Daily Kabbalah Tip

Advice in the daily Kabbalah lesson is recommended, practical tasks for advancing spiritually

A Difficulty That Is A Blessing

One's success at studying The Book of Zohar does not at all depend on one's ability to mentally arrange everything it describes. For example, one day you might leave the lesson very excited about everything you were able to feel and understand, and happy about being able to understand what stands behind the names and words in this book. But the next day you leave the lesson disappointed, thinking, "I did not understand anything! The material was so dull and I just couldn't concentrate. I made efforts for a few minutes at best, out of the whole hour and a half of the lesson."

The truth is that you aren't able to assess the situation correctly; your greatest gain came precisely from those several minutes when you were able to make an effort. We don't know anything about the Upper World or ourselves, or the conditions for revealing it. All of this is concealed. However, if a person gives all of himself and makes efforts, then precisely when he is in a state of not feeling fulfilled or interested in the study, when nothing "shines" for him, yet he desires to prove that he wants to attain bestowal - that is the best time and the best state.

I can tell you from my experience that it often takes me several hours of working on the text of The Zohar until I begin to break through the barrier separating me from it. But it is the greatest joy in the world to feel how that impenetrable wall between us begins to dissolve...

The corrections you perform during those hours of "numbness" are the most important effort you can make on your path to the Creator! It is precisely in response to this effort that the Upper Light comes to you, instead of everything else that comes easily. Therefore, this hard work is the best possible state.

Daily Kabbalah Definition

Definitions in the daily Kabbalah lesson guide a precise, spiritual approach to terms, & disqualify materialized corporeal definitions

Jacob, Lavan, Esav

What is the Kabalistic meaning of the definitions:"Jacob," "Lavan," "Esav," "Israel," and "Nations of the World"?

"Nations of the World" is a name given to our vessel of reception-the vessels that yearn to receive the Light of Hochma. These vessels are also referred to as "Lavan" and "Esav," or "left line" and "bestowal in order to receive."

However, we cannot use the vessels of reception without the vessels of bestowal. We must first attract the Light of Hassadim to fill the vessels. The Light of Hassadim or the "virtue of Jacob" is also referred to as the "right line" and "bestowal in order to bestow."

To the degree to which the desire to receive is filled with the Light of Hassadim (with the intention to bestow), the Light of Hochma can enter the vessel of reception. This state is called "the virtue of Israel," "central line," or "to receive in order to bestow."

 -from the 1^st part of the daily Kabbalah lesson

Daily Kabbalah Quote

"I Created the Evil Inclination and the Torah as a Spice" (Talmud)

When a person starts studying Kabbalah and directs himself properly toward  the Correcting Light (using a teacher, group, books and dissemination) he begins to discovery internal states that tell him from what he is made of, his true essence, how he operates and what his true intentions are. 

Slowly, the Kabbalah student realizes that all his intentions are for himself; he keeps discovering it each time with greater intensity.  Furthermore, the student discovers that in spite all his efforts he cannot eliminate his bad desires.  At that point he prays to the Creator (Upper Light) for help in his correction, namely help for him to change from receiving for himself to receiving to bestow. 

In Hebrew the word for "Pray" is Laitpalel, which is related to the word for self incriminate, while the word Torah is related to the word for "Light."  In other words, a person recognizes his evil inclinations and prays for the Upper Light to correct him.  All this process is done internally.  From that we can understand the meaning of the quote "I Created the Evil Inclination and the Torah Antidote."  A person understands that he cannot cure his evil inclination by himself since it is not he who created it; the only thing that can correct him is the Creator, i.e., the Upper Light.

A person recognizes that there is no way to remove the evil inclination (it is part of his DNA) but we can only "climb over it" toward bestowal.  As is said, "There is No Righteous in the Land Who Does Not Sin."  Only from being opposite to the Creator we can freely become like Him.   We are like a template that is opposite the light and all our work is to build the right intention on that template so it can match the light and receives maximum flow of pleasure. 

 -from the 1^st part of the daily Kabbalah lesson (minute 3)

Daily Kabbalah Reality Check

Examples in the daily Kabbalah lesson elucidate spiritual concepts through explanations of situations in this world

We Were As Dreaming...

What is the difference between awakening from a dream and attaining the spiritual world?

Everyone is familiar with the state called "dreaming."  We sleep, find ourselves in a kind of unconsciousness detached from the reality surrounding us.

Nevertheless, at the time we are within a dream we feel that it as actual reality and we experience a great many emotions, thoughts and situations. When morning comes and we wake up, we "sober up" and understand that everything that happened in the dream wasn't real, whereas the reality we wake up to is the real one. In a similar way a person who reaches spirituality feels that the world and the corporeal reality weren't real.  The Kabbalists describe this feeling in words, "we were as dreaming." In this way they want to demonstrate to us that the real reality that one awakens to after acquiring the spiritual senses, is the only one that exists.  Whereas, the corporeal reality in which it seems we live in today, is nothing but a temporary dream from which we all will soon wake up.