Description

The role of a spiritual teacher in Kabbalah is to draw everyone to the Creator, not to himself, and Kabbalists say that eventually, everyone will be in adhesion with the Creator. Rav Michael Laitman, PhD discusses the role of a Kabbalist teacher and spiritual attainment with European MTV host Eden Harel

Transcript

Eden Harel: You told me that you were in an accident, you broke your leg, and you’re fine.

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD: A man who is in spirituality…

Eden Harel: Can still break his leg.

Rav Laitman: Can still break his leg, right. And why? This is totally different from what people think—that Kabbalah is some kind of an adventure. It’s an adventure, that's true, which is spiritual, beautiful and attractive, and you are full of awe all the time. But, along with this, you feel responsible for the whole of humanity. And it’s not that one leaves all the troubles and hardships and that he is not part of the rest—that "Who cares if all the others suffer? I’m up there in the air."

Eden Harel: No one treats you as a guru?

Rav Laitman: Me? No, on the contrary, a Kabbalist must seem even more simple and weaker than everyone else. It’s so that they wouldn't make of him anything more than a guide. This is because his role is to direct each one to the Creator and not to himself.

This is in fact the opposite of what the religious people’s spiritual leader does. It’s different there: he has to draw everyone's attention by being great, special and powerful.

Eden Harel: Why?

Rav Laitman: Because that's how he leads the masses. The masses can’t understand otherwise. But a Kabbalaist on the other hand, must stand aside and guide everyone in the direction of the Creator.

Eden Harel: And when you attain the Creator, is it also at the level of sound? Do you also hear Him, at the end, do you hear? Is there some open conversation?

Rav Laitman: What do you mean by hearing?

Eden Harel: To hear, to hear the Creator speak to you. Not in the corporeal ears, but do you hear some guidance, is there any guidance?

Rav Laitman: Daat—knowledge, is revealed in the same vessel as the Light of Hochma dressed in the Light of Chassadim. All the attributes and laws are revealed there because the vessel itself is built according to the Light that fills, improves, and develops it. This is why the vessel is built with the five senses, according to our five senses, but which are called Sefirot. And what you feel is then both in the created being and the Creator, which are connected in adhesion.

Eden Harel: Here it already begins to be too much.

Rav Laitman: Everyone will have to reach this, and Kabbalists say that we are at a state in our times where we need to do so.