The Book of Zohar is the most mysterious, and at the same time the most significant book of Kabbalah. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that although The Book of Zohar was written eighteen centuries ago, it was actually written for our time. Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) opened it to us and rekindled what has long been forgotten from our hearts...

In the second century CE, a single man was granted the spiritual knowledge that Kabbalists had accumulated for 3,000 years before his time. Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai (Rashbi) put it all on paper and then hid it, as humanity was not ready for it. Today, we are ready for the revelation of The Book of Zohar...

We come to this world to spend some 60-70 years and have no clue how we are going to live them or what we can make out of this life. The first 20-30 years are spent to reach adulthood. The last years do not count, because we grow too weak, indifferent, and tired. All we have left is a few years to ask a question about the meaning of life and understand something. What are we and what is our purpose, how can we do or influence something, if our conscious existence is so brief? Why are we so sensitive to this question that animals never ask themselves?..

Let us continue studying “The Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” where we have carefully examined the first three points. Here the Baal HaSulam approaches the fourth question...

We continue studying item 13 of “The Introduction to the Book of Zohar”. The Baal HaSulam wrote several introductions to the Zohar: “The Introduction to the Zohar”, “The Foreword to the Zohar” and “The Introduction to the Commentary on the Zohar”. “The Foreword to the Zohar” is the most profound and summarizing of all. It touches upon the general system of creation, penetrates its depths. “The Introduction to the Commentary on the Zohar” describes the mechanics of the spiritual ascent. “The Introduction to the Zohar” expounds the peculiarities of the book and explains how it should be approached. Let us have a closer look at the most important of these introductions in order better to understand the scope and power of the universe. We also need it to prepare ourselves for the actual reading of the Zohar...

Kabbalah is a practical method of increasing contact with the Creator called a revelation. While existing in our world as we are, a chance just to hear about this idea, this method, already enables us to implement it in this life, i.e., to merge completely with the Creator. We can reveal the entire reality in such a way that we will stop feeling any transition between life and death of our biological body. We can now ascend to the world of Infinity and exist on its highest level. This is not only the question of increasing our contact with the Creator; we are talking about becoming similar, equal to Him...

This means that it wants all of its desires to be at the level of Bina; that the will to receive will not speak in him but only the will to bestow will be speaking in him, and he would feel only that. He still doesn’t understand how that can happen but he wants the quality of bestowal to control him. He still doesn’t think about how to correct all his nature, so as to receive in order to bestow, but simply wants to be like the Bestower. This is called raising his Malchut to Bina. And then it becomes dark for him. Why? It's because his vessels of reception don’t receive anything from that. It is by picturing how to be only as the bestower that the Kelim, the vessels of reception, feel darkness; this is called “becoming dark” for him...

“Introduction to the Book of Zohar” is a very deep, summarizing text. While “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot” speaks of the person’s path and the levels he ascends on his way to the Goal, this composition is an immersion into the universe. As a submarine dives into the ocean, so does the Zohar descend with us to the unimaginable depths of reality...

One might say that it stems from the secret of creation because “before the emanations were emanated and the creatures were created, the simple Upper Light filled the whole of reality.” And then when the creature, the emanated that was made or created, it was the will to receive that was created. The internal degrees of desire, of self recognition of its own state, are all that we have besides the Light that created it. So we have the Light and the desire that was created by the Light...

It is known that the whole Torah is studied primarily for the needs of the soul, meaning for those who’ve already been awarded a discernment of a soul. However, they must still crave and search the words of Torah of others who attained, to learn new ways from them, which the previous ones have invented in their innovations in the Torah. Thus, it will be easy for them to advance in the High Degrees, meaning that through them they will advance from degree to degree...

While working on a course of virtual lessons at the World Academy of Kabbalah that Michael Laitman teaches on the Internet, we did our best to preserve the style and spirit of his classes and discussions. This is not a literary text, nor is it a lecture on philosophy. Here you will discover secret, deep layers of information about the Upper World. In this way, through the Kabbalist, the Creator reveals the Thought of Creation and His light...

All the worlds, Above and below, are within man, and the whole of reality was created for man alone. This is written in The Book of Zohar. So why do we feel differently? We feel that we are within reality, not that reality is within us. Moreover, why is this world not enough for us? Why do we need the Upper Worlds?..

Moses was known for being different than other Kabbalists in that alongside the revelation that he obtained, he was ordered to publicize it to the whole of mankind, write about it and establish learning centers. That did not happen with previous Kabbalists. Since then and until today, all the Kabbalists form study groups around them...

