Lesson 28. The Role of a "Teacher" in the Wisdom of Kabbalah
Who is a true Kabbalah teacher? | What does it mean to be a student of a Kabbalist? | How is spiritual knowledge transmitted?
Lesson 28
The Role of a "Teacher" in the Wisdom of Kabbalah
Selected Excerpts from the Sources
Slide 2
From: Baal HaSulam, "Introduction to The Book of Zohar", Letter No. 57.
"If a line of a thousand blind people walks along the way and there is at least one leader amongst them who can see, they are guaranteed to walk on the right path and not fall in pits and obstacles since they follow the sighted one who leads them. But if that person is missing, they are certain to stumble over every hurdle on the way and will all fall into the pit."
Slides 3-4
From: Baal HaSulam “Time to Act”
"But ever since the printing of books has become popular, and writers no longer need scribes, the price of books has been reduced. This has paved the way for unreliable writers to publish whatever books they please, for money or for glory. But they do not take their own actions into account and do not examine the consequences of their work. [...]
Therefore, the public’s perception of these matters has been greatly corrupted. In addition, there is an atmosphere of frivolity, and people think that a glance at one’s leisure is sufficient for the study of such exalted matters, [...] and draw conclusions based on their own states of mind.
These are the reasons that have prompted me to go out of my way and decide that it is time to “do for the Lord” and salvage what can still be salvaged. Thus, I have taken upon myself to reveal a certain portion of the true essence, which relates to the above matter, and spread it in the nation."
Slide 5
From: Baal HaSulam “Study of the Ten Sefirot”. Vol. 1. Part 1. Inner Observation
"…Those whose eyes have not been opened to the sights of heaven, and have not acquired the proficiency in the connections of the branches of this world with their roots in the upper worlds are like the blind scraping the walls. They will not understand the true meaning of even a single word, for each word is a name of a branch that relates to its root.
Only if they receive an interpretation from a genuine sage who makes himself available to explain the matter in the spoken language, which is necessarily like translating from one language to another, meaning from the language of the branches to the spoken language, only then he will be able to explain the spiritual term as it is."
Slide 6
From: Baal HaSulam “The Freedom”
It can be compared to a sick man who does not wish to obey the doctor’s orders before he understands by himself how that advice would cure him, and therefore begins to study medicine by himself. He could die of his illness before he learns medicine.
Slide 7
From: Baal HaSulam. Shamati Article N.99.
…A person has the choice of going to a place where there are righteous. One can accept their authority, and then he will receive all the powers that he lacks by the nature of his own qualities. He will receive it from the righteous. This is the benefit in “planted them in each generation,” so that each generation would have someone to turn to, adhere to, and from whom to receive the strength required to rise to the degree of a righteous. Thus, they, too, subsequently become righteous.
Slide 8
From: Baal HaSulam, Letter No. 47
"Let me remind you the validity of love of friends in spite of everything at this time, for it is upon this that our right to exist depends, and upon this our near-to-come success is measured…
Hence, turn away from all the imaginary engagements and set your hearts on thinking thoughts and devising proper tactics to truly connect your hearts as one, so the words “Love your friend as yourself” will literally come true in you.
[...] and you will be cleaned by the thought of love that will cover all crimes. Test me in that, and begin to truly connect in love, and then you will see, “the palate will taste”..."
Slide 9
From: RABASH, Article No. 14, "The Need for Love of Friends"
"There is a special power in the adhesion of friends. Since the views and thoughts pass from one to the other through the adhesion between them, each is incorporated with the powers of the other, and by that, each one has the power of the whole society. Therefore, although each person is an individual, he has the power of the whole society."
Slides 10-11
From: Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 25, "Things that Come from the Heart"
"…When one hears the words of Torah from his teacher, he immediately agrees with his teacher and resolves to observe the words of his teacher with his heart and soul. But afterward, when he comes out to the world, he sees, covets, and is infected by the multitude of desires roaming the world. [...] They subdue him, he mingles with their desires [...]. He has no choice; he is compelled to think, want, crave, and demand everything that the majority demands. Then he chooses their foreign thoughts and their loathsome lusts and desires [...].
Instead, there is only one counsel then: to cling to his teacher and to the books. [...] Only by clinging to them can he change his mind and will for the better. However, witty arguments will not help him change his mind, but only the remedy of Dvekut [adhesion]..."
Slides 12-15
From: Baal HaSulam “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”
“…Our sages advised us: “Make for yourself a rav [teacher/ great person] and buy yourself a friend.” This means that one should choose for oneself an important and renowned person to be his rav, and from him he will be able to come to engaging in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bring contentment to his Maker.
This is so because there are two extenuations concerning one’s rav:
- Since he is an important person, the student can bestow contentment upon him, based on the sublimity of his rav, since bestowal becomes as reception for him. This is a natural fuel, so one can always increase his acts of bestowal. Once a person grows accustomed to engaging in bestowal upon the rav, he can transfer it to engaging in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma toward the Creator, too, since habit becomes a second nature.
- […] Equivalence of form with his rav. Since the rav is in this world, within time, equivalence of form with him helps even if it is only temporary and he later turns sour again.
Thus, every time one equalizes one’s form with one’s rav, he adheres to him for a time. As a result, he obtains the knowledge and thoughts of the rav, according to his measure of Dvekut…[...]. For this reason, the student can use his rav’s attainment of the Creator’s greatness, which inverts bestowal into reception and sufficient fuel to give one’s heart and soul. At that time, the student, too, will be able to engage in Torah and Mitzvot Lishma with his very heart and soul, which is the remedy that yields eternal Dvekut with the Creator."
Slides 16-17
From: Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 40, "What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?"
"Only one who is already in the singular authority can discern and know the truth. Hence, one must trust the opinion of his rav and believe what his rav tells him. It means that one should go as his rav told him to do.
And although he sees many arguments and many teachings that do not go hand in hand with the opinion of his rav, he should nevertheless trust the opinion of his rav and say that what he understands and what he sees in other books that do not coincide with his rav’s opinion, he should say that as long as he is in multiple authorities, he cannot understand the truth, and he cannot see what is written in other books, the truth that they say.
It is known that when one is still not rewarded, his Torah becomes to him a potion of death."
Slides 18-19
From: Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Noam Elimelech [The Pleasantness of Elimelech]
"The righteous, by his righteousness, installs his good desires and thoughts in others, so they, too, will have the good desire to adhere to the Creator with all their heart. By installing the desire in others, it is already regarded as an act, since an act in others was made of the desire that he has. This is the meaning of the verse, “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with desire,” since the righteous extends abundance to the worlds and to every person. And how does he do that?
By installing his desire in others. It follows that they have all become righteous through him. By this he can extend upon them great abundance for the righteous is the one who seemingly opens his arms to the Creator in order to bestow upon the world. And with what does he open? The verse interprets, “and satisfy every living thing with desire,” by satisfying everyone with the desire to love the Creator."