HAND OUT for Class Two

HAND OUT for Class Two

Review of Class One

In Class One we discussed the question – What is Kabblah? We also discussed the limitation of the five senses. We also asked the question as to why the creator created us with senses that distort and limit our perception of the world around us.

We did not completely answer these questions and will continue to return to these questions during our future classes.

The Limitation of the Five Senses KABBALAH

At the turn of this century Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag founded a School in the Land of Israel named “Kol Yehudah”. Its purpose was to disseminate the age old wisdom of Kabbalah making it accessible to people everywhere. There were two main students that continued the teaching of Kabbalah according to the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag. One founded the Kabbalah Learning Centre in Israel – This was Rabbi Yehuda Brandwein. His main student was Rabbi Phillip Berg who founded the Kabbalah Learning Centre in the United States.

The other was the Son of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag – Rabbi Baruch Ashlag. Rabbi Baruch Ashlag taught mainly one student – Michael Laitman. Rabbi Laitman founded the groups known as Benai Baruch in many parts of the world.

The teachings of Kabbalah, in this class, follow the Teachings of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag as explained by both of these schools. Their teachings are similar but not exactly the same. Where there are differences the two explanations will be brought and hopefully resolving any perceived differences.

The main book of Kabbalah is the 2000 year old Zohar. The Zohar was written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yokhai. All the lectures in these courses are based on the teachings of the Zohar as explained by Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag.

There is a disagreement by Academic students of Kabbalah and people who live by the teachings of Kabbalah. The Academic Students of Kabbalah teach that the Zohar was written in the 12^th century by Rabbi Moshe DeLeon in Spain. The true Kabbalists (those who live by the teachings of Kabbalah) teach that the Zohar was taught approximately 2000 years ago by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai to his 9 students. One of his students Rabbi Abba was granted long life to write down the wisdom of his teachings in what we call today the Zohar.

Kabbalah and Torah are one. The Torah is the rule book of life. Its purpose was never to be a religion but to explain to each human being what is the right thing to do in their life. Judaism – the religion developed as a method of bringing these teachings into each following generation. Other religions developed from this rule book in their own way. All are part of the Plan of Creation.

Kabbalah through the Zohar reveals the inner meaning of the Torah.

The Torah is a cosmic code concealing the secrets of the universe and the purpose behind our lives. Kabbalah is the key that unlocks this code reconciling Judaism with the laws that govern the universe. Kabbalah explains the whys behind every tradition and law in Judaism.

Rabbi Berg asks us never to believe anything we hear in our lectures. Instead, listen. Hear. We must first apply these teachings to our lives and see if they work for us. We should never just believe. When we say that we believe there is already some doubt present.

Understanding the wisdom of Kabbalah is to know.

The wisdom of our universe is already within us. For example, we have billions upon billions of cells inside of our bodies. Each individual cell contains the entire genetic code and blueprint to create the whole person. Each part contains the "whole" within it. Each human being in our universe is like a cell of the universe.

The entire blueprint of the universe is concealed within each one of us.

Thus, when we learn a new concept we are really just "remembering" what we already know within our souls.

Our teachers and this course are simply the instruments to reawaken this knowledge within us.

THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE

The wisdom of Kabbalah is like the seed of a flower; with continued nurturing the seed eventually blossoms.

We may not understand every concept at first.

Certain ideas may seem unusual... strange..perhaps causing frustration.

This is normal.

However, rest assured that like the seed of a flower, with continued effort on our part, the information will eventually blossom into practical knowledge.

Each new idea...is like a new seed planted. Our minds are the garden.

Our continued efforts and persistence are like the nurturing energies of sunlight and water that cause the seed to bloom!

With this in mind we are now ready to begin our voyage.

ATOMS & ILLUSION

Atoms are the building blocks

of our universe. We are all made

of atoms. Tables, cars, people,

planets and stars are all atomic in

structure.

Physics teaches us that

the physical part of an atom

is contained within its nucleus.

The rest of the atom is simply

space. The relationship between

the nucleus to the rest of the atom

is like an ant relative to a football field.

An atom is 99% empty space!

Simply put, if we were to condense all the atoms in a table down to their actual physical mass, the table would practically disappear.

That is the reality.

According to science, a table is 99% empty space!

Where is all this empty space?

When we tap the table we "feel" physical matter. We "see" a complete and whole table. Our sense of sight perceives mass and physicality.

Why?

Because the particles in the atoms are moving so fast within the empty space, they appear to our five senses as being everywhere at once. Consider a fan. When the rotors of a fan spin fast enough, they too appear to be everywhere at once creating an illusion of a solid sphere.

Even though an enormous amount of motion is occurring within a table, our limited perception leads us to conclude that the table is at rest, solid and still.