The Kabbalistic names, though they were taken from our world, signify completely different objects and actions in the spiritual world, unrelated to those of this world. It is true that the spiritual objects are the immediate sources of the objects found in this world...

Life is considered to be a state in which we perceive desires for attaining pleasure, either from receiving or from giving. If the desire to attain pleasure disappears, then the new state is that of unconsciousness, fainting, or death. If we are in such a state that we clearly see and feel that we cannot receive any more pleasure, for example because of the shame that we feel for past actions...

There are two kinds of Light of the Creator: the Light of knowledge, reason, and wisdom (called Ohr Hochma), and the Light of mercy, confidence, and unity (called Ohr Hassadim). In turn, Ohr Hochma comes in two types according to its action upon us...

The most important determinant of the perception of pleasure is the thirst for pleasure, which in Kabbalah is known as a “vessel.” The size of the vessel is determined by the degree to which one feels the need for the lack of pleasure...

Human beings must unwillingly carry out all actions that are necessary to sustain physical life in the body. For example, even when we are ill and lack the desire to eat, we still force ourselves to take food, knowing that we will not become healthy otherwise. This is because, in our world, reward and punishment is clearly discernable for everyone; thus, all must obey the laws of nature...

The infinitely small portion of the Upper Light that exists in all objects, both animate and inanimate, determining their existence, is known as "the small Light"...

Much paper has been wasted by philosophers discussing the impossibility of comprehending the Creator. Judaism, as a doctrine founded on the personal experimentation of the Kabbalists, answers the question: How can we discourse on the possibility or impossibility of perceiving the Creator prior to perceiving Him?..

It is utterly impossible for a beginner to distinguish a true Kabbalist from a false one, because each one champions the same truths about the necessity of improving oneself and renouncing egoism...

The entire spiritual body of law is intended to help us overcome our egoism. Therefore, the spiritual law, "love thy neighbor as thyself" is a natural result of attachment with the Creator. Since there is nothing else besides Him, when a person understands this, all the creations, including our world, merge in our perception of the One Creator...

The desirable path of spiritual ascent is the path of the Kabbalah. The path of suffering awaits us only if there is no other way to prompt us to reach perfection. As was stated earlier, the path of the Kabbalah is an opportunity given from Above to each of us to create in ourselves the desires necessary for spiritual growth, demonstrating through spiritual ascents and declines that the spiritual Light is pleasure and its absence is suffering...

In our world, the difference between the pure and the impure powers is not apparent, just as there appears to be no difference between one who is spiritually ascending towards the Creator and one who does not develop spiritually. We ourselves are not capable of knowing the truth as to whether we are progressing or remain static, and cannot determine whether a positive or a negative force is acting upon us. Therefore, an awareness and confidence that our paths are true and correct is extremely deceptive, and often we may not have chosen correctly...

This is the last talk of this congress and therefore it should be devoted to what precisely we have to correct and carry out when we aren’t together in such a large group, but are physically separated from each other...

Our sages said, “There is not a blade of grass below that does not have an angel above that strikes it and tells it, ‘Grow!’” This seems very perplexing, for why would the Creator trouble an angel with striking and nursing a tiny, insignificant blade of grass so it would grow?..

The thing is that the Higher Roots extend their power by cascading, until their branches appear in this world, as it is written in the explanation of roots and branches. As a whole, the worlds are considered internality and externality. This is similar to a heavy load, which none can lift or move from place to place. Hence, the advice is to divide the load into small parts and, subsequently, transfer them one at a time...

First, you must know that when dealing with spiritual matters that have no concern with time, space and motion, and moreover when dealing with Godliness, we do not have the words by which to express and contemplate. Our entire vocabulary is taken from sensations of imaginary senses. Thus, how can they assist us where sense and imagination do not reign?..

First, we must know the names of the ten Sefirot: KHB, HGT, NHYM. These are acronyms of Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod, Malchut. These are also the ten coverings of His Light, established so the lower ones can receive His Light...

The second concealment, which the books refer to as “concealment within concealment,” means that one cannot see even the back of the Creator. Instead, one says that the Creator has left, and no longer watches over him. He ascribes all the sufferings he feels to blind fate and to nature, since the ways of Providence become so complex in one’s eyes that they lead one to denial...

The learning begins with a discernment called “The connection between the Creator and the creatures.” We do not speak of the Creator Himself, and we cannot attain Him. Instead, “By Your actions we know You,” meaning the attainment is only in the operations extending from Him...

