What Is the Difference between Studying Kabbalah Today as Opposed to the Study of Kabbalah in the Past?
In “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Baal HaSulam provides a simple explanation of the essence of the teaching of Kabbalah. He defines “Kabbalah,” saying that it is the revelation to a person of the higher laws or roots that descend from above downwards from the single and absolute source, very gradually descending downwards, until reaching our world.
These laws create our world and humanity. They gradually become revealed to every person in order for everyone to realize them correctly and ascend upwards to the World of Infinity, to our root, our perfect state, ascending along the same levels by which these forces descended from above, forming our world and giving existence to our world and humans. This is what this science is intended for. It describes this entire system of descent from above downwards and our ascent, which is possible and which every one of us must accomplish from below upwards.
The realization of these laws comes about both in general and in particular.
- The particular realization is when there are individuals in every generation, the great Kabbalists of the past, who became worthy of the revelation and ascent.
- The general realization is when in our time all of humanity as a mass already begins to feel the insignificance, pointlessness, emptiness and futility of its existence and feels the necessity to ascend, i.e. to elevate along the same levels as the levels of descent, ascending from below upwards to the World of Infinity.
Here, Baal HaSulam already describes the way in which this science is written, that everything is written in the language of root and branch, and the way in which it is passed down. Over the course of centuries and millennia it was passed down from one Kabbalist to the next and then to the next, only from a teacher to his single student (as a rule), and this is how it was passed down to our time.
But in our time, now it is no longer being passed down from one Kabbalist to his next student, but it is already beginning to be passed to the entirety of humanity. This is why in our time, our task is to discover the method, a widespread educational and enlightening method for the whole of humanity, when humanity will receive the means for spiritual ascent. The means of mass communication and technology developed with the purpose of bringing the goal of creation and everything humanity must accomplish in this life to every person, no matter where the person is, even if far away.
This is what the article “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah” discusses.
The Free Kabbalah Course is based on the articles of Baal HaSulam and provides step-by-step guided learning from experienced Kabbalah instructors of Kabbalah’s basic concepts. Baal HaSulam was the first Kabbalist in history who wrote articles not only for Kabbalists, but for the broad public, in order to explain Kabbalah’s fundamentals, because he understood the need that would emerge in humanity to answer deeper questions about life’s meaning and purpose. Therefore, if you’re interested in such topics, we recommend taking the free course and start learning about the world around you and inside you anew. Click the banner below to sign up for the free course …
