Introduction to the Book of Zohar

“Introduction to the Book of Zohar” is a very deep, summarizing text. While “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot” speaks of the person’s path and the levels he ascends on his way to the Goal, this composition is an immersion into the universe. As a submarine dives into the ocean, so does the Zohar descend with us to the unimaginable depths of reality...

Kabbalah is a practical method of increasing contact with the Creator called a revelation. While existing in our world as we are, a chance just to hear about this idea, this method, already enables us to implement it in this life, i.e., to merge completely with the Creator. We can reveal the entire reality in such a way that we will stop feeling any transition between life and death of our biological body. We can now ascend to the world of Infinity and exist on its highest level. This is not only the question of increasing our contact with the Creator; we are talking about becoming similar, equal to Him...

We continue studying item 13 of “The Introduction to the Book of Zohar”. The Baal HaSulam wrote several introductions to the Zohar: “The Introduction to the Zohar”, “The Foreword to the Zohar” and “The Introduction to the Commentary on the Zohar”. “The Foreword to the Zohar” is the most profound and summarizing of all. It touches upon the general system of creation, penetrates its depths. “The Introduction to the Commentary on the Zohar” describes the mechanics of the spiritual ascent. “The Introduction to the Zohar” expounds the peculiarities of the book and explains how it should be approached. Let us have a closer look at the most important of these introductions in order better to understand the scope and power of the universe. We also need it to prepare ourselves for the actual reading of the Zohar...

Let us continue studying “The Introduction to the Book of Zohar,” where we have carefully examined the first three points. Here the Baal HaSulam approaches the fourth question...

We come to this world to spend some 60-70 years and have no clue how we are going to live them or what we can make out of this life. The first 20-30 years are spent to reach adulthood. The last years do not count, because we grow too weak, indifferent, and tired. All we have left is a few years to ask a question about the meaning of life and understand something. What are we and what is our purpose, how can we do or influence something, if our conscious existence is so brief? Why are we so sensitive to this question that animals never ask themselves?..

We continue studying “The Introduction to the Book of Zohar.” In this Introduction the Baal HaSulam tells us about the development of the human soul – from a small Reshimo, which awakens in man, up to the moment when he enters the spiritual world. First, in the form of a spiritual embryo, then as a child, and later on – as an adult, man becomes similar to the Creator and enters the sensation of eternity, infinity, and perfection. He rises above life and death, feels life as an endless process. Therefore, he naturally perceives his state in this world quite differently...

In the process of reading “The Book of Zohar”, a person gains the sense of the upper world. In any case, reading this book creates internal prerequisites, Kelim, with whose assistance we begin to feel what we could not feel before, something that seemed non-existent to us, but now becomes real. Something that could not be felt in our senses suddenly comes into the field of their sensitivity, and the world starts opening up, slowly developing like a photograph, until we enter into this common whole world. “The Book of Zohar” should do this to us. “The Introduction to The Book of Zohar” helps us to understand what stages we should go through...

The Baal HaSulam has written four introductions to “The Zohar”: “The Introduction to the Book of Zohar”, “The Preface to the Book of Zohar”, “The Preamble to the Commentary of Sulam”, and “The Preamble to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”. They give us an adequate understanding of the book, so that by tuning ourselves to it, we can draw the Upper, Divine Light, the force, which ushers us into the spiritual realm...