{"id":14699,"date":"2026-01-11T21:05:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T21:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.kabbalah.info\/?post_type=book&p=14699"},"modified":"2026-01-11T21:24:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T21:24:41","slug":"genesis","status":"publish","type":"book","link":"https:\/\/www.kabbalah.info\/en\/genesis\/","title":{"rendered":"Genesis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In his book, The Tree of Life<\/em>, the great 16th century Kabbalist Isaac Luria (the Ari), founder of Lurianic Kabbalah, today\u2019s predominant school of Kabbalah, wrote, \u201cKnow, that before the emanations were emanated and the creatures created, an Upper, Simple Light had filled the whole of reality. And there was no vacant place, such as an empty air and a void, but everything was filled with that simple, boundless Light.\u201d <\/a><\/a>[42<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, only one Kabbalist has ventured to compose a comprehensive explanation of these profound phrases, as well as introduced a complete commentary on The Book of Zohar<\/em>: Kabbalist Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Baal HaSulam. In his six-volume commentary on the writings of the Ari, known as Talmud Eser Sefirot <\/em>(The Study of the Ten Sefirot<\/em>), Baal HaSulam explains that the Light that the Ari refers to is \u201cAll the pleasant sensations and conceptions in the world.\u201d <\/a><\/a>[43<\/a><\/strong>] He also defines \u201cLight\u201d as \u201ceverything but the substance of the vessels [desire to receive].\u201d <\/a><\/a>[44<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, there are only two \u201cbeings\u201d in existence: the desire to bestow, to give, which Ashlag defines as \u201clight,\u201d \u201cCreator,\u201d or \u201cpleasure,\u201d and the desire to receive pleasure, to enjoy, which he calls \u201ca vessel,\u201d \u201cthe creature,\u201d or \u201cthe created being.\u201d To understand how the whole of reality can emerge from only two desires, we need to take a deeper look at how they interact.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOUR STAGES AND THE ROOT OF CREATION<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Electricity, gravity, and all of Nature\u2019s other forces are timeless phenomena. In other words, you cannot point to a specific point in time at which they were created because Nature\u2019s forces are not particular events; they are potentials or fields that cover the whole of space-time. They manifest under certain conditions and, given the right instruments, we can detect their existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prove the existence of electricity, you need a resistor of some sort, like a lamp or a current-meter. Without something that resists the flow of the electric current, we could never know that electricity was flowing through it, and we could never discover the existence of electricity. Similarly, to prove the existence of gravity, we need to observe its effect on physical masses, and to discover light, we need an object that the light illuminates, meaning stops the light and reflects it back to our eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In precisely the same way, Kabbalists discovered the desire to bestow through that desire\u2019s interaction with its resistor\u2014their own desires to receive. When they refined and calibrated their resistors\u2014desires to receive\u2014they were able to detect the force that operated those desires. That was how Abraham discovered that the force that operated his desires and the rest of reality was a desire to bestow. This is the knowledge that Abraham passed on to his sons and students, and this is still the knowledge that Kabbalists pass on from teacher to student, and now to the entire world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a side note, the difference between one Kabbalist and another is not in the knowledge each conveys, but in the  language and style<\/em> each uses to convey it. The reason I am relying mostly on Ashlag\u2019s writings is not that he had more extensive knowledge than, say, the Ari. I am using his writings simply because he was the most recent Kabbalist, and wrote in the most contemporary style. Therefore, he is the easiest to understand for a 21st century reader with little or no background in Kabbalah. The farther we go back in time, the harder it is to grasp the full meaning of Kabbalistic texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to the discussion at hand, in his  The Study of the Ten Sefirot<\/em>, Ashlag tells us that this desire to bestow created the desire to receive as a necessary offshoot of its wish to bestow  <\/a><\/a>[45<\/a><\/strong>]. In other words, because the desire is a desire to give, it created something that wishes to receive. Thus, just as it is impossible to explain what is a day without also understanding what is a night, or to understand the concept of \u201cleft side\u201d without having the concept of \u201cright side\u201d either, it is impossible to perceive the desire to receive without perceiving the desire to give.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put matters in the right context, when Kabbalists speak of the Creator, they are referring to the desire to give, and when they speak of Creation, they are referring to the desire to receive the Creator\u2019s giving. Also, when they are presenting a dialog between the Creator and the creatures, such as we find in the Bible, they are actually introducing a specific interaction between the desire to give and the desire to receive, not an exchange of vocalisms between a protein aggregate and a voice in the clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that regard, at the conclusion of his introduction to  The Study of the Ten Sefirot<\/em> (Item 156), Ashlag takes special care to warn us: \u201cYet, there is a strict condition during the engagement in this wisdom\u2014to not materialize the matters with imaginary and corporeal issues. This is because thus they breach, \u2018Thou shall not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness.