Attainment of Unity of the Universe
The main subject of research for the science of Kabbalah concerns the interconnection of
all parts of the universe. All the elements of a vast reality, indeed, all the five worlds
ruled by the uniform law of nature interconnect and unite until they create a single whole
whose parts are included in and bonded together one with the other.
Further, the researcher of the upper world finds that all these worlds and the science of
Kabbalah are united into ten realities called ten Sefirot (Heb. for ten radiances). They
make the order of five parts, which form a point designating the world of Infinity.
The beginner in Kabbalah must begin his studies from one point, and from there move to
the ten Sefirot in the first world below the world of Infinity, called Adam Kadmon (Heb.
for man’s prototype). Subsequently the student discovers how the numerous details
existing in the world of Adam Kadmon continue, spread, and submit to the order of cause
and effect, to the laws found in astronomy, physics, and other earthly sciences.
Therefore, the established laws are completely interdependent, and the law of gradual
development of one phenomenon from another cannot be violated. The development
moves from a single point to the multitude in the world of Adam Kadmon. This world
begets four more worlds that emerge one from another as imprints of a seal. They
continue expanding until we reach the whole variety in our world. After that, we return to
our research to include all the details of reality, one into another, until we reach the world
of Adam Kadmon, the ten Sefirot, the four basic levels, and finally the initial point.
Even though the material is still unknown, it can, as in any other science, be researched
by means of logic. For example, when we study anatomy, we see that certain organs
interact, though we may have no idea of the general subject – a living man. Nevertheless,
with time, after comprehending this science from studying individual parts, we can
deduce the general rule of how the whole body works.
A similar case is when a person who begins to study the upper world, a world of which
he has no knowledge, can only be acquired from the combination of all its elements. He
should comprehend all its details, as well as all the factors, reasons, consequences and
their interactions, until he attains the wisdom. As soon as he learns everything, down to
the smallest detail, he will achieve the general knowledge.
It is only nowadays that the whole world is beginning to study the wisdom of Kabbalah.
The reason this science was not previously studied does not lie in its inscrutability, for an
astronomer has no idea of stars and planets, yet he studies the processes they go through
as a science. The knowledge of the wisdom of Kabbalah is no more hidden from
humankind than astronomy. Its details and processes are well explained in Kabbalistic
textbooks, even those intended for beginners.
The reason for the concealment of the wisdom of Kabbalah is that Kabbalists themselves
were hiding it for thousands of years up to our time, when there is an urgent need for it in
the world. However, humankind has now sufficiently developed its egoism so that it
realizes the fallacies and death inherent in the state of its development.
Purpose of Creation
As nothing created by the upper governing force is purposeless, there is no doubt that the
force itself has a goal. From the diverse reality created by the upper force, special
significance is attached to the human rational sensation that makes it possible to feel the
suffering of one’s neighbor. Therefore, if the upper governing force has a goal of
creation, man is its object and everything was created exclusively for man to reach his
spiritual destination. We should acquire the ability to feel the upper force that rules over
us in the same way we feel everything around us.
Because of achieving similarity in the properties of bestowal and love, a sensation of
immeasurable delight emerges within a person to the point of a marvelous feeling of
absolute contact with the upper force.
Conception is Revealed through Reaching the Goal
It is well known that the result of an action is always present in the original conception.
For example, someone who wants to build a house draws it in his thoughts and makes it
his goal. Based on that picture, he develops a construction plan so that the set goal could
be achieved successfully.
It is the same in the universe. After discovering the goal, one understands that the order
of creation in all of its manifestations is predetermined only in accordance with this goal.
In this way, man develops and ascends in his property of bestowal until he feels the upper
force as his neighbor.
Man gradually acquires the property of bestowal as if climbing the rungs of a ladder, one
after another, until he reaches the goal. Moreover, know that the quantity and the quality
of these steps are determined by two different realities:
1. Material reality: The order of revelation of the upper light from above - downward,
from the Primary source that determines the measure and quality of the light
emanating from the Creator’s essence. This light goes through a sequence of
concealments until material reality and material creations emerge from it.
2. Reality of the Supreme mind: After the revelation of the upper light from above downward, the reverse movement begins. Climbing the rungs of the spiritual ladder,
humankind continues ascending until it reaches the purpose of creation. Both of these
realities are researched in all their particular details by the wisdom of Kabbalah.
Upper Ruling Force
Kabbalists characterize the upper ruling force, which is usually called the Creator, as
absolute kindness. This is how they attain it in their own sensations. That is, it cannot
possibly cause harm to anyone. This fact is perceived by Kabbalists who attain it as the
principal law of the universe.
