34 years ago, on the 5th of Tishrei 5752 (September 13, 1991), Rabbi Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag — known simply as the Rabash — passed away at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. The eldest son and disciple of the Baal HaSulam, he was one of the last great Kabbalists of the modern era, carrying an ancient tradition that he managed to hand down to a new generation.

He was born in Warsaw in 1907, into a Jewish world that was both vibrant and fragile. His father, the Baal HaSulam, was the foremost Kabbalist of the twentieth century, author of the Sulam commentary on the Zohar and of The Study of the Ten Sefirot. The young Baruch – as young as the age of nine – showed an interest towards the wisdom of Kabbalah and received not only a classical education but also the inner teaching from his father, which he considered essential. In 1921, the family emigrated to the Land of Israel. As a teenager, he worked to help provide for the household while remaining devoted to his studies.

When the Baal HaSulam died in 1954, the Rabash inherited a vast spiritual legacy. Quiet and discrete by nature, uninterested in fame, he nevertheless became a central figure for those searching for a guide in the inner life. In his modest apartment in Bnei Brak, around an ordinary kitchen table, he received his students — at dawn and deep into the night — to share with them the wisdom of Kabbalah.

We have gathered here to establish a society for all who wish to follow the path and method of Baal HaSulam, the way by which to climb the degrees of man and not remain as a beast.

RABASH, Article No. 1 (1984), "Purpose of Society – 1"

His own life was marked by simplicity: study, writing, and care for his disciples. In Bnei Brak he was nicknamed “the rabbi who runs,” because he always walked quickly, as if every minute counted. Beneath that simple exterior lay a constant inner demand: to direct everything toward a spiritual goal, beyond comfort or convention.

I look at one tiny dot, called “love of others,” and I think about it: What can I do in order to benefit people? As I look at the general public, I see the suffering of individuals, illnesses and pains, and the suffering of individuals inflicted by the collective, meaning wars among nations. And besides prayer, there is nothing to give. This is called “He who aches because of the affliction of the public— medial.”

RABASH, Article No. 162, "Love of Others"

His writings reflect that same spirit. Where Kabbalistic literature had often been dense and inaccessible, he chose clarity and plain speech. He placed the work of the group — the gathering of friends — at the very center of spiritual practice, and made it the theme of many of his essays. In this way, he opened a path suited to the needs of his generation.

Near the end of his life, he gave his closest student, Michael Laitman, a small blue notebook titled Shamati — a collection of notes taken from the Baal HaSulam. It was a gesture of continuity, an act of passing on what he himself had received.

More than three decades after his passing, his influence is still felt. Through the study of his writings and the Bnei Baruch foundation established in his honor by Michael Laitman, the Rabash remains a bridge between the Kabbalistic tradition and the contemporary world. His memory continues to call for study, for an open heart, and for building an inner path as demanding as the life he lived.

Thus far we did not engage in building buildings and matters that concern wide publicity. This is not our way. Rather, our sole intention is to spread the teaching of fear of heaven and serving the Creator among our willing friends, and especially the wisdom of Kabbalah and the wisdom of the hidden to those who walk humbly and are worthy of it, as I had received it from Baal HaSulam.

RABASH. Letter 78