\u2019 \u2026 To rescue the readers from any materialization, I composed the book,  The Study of the Ten Sefirot<\/em> by the Ari, where I collect from the books of the Ari all the principal essays concerning the explanation of the ten  Sefirot <\/em>in as simple and easy language as I could.\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[46<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, at the basis of existence lies not matter, but forms of desire to receive pleasure created by interactions with their Creator\u2014the desire to give pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To tie this approach to more familiar territory, think of lightning. To the ancient Greeks, the thunderbolt was Zeus\u2019 traditional weapon. To us, the exact same thunderbolt is merely \u201cThe visible discharge of electricity that occurs when a region of a cloud acquires an excess electrical charge that is sufficient to break down the resistance of air,\u201d if we consult the Encyclopedia Britannica  <\/a><\/a>[47<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, understanding the true meaning of Abraham’s story requires an explanation by one who has acquired sufficient knowledge to explain it in a matter-of-fact, rational manner, meaning a Kabbalist, and preferably one of substantial understanding and sufficient didactic skills, such as Ashlag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going After the Thought of Creation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[48<\/a><\/strong>] Baal HaSulam divides the onset of Creation into five stages and one restriction, but we can cluster them into three groups. Think of the first two groups as a car and the fuel for its engine, and imagine that the third group is the driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first group contains only Stage Zero, the Root. This is the desire to give, the energy that creates and sustains the car called \u201cCreation\u201d (it\u2019s a very old model; they don\u2019t make them like that anymore).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second group\u2014Stages One and Two\u2014builds a \u201cplatform\u201d for evolution. This is the car itself. In a sense, the platform that the two stages have built resembles what Richard Dawkins described in  The Selfish Gene<\/em> as \u201cThe primeval soup,”  <\/a><\/a>[49<\/a><\/strong>] the oceanic substrate that contained the ingredients for life\u2019s inception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third group\u2014Stages Three and Four\u2014is \u201cthe driver.\u201d Its role is to start the engine of evolution\u2014the interaction between the desires. As we will explain below and in the next chapter, the restriction is the wheel with which creation is driven toward its purpose: discovering the Thought of Creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stages Zero and One<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, a general comment about the stages: Since Kabbalah has gained popularity in recent years, some of its terms have surfaced in various connections. The term  Sefirot<\/em> is often mentioned in relation to the origin of Creation. It is possible to describe the process of creation using the names of Sefirot<\/em> instead of stages, but this might complicate matters needlessly. To see how the  Sefirot<\/em> and the four stages relate to the same process, refer to the essay, \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah.\u201d <\/a><\/a>[50<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kabbalistic terms, the existence of a desire to bestow without a desire to receive is called \u201cthe Root Stage\u201d or \u201cStage Zero.\u201d The Root Stage is immediately followed by its mandatory offshoot\u2014\u201cStage One\u201d\u2014the desire to receive, which is permeated with the abundance given to it by the Root, the desire to bestow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, no element in existence, from subatomic particles to the most expansive galaxies in the universe, escapes the giving-receiving \u201cbipartisanship.\u201d It may appear in the form of hot vs. cold, dry vs. wet, small vs. big, centrifugal vs. centripetal, energy vs. matter, etc., but they all stem from the primordial opposites: giving and receiving. To portray this interaction, I use a downward arrow to denote the desire to give, and a bowl or receptacle (usually referred to as a \u201cvessel\u201d) to denote the desire to receive (Figure no. 1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure no. 1: The Root Stage is immediately followed by its mandatory offshoot\u2014\u201cStage One\u201d\u2014which is the desire to receive, permeated with the abundance given to it by the desire to bestow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Root is known as \u201clight\u201d and the desire to receive, as \u201cvessel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage Two<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result of the meeting between the two desires in Stage One is Stage Two. Here is where the actual interaction between the desires truly begins. To understand the shift that occurs between Stage One and Stage Two, consider a child\u2019s admiration for its parents. Because children, especially in early childhood, idolize their parents, they strive to imitate them. They closely observe their parents\u2019 every move (with a tendency for boys to observe their fathers and for girls to observe their mothers), \u201cstudy\u201d their parents\u2019 demeanor, and try to follow suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary studies show how attentive children are to their parents\u2019 guidance. In  Perspectives on Imitation: From Neuroscience to Social Science<\/em>, Dr. Andrew Meltzoff and Prof. Wolfgang Prinz of Cambridge University, UK, write, \u201c Parents provide their young with an apprenticeship in how to act as a member of their particular culture long before verbal instruction is possible. A wide range of behaviors\u2014from tool use to social customs\u2014are passed from one generation to another through imitative learning.