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A WORLD OF CENSORSHIP (SENSORSHIP?)

We have just described many situations when our five senses fail to perceive the complete picture of reality.

The situation becomes worse.

We also censor and block out information that our five senses were built to receive in the first place. For example:

We are bombarded with sights and sounds every moment of every day.

Yet, for some reason, we seem to block out certain noises and images all day long.

A person watches t.v. Screaming kids are running throughout the house. Somehow that person is able to block out the noise of the children and still watch the show.

How many times have we tried to look for a set of misplaced house keys only to find out they were lying in front of us on the table the whole time?

Answers in life are sometimes right in front of our faces yet, we make the wrong choices. We fail to perceive the clues and signs that try and lead us down the correct path.

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A WORLD OF PARADOXES

The sentence in the box below is true!

The sentence in the box above is false!

Read the box above. If the box below is true as the box above says it is, then the box above cannot be true based on what the box below says. Consequently, if the box above now becomes false that means the box below is false which in turn means the box above now becomes true making the box below false...and on and on we go in an endless paradox. Up and down, up and down.

We can see that logic and our language are limited in presenting an accurate picture of absolute reality.

Yet, we rely exclusively on our language, the five senses and human logic to run our lives. Like the boxes above, we live our lives by the same rules that govern them. We too have ups and downs every day throughout our lives. We encounter paradoxes that cause us pain. There is no order based on our limited view of the universe.

LIMITATIONS

According to Kabbalah, our five senses confine us to a limited and narrow view of reality. Yet, we rely on these five senses teach us about the world around us.

We make judgements and decisions in our lives based on these limited perceptions.

How are we to achieve total happiness and total fulfillment when we can only see parts of the puzzle?

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Limited views only allow for limited decisions that are restricted in their power and scope.

The result?

We obtain limited results in our lives.

We realize insufficient returns for our hard work and efforts.

We achieve limited fulfillment. Limited inner peace. Limited happiness from the decisions and interpretations that we make in our day to day lives.

NOW WHAT?

We now realize that we fail to see the true reality of our universe. We have learned earlier that a table is 99% empty space and 1% physical matter. Yet, we only perceive the 1% level, the physical aspect of the table. Even more frightening, today's physicists tell us that this physical aspect of the table is, in itself an illusion of the five senses.

Somehow we are missing the 99% level of the table.

And so it is with our lives. Because we are imprisoned inside our five senses, the human race is forced to endure suffering, pain, chaos, frustration and anxiety.

These qualities have been part of the human condition since the dawn of humanity. In order to achieve total fulfillment we must have total view of reality. What is required is nothing less then a complete picture of our universe if we are to ever understand the difficult situations that unfold in our lives.

Is there any hope?

Are we to remain prisoners of the five senses and human logic?

There is hope!

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CONNECTING BEYOND THE FIVE SENSES

We can now begin to realize that there is a world we can see and a world beyond — a dimension we cannot see.

At moments we glimpse into this realm:

We begin thinking about an old relative we haven't seen for some time. Strangely enough, we run into them in a shopping mall the very next day.

We hum a favorite melody while driving in the car. Moments later the song appears on the radio.

We wake up one morning thinking about an old friend we haven't spoken to in years. A morbid feeling haunts us.

A few days later we discover that one of our friend's parents has just passed on.

A mother is suddenly overcome with extreme anxiety and fear. At that same exact moment her child narrowly escaped a car accident.

Where do these flashes of piercing insight come from?

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Physicist Roger Penrose is one of the most knowledgeable minds in the world of physics today. He is probably best known for his work on black holes with physicist Stephen Hawking.

Penrose wrote in a recent book that when he attains a sudden flash of mathematical insight, when he is in the process of "discovering", he is actually making "contact" into another realm — a "world of ideas".

Writes Penrose,

When one 'sees' a mathematical truth, one's consciousness breaks thorugh into this world of ideas, and makes direct contact with it

Mozart said that he was able to perceive an entire musical composition in his mind at a glance, in a singular moment, complete, even though the entire composition takes much, much longer to perform in our physical world. Somehow Mozart is making contact to the finished composition as it exists, whole and complete in another realm.

Some of the great break-throughs in science occur through mysterious circumstances.

For example, consider the story about the great Russian chemist, Mendeleyev.

In the 19th century, research was being carried out by scientists from around the world. They were trying to discover the structure and scientific laws that govern the chemical elements that compose our universe.

One night Mendeleyev had a dream in which he "saw" what is now known as the "Table of Elements." The Table of Elements are now taught in every chemistry class in schools around the world.

Albert Einstein didn't win his Nobel Prize for his formula E=MC2. Einstein won the prize for his imagination and thoughts.

Einstein himself said that:

"imagination is more important than knowledge."

