| What's it like to be a Kabbalist? Can you see | | | | he reads about "proper behavior." Any changes |
| through walls? Do you live in seclusion, | | | | in his attitude occur naturally, without any |
| meditating all day and using just the barest | | | | coercion or external instruction. |
| necessities? Can you manipulate other | | | | |
| people's thoughts and feelings? Can you stop | | | | Kabbalah maintains that any teaching or |
| a train with just your thoughts? | | | | activity that restrains a person is faulty. |
| | | | We cannot enforce any kind of behavior on |
| The fact is that a Kabbalist's only concern | | | | people, since this is simply ineffective. |
| is to be in harmony with the force that | | | | Therefore, Kabbalistic education does not try |
| enlivens the whole of reality, called "Upper | | | | to suppress any of our habits or preferences. |
| Light." When one gains contact with this | | | | Rather, Kabbalah guides a person on how to |
| Upper Light, one changes from within and | | | | achieve balance and harmony with Nature from |
| begins to feel new sensations. Actually, what | | | | within, and only if the person desires this. |
| one feels are the qualities that are present | | | | Through Kabbalah, one learns about the |
| in the Upper Light - qualities of love, | | | | qualities of the Upper Light, how to gain |
| bestowal, perfection, and eternity. The | | | | contact with it, and how to become similar to |
| Kabbalist's relationship with the Upper Light | | | | it. |
| is called the "Upper World," a realm beyond | | | | |
| time and space. | | | | Therefore, there is no coercion in teaching |
| | | | people the wisdom of Kabbalah. When Rav Kook, |
| As a result of the Kabbalist's internal | | | | the great 20th century Kabbalist, was asked |
| changes, his relation toward others also | | | | who could study Kabbalah, his answer was: |
| changes. He naturally begins to feel love | | | | "Anyone who wants to." And in fact, it also |
| toward other people, as if they were his kin. | | | | works the other way around: You can't really |
| This is because he is occupied with his | | | | study Kabbalah if you don't desire it; |
| relationship with the Upper Light, and since | | | | because what you study - the connection with |
| the Upper Light is all love and bestowal, the | | | | the Upper Light - is felt specifically |
| Kabbalist naturally adopts these qualities as | | | | through your desire. So it would be incorrect |
| well. | | | | to urge anyone to study, since it can't bear |
| | | | any fruit. |
| However, this isn't something that you will | | | | |
| necessarily be able to discern on the | | | | Today, Kabbalah is available to all, and |
| outside. A Kabbalist doesn't change because | | | | anyone who wishes is able to learn about the |
| someone teaches him how to behave and | | | | Upper Light, its qualities, and how to |
| preaches moral principles to him, or because | | | | achieve harmony with it. |