Local Meeting

"The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah"

This week we continue on both the "Tens Course" and reading from Baal HaSulam's clarifications in "The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah" article.

As we've mentioned before, Baal HaSulam wrote extensively in order to assist students attain the purpose of creation - reaching equivalence of form with the qualities of the Creator (love and bestowal). This week we continue "The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah" article.

In the local meeting, we will read some excerpts from the article and then try to understand what is going on in the text, followed by another reading and discussions on the topics together.

We also have extra clips from Rav Dr. Michael Laitman as important clarifications of the article.

In addition, we will do workshops on the topic of the "Tens Course".

"The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah"

Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Baal HaSulam

The Language of the Kabbalists Is a Language of Branches

This means that the branches indicate their roots, being their molds that necessarily exist in the upper world. This is because there is nothing in the reality of the lower world that does not stem from its superior world. As with the seal and the imprint, the root in the upper world compels its branch in the lower one to reveal its entire form and attribute, as our sages said, that the fortune in the world above, related to the grass in the world below, strikes that grass and forces it to complete its growth. Because of this, each and every branch in this world well defines its mold situated in the higher world.

Thus, Kabbalists have found a set and annotated vocabulary sufficient to create an excellent spoken language. It enables them to converse with one another of the dealings in the spiritual roots in the upper worlds by merely mentioning the lower, tangible branch in this world, which is well defined to our corporeal senses.

The listeners understand the upper root to which this corporeal branch points because it is related to it, being its imprint. Thus, all the beings of the tangible creation and all their instances have become to them like well-defined words and names, indicating the high spiritual roots. Although there cannot be a verbal expression in their spiritual place, as it is above any imagination, they have earned the right to be expressed by utterance through their branches, arranged before our senses here in the tangible world.

This is the nature of the spoken language among Kabbalists by which they convey their spiritual attainments from person to person and from generation to generation by word of mouth and in writing. They fully understand one another, with all the required accuracy needed for negotiating in a research of wisdom, with precise definitions one cannot fail in. This is so because each branch has its own natural, unique definition, and this absolute definition indicates its root in the higher world.

Bear in mind that this language of branches of the wisdom of Kabbalah is better suited to explain the terms of the wisdom than all our ordinary languages. It is known from the theory of nominalism that the languages have been disrupted by the masses, meaning that due to excessive use of the words, they are being emptied of their accurate content, resulting in great difficulties to convey precise deductions from one to another by word of mouth or in writing.

This is not the case with the Kabbalah’s language of branches: It is derived from the names of the creations and their occurrences, set before our eyes, and defined by the unchangeable laws of nature. The readers and the listeners will never be misled into a misunderstanding of the words being offered to them, since the natural definitions are absolute and cannot be breached.

Conveyance from a Wise Kabbalist to an Understanding Receiver

Thus wrote Nachmanides in his introduction to his commentary on the Torah, and Rav Chaim Vital also wrote similarly in the essay Pesi’ot: “The readers should know that they will not understand a single word of all that is written in these essays, unless when they are conveyed from a wise Kabbalist to the ear of a wise receiver who understands with his own mind.” Also, in the words of our sages (Hagigah 11b): “One does not study the Merkava [structure/epithet to the wisdom of Kabbalah] on one’s own, unless he is wise and understands with his own mind.”

Their words are thoroughly understood when they say that one must receive from a wise Kabbalist. But why the necessity for the disciple to first be wise and understanding with his own mind? Moreover, if he is not so, then he must not be taught, be he the most righteous person in the world. Additionally, if one is already wise and understands with his own mind, what need has he to learn from others?

From the aforesaid, their words are understood with utter simplicity: We have seen that all the words and utterances our lips pronounce cannot help us clarify even a single word from the spiritual, Godly matters above the imaginary time and space. Instead, there is a special language for these matters, the language of the branches, according to their relation to their upper roots.

