Dr. Laitman was the disciple and personal assistant to Rabbi Baruch Ashlag, son of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, author of the authoritative Sulam (Ladder) Commentary on The Zohar. Dr. Laitman follows in the footsteps of his mentor’s mission in life—promoting the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah throughout the world. In 1991, after his mentor’s demise, he founded the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute. Bnei Baruch is a non-profit organization that welcomes people of all ages and lifestyles to engage in the rewarding process of studying Kabbalah. The organization charges no fee for any of its diverse activities.
In March 2005, Dr. Laitman held a successful public meeting in San FranciscoCalifornia with leading American scientists, contributors to the hit docudrama "What the Bleep Do We Know?”. Below are some of the scientists’ impressions:
Fred Alan Wolf, PhD. author of eleven books, among them The Yoga of Time Travel & Matter into Feeling: a new Alchemy of Science and Spirit and Mind into Matter:
"You are really a master. I would love to sit at your feet and study for a long time."
Jeffery Satinover, MD,MSc. – Author of seven books on Quantum Physics and Psychiatry including The Quantum Brain and Cracking the Bible Code, Department of Physics, University of Nice, France:
"I have had the great privilege and honor of getting to know Rav Michael Laitman personally. Dr. Laitman brings to this ancient discipline a warm heart, deep learning and experience as well as a thorough grasp of modern principles of empiricism."
Further endorsements from leading figures in the world of Kabbalah appear on one of Dr. Laitman’s latest publications Awakening to Kabbalah (Jewish Lights Publications, 2005):
Prof. Daniel Matt, one of the world’s leading researchers in Kabbalah. Prof. Matt served as Professor of Jewish Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California from 1979-2000. Additionally, he taught at Stanford University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has published six books, including: Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment; The Essential Kabbalah; and God and the Big Bang. He is currently working on the first annotated English translation of Sefer ha-Zohar (Stanford Publishing):
“Rav Michael Laitman is a unique and fascinating figure: a talented scientist who has created a meaningful synthesis of science and Kabbalah.”
Rabbi David A. Cooper, author of God Is a Verb and Ecstatic Kabbalah:
“An excellent resource for those who seek authentic traditional mystical Jewish teachings the way serious students have studied them for hundreds of years. Based on the well-known Sulam commentary to the Zohar, which up to now has been the primary source for anyone who explored esoteric Kabbalistic revelations, this is an essential text for a well-rounded Jewish mystical library.”
Arthur Goldwag, author of The Beliefnet Guide to Kabbalah:
“There are no red string nostrums here, no facile promises of worldly success. Instead, Rav Laitman invites us to transform ourselves—and the world—through the challenging, often painful work of Kabbalah. Fascinating, learned, sometimes startling … will provoke and inspire any spiritual seeker.”
Tamar Frankiel, PhD, author of The Gift of Kabbalah: Discovering the Secrets of Heaven, Renewing Your Life on Earth:
“Explains how Kabbalah, understood properly, is a science of spiritual wisdom that transforms our desires so that we can bring benefit to all of creation.”
Prof. Ervin Laszlo, among the first proponents of the systems theory and general theory of evolution, published nearly 70 books that were translated into as many as 18 languages. Here are some of the words that he wrote to one of Dr. Laitman’s publications Kabbalah Science and the Meaning of Life:
“At a time of critical choices for our future on this planet, the ancient wisdom of the Kabbalah has renewed relevance and utility. The wisdom contained in the classical scriptures has to be brought to bear on the problems we face and the opportunities open to us and the message needs to be made available to all people, in Israel and in the whole world. Rav Michael Laitman is qualified like no other to meet this crucial challenge and fulfill this historic mission.”
*Note: The title “Rav” was given to Dr. Laitman by his students in respect for his teachings and his dedication to spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah throughout the world. Rav Laitman was not ordained as a rabbi by a rabbinical school and does not serve as an orthodox rabbi.