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Did Einstein invent something new when "discovered" his theory of relativity. Of course not. The information was already there...somewhere., beyond the physical senses waiting to be discovered.

It is interesting to note that most important discoveries in science occur through, mistakes, luck, intuition and other mystical circumstances.

Many physicists, after study modern physics, actually turned to mysticism including Einstein, Erwin Shroedinger and Werner Heisenberg.

Each of these great scientists won the Nobel prize for physics. Yet, each one of them also became mystics as result of their experiences in physics.

Where does imagination come from? Where does intuition come from? What causes luck? Where do our thoughts come from? Is there a mysterious force somewhere out there that causes all of these phenomena to occur in our lives?

Yes.

So says the ancient Kabballist. So says many modern physicists.

Because of these experiences, many of us know that there is something "more" out there. Somewhere. A realm beyond our five senses.

We have a feeling deep within us that there is something going on beyond what we can perceive. People know that there is more to what we can see with our two eyes. People feel that there is more to what we can hear with our two ears.

Medical science tells us that man utilizes only 4% of his brain capacity.

Where is the remaining 96%?

Where is this realm that lies beyond the five senses?

Most of us believe it is far away.

Beyond our grasp.

However, we learn in Kabbalah that it is right here.

In front of us.

Within us. Everywhere.

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Beneath the chaos and problems that infest our lives their is a mysterious order. Concealed laws are at work on a deeper level of reality.

MODERN DAY PHYSICS : INTERCONNECTIONS

Science has put a man on the moon. Science has given us the laser disc, computers and the atom bomb. Yet, science cannot predict the weather. Scientists began studying chaotic patterns of weather to see if weather was really utter chaos or if there was a concealed order beneath the facade of randomness.

Why would a storm suddenly appear without warning...without a visible cause? Their discoveries were fascinating.

In what is now known as Chaos Theory, scientists realized that a puff of wind generated from a butterfly's flapping wings in Tokyo can actually cause a tornado in Chicago.

Remarkable!

If a butterfly's flapping wings can drastically affect the weather in Chicago then a person closing his car door in Paris can actually affect the butterfly in Tokyo.

Though a storm may seem to appear without reason, this is just an illusion. There is a cause but we are limited in our ability to perceive this cause.

Chaos Theory clearly indicates that all parts are interconnected.

We may not see the relationship between cause and effect but a relationship does exist.

Science writer Douglas Hofstadter writes:

It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order ~ and yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an even eerier type of order.

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The same holds true with our lives. A sudden "storm" may appear in our lives without reason, tragically unexpected. However, somewhere there is a cause, a reason and a purpose.

Kabbalah teaches us that even a small negative action performed by someone today can have a ripple effect causing a storm of immense negativity that will eventually manifest later on in some area of their life.

Kabbalah teaches us that every action of every minute is connected to future events.

There is a connection between our positive and negative actions of today and the events that will confront us throughout our lives.

An old fable reveals this concept quite nicely:

"For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; For want of a shoe, the horse was lost; For want of a horse, the rider was lost; For want of a rider, the battle was lost; For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost!"

Just like every tree has a seed and a cause, so does each event that transpires in our lives.

We cannot perceive the cause of each event because of our limited five senses. Because we are limited in our ability to see the cause, we fail to understand the apparent chaos and disorder in our lives.

With this increased understanding can now divide the world into two parts:

THE WORLD WE PERCEIVE

THE WORLD WE CANNOT PERCEIVE

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Or, we can refer to them as the:

THE PHYSICAL WORLD

THE METAPHYSICAL WORLD

The metaphysical world is also referred to as the spiritual world or the world of thought.

Kabbalah teaches us that the thought itself is the realm closest to true reality.

Kabbalah allows us to break the bonds of our five senses. We learn how to journey into the world beyond our perception, into the spiritual level. Kabbalah penetrates the seed level of existence, the metaphysical realm, revealing the whys to our every question. All the answers to the mysteries of our universe reside in this realm.

INFORMATION & KNOWLEDGE

Did Einstein invent something new when he discovered his Theory of Relativity? No.

The information was always here. Einstein was simply the channel to bring down this information and transform it into knowledge. The computer could have been created 1000 years ago. The information on how to build a computer was still on this planet. Man simply did not know how to tap into this information.

You could read this learning guide two to three times and not really understand many concepts. Suddenly upon reading it for a 4th time you cry out, "/ got it!"

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It is that sudden point of enlightenment where the information is transformed into knowledge that makes the difference. What mechanism suddenly causes information to become knowledge?

Kabbalah teaches us that in order to transfer information into knowledge something internal must receive the information in a certain way! The external information will always remain just information until it is internalized into our mind.

People keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. The same patterns keep repeating themselves. People experience the same problems in business or in personal relationships. The same troubling circumstances keep appearing in our lives. We do not learn from the information of our experiences. A person gets divorced once. Then he remarries and gets divorced a second time. Then he remarries a third time only to be divorced once again.

Did he learn anything from the information from his previous marriages?

No.

We must learn how to tap the information and transform it into knowledge. Then and only then can we affect change and prevent negative patterns from repeating themselves in our lives.

Kabbalah teaches us that every moment of our life contains information.

Kabbalah teaches us how to tap this information and turn it into knowledge. All the information of the universe is here. It exists in a potential state. When we tap into the information and learn how to use it, the information becomes knowledge and the potential is actualized.

Information alone is not enough to generate true fulfillment. If we supplied you with the information manual on how to build a computer right now, could you?

Of course not. What good is the information if we cannot tap into it and transform it into knowledge. We must know how to build the computer.

We can now understand that when we access the realm beyond our five senses we can attain greater knowledge about our own lives and the world around us.

Knowledge is power.

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However, before we make this journey into the metaphysical realm we will need tools to assist us. The ancient Kabbalists have provided us with the necessary tools to make a successful voyage. The ancient tool handed down to us by the great sages is the tool of language.

Why do we need a language tool to assist when we journey beyond the five senses?

Simple.

Imagine a hundred people attending a lecture. If we were to ask each of these people what they had heard in the lecture, we could accumulate one hundred different versions regarding what was actually said.

When people use the English language or any language for that matter, they believQ that they are all using a language where each word carries the exact same meaning for everyone.

However, this is simply not the case.

The process of learning a language involves word association and human emotion. Emotion "colors" a meaning. Therefore, words and terms become personal for each individual person.

The word "love" can convey a different meaning to different people.

A child brought up in an unstable home of physical and verbal abuse will have a different meaning for the term "love" than a child who was brought up in a stable home of warmth, understanding and tolerance.

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There is a lack of communication between people, between families, between nations.

People know how to speak to one another but they do not know how to understand one another.

Why?

Because they are not using a language that carries the same emotional and conceptual meaning.

If we are to explore the abstract realm of metaphysical and spiritual realities we must utilize a language that carries the same meaning for everyone. Communication must be 100% crystal clear on all levels of human understanding. Clarity is critical.

Just as a physicist must utilize the language of mathematics to convey the abstract concepts of quantum physics, the Kabbalist must use a special language to convey the abstract concepts of Kabbalah.

Imagine an island of people who are blind from birth. Suddenly one of them attains the sense of sight. How can this person, with his newly restored vision, possibly explain the wonders of the stars in the sky to the other people? The others have no concept of what "sky" is. They have no concept of what a "star" is. These blind people are existing in a totally different world of perception.

And so it is with us. As we leave our world of the five senses and journey into a
new realm of reality and perception, we must have tools that will help us
understand the information that resides there. "~

And so, the Kabbalists gave us the

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Language of Branches

Through the Language of Branches, the Kabbalah takes us high above the city in a helicopter granting us a total and complete view of the metropolis below. Now we possess the knowledge that reveals the easiest, quickest and most scenic routes

available to us.

<-*

Life is a journey. Kabbalah will teach us how to avoid the pitfalls, obstacles and road blocks. Through Kabbalah, we will possess a total picture of our universe and our lives. Kabbalah will provide us with a blueprint outlining the most scenic and safe routes on our journey! We will see the one city from above and not just the parts down below.

Once we see the entire view from above, we then go back down into the city and complete our journey armed with the knowledge of the best possible routes.

This course and the Language of Branches is our helicopter providing us with a complete view of everything. TmVcourse will give us the roadmap. Then we can comeback down into the real world and proceed to take the more rewarding and safest routes along our journey through life.

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THE LANGUAGE OF BRANCHES

Before we begin learning this new language we must first understand an important Kabbalistic concept.

Everything in our world is really a physical branch emanating from an infinite seed in the metaphysical realm.

Just as a branch of a tree emanates from a seed concealed in the ground, the physical universe emanates from a realm concealed from our five senses.

Our physical world is simply a shadow, a reflection of the true reality which is the spiritual, metaphysical realm.

Here is an analogy to help us understand this concept:

Consider a rubber stamp.

A stamp is a three dimensional object.

When we apply the stamp to a piece of paper, we now have a reflection of the true original.

They are both the same image, however they both exist in different dimensions.

The stamped imprint is simply a two dimensional reflection of the true 3 dimensional original.

The Kabbalah teaches us that our universe is simply a three dimensional reflection and imprint from the original "stamp" of our Creator.

The sole purpose of the Language of Branches is to help us connect to the original stamp, the original seed. The words we use in this language describe two realities, lhe~physical world, the imprint of the stamp itself, and the metaphysical world, the original stamp.