\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[51<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, Dr Benjamin Spock\u2019s  Baby and Child Care<\/em> bestseller on parenting provides such a complete description of this process that I feel compelled to present it here in full: \u201cIdentification is a lot more important than just playing. It\u2019s how character is built. It depends more on what children perceive in their parents and model themselves after than on what the parents try to teach them in words. This is how children\u2019s basic ideals and attitudes are laid down\u2014toward work, toward people, toward themselves … This is how they learn to be the kind of parents they\u2019re going to turn out to be twenty years later, as you can tell from listening to the affectionate or scolding way they care for their dolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGender awareness.\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s at this age that a girl becomes more aware that she\u2019s female and will grow up to be a woman. So she watches her mother with special attentiveness and tends to mold herself in her mother\u2019s image: how her mother feels about her husband and the male sex in general, about women, about girl and boy children, toward work and house work. The little girl will not become an exact copy of her mother, but she will surely be influenced by her in many respects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA boy at this age realizes that he is on the way to becoming a man, and he therefore attempts to pattern himself predominately after his father: how his father feels toward his wife and the female sex generally, toward other men, toward his boy and girl children, toward outside work and housework.\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[52<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just as a child wishes to grow up to be like its parent, Stage Two in the evolution of the desire is an expression of the wish of the desire to receive (Stage One) to be like its parent\u2014the desire to give (the Root). This happens because as it is a desire to receive\u2014the \u201coffspring\u201d of the desire to give\u2014Stage One recognizes the Root\u2019s superiority and wishes to be like its progenitor. And because the only example that Stage One receives from the Root is that of giving, in Stage Two the desire to receive begins to want to give, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, we said that at the basis of existence are forms of the desire to receive, created by interactions with their creator\u2014the desire to give. Thus, through two natural, \u201cautomatic\u201d reactions to giving, two opposite desires emerge: to receive (in Stage One), and to give (in Stage Two). The various combinations of these two desires form the basis of every object, every event, and every evolution that occurs in our world, including us\u2014our bodies, our thoughts, and our actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as a child wishes to become like its role-model parent, at the root of the desire to give in Stage Two lies the desire to receive its progenitor\u2019s superior status, power, and knowledge. In other words, Stage Two is a desire to  receive<\/em> the status and nature of giving<\/em>. For this reason, it is best to picture Stage Two as a vessel (desire to receive) that wishes to give, or \u201cvessel of bestowal.\u201d Hence, the arrow designating this desire points outwards, toward the Creator (Figure no. 2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure no. 2: At the root of the desire to give in Stage Two lies the desire to receive. Therefore, it is best to picture Stage Two as a vessel (desire to receive) that wishes to give, or \u201cvessel of bestowal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Stage Two is more than just a new desire. In wanting to give, Stage Two is admitted into an entirely new state of being. Because it no longer wishes to receive, but to bestow, it must have someone upon whom to bestow. Thus, to be like its creator\u2014a giver\u2014Stage Two must act positively and favorably toward others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, Stage Two, the force that compels us to give despite our underlying desire to receive, is the force that makes life possible. Without it, parents would not have children (to whom they can bestow) or care for their offspring once they are born, life would not be possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, the best example of Stage Two is a mother\u2019s love for her child. If we consider the endless love, compassion, and effort mothers put into raising their babies, we are left in awe and admiration that such devotion is even possible. Yet, when you look at a mother\u2019s face while she is nursing, changing diapers, or bathing her baby, often you will find that she is glowing. Why is this so? What gives mothers the ability to not only endure such strain, but to  wish<\/em> for it and enjoy it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is simple, and every mother knows it instinctively: In giving to their babies, they experience tremendous joy. There is a desire to receive the pleasure of motherhood (or parenthood) behind every decision to bring a new life into the world. Without it, people would not have babies, unless by mistake, and this would be very unfortunate for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we can see why Nature\u2019s initiating force is the desire to give, and not the desire to receive. Concisely capturing the essence of that concept is Baal HaSulam\u2019s Kabbalistic definition of altruism. In 1940, he published a paper titled, \u201cThe Nation.