Introduction to the Book of Zohar (PDF) - Kabbalah Media Archive

More documents

Recommendations

Info

I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B O O K O F Z O H A R Our advancement is directly connected with the higher spiritual level. We should try to demand the Ohr Makif from it , address all our questions to it and only from it receive the answers. The group, the teacher, and the books are only the means that help us to advance. This is the attitude we should adopt. Do not replace the Creator with Rav or the group, because they are only auxiliary instruments on our path to Him. Now we will find out how to advance towards the Creator. Baal HaSulam says: 39. We have shown that the Creator’s purpose is to bestow upon His creatures, so that they may know His genuineness and greatness, and receive all the delight and goodness He had prepared for them. We do not yet understand His purpose, but it will gradually transpire. It is most clear to the Kabbalists, on whose behalf Baal HaSulam speaks. They attain the purpose, the meaning, and the final result of the entire creation. After that, we (i.e., the Kabbalists) clearly find that this purpose does not apply to the still and the large planets such as the Earth, the Moon, or the Sun, however luminous they may be. The Creator’s intentions refer neither to the vegetative nor to the animate level of nature (although they live some form of a biological life), for they lack the sensation of others (they cannot even develop it on their own level, let alone on the higher one). They lack the sensation of others, of jealousy, envy, and real pleasures, even of the animate kind. Animals do not feel pleasure. All they do is dictated by their inner instincts. Since they are unable to absorb the desires of others, they naturally cannot enjoy the pleasures of others either. An animal may be either hungry or not, but it cannot get hungry by simply looking at another hungry animal. 208
I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B O O K O F Z O H A R Even on a primitive animate level, desires do not pass from one animal to another, even more the desire to attain a higher spiritual level, which is initially absent in us. Suppose I have no idea what it means to be a scientist, a professor, or an actor. However, I look at them and see how they enjoy it, so I want to be like them. With the help of “Kinah, Ta’avah ve Kavod” (envy, craving for pleasures and the desire for honor and fame), I can acquire from others the tastes that are totally unknown to me. This way, my Kli, my desire, can constantly grow, and I can infinitely develop it in our world by absorbing all the desires existing in the universe and even on the spiritual level. It resembles a hypothetical situation where, with the help of certain actions, a plant could turn into an animal, or an animal into man. However, only humans can rise to the Divine level. This is possible because the root of such a property is present in us – the sensation of another human being. This property is absent in the inanimate bodies, plants and animals. We are born with only animal desires, purely animal instincts that existed in primitive people. These are our bodily desires for such natural pleasures as food, sex, home and family. Besides, as a result of envy man develops a desire to receive something that another person has, even if he does not really need it. Even if I have all that my heart desires, but there is someone who enjoys something else; then I want to receive that pleasure too. Finally, the desires for power and honor bring me pleasure, because I feel people’s submission and respect. These are man’s ultimate aspirations in this world. It does not matter to me that I do not have it in my pocket; I enjoy people’s attitude toward me. This makes me bigger, more significant. Envy, craving for pleasures, and the desire for fame and recognition develop man to such an extent that he can attach additional egoism from others to his own and begin to advance spiritually. 209
Page 3:
T H E L I G H T O F K A B B A L A H
Page 6 and 7:
We wish to extend our gratitude to
Page 9:
T O T H E R E A D E R For many cent
Page 13 and 14:
PREFACE TO THE BOOK OF ZOHAR 1. The
Page 15 and 16:
P R E FAC E T O T H E B O O K O F Z
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89:
Page 92 and 93:
I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 106 and 107:
Page 108 and 109:
Page 110 and 111:
Page 112 and 113:
Page 114 and 115:
Page 116 and 117:
Page 118 and 119:
Page 120 and 121:
Page 122 and 123:
Page 124 and 125:
Page 126 and 127:
Page 128 and 129:
Page 130 and 131:
Page 132 and 133:
Page 134 and 135:
Page 136 and 137:
Page 138 and 139:
Page 140 and 141:
Page 142 and 143:
Page 144 and 145:
Page 146 and 147:
Page 148 and 149:
Page 150 and 151:
Page 152 and 153:
Page 154 and 155:
Page 156 and 157:
Page 158 and 159: I N T RO D U C T I O N T O T H E B
Page 258 and 259:
Page 260 and 261:
Page 262 and 263:
Page 264 and 265:
Page 266 and 267:
Page 268 and 269:
Page 270 and 271:
Page 272 and 273:
Page 274 and 275:
Page 276 and 277:
Page 278 and 279:
Page 280 and 281:
Page 282 and 283:
Page 284 and 285:
Page 286 and 287:
Page 288 and 289:
Page 290 and 291:
Page 292 and 293:
Page 294 and 295:
Page 296 and 297:
Page 298 and 299:
Page 300 and 301:
for suffering and pleasure, for tho
Page 302:
and takes control over one’s life
show all

Introduction to the Book of Zohar (PDF) - Kabbalah Media Archive

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?