Our common sense tells us that the cause of every evil is egoism, “the desire to receive
pleasure for one’s own sake”, (or simply “the desire to receive”). This passionate pursuit
of one’s own well-being, called forth by “the desire to receive”, is the reason for harming
one’s neighbor, because the desire to receive aspires to be fulfilled. When creation gains
satisfaction in its own well-being, then no one in this world will harm his neighbor. In
addition, if we occasionally encounter a creature that harms another for reasons other
than “the desire to receive”, the only reason for that lies in the habit that originated in this
desire.
Since we perceive the upper governing force as absolutely perfect, it is clear that no
“desire to receive” is present in it. Therefore, it has no reason whatsoever to harm
anyone. Furthermore, it possesses the “desire to bestow”, the desire to pour its goodness
upon the created beings.
Whatever good or bad feelings creatures may have are sent by the upper force, which
possesses one single quality – the desire to bestow, to be good to them. Further, this is the
only law that determines its attitude towards creation. It follows from this that all
creatures obviously receive only good from it, and they were created for no other reason
but for the reception of its goodness.
Therefore, Kabbalists refer to this force as “the absolute goodness”.
Upper Governance is Purposeful
Let us look at the current reality governed and controlled by the upper force and see how
this force does only good.
By taking even the smallest created being that belongs to one of four kinds: still,
vegetative, animate or speaking, we will see how that single creature, as well as its entire
species, are being purposefully ruled in their cause and effect development. This is
similar to a fruit on a tree that has the good final goal of ripening.
Botanists can explain how many stages a fruit goes through from the moment it appears
until it reaches its final purpose of complete ripeness. However, none of the stages
preceding the last one bear even the smallest hint of its final state of beauty and
sweetness, but contrary to that, they are opposite to its final form. The sweeter the fruit is
in the end, the more bitter and more ugly it is in the early stages of its development.
Even more striking is the difference between a developing and a mature species on the
“animate” and “human” levels. An animal whose mind remains small after the
completion of its growth does not undergo any serious changes in the process of its
development, whereas dramatic changes take place in the human mind towards the end of
its development. For example, a one-day-old calf is called a bull because it is already
strong enough to stand on its feet, walk, and can avoid dangers around it.
At the same time, a one-day-old man is similar to a creature deprived of all feelings. If
someone who is unfamiliar with the realities of our world were to see these two newborn
creatures and to describe them, he would surely refer to the baby as the one that would
never reach its goal. He would consider the calf a future great hero. Thus, if we judge by
the development of mind in the calf and the baby, then the latter is a mindless creature
unable to feel anything.
Therefore, it is striking that the upper force that governs the reality created it as nothing
but a form of purposeful management, which does not take into consideration the order of
levels of development.
With that in mind, we say that the experienced person is the smartest, for only the one
who has gained experience, i.e., the one who has the opportunity of observing creations at
all stages of their development up to the final perfect stage, is unafraid of all the
deformed pictures of the creation at different stages of its development. He just believes
in the beauty and perfection of completed development. The science of Kabbalah
explains the meaning of the step-by-step development that is obligatory for each created
being.
Thus, a detailed research of the upper governance in our world shows that it can only be
purposeful. Its kind treatment is not felt until the creation reaches the final stage of its
development. Until then, the developing creation always appears to its observer in its
outwardly unattractive form.
Two Ways of Development: the Path of Suffering and the Path of Kabbalah
We can conclude from the aforementioned example that the upper ruling force has the
quality of absolute kindness and that it rules over us purposefully. It stems from its own
perfection without any trace of evil. This means that the purposefulness of its governance
compels us to accept the order of passing through various states that are connected by the
law of cause and effect, until we can receive the desired goodness, thus reaching the goal
of creation. We are as a splendid fruit at the end of its ripening. This result is guaranteed
to us all.
The intent of the upper force is to bring us to a similarity to its quality of absolute good.
All its actions are dictated by this goal. Two paths are prepared to bring us to the goal:
1. The path of suffering represents the order of creation’s self-development that,
because of its nature, has to follow this path moving from one stage to the next,
which is connected to the previous one by cause and effect. In this way, we
develop very slowly until we realize the necessity of choosing good, denying evil
and reaching the purposeful connection sought after by the ruling force. However,
this path is time-consuming and full of pain and suffering.
2. The path of Kabbalah is easy and pleasant, capable of making us worthy of our
predestination in a short period of time and without suffering
In any event, our final purpose is pre-ordained. It must be reached, and there is no
way of avoiding it, for the upper force firmly governs us in two ways: through the path of
suffering and through the path of Kabbalah. By looking at the surrounding reality, we can
see that we are being simultaneously managed in these two ways.
Creation of Worlds
Free Will
6000 years
Attainment
(by the Light, by Suffering)
The Essense of Kabbalah is in Leading Us to the Realization of Evil
The purpose of all man’s actions in his aspiration to attain the upper world is the
realization of evil within him. He discovers that his natural egoism stands in his way to
the upper world. All the difference between created beings lies in the extent of their
realization of evil. A more highly evolved creature comprehends a higher degree of its
evil. Therefore, it recognizes evil and pushes it away more than an undeveloped creature
that feels a lesser degree of it. It leaves it within, because it does not feel it as evil.