\u201d In it he writes, \u201cThe altruistic force [the desire to give] is like centrifugal waves\u2014an outward aiming force\u2026 which flows from within outwardly.\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[53<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage Three<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Ashlag stated, the evolution of desires, which hang down by cause and effect, is mandatory, adhering to fixed, determined rules. The next mandatory step is for Stage Two to start giving, since this is what it wants to do. But in Stage Two the newly made desire to give has a problem to solve: it wishes to give, but all that exists besides itself (the desire to receive with its two stages) is the desire to give that created it. Therefore, the only thing that Stage Two can give to its creator is its willingness to receive<\/em>. In other words, it will receive, just as in Stage One, but with the  intention to give<\/em> pleasure to the Root\u2014the Creator. This \u201cinverted\u201d modus operandi, where the act is reception but the intention is to give, is a completely new concept and hence merits a new name\u2014\u201cStage Three\u201d (Figure no. 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may seem awkward to some, but we apply this mode of action routinely in our relationships. Think of a young man who comes to visit his mother after not having seeing her for a long time. It is quite likely that his mother will want to prepare something to eat for her darling son. But what if the son is not very hungry? Will he not eat? In most cases, he will eat and express his delight at the food simply because it pleases his mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure no. 3: In Stage Three, the desire to receive chooses to receive not because it enjoys it, but because this is what pleases the Root, the desire to give.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, the son is not focused on his own pleasure, but on his mother\u2019s pleasure in watching him eat. In \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[54<\/a><\/strong>] Baal HaSulam describes this mode of work as partial use of the desire to receive, just the necessary minimum for the reception of pleasure, while maintaining the center of attention on the giver\u2019s delight at the receiver\u2019s acceptance. In our culinary example, the son must have  some<\/em> appetite or he will not be able to eat at all. However, his appetite should not be big enough to shift his intention (or attention) from pleasing his mother to pleasing himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage Four<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the son\u2019s appetite is mild enough to be subordinate to his desire to please his mother, he can focus on his intention to please, rather than on his stomach. But what if he were very hungry and had not eaten for a whole day? Would he still be able to ignore his rumbling stomach, focus only on his mother\u2019s pleasure, and eat only because it pleases her? When Stage Three begins to receive because it wishes to please the Root, it realizes that the more it receives, the more it pleases its maker, the Root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In consequence, it begins to wish to receive more and more and more. Finally, it wishes to receive everything<\/em>, just as in Stage One, thus reawakening the whole of its desire to receive. This  self-evoked<\/em> total desire to receive is called \u201cStage Four.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, there is a fundamental difference between Stage One and Stage Four: relation to the giver. Stage One does not relate to the giver, only of the abundance. As soon as it \u201crealizes\u201d there is the desire to give that created it, it wishes to be like the giver, and this initiates Stage Two. Stage Four is realizes not only the giver\u2019s existence, but also of the giver\u2019s benevolence and  primacy<\/em>, since it is the desire to give that initiated creation. And being a complete desire to receive, Stage Four wishes to receive not just the abundance that Stage One receives, but the  primacy status<\/em> of the Root (Figure no. 4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure no. 4: Being a total desire to receive, Stage Four wishes to receive not just the abundance that Stage One receives, but the  primacy status<\/em> of the Root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, to receive such a status, Stage Four must be Creator-like, and it is not. Instead, it is a conscious desire to receive everything\u2014omnipotence, omniscience, and even the  nature<\/em> of the Creator. Anything less than that would be incomplete, since it would not be precisely identical to the Creator. This is what Ashlag means when he writes in \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[55<\/a><\/strong>] that Stage Four wishes to achieve the Thought of Creation (Figure no. 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure no. 5: Stage Four wishes to achieve the Thought of Creation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another essay, \u201cThe Giving of the Torah [Light],\u201d Ashlag offers a beautiful explanation of the nature of the Creator-created relationship that occurs at the outset of Creation: \u201cThis matter is like a rich man who took a man from the market and showered him with gold, silver, and all desirables each day. And each day he gave him more gifts than the day before. Finally, the rich man asked, \u2018Do tell me, have all your wishes been fulfilled?\u2019 He [the man] replied, \u2018Not all of my wishes have been fulfilled, for how good and how pleasant it would be if all those possessions and precious things came to me through my own work, as they have come to you. Then I would not be receiving the charity of your hand.\u2019 Then the rich man told him, \u2018In this case, there has never been born a person who could fulfill your wishes.