Part I - The Need for Kabbalah in Our
Daily Lives
Part II - Ten Kabbalah Lessons
How to Read Kabbalistic Texts: Hebrew Terms in the Lessons
We would like to point out that it is
not necessary to translate Hebrew terms used in Kabbalah
into another language, since each one of them designates
a spiritual entity (partzuf) or one of its parts.
We have provided some parallel translation
to assist the English-speaking student. However, it should
be emphasized that translations may lead to the association
with images of our world. This is strictly forbidden because
one should not attempt to lower the spiritual to the level
of our world.
Terms such as Head (Rosh), Mouth
(Peh), Coupling (Zivug), etc., could induce
associations that have nothing to do with Kabbalah.
Therefore, it is recommended to stick
to the Hebrew denominations. Students, who do not understand
Hebrew actually have an advantage over Hebrew speakers,
as these terms will not bear reference to representations
from our world.
How To Read The Lessons
The difficulty of explaining and teaching
Kabbalah lies in the fact that the spiritual world has
no counterpart in our world. Even if the objective of
study becomes clear, understanding of it is only temporary.
It is grasped by the spiritual component of our cognizance,
which is constantly renewed from Above. Thus, a subject
once understood by an individual may again appear unclear
at a later date. Depending on the mood and the spiritual
state of the reader, the text can appear as either full
of deep meaning, or entirely meaningless.
Do not despair if what was so clear yesterday
becomes very confusing the next day. Do not give up if
the text appears to be vague, strange, or illogical. Kabbalah
is not studied for the sake of acquiring theoretical knowledge,
but in order to see and to perceive. When a person begins
to see and perceive, then, through his own contemplation
and after acquiring spiritual strength, his consequent
reception of the resulting spiritual lights and levels
will bestow upon him a sure knowledge.
Until a person has a comprehension of
the Upper Light, and a perception of spiritual objects,
he will not understand in what way the universe is built
and works, since there are no analogies in our own world
to the subject being learned.
These lessons can help in facilitating
the first steps toward perceiving the spiritual forces.
At later stages, progress can be made only with the help
of a teacher.
