bad”
August 4, 2007 at 6:00 am · Filed under Definitions
What is a Spiritual Degree?
Two things make up a spiritual degree: a desire for something and the intention to use it for the Creator. (p. 91 “The Reality Cycle” in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah)
What are the Sefirot?
The whole business with the Sefirot may sound confusing, but it is less so if we remember that they stand for desires. Keter is the Creator’s desire to give Light (pleasure); Hochma is our reception of the pleasure; Bina stands for our desire to give back to the Creator; ZA is our desire to receive in order to give to the Creator; and Malchut is our pure desire to receive, the actual Root of the creatures - us. (p. 89, “Before the Big Bang” in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah)
Bad
There is no bad in Kabbalah; it’s all a question of how we relate to the situations we’re in. Pharaoh is considered an evil force. But Kabbalists inverted the Hebrew letters of the name Pharaoh and found that it really means Oref H (the posterior side of the Creator). In other words, Pharaoh is really the Creator goading you harshly to progress to spirituality because you are not pushing yourself fast enough. If you push faster, you will find that Pharaoh is your friend. (p. 141, “Letters, Numbers, Names” in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah)
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Kabbalah Today - Issue 6

Kabbalah Today - Issue 6
August 6, 2007 at 11:07 am · Filed under Articles, Kabbalah Today

Editor’s NoteDays of Do or DieA glance at last month’s news reveals a startling picture: floods, fires, quakes, terror, corruption, and a nuclear radiation leak are just some of the issues that made the headlines. It seems we are approaching days of do or die.
And indeed, there is a lot we can do for ourselves, but we must resolve to do it. According to Kabbalah, things do not happen by chance; they occur to show us the direction towards happiness. The faster we follow the signs, the sooner we will achieve this goal.
This issue of Kabbalah Today discusses why we are unhappy, but mainly what we can and should do to change that. The items in this issue present the solutions Kabbalah offers from multiple angles. It is our sincere hope that reading this paper will provide you with renewed sense of strength, hope, and faith in the good future of humanity.
Click here to view the e-version of Kabbalah Today Issue 6
Click here to download the Kabbalah Today Issue 6 PDF
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Kabbalah Today Issue 5 Podcast

Kabbalah Today Issue 5 Podcast
August 5, 2007 at 4:35 am · Filed under Audio, Kabbalah Today
Listen to the Kabbalah Today Issue 5 podcast by clicking on the Flash player’s button below:

A Kabbalah Today Issue 5 podcast compilation has been created containing the following playlist (the links are to the articles in the paper, containing the audio files for the articles alone):
- What is (and is not) Kabbalah?- Creation, Evolution and Beyond- Baal HaSulam on Our Perception of Reality- Contradictory Phenomena- Kabbalah Icons: The Rabash
Click here to download the podcast (MP3 36.55mb)
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New Rav Laitman Lecture Transcript

New Rav Laitman Lecture Transcript
August 1, 2007 at 6:00 am · Filed under Humanity, Evolution, Lectures, Q&A
Click here to read lecture transcript
A transcript from a public lecture filled with Q&A given by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD in Toronto (January 7, 2007) is now available. Rav Laitman first gave an overview of humanity’s egoistic development and some of the key stages of egoism’s growth in this development, and then answered the following questions:
 Is there a connection between the Torah and Kabbalah?
 How do Kabbalists feel about all the existing religions?
 Are you aware of the energetic images which constitute the Kabbalistic tree of life, and which were received as a consequence of extrasensory perception?
 From what I heard, famous Kabbalists are of the Jewish faith. Are there any Kabbalists of other faiths?
 Will everything written in the Torah occur in reality, or is it just an object of one’s imagination and unreal?
 What is the Creator? How do you see Him?
 How do you feel about Berg’s Center?
 Can a person join a group the moment he realizes or feels his “point in the heart”?
 Is it possible to change your fate once you grow spiritually?
 How does a person’s diet influence his studies in Kabbalah?
 How does Kabbalah differ from theosophy?
 Has any scientific data been collected affirming Kabbalah?
 Why did the Book of Zohar only become available in 1995?
 Are there Kabbalists-scientists who are not of Jewish descent (except Madonna)?
 Why do you call egoism an integral part of Kabbalah? Why is it egoism specifically, and not another positive word? Doesn’t egoism refer to a situation when something is done for one person, while Kabbalah wants the opposite, for everyone?
 Based on Kabbalah, as a science, can you assert that there is immortality?
 For how long does one need to study Kabbalah, and what will happen once a person learns it? Does having a grasp on Kabbalah help to conquer illnesses?
 What awaits North America?
 What can you tell us about the works of the Roerichs and the Blavatskys?
 Are the laws of the Upper Providence known?
 Can one study the original sources in translation?
 What do cybernetics, the theory of informational governance, and Kabbalah have in common?
 Why did Kabbalah become available during World War II?
 Kabbalah rejects religion. What connection does Kabbalah have with following a religion? In particular, what is the meaning of the Kippah (yarmulke)?
 Is there such a thing as reincarnations of souls?
 Is there a separation between the soul and the body after death?
 How can we tear a teenager away from drugs? What does Kabbalah say about this?
 How do the governments of different countries that are in authority today feel about Kabbalah?
 Is asceticism necessary in order to achieve the Upper spiritual world?
 Do you teach about the spiritual world?
 There are lots of different directions in Kabbalah. Which of them is correct? Are the Ari and Chefetz Chaim primary sources?
 Does Kabbalah engage in medical treatment, such as acupuncture?
 What happens to the soul after a person dies? Do all the feelings remain in the soul after death?
 Can Kabbalah explain the fact of life after death, or rebirth?
 Can you briefly state your opinion about the spiritual act called “the blow of fire,” or Pulsa Denura?
 Does this mean that there exists only one reality? …and we will need to return in order to achieve the proper level, or a transition to another reality?
 Is it possible to study Kabbalah without a teacher?
 Who is a Kabbalah teacher?
 How important is it to undergo the beginner stages of the revelation of egoism in one’s development? Is it possible to reach the Upper level, by-passing the lower stages?
 Are the books that laid the foundation for Kabbalah also written by people?
 Is Kabbalah the only way to attain the Upper level?
 How do I rid my wife and children of super egoism?
 By learning Kabbalah, do you believe in God?
 You mentioned that the world is becoming more dangerous. When will this change, when will it become better?
 Is it possible to receive the information we need without studying from books?
 You said that only by developing the soul and attaining the Upper World is it possible to fix our fate. In our understanding, this means finding a better position in this world, getting married successfully, making more money, or finding a better job. If a person attains the Upper World, doesn’t he become a part of the governing system?
Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, Lecture presented at the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center, Toronto. wmv video mp3 audio ms word transcript
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