The only way to really understand the realm beyond our five senses is through the Language of Branches.

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FINALLY

Everything we will learn in this course is simply information until we apply it in our lives. Only then can we tap the wisdom of Kabbalah. Only then can we decide if it really works. Only then can we say that Kabbalah presents a total picture of our universe.

The most important point we should remember as we begin our journey next class is this:

Never believe what you read or hear in the course.

Believing is easy. It is comfortable. It is much harder to take action and to check to see if it realy works ~ if it is truly genuine.

More problems have been inflicted on mankind in the name of belief than most other causes. Belief means doubt. Knowing means certainty. If people only believe, it means that they could be persuaded to believe something else at some other time. Today, they may believe in a good cause and they will pursue a positive and productive path in life. Next year they may be persuaded to believe in a more negative cause and they can be lead down a dangerous path causing harm to other people in the name of belief.

However, if one has the conviction that comes from knowing and not just believing, he can never be persuaded from a righteous path.

Apply what you learn.

Try it.

If it doesn't work, who needs it?

If it does work, you will come to know the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Now, take a break for a couple of days and then reread this summary a second time before your next class.

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HAND OUT for Class Two

World History according to Kabbalah

The Seed of Creation

What is the true essence of our universe? How did our universe begin? Philosophers have pondered these questions for thousands of years.

Kabbalah teaches us that the totality of all information concerning any event or object resides in its seed level.

All the information that is needed to create a tree is contained in the seed of the tree.

Kabbalah will tap the seed level of creation where all the information concerning our universe resides. Kabbalah will take us back before the universe began.

According to modern science, the universe began with the Big Bang. Kabbalah asks, why was there a Big Bang in the first place?

Modern science seeks answers by exploring our universe. Science probes the basic building blocks of our world,the atom, for the answers concerning creation and true reality. In their quest, scientists have discovered sub-atomic particles inside the atom. They have found electrons, protons and neutrons. As they probe further into the subatomic particles, they continue to find more and more new particles.

According to Kabbalah, exploring the sub-atomic world of particles for the secrets of creation and reality is akin to studying the branches of the tree to learn about the roots and seed of the tree.

If we study a branch, we learn about branches. Study a leaf and learn about leaves.

However, if we delve into the seed, we have access to all the genetic information concerning all aspects of the entire tree. The branches, the leaves and the fruits are contained as one whole within the seed.

According to Kabbalah, atoms are simply branches emanating from the metaphysical world. Sub-atomic particles are simply more branches emanating from this seed of creation.

Kabbalah will go to the seed that creates the tree and the branches. Atoms and their subatomic particles are only results and effects.

Kabbalah will reveal the primary cause behind the atom's own existence.

THE AXIOM

All of science is built on an axiom. What is an axiom? According to Webster's Dictionary an axiom is:

A self-evident truth -• an accepted principle.

For example, consider geometry. All the rules and complex principles of geometry are founded upon one simple axiom:

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

From this simple axiom , the entire science of geometry is built. The laws that govern shapes and bodies, calculations of volumes and sizes, aerodynamics, Newtonian physics, even landing man on the moon ~ all of these laws of geometry extend outward from this one simple axiom.

As with science, Kabbalah also begins with an axiom ~ an axiom that must support all the laws that govern science, human behavior, the physical world, the spiritual world, in short, the laws that govern the totality of reality.

From this axiom, we, as individuals, can understand and see how every aspect of our universe and our lives is really a logical extension, a branch, extending out from a singular point...a singular cause...the axiom!

Once we grasp this axiom, we will then realize that our questions about Judaism cannot be answered with the simple and commonly used answer:

"Because it is written."

We will "see" and "know" the deeper meaning and rationale behind Judaic practice and daily life.

Furthermore, we can then understand why one person experiences misfortune while another person prospers. We will perceive the hidden and concealed order that exists within the apparent chaos and trouble that permeate our lives.

Before we reveal this powerful axiom, we must understand that this is only a

beginner's course. Therefore, as we build upon our axiom step by step

throughout the course, we will do so from the standpoint of a

general overview. The reason for this, is that these teachings are very

complex.

For example, the material we will cover in the next two classes would normally take us years to learn if we went into each and every detail. So instead, we will cover the material from a general standpoint. In advanced courses, students will cover these areas of learning in much greater detail.

Before we begin with our axiom, we will now learn some very important Kabbalistic concepts utilizing the Language of Branches.

Remember to read slowly and don't get frustrated as we tackle some very unusual and compelling ideas.

Time is like the movie reel running along the projector creating the illusion of motion.

This important Kabbalistic concept explains how many people can have a dream about friend they might not have seen in many years and the day after the dream they run into this friend in a restaurant.

