WEDNESDAY PRAYER: BINAH-MAIN READING FOR THIS WEEK – FOR MITZVOT – Kabbalah as a Root of All Sciences
READING: SUNSET TUESDAY
Main Reading for KABBALISTIC PRAYER this week, today with THE READING FOR MITZVOT.
ARVUT OF: Sheridan Moreton-Judd.
Kabbalah as a Root of All Sciences
-Rabbi Michael Laitman, PhD
The revelation of this world and the order of its existence is an amazing science. In the same way, the revelation of the Creator’s light in the world as a reality of levels and modes of influence constitutes a wonderful science as well. For example, physics, which represents a particular kind of knowledge relevant in a particular world, is something special in its own field and there is no other science that is included within it.
The wisdom of Kabbalah is based on the universal knowledge of all the levels (still, vegetative, animate and human) and all of their particular manifestations that are included into the plan of the Upper governing force, meaning everything that corresponds with its purpose. Therefore, all sciences in the world are included in the wisdom of Kabbalah; it equalizes them and brings them into accord with itself.
For instance, physics, astronomy and music precisely correspond with the order of worlds and Sefirot. That is, all sciences are regulated in accordance with one connection in Kabbalah and resemble it. This indicates how the wisdom of Kabbalah depends on all sciences, while they in their turn depend on it. Hence, progress of sciences is dependent upon their integration with Kabbalah, which originally incorporates all of them.
Necessity of Studying Kabbalah
Since the wisdom of Kabbalah speaks about the revelation of the Upper world, it goes without saying that there is no other science of equal importance for our existence. All of humanity gradually evolves and begins to realize that without the knowledge of the all-encompassing governing force, we will not be able to survive.
Scientists/Kabbalists intended to create a system of attainment that would be suitable for our time, when humankind finally realizes the necessity of revealing the Divine Providence. Therefore, for many centuries and until our time, Kabbalists have been secretly developing this wisdom. However, it had to be concealed for only a certain period of time. As “The Book of Zohar” says, “The wisdom of Kabbalah will be revealed at the end of days.” Everyone will attain all the supernal levels, the essence of created beings and their conduct in this world, which is like an imprint of the Upper world.
The revelation of the Divine Providence is not a momentary action, but a step-by-step process of attainment over a substantial amount of time. This process of spiritual attainment consists of levels, one above another, like rungs of a ladder.
Opponents of Kabbalah may object to the study of the wisdom, asserting that it is solely intended for those who have already achieved a certain degree of revelation of the Upper governing force. In that case, what obligation and necessity can there be for majority of the people to study this wisdom?
However, there are actions that everyone in this world should make to achieve the purpose of his existence. Since the revelation of the Upper force is only possible to the extent of similarity to it, the intention to reach such a state should accompany the study of Kabbalah. Provided the person has this intention, he can reveal the Upper force much faster.
But since the person does not initially possess an intention to change his egoistical properties to the altruistic ones, to acquire even a minimal aspiration to this similarity, he needs a society that can stimulate such a desire in him (see the article “Free Will”).
Thus, mastering the wisdom of Kabbalah falls into two stages:
- Revelation of the Upper force;
- Studying and using the Upper force.
The person passes through both of these stages by studying the wisdom of Kabbalah. From this, we see the difference between Kabbalah and natural sciences. If we attain natural sciences in our five innate senses, the research of the wisdom of Kabbalah commences while we cannot yet feel the subject of our studies. In the process of learning, we acquire a new sense, which marks the beginning of the second stage of our attainment of the Upper world and the governing force, namely Kabbalah proper. The first stage is merely a preparation, much the same as any trade in this world requires preliminary training.
Responsibility to Pass the Method of Perception
In accordance with the general law of nature, every human being in the world should develop his sixth sense of perception and attain the entire universe in it. In light of the purpose of creation, the group of Kabbalists is responsible for:
- Teaching their own people the method of developing the sixth sense;
- Pass this method to the entire humanity.
Inability to accomplish this mission represents the cause of anti-Semitism, the grievance of all the nations against the Jews for their misconduct and failure to reveal the Divine goodness. The Jews themselves subconsciously feel guilty.
On the other hand, one may say that after the Jewish people had lost all contact with Kabbalah and it turned into a legend of the past, Judaism emerged as a set of rituals for the masses, which later brought forth Christianity and Islam.
Because the people still remembered about the attainments of their ancestors, they replaced the lost wisdom with external rites and traditions. At a later time, the Jews even forgot the very notion of a different level of perception of the world, on which their ancestors existed.
Baal Sulam describes it in a parable about a man who found himself in a strange country. He completely forgot his homeland, until one day a book about a distant wonderful place fell into his hands and he suddenly remembered that the beautiful country is where he had come from. Similarly, all of us should regain the ability to perceive the Upper world.
The Right Way of Teaching Kabbalah
Until recently, none of the scientists/Kabbalists have been able to formulate a method with the help of which, masses of people and all nations could study Kabbalah. Only the last Kabbalist of the twentieth century Y. Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) could reveal and explain in his works the path to the purpose of creation suitable for all. This path is called “The Path of Investing”. The revelation of this path is not Baal HaSulam’s merit, but a result of our generation’s development and of its readiness for complete correction.
Although other sciences may be used to better explain Kabbalistic notions (for they are included in the wisdom), the most appropriate way to teach Kabbalah is to give the knowledge of the Upper world in accordance with roots and branches, causes and effects.
Therefore Baal Sulam is the first Kabbalist whose method enables people to understand all the Kabbalistic sources.
Attaining the Wisdom of Kabbalah
The attainment of Kabbalah is possible through:
- Understanding the studied text. This is similar to a researcher of our world, who should work with much diligence in order to understand it, although he sees everything with his own eyes.
- Feeling the text. Beside the information, the text contains a special property, which enables everyone who studies it to gradually enter into the sensation of the Upper world, even without an understanding of what is written in it.