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

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
walk. She places him on his feet, and then moves slightly away to compel
the child to make a few steps towards her. She then moves farther away
to encourage him to make a few more steps and so on. This is how our
children grow, and we are supposed to grow in the same way with regard
to the Creator. We should always perceive His concealment as an appeal
to get closer to Him.
The book of Zohar expounds the profound processes that unfold
in us while we gradually reveal the Creator. This is called ascending the
ladder of the spiritual worlds. Kabbalah tells the person what he sees and
feels while gradually ascending this ladder of similarity to the Creator.
He can only be revealed to the extent of our equivalence with Him;
the more likeness there is between He and I, the better I can feel Him.
Therefore, it turns out that to be similar to the Creator is the same as to
feel or reveal Him.
1. In this introduction, my wish is to clarify issues that seem simple
at first. Everyone has tried to explain these issues, and much
ink has been spilled in these efforts (throughout the history of
humankind). Yet to this day, we have not reached a clear enough
knowledge in these matters.
The questions are as follows:
Both ancient and modern philosophers and scientists have been
puzzled by them.
What questions are these? They are fundamental and critical to
our essence and existence.
First question:
What is our essence?
Who are we? Are we animals or are we human? Are we intelligent
beings? Do we exist or only imagine that we exist? It is quite possible that
we are completely different than we imagine. In fact, when we look at
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