Foreword

At the age of forty, Abraham came to know his Maker...

He began to call out to the whole world,

Informing them that there is one God in the whole world, and He is the one to be worshipped.

He would walk and call out, gathering the people from town to town and from kingdom to kingdom…

Until thousands assembled, and they are the people of the house of Abraham.

He instilled this great tenet in their hearts, and composed books about it…

And the notion was growing and intensifying among the sons of Jacob and their company.

Thus, a nation that knew the Creator was born to the world.

Maimonides , Mishneh Torah, “Laws of Idolatry”

Through the millennia, Kabbalists have bequeathed us with numerous writings. In their compositions, they have laid out a structured method that can lead, step by step, unto a world of eternity and wholeness.

Gems of wisdom is a collection of selected excerpts from the writings of the greatest Kabbalists from all generations, with particular emphasis on the writings of Rav Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), author of the Sulam [Ladder] commentary of The Book of Zohar.

The sections have been arranged by topics, to provide the broadest view possible on each topic. For smoother reading, slight alterations of spelling and punctuation have been made. In addition, sections originally written in Aramaic and other foreign languages were translated into Hebrew.

We are certain that this book will be a useful guide to any person desiring spiritual advancement, and will lead us all towards a new and better world.

The Editor