Somehow our consciousness, our mind, fast forwards along the movie reel and catches a glimpse of what's coming ahead.

Does this mean everything is pre-determined?

Is our life are already scripted and recorded onto a video cassette just like a movie?

Before we answer this extremely important and compelling question think back to the documentary, "The Power of Kabbalah."

In this documentary, there was a part that revealed the hidden codes that were found in the Torah by mathematicians These codes revealed various aspects of the Holocaust and the disease of AIDS.

Does this mean that the Torah can predict the future? Is the future already predetermined?

Just as a movie video cassette contains the entire script of film, the ancient Kabbalists taught that the scroll of the Torah was also like video cassette containing the entire script of humanity.

Again, this leads us to the question: Is everything already pre-determined and scripted?

And, if the answer is yes, where does our free will enter the picture? If everything is pre-determined does this mean we are totally helpless in controlling our future destiny?

The ancient Jewish sages asked the question "If everything is pre-determined how can we, as human beings, have free will?"

HOW CAN FREE WILL AND PRE-DETERMINATION CO-EXIST?

This question will be explored at great length in a future class but we will provide a general answer for now. This answer is also reinforced by modern day science and quantum physics.

Yes, the holocaust and the entire script for humanity is pre-determined and recorded inside the Torah. However, there is still room for free will and free choice for humanity.

Imagine a multi-plex cinema where there are 10 different movies playing simultaneously. The different movies each have their own script. We cannot change the movies. But, we do have the free will to choose which movie we want to see. We have the free will to choose and pick the movie we want to experience.

In other words, the ancient Jewish Kabbalists revealed what quantum physics is now discovering: There are parallel universes running simultaneously. Each universe holds within it different possibilities and outcomes. Our consciousness is focused and tuned into one universe at a time.

The power of Kabbalah lies in its ability to teach us how to shift and choose different and better movies. We leam how to choose a different universe that holds more rewarding and fulfilling scripts than the one we are in right now.

Even though the Torah revealed a code in which the Holocaust occurred, there is also another script and possible destiny where no Holocaust occurred. All possible destinies are encoded inside the Torah. People determine which destiny will materialize.

How we accomplish this will be taught in a later class.

LET'S CONTINUE

So far, we are beginning to understand that time is an illusion. Let us now look at another example to show that time does not present the true and absolute reality for all people at all times.

THE CONCEPT OF TIME

So what then is time!

Remember what we learned when discussing the Language of Branches?

We learned that whatever is here in our physical universe is simply a 1 % reflection, a branch, emanating from the metaphysical realm.

So, if there is time in our realm, what then is it a reflection of? From what kind of infinite seed does the branch of time extend?

If our physical universe is an illusion and true reality exists in the non-physical realm, the metaphysical, what true reality causes the illusion of time to appear in our universe?

What is time a reflection of?

Re-read the last paragraph to make sure you understand this important question.

There are many complex concepts within it.

The answer to this question can be found within two words?

CAUSE

EFFECT

Time is a chain reaction of Cause and Effect.

In our world, every event that occurs is actually the effect from a preceding event and cause. For example, imagine 4 dominos lined up along side of each other.

III!

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Domino #1 tips over and causes #2 to tip over. Domino #1 is considered to be the cause and domino #2 is the effect. This is one singular reaction. However, a chain reaction now begins. Domino #2 now changes from the being the effect into now being the cause. Why? Because domino #2 now causes domino #3 to tip over.

Domino #3 is now the effect. When domino #3 tips over, it too becomes an effect and then, it suddenly becomes a cause as it then causes domino #4 to tip over.

This process, this chain of events, is called time.

In our universe, cause and effect are separated from each other.

This separation is perceived as time.

On a simple level, another way to define time is to say:

Time is the separation between Cause and Effect.

If there was no illusion of time, cause and effect would happen at once, simultaneously.

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There is no time or space in the absolute reality. Cause and effect are one.

In our world, there is separation between cause and effect.

Sometimes the separation between them is small, sometimes it is very great.

A small separation could be one minute and a large separation could be many years. However big this length of separation might be, Kabbalah defines this separation as time.

CAUSE |-------------------------------------------------- [EFFECT

| EFFECT

CAUSE

If there is no time in the metaphysical realm, the true reality, why does time bother to exist in our physical realm?

Kabbalah will reveal the answer during this course.

The existence of time causes many limitations in our lives.

It can be the cause of many of our worries and anxieties.

Our five senses do not allow us to see the future. Therefore, we are limited in our view.

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The very fact that today and tomorrow are separate events creates questions of uncertainty.

- Will tomorrow be good?

- What will the future bring?

- Will I get the business contract next week?

- Will I be healthy a few years from now?
- Did I really make the right decision?

