Q: Why do Kabbalists such as the holy Ari, Rabbi Kook and Rabbi Ashlag maintain that it is necessary for any person to study the wisdom of Kabbalah, regardless of age, sex, or nationality?
A: The reason studying Kabbalah is important is that there is a great power in the study of Kabbalah that can be of benefit to everyone.
When we study Kabbalah, even if we do not understand anything we study, but seek only to understand, we awaken within us an influence of the Upper Light.
In one of our lives, we must attain the completion of our souls. If we do not achieve this, through the Upper Light, our torments will gradually increase until they finally make us realize the reason for our pain. It is our souls’ need to reclaim the Light that filled it before it came down to our world.
The soul of man starts its existence in the world of Ein Sof. It then descends through five higher worlds, before finally clothing our physical bodies. Those worlds are: Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beria, Yetzira, and Assiya. The result of the descent is that we are completely dependent on the components and characteristics of that spiritual system. Thus, we must study that system in order to function according to its laws, instead of roaming blindly through our world, beaten time and again but not knowing why.
The principal law of that system is “altruism.” It acts whether we are aware of it or not, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Disobeying that law produces disasters and tragedies, both individual and collective.
That law is not canceled, although we are stopped as soon as we break it. We will only be able to understand when and how that law works by studying the wisdom of Kabbalah. If we do not use that information, we are headed for disaster.
Q: Who can study Kabbalah?
A: Anyone can study it who relentlessly asks, “What is the meaning of my life?” Kabbalah can be studied only from an inner need, not through coercion. There are ups and downs in one’s desire for spirituality. This explains why sometimes one begins to study, and later leaves satiated. It is possible that the same person will return with the same question as before, but this time from another level of development altogether.
Q: How can we know that we are now ready to study Kabbalah?
A: When Rabbi Kook was asked who was permitted to study Kabbalah, he replied: “Anyone who wants to.” If a person really wants to, it is a sign that one is ready. If not, studies should not commence.
We will continue to reincarnate into this world until we decide to study Kabbalah and attain the necessary knowledge to understand and work with the system of creation. This is regarded as the highest degree, the last degree that any person, any soul can and eventually must attain in this life or the next. The method of Kabbalah prepares a person to enter the Upper World with knowledge and powers, without harming self or others. One enters the spiritual world only by the extent of one’s correction.
Consequently, there cannot be a situation where a person enters prematurely and inflicts damage. The measure of correction is the measure of the penetration to the Upper World, and the degree of cooperation with Providence.