The lowest level on the scale of the spiritual resembles the inanimate part of nature, similar to bodies in space, or minerals, and so on. This inanimate level is also called "not alive"...

Kabbalah is called “the science of the hidden” because it reveals to the one who learns it that which was previously hidden. The true picture of existence is revealed only to the one who apprehends it, as is written in the poem by Rabbi Ashlag...

Because we lack concrete information about the structure and function of higher, elusive notions we cannot feel, we permit ourselves to philosophize and argue about how they might be constructed and how they might function. This is similar to children’s arguments over who is right about some completely unknown subject...

When we are gradually filled with the Light of the Creator, the stages of this process are called “spiritual gradations” or “worlds.” Life’s trials and tribulations force us to move towards the goal of creation. However, if instead of pleasure the ego experiences great suffering, it is willing to forfeit the desire to "receive" in order to end the suffering, since receiving nothing is preferable to receiving torment...

The answer to the intellect must be in this manner: “I believe that the Creator listens to all of my requests and prayers for help.” If we are able to stand firm on our answers to both intellect and heart, then the Creator will reveal Himself to us, so that we will see and sense only the Creator...

One who wants to experience the true taste of life must pay special attention to the spiritual point found in one’s heart. Everyone has a point in the heart. However, it does not generally show signs of life and does not illuminate, and because of this, we are not aware of it...

There is nothing else in the world except the Light (the Creator) and that which was created by the Light (the person, who remains inside this Light). A person can perceive this Light when there is a correspondence between the qualities of the human being and those of the Creator. If the qualities do not correspond, then the person will be unable to perceive the Light – the Creator...

Since the Creator always remains in the state of absolute rest, we, as His creations, also strive to attain the state of rest in order to reach that which is desired. The Creator has created two forces for the sake of our development: the force that pushes us from behind – the suffering that forces us to escape from the unbearable state we are in; and the force of attraction, which draws us by the pleasures anticipated ahead...

Baal HaSulam explains to us in the Introduction to theTalmud Eser Sefirot and in other places that this world and the next world are not as people think. They think this world is where we live now, in our body, and the next world is when we leave our body and go to some other place, some other dimension. They think that there is a different environment or atmosphere called the “next world”...

The way of Kabbalah is a long, difficult period of reevaluating one’s goals in life, of reassessing the self, clearly defining the direction of one’s desires, truthfully assessing the motivating forces of one’s actions, attempting to overcome the desires of the body and the demands of reason, as well as completely grasping the power of one’s egoism. The way of Kabbalah is, at the same time, a hard, prolonged period of suffering to search to satisfy one’s desires; it is a period of disappointment that one is unable to find a genuine "focus" of one’s aspirations; it is the time of realizing that the only escape from the ultimate source of suffering (egoism) is the shift to altruistic thoughts, which will exclude any thoughts about the self, and will gradually lead to thoughts about the Creator. The latter will, in turn, bring about such pleasant feelings of serenity that one will not want to think about anything else...

When we are distracted by outside thoughts, we feel that thoughts obstruct us from ascertaining the spiritual, because our strength and minds are wasted on extraneous concerns, while our hearts become filled with petty desires. At times like this, we lose faith in the fact that only the Kabbalah contains the true life...

The path of Kabbalah is different from other paths. Even though there are pleasures in our world, we can break away from egoism by having faith (above reason) in the purpose of creation. In this way, we may go beyond listening to what our bodies and our reason tell us...

It is written in The Zohar, Vayikra, Parashat Tazria, p 40, “Come and see, all that exists in the world, exists for man, and everything exists for him, as it is written, ‘Then the Lord God formed man,’ with a full name, as we have established, that he is the whole of everything and contains everything, and all that is Above and below, etc., is included in that image.”...

That bread, which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt: The Mitzva of eating Matza was given to the children of Israel even before they departed Egypt, relating to the exodus, which was to be in haste. It follows that eating a Matza was given to them while there were still enslaved, and the aim of the Mitzva was for the time of redemption, since then they departed in haste...

At the beginning of the assembly, there should be an agenda. Everyone should speak of the importance of the society as much as he can, describing the profits that society will give him, and the important things he hopes society will bring him, which he cannot obtain by himself, and how he appreciates the society accordingly...

It is known that since man is always among people who have no connection to the path of truth, but to the contrary, always resist those who walk on the path of truth, since people’s thoughts mingle, the views of those who oppose the path of truth permeate those with some desire to walk the path of truth...