We are limited in our ability to generate absolute happiness and certainty in our lives because the concept of time creates uncertainty. There is separation between cause and effect -- a space — a void. Uncertainty fills this void.

If we could remove the void we would then remove the uncertainty!

Because we do not know with any certainty what will happen tomorrow, we experience worry and anxiety. More questions arise in our lives.

- What will be the result of my actions?

- What effect will my decision have on the future?

We have to wait to find out. As a result we feel fear and vulnerability.

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The metaphysical reality is analogous to the one whole building. The 15th floor is our universe.

Kabbalah teaches us how to connect to both the past, present and future at the same time. We learn how to read the present picture regarding all our present actions thereby tapping the seed level of future reactions and effects.

If we can affect the seed level, then we can also affect the manifestation resulting from that seed.

If we learn to know for certain what the future will bring, we eliminate fear and anxiety.

We learn how to see the entire building with all its floors at once!

To do do,we must escape from the physical boundaries of the 15th floor and see the entire building from afar!

Now we will explore another concept. The concept of space.

SPACE

We have just explained how time is really an illusion of the five senses. According to the Kabbalah, space is also part of this illusion.

There is no time, space or motion in the metaphysical world of reality. Everything is one.

This concept is difficult to grasp because our minds are not capable of understanding this type of structure.

Because there is space and time in our realm, everything is fragmented into parts.

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When we view reality from the purely physical viewpoint, everything appears separate and disconnected.

In our physical world there is space. The whole is separated into individual puzzle parts.

The tree is separate from the mountain.

A fish appears to be separate from a man.

The sands on the beach appear to be separate from the stars in the cosmos.

The rain forests in Brazil seem to be separate from a wheat field in the Canadian prairies.

The branches of a tree appear to be disconnected from the branches of veins running through our bodies...or the branches of lightning erupting in the sky.

A nuclear accident in Chernobyl seems to be a separate event from an increase in cancer occurring in Norway.

The puzzle of creation is disassembled.

The pieces are not in place. We lose the picture. We lose the meaning.

Kabbalah is the blueprint, the diagram and the instruction booklet on how to put the puzzle back together again.

THE QUANTUM CONNECTION

The concept of space being an illusion was considered mysticism in the ancient past. However, now in the 20th century, modern day physics is uncovering startling evidence that seems to reinforce the teachings of the holy Kabbalah.

Remarkably, 95% of the general public is simply unaware of the shocking discoveries now coming from modern day physics.

Let us now examine what is happening inside the world of science.

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THE QUANTUM WORLD OF SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

In our everyday world of the five senses, the universe seems fragmented, composed of different parts. The table is different from the chair. However, when physicists probed into the reality of the universe, the sub-atomic world of protons, electrons and neutrons, they discovered strange events occurring.

First of all let's explain what sub-atomic particles are. Everyone is familiar with the concept of the atom. The entire universe is composed of atoms, including people, baseballs, mountains, planets etc.

In this century, scientists were able to probe inside the atom. Here they discovered three major subatomic particles inside the atom, namely the electron, the proton and the neutron.

In a unique experiment, physicists caused two particles to be released from an atom, sending them in opposite directions racing along at the speed of light.

All particles spin. They can spin upwards or they can spin downwards. Here is what happenned in the experiment. The two particles, let's call them "A" and "B" each had their own spin as they sped away from each other.

No one could figure it out.

All the scientists knew that nothing could travel faster than the speed of light. Yet, how could particle "B" instantly "know" that particle "A" changed its spin even if they were millions of light years apart from each other?

The ancient Kabbalists knew what today's physicists are just now discovering. Einstein was correct. Nothing is travelling faster than the speed of light. In fact, no information is "travelling" at all between the two particles. The information is already there! The two particles are actually connected as one.

There is no travelling time because there is no "space" between particle "A" in one galaxy and particle "B" in another galaxy far away. They are one whole.

There is a concealed connection between the two particles. This connection cannot be perceived by our five senses.

To understand how "two" separate particles can actually be connected as one consider the following analogy:

Imagine the branch of a tree. Let's say that part of the tree is covered and concealed from our view. All we can see are two tips of a branch. We would assume that we are looking at two separate tips. However, if we could see into the concealed aspect of the tree, the part that was covered from our view, we would realize that they are actually interconnected and represent one branch.

The two twigs represent our physical world of space and separation. The branch represents the concealed metaphysical reality of wholeness and oneness.

Scientists are starting to realize that space is an illusion. On a deeper level of reality, our universe is mysteriously interconnected as one!

This is what Abraham the Patriarch really meant when he said that there is only ONE G-d.

He really meant the entire universe operates as one undivided whole.

Kabbalah teaches us that the Judaic term "holy" really means "wholly" referring to the unbroken wholeness of our universe!