\u2019\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[56<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This resentment of gifts was well observed in research conducted by Amani El-Alayli and Lawrence A. Messe of Michigan State University. Their findings, published in the  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology<\/em>, were that when receiving unexpected favors, people may experience two opposing emotions: a desire to reciprocate the favor, which the researchers correctly described as \u201cobligation,\u201d or resentment, which they referred to as \u201cpsychological reactance.\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[57<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, they wrote, \u201cParticipants\u2019 evaluations of the supervisor [benefactor] suggested that people have mixed impressions of someone whose favors violate [exceed] expectancies or norms.\u201d  <\/a><\/a>[58<\/a><\/strong>] This research clearly demonstrates that it is a natural human trait to feel shame and embarrassment when treated with exceptional generosity. These emotions, Kabbalah explains, are directly rooted in the shame that Stage Four experiences when faced with unbounded giving without the chance of becoming a giver, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, when Stage Four realizes it cannot obtain the Root\u2019s primacy, it realizes that it cannot receive everything<\/em> and that it is inherently inferior to its maker. This instantly extinguishes any sensation of pleasure in Stage Four, and despite the infinite abundance that the Root gives, Stage Four remains with a sense of emptiness, since its biggest wish has not been granted. In Kabbalah, when Stage Four\u2019s desire to be like its maker overshadows all other pleasures, it is called \u201crestriction.\u201d Because the desire to be like the Creator is so much greater than all other desires, it practically prevents pleasure from being experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From here on, evolution will unfold in a single underlying purpose: to repossess that great abundance that the Root wishes to give, and which can be received only with the intention to bestow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[42<\/a><\/strong>] Isaac Luria (ARI), Tree of Life<\/em>, Gate 1, Branch 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[43<\/a><\/strong>] Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser <\/em>Sefirot <\/em>(The Study of the Ten Sefirot<\/em>), Part 1 (Israel: Ashlag Research Institute, 2007), 19<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[44<\/a><\/strong>] Yehuda Ashlag, Talmud Eser <\/em>Sefirot<\/em>(The Study of the Ten Sefirot<\/em>), Part 1 (Israel: Ashlag Research Institute, 2007), 31<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[45<\/a><\/strong>] Yehuda Ashlag, \u201cTalmud Eser Sefirot <\/em>(The Study of the Ten Sefirot<\/em>), Part One, Histaklut Pnimit<\/em> (Inner Reflection),\u201d in Kabbalah for the Student<\/em>, trans. Chaim Ratz (Canada: Laitman Kabbalah Publishers, 2009), 729<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[46<\/a><\/strong>] Yehuda Ashlag, \u201cIntroduction to Study of the Ten Sefirot,\u201d in Kabbalah for the Student<\/em>, trans. Chaim Ratz (Canada: Laitman Kabbalah Publishers, 2009), 374<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[47<\/a><\/strong>] \u201cLightning,\u201d Encyclopedia Britannica<\/em> (http:\/\/www.britannica.com\/EBchecked\/topic\/340767\/lightning)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[48<\/a><\/strong>] Ashlag, \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,\u201d in Kabbalah for the Student<\/em>, 567-572<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[49<\/a><\/strong>] Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene<\/em> (New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 1989), 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[50<\/a><\/strong>] Ashlag, \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,\u201d in Kabbalah for the Student<\/em>, 567-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[51<\/a><\/strong>] From: S. Hurley and N. Chater (Eds.), Perspectives on Imitation: From Neuroscience to Social Science<\/em> (Vol. 2) (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005), 55-77<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[52<\/a><\/strong>] Benjamin Spock, Baby and Child Care<\/em>, (USA: Pocket Books, 2004), 164-5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[53<\/a><\/strong>] Ashlag, Kitvey <\/em>Baal HaSulam<\/em>(The Writings of Baal HaSulam<\/em>) (Israel: Ashlag Research Institute, 2009), 499<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[54<\/a><\/strong>] Ashlag, \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,\u201d in Kabbalah for the Student<\/em>, 568<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[55<\/a><\/strong>] Ashlag, \u201cPreface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,\u201d in Kabbalah for the Student<\/em>, 568<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[56<\/a><\/strong>] Yehuda Ashlag, \u201cThe Giving of the Torah,\u201d in Kabbalah for the Student<\/em>, 244<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[57<\/a><\/strong>] El-Alayli Amani and Lawrence A. Messe. \u201cReactions Toward an Unexpected or Counternormative Favor-Giver: does it matter if we think we can reciprocate?\u201d Journal of Experimental Social Psychology <\/em>40.5 (September 2004): 633-641<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>[58<\/a><\/strong>] (ibid.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his book, The Tree of Life, the great 16th century Kabbalist Isaac Luria (the Ari), founder of Lurianic Kabbalah, today\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":14692,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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