However, this language, though very suitable for its task of delving into the studies of this wisdom, more than other languages, is only so if the listener is wise in his own right, meaning that he knows and understands the way the branches relate to their roots. It is so because these relations are not at all clear when looking from the lower to the upper. In other words, it is impossible to make any deduction or semblance concerning the upper roots by observing the lower branches.

Quite the contrary, the lower is studied from the higher. Thus, one must first attain the upper roots the way they are in spirituality, above any imagination and with pure attainment, as was explained in the essay, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 4, “The Actuality in the Wisdom of Kabbalah.” And once he has thoroughly attained the upper roots with his own mind, he may examine the tangible branches in this world and know how each branch relates to its root in the upper world, in all its orders, in quantity and quality.

When one knows and thoroughly comprehends all this, he has a common language with his teacher, namely the language of the branches. Using it, the Kabbalist sage may convey all the studies in the wisdom conducted in the upper, spiritual worlds, both what he had received from his teachers and the expansions in the wisdom he had discovered by himself. This is because now they have a common language and they understand each other.

However, when a disciple is not wise and comprehends that language on his own, meaning how the branches indicate their roots, naturally, the teacher cannot convey even a single word of this spiritual wisdom, much less negotiate with him in the scrutiny of the wisdom. Since they have no common language they can use, they become as mute. Thus, it is necessary that Maase Merkava, which is the wisdom of Kabbalah, will not be taught unless he is wise and understands with his own mind.

We must ask further: How then, has the disciple grown so wise as to know the relations of branch and root through tracing the upper roots? The answer is that here man’s efforts are in vain; it is the Creator’s help that we need! He fills those whom He favors with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to acquire sublime attainments. Here it is impossible to be assisted by any flesh and blood!

Indeed, once He has grown fond of a person and has endowed him with the sublime attainment, one is then ready to come and receive the vastness of the wisdom of Kabbalah from a wise Kabbalist, for only now do they have a common language.

Appellations Alien to the Human Spirit

With all that is said above, you will understand why we sometimes find appellations and terms that are very alien to the human spirit in books of Kabbalah. They are abundant in the fundamental books of Kabbalah, which are The Book of Zohar, the Tikkunim, and the books of the ARI. It is indeed bewildering why these sages used such lowly appellations to express such exalted, holy notions.

Yet, you will fully understand it once you have acquired the above conceptions. This is because it is now clear that no language in the world can be used to explain this wisdom except for one that is intended for just that end, namely the language of the branches according to the relations to the upper roots.

Thus, obviously, no branch or occurrence of a branch should be neglected because of its inferior degree, or not use it to express the desired concept in the interconnections in the wisdom, as there is no other branch in our world to take its place.

As no two hairs nurse from the same foramen, we do not have two branches that relate to a single root. Hence, by leaving an incident unused, we lose the spiritual concept corresponding to it in the upper world, as we have not a single word to utter in its place and indicate that root. In addition, such an incident would impair the entire wisdom in all its vastness, since now there is a missing link in the chain of the wisdom connected to that concept.

This mutilates the entire wisdom, for there is no other wisdom in the world where matters are so fused and intertwined by way of cause and effect, primary and consequential, as is the wisdom of Kabbalah, connected from top to bottom just like a long chain. Therefore, upon the temporary loss of but a small cognizance, the entire wisdom darkens before our eyes, for all its matters are tightly connected to one another, literally fusing into one.

Now you will not wonder at the occasional use of alien appellations. They have no freedom of choice with appellations, to replace the bad with the good or the good with the bad. They must always use the branch or the incident, which precisely points to its upper root in all its necessary measure. Moreover, the matters must be expanded so as to provide an accurate definition for the eyes of their fellow readers.

Open Discussion

In your own words, what does it mean to learn from a Kabbalistic sage?

How would you like to develop your relationship to the study of Kabbalah?

Before moving to the next article, what would you like to understand more deeply from this one?

Clips

Tens Course - Lesson #13

Annulment

Workshop questions

1) In your own words, how do you understand annulment as something mutual between friends?

2) Why do you think building importance is necessary in the spiritual process?

See You Next Week!