Kabbalah For The Student

The greatest contemporary Kabbalists, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, and his son and successor, Rav Baruch Ashlag, provide valid answers to life’s most fundamental question: “What is the meaning of my life?” Based on their interpretations of The Book of Zohar, and The Tree of Life, we can now learn how to benefit from the wisdom of Kabbalah on a day-to-day basis.

In addition to authentic texts by these great Kabbalists, this book offers illustrations that accurately depict the evolution of the Upper Worlds as Kabbalists experience them, as well as several helpful essays to enhance our understanding of the texts.

In Kabbalah for the Student, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, Rav Baruch Ashlag’s personal assistant and prime student, compiled all the texts a Kabbalah student would need in order to attain the spiritual worlds. In his daily lessons, Rav Laitman bases his teaching on these inspiring texts, thus helping novices and veterans alike to better understand the spiritual path we undertake on our fascinating journey to the Higher Realms.

Table of Contents

• Foreword
• The Tree of Life – a Poem

TIME FOR SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT

• Time to Act
• Disclosing a Portion, Covering Two
• The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah
• The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence
• The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose
• Body and Soul
• Exile and Redemption
• A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar
• Peace in the World
• The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy
• Introduction to The Book of Zohar
• A Handmaid that Is Heir to Her Mistress
• Messiah’s Shofar*
• Kabbalists Write about the Wisdom of Kabbalah
• A Prayer before a Prayer

SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT

• Divinity in Exile
• The Reason for the Heaviness in the Work
• Lishma Is an Awakening from Above
• Support in the Torah
• Habit Becomes Second Nature
• The Difference between a Shade of Kedusha and a Shade of Sitra Achra
• The Essence of One’s Work
• Lishma
• The Time of Ascent
• You Who Love the Lord Hate Evil
• Raising the Slave through the Ministers
• PARDESS
• Sit and Do Nothing—Better
• If I Am Not for Me, Who Is for Me?
• Walking the Path of Truth
• One Is Where One Thinks
• An Allegory about the Rich Man’s Son in the Cellar
• The Lord Is Thy Shade
• The Labor Is the Most Important
• Association of Mercy with Judgment

SOCIETY AS A CONDITION FOR ATTAINING SPIRITUALITY

• Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)
• The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)
• The Peace
• The Message in Matan Torah
• Unity of Friends
• Love of Friends
• The Influence of the Environment on a Person
• Purpose of Society
• Concerning Love of Friends
• They Helped Every One His Friend
• Purpose of Society 2
• What Does “Love Thy Friend as Thyself” Give Us?
• Love of Friends
• According to What Is Explained Concerning “Love Thy Friend”
• Which Keeping of Torah and Mitzvot Purifies the Heart
• Which Degree Should One Achieve?
• The First Degree When One Is Born
• Concerning the Importance of Society
• Concerning the Importance of Friends
• The Agenda of the Assembly

STAGES OF ATTAINMENT

• Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot
• The Freedom
• Concealment and Disclosure of the Face of the Creator
• Preface to The Book of Zohar
• Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot
• Matter and Form in the Wisdom of Kabbalah
• This Is for Judah
• The Acting Mind
• Introduction to the Book, From the Mouth of a Sage
• Introduction to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah

THE EVOLUTION OF THE WORLDS

• Foreword to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah
• Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah
• Ha-Ilan (The Tree) (Illustrations and References)
• Explanation of the Article, Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah
• Preface to the Sulam Commentary
• Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part One, Histaklut Pnimit [32]
• General Preface

• Appendix A: Kabbalah Glossary
• Appendix B: Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Appendix C: Diagrams of the Spiritual Worlds
• About Bnei Baruch