Lesson 12

Topic: Dissemination of the Wisdom of Kabbalah

Selected Excerpts from the Sources

1. From: Baal HaSulam, "Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot", Item 1

״At the outset of my words, I find a great need to break an iron wall that has been separating us from the wisdom of Kabbalah, since the ruin of the Temple to this generation. It lies heavily on us and arouses fear of being forgotten from Israel.״

2. From: Baal HaSulam, “Building the Future Society”

"Satisfaction of Desires: In every person, even secular, there is an unknown spark that demands unification with the Creator. When it sometimes awakens, it awakens one to know the Creator, or deny Him, which is the same. [...] To that we must add regarding the immortality of the soul, the reward in the next world, the glory of the individual and the glory of the nation, meaning that one will be the nation’s pride.

Proof: There is no existence for the world without it, all the more so in a time of atom-bombs.

Propaganda: If done diligently, can also replace proof. Hence, people must be hired to circulate the above words in the public. For purposes of expansion and circulation, the suffering, poverty, corruption and war must be mentioned, as well as the widows and the orphans in the world, seeking salvation."

3. From: Baal HaSulam, "The Writings of the Last Generation, Introduction"

"There is an allegory about friends who were lost in the desert, hungry and thirsty. One of them had found a settlement filled abundantly with every delight. He remembered his poor brothers, but he had already drawn far off from them and did not know their whereabouts. What did he do? He began to shout out loud and blow the horn, perhaps his poor, hungry friends would hear his voice, approach him, and come to that settlement that is filled with every delight.

So is the matter before us: We have been lost in the terrible desert along with all of humanity, and now we have found a great, abundant treasure, namely the books of Kabbalah in the treasure. They satisfy our yearning souls and fill us abundantly with lushness and contentment; we are satiated and there is more.

Yet, we remember our friends, who were left hopeless in the terrible desert. There is a great distance between us, and words cannot bridge it. For this reason, we have set up this horn to blow out loud so that our brothers might hear and draw near and be as happy as we are."

4. From: RABASH, Article 11 (1987), "Purim, and the Commandment: Until He Does Not Know"

"By causing the entire world to receive the delight and pleasure that exist in the purpose of creation.

It follows that he has become a partner of the Creator in that through him will come the assistance by which everyone will achieve the purpose of creation. Thus, he has become a partner of the Creator, as it is written, “I started creation by wanting to give delight and pleasure, and…exert to realize the goal by making Kelim [vessels] that are fit to receive the upper abundance."

5. From: Baal HaSulam, "Introduction to the Book Panim Meirot uMasbirot", Item 22.

"One does not live for oneself, but for the whole chain. Thus, each and every part of the chain does not receive the light of life into itself, but only distributes the light of life to the whole chain."

6. From: Baal HaSulam, "The Writings of the Last Generation"

"Life’s direction is to attain adhesion with Him, strictly to benefit the Creator, or to reward the public with achieving adhesion with Him."

7. From: Baal HaSulam, "The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence"

"I am glad that I have been born in such a generation when it is permitted to disclose the wisdom of truth. And should you ask how I know that it is permitted, I will reply that it is because I have been given permission to disclose. That is, until now, the ways by which it is possible to publicly engage and to fully explain each word have not been revealed to any sage. [...] and this is what the Creator has given me to the fullest extent. We deem it as dependent not on the greatness of the sage, but on the state of the generation."