What Moses Really Did
Moses was known for being different than other Kabbalists in that alongside the revelation that he obtained, he was ordered to make it known to the whole of humankind. That did not happen with previous Kabbalists. Since then, all Kabbalists form study groups.
Moses had seventy disciples, and Yehoshua Ben Nun (Joshua, the son of Nun) was the one who ultimately inherited both his wisdom and leadership. Moses did more than research the upper world. He dealt with the practical realization of his spiritual attainment in our world, such as the exodus from Egypt. With the wisdom he acquired and the upper forces he received from above, he was able to bring the people of Israel out of exile.
Moses’s task was to deliver the people of Israel out of Egypt and write a book with which any man could “conquer” the upper world and leave Egypt in the spirit—stop worshiping idols, objects, the sun, and other false gods. He wanted to enable people to obtain entry into the spiritual land of Israel, called the world of Atzilut—a world of eternity and wholeness. It is a situation that one attains inwardly, beyond the boundaries of time and space.
Why the Torah Isn’t What You Thought It Was
The method Moses introduced in his book is called Torah, from the word ohr (light). It contains instructions on how to use the light to enter the spiritual world, how to live for an eternal goal instead of the transient life we live in this world. With this book, a person can uncover the entire picture of creation, though he or she may experience just a tiny fraction of it. He or she can calculate correctly and attain the desired outcome, build his or her life toward the final goal, the one Moses wanted to attain. That is what a person who studies the method that Moses developed gradually achieves.
Moses’s method, resulting from the Torah, allows anyone living on earth to attain his spiritual level, meaning that he or she can exit this world with his or her feelings and enter the upper world, the entire creation. The Hebrew root of the name Moses is the word moshe, which means pulling out of this world. The Torah is a historic tale about the exodus of the peo- ple of Israel from Egypt. But in fact, it depicts an exit from a state of corporeal lowness called Egypt to a higher state called “The Land of Israel.”
Now You Can Interpret the Torah in the Way that Moses Wanted You To
Moses used the language of the branches. He used names of objects, feelings, and actions of our world, but intended to point to objects in the spiritual world: supreme powers, secret forces, exits and entries of power, and information and effects,including harmful ones. All of these themes are portrayed as a historic tale about human development. In fact, the Torah describes a certain era in human development, but it actually refers to spiritual roots.
If we do not interpret the Torah solely as a historical document, we are then able to perceive spiritual forces that come from the upper world to ours. Instead of flesh and blood figures, such as Moses and Pharaoh, or animals and nations, we will see spiritual forces. If we remove the outer shell from the Torah, we will see an entirely different picture, detached from this world. Then, gradually, we will come into contact with these forces and use them for spiritual elevation.
Here’s a Quick Way to Understand What a True Jew Is
With the help of his seventy disciples, Moses composed a guide to spiritual ascent. He made several copies of it and taught it in groups that together became known as the “people of Israel.” Thus, the people of Israel originated from a group of Kabbalists, the disciples of Moses, and belonging to that nation is determined by a striving for spirituality. Hence, anyone from the nations of the world who feels a desire for spirituality can become a Jew.
The Jews are that group of people who adopted the concept of monotheism in the time of Abraham. After Abraham’s death, a group of people who believed in a single force of leadership, a force one could turn to, was established. The successors of Abraham, who called themselves Jews, were unique in that they wanted unity with the Creator, dvekut (adhesion) with Him. They were also called Hebrews from the Hebrew word ivri, meaning one who crossed over from this world to the spiritual.
In the book of Torah, Moses developed a science for attaining contact with the upper world. But for most people, it is difficult, if not impossible, to see anything deeper than family sagas and history. We will not even be able to feel what is concealed in it, as Kabbalists tell us.
“Why You Should Forget Everything You Thought You Knew about Moses” is based on the book, Awakening to Kabbalah: The Guiding Light of Spiritual Fulfillment by Dr. Michael Laitman.
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