The basis of every evil is the love for oneself called egoism. This quality is opposite to
the upper force that only possesses the desire to bestow.
The essence of pleasure consists in the degree of similarity of man’s properties to those
of the upper force.
The essence of suffering and impatience lies in the opposition to the properties of the
upper force. That is why egoism itself causes us pain through our realization of the
difference between our properties and those of the upper force.
The feeling of repugnance to egoism is different in every soul. An undeveloped person
does not consider egoism a bad quality and therefore openly uses it without shame. A
more developed person already feels a certain degree of his egoism as evil, and therefore,
hesitates to use it in public and continues using it secretly.
A highly evolved person feels egoism as something so disgusting that he cannot tolerate
it. Therefore, he expels it completely in accordance with his level of realization, for he
neither wishes nor is able to receive pleasure at the expense of others. Sparks of love for
his neighbor begin to awaken in the person. They are called altruism, which is the basis
of good. This quality gradually develops in him. First, he develops a feeling of love for
his relatives and wants to take care of them. When the quality of altruism develops within
him even more, a degree of bestowal upon everyone around him, his neighbors, his
community, and all humankind grows in him as well.
Conscious and Unconscious Development
Two forces push us forward and compel us to climb the spiritual levels until we reach its
summit – the final goal, when our properties become equal to those of the upper force:
1. One of the forces propels us without our choice or realization. It spurs us from
behind; Kabbalists call it “the path of suffering”. Ethical and educational systems
based on empirical knowledge tested by the practical mind stem from it. The
essence of this system is nothing but evaluation of harm caused by the growing
sprouts of egotism. These experimental data were received “by chance”, i.e.,
without conscious realization or choice. However, it serves its purpose rather
convincingly, because the degree of evil manifesting and growing in our
sensations compels us to avoid it, and thus to ascend higher.
2. The second force pushes us forward by means of our conscious awareness. We
choose this force on our own. It draws us from the front and Kabbalists call it “the
path of Kabbalah”. By taking this path and following the advice of Kabbalists
with the intention of making our properties equal to the upper force, we quickly
realize our evil and receive a double benefit:

We do not have to wait until our life experience starts pushing us from behind by
means of pain. At the same time, our intention to reach similarity to the upper
force helps us to develop the same realization of evil without suffering. As soon
as we begin to aspire to become equal to the upper force, we feel its purity and
sweetness. The comprehension of the meanness of self-love develops in us. This
growing revelation of evil develops in combination with a feeling of pleasure and
peace of mind that slowly emerges within us because of a similarity to the upper
force.

We gain time because we act consciously; it is in our power to do more and thus
speed up the process of our correction until we achieve absolute equality to the
upper force.
The Science of Kabbalah is Intended for the Benefit of its User
The difference between the Kabbalistic method of correction and other educational
methods lies in the purpose. What standards should the corrected person meet: those of
society or those of the upper force? This is what makes Kabbalah as distinct from ethics
as the spiritual differs from the material.
Ethics sees its goal as building a happy society in the way that the practical mind, based
on life experience, comprehends it. This goal does not promise an individual any benefit
beyond the limitations of nature. If the goal is not out of reach of criticism, then who can
prove to a person once and for all that he has a fair share of benefits, so as to make him
relinquish a certain part of what is due to him for the sake of society?
Contrary to that, the goal of development with the help of the Kabbalistic method
promises to make the person happy. This is because the person who has attained the
property of love for his neighbor merges with the upper force in accordance with the law
of equivalence of form. He transcends the narrow borders of his cruel world and enters
the immense and infinite world of bestowal to the upper force and created beings.
The system of ethics obliges the person to seek people’s liking, which is similar to
renting something with payback by the end of the term. Man’s habit for such work
prevents him from climbing even the steps of ethics, for he gets used to such efforts that
are well awarded by those around him for his good deeds.
Whereas the person studying Kabbalah for the sake of bestowal to the upper force in
similarity to its actions and receiving nothing in return, really climbs the moral levels.
Little by little, he acquires a new, different nature of bestowal to his neighbor. He
receives nothing for himself, but the bare necessities to sustain his existence in this world.
It is only in his way that man can truly rid himself of his natural egoism and all of
nature’s interdictions. For when he abhors any reception for his own sake, when his soul
is free from all unnecessary and excessive bodily pleasures, when he stops craving
wealth, recognition, and power, he then freely enters the realm of the upper force. He is
guaranteed protection from any harm, because all harm is caused by egoism alone.
It is therefore obvious that the wisdom of Kabbalah serves those who use it, while being
of no benefit to those who ignore it. In addition, even if all of man’s actions are aimed at
his correction, this is only a means to reach the goal of becoming equal with the upper
force.