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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All's well that ends well

All's well that ends well
Column: Kabbalah.info
Rav Michael Laitman ReligionAndSpirituality.com
July 30, 2007

Optimism, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation." By this definition, Kabbalists aren't optimists; they don't have to be. They know it will all end well. In fact, they say that it will end in the best possible way. By "it," they are referring to the whole of creation, at all its levels, spiritual and corporeal, and at all times, since creation was first conceived and to all eternity.

If you read genuine Kabbalistic texts attentively, you will discover that according to Kabbalah, there isn't any "bad" in creation whatsoever, and there never has been. The greatest Kabbalists, such as Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai, the Holy Ari, and Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), are individuals who reached the top of the spiritual ladder, perceived the very thought that started creation, and from that apex declared that there isn't, never was, and never will be any "bad" in reality.

To help us understand why they made such statements, which, judging by today's world, do not coincide with reality, they wrote books that explained the process of creation and the thought behind it. In the essay "The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose," Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag wrote that to perceive reality correctly, we need not examine it with our present perspective, but first achieve the purpose of reality. With this knowledge, he claimed, we will observe our world with new eyes.

Below is a direct translation of Baal HaSulam's thought-provoking words from "The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose":

"By observing nature's systems, we understand that any being ... is placed under particular guidance. This is a slow and gradual growth by way of cause and effect, like a fruit on the tree is guided with favorable guidance to finally become a sweet and fine-looking fruit.

"Go and ask a botanist, 'How many phases does the fruit undergo from the time it becomes visible until it is completely ripe?' Not only do its preceding phases show no evidence of its sweet and fine-looking end, but as if to vex, they show the opposite of the final outcome. The sweeter the fruit is at its end, the more bitter it is in the earlier phases of its development.

"Thus, it is evident that His Guidance over the reality He has created is in the form of purposeful Guidance, regardless of the order of the phases of development, for they deceive us and prevent us from understanding their purpose, being always in an opposite position to their final shape.

"It is about such matters that we say, 'None are as wise as the experienced.' This is because only one who is experienced has the opportunity to examine creation in all its evolutionary phases, all the way through completion. He can soothe matters and not fear those faulty images that creation undergoes in ... its development, and have faith in its worthy and handsome ripening.

"Thus, we have thoroughly shown the conduct of His Providence in our world, which is a purely purposeful care. The attribute of goodness is not apparent before the arrival of the creation to completeness, to its final ripeness. On the contrary, it rather always takes a corrupt form in the eyes of the beholders. Hence, you see that God bestows only goodness upon His creatures, but that this goodness comes by way of purposeful care."

Rav Michael Laitman, Ph.D. in philosophy and M.Sc. in biocybernetics, is founder and president of Bnei Baruch — Kabbalah Education and Research Institute in Tel Aviv — and the author of 30 books on the subject. His daily lessons are aired live on global television and the Internet. He has an extensive website on Kabbalah and his email address is laitman@kabbalah.info.
© copyright 2007 by Michael Laitman.
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