There is no real space or time in the sub-atomic world of reality. Everything is one.

Kabbalah revealed these "scientific" findings over 2000 years ago. Science refers to this wholeness as:

The Quantum Connection

Quantum connection meaning everything is really inter-connected when we reach the quantum level of subatomic particles.

So how does this "Quantum Connection" affect us on a practical level in our everyday life? Why does it matter to us that particles are connected to each other?

Why should we care that the universe is really interconnected as one unified whole? How is this information going to help us make our mortgage payments?

Simple.

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If one particle in one galaxy can instantly affect another particle in another galaxy, then we as humans can also affect the entire universe and our own lives. Each one of our actions must greatly affect every part of our lives -- no matter how distant certain circumstances appear to be from one another.

We can now learn how to control our own destiny if we learn how to control our actions in every situation we confront. If we can learn how to inject the right actions and positive actions into every moment of our lives we can enhance and enrich our destiny in many wonderful ways.

However, we must first learn how to tap into this mysterious force that interconnects the entire universe.

This leads us to an important question.

Why are we forced to live in a world of space and time?

We will soon find out.

THE BIG BANG

Scientists have traced the beginnings of our universe to one singular moment that occurred 15 billion years ago called the Big Bang. The Big Bang was just that. A fireball explosion of energy that eventually coalesced into matter and then into stars and planets over the course of 15 billion years.

According to science, all the energy of our universe, all the stars, planets, galaxies, the mountains on earth, plants, in short, everything in our universe, came from this original explosion of pure energy. This explosion started out as an infinitely small, singular point of energy. Outside of this microscopic point was nothingness. All the space that would ever be created is contained within the point. As the point expanded so did space ~ like an expanding bubble. Outside the bubble was nothingness. Inside was the expanding universe. Therefore, all the energy and matter that would make up our present universe was contained in this original single point. All the energy that would eventually create all the atoms in our universe originated within the point.

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Let's now examine a typical wooden table. How is it composed and structured?

First we have the wood. Let's now journey into the very essence of the wood. What is the wood made of?

The wood is made of fibres. The fibres are made of cellulose. The cellulose is made of molecules. Molecules are made up of atoms -- carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms, oxygen atoms etc. All atoms are made up of sub-atomic particles such as protons, electrons and neutrons.

These sub-atomic particles are made up of sub-sub-particles.

Science has probed to very basic level of these sub-sub-particles revealing the smallest particles in existence.

They are called Quarks and Leptons.

What particle physicists have discovered is that Quarks and Leptons are not physical entities. They are bundles of vibrating energies. Different vibrations create different particles just as different vibrations of one guitar string can create different notes of music.

Therefore, the same basic force of vibrating energy is actually building all the atoms and molecules in the universe.

A mountain, a planet, stars, people and trees, they are all, at their very basic level, composed of the exact same force of energy.

The energy of the Big Bang vibrated and condensed into atoms. The atoms coalesced and built molecules which in turn built the physical universe including ourselves.

We can now begin to realize that the original energy of the Big Bang is still within the entire universe today.

This is accepted scientific theory.

This energy is still within the paper you are reading right now!

Wherever there are atoms, (which is everywhere), there are sub-atomic particles which themselves are made of bundles of energy which originated from the Big Bang.

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Let's now ask ourselves a question:

When vibrating energy is concealed inside the sub-atomic particles that they create, does it mean this energy doesn't exist anymore?

Of course not.

The energy is still there.

The energy is the cause and the sub-atomic particle is the effect.

The energy is simply concealed inside the sub-atomic particle.

When atoms coalesce to form a molecule, does that mean that the atom doesn't exist anymore?

Of course not. The atom is still there.

The atom is the cause and the molecule is the effect.

The atom is simply concealed inside the molecule.

When molecules combine together to create the wood of a table, does that mean that the molecules, the atoms and the original bundles of energy do not exist anymore?

Of course they do.

They are all still there! They are just concealed within each other. We simply cannot perceive them.

Each subsequent layer of components represents the cause of the stage to follow.

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We can now reveal a profound Kabbalistic truth:

THE CAUSE IS ALWAYS CONTAINED WITHIN THE EFFECT

The atom which causes the molecule is also contained within the molecule

The molecules that cause and create a table are also contained within the table

The original vibrating energy that creates the sub-atomic particles

which cause the atom which causes the molecules,

is also contained within the table

And, the reverse is also true.

THE EFFECT IS ALWAYS CONTAINED WITHIN THE CAUSE

The molecule is also contained within the atom, just as a child is also contained within the parent before the child is even born or conceived!

Therefore, we can now understand that the original energy that created all the particles and atoms that compose our universe is still here now!

However, like the atom, this energy is concealed within the physical universe.

This profound concept also punches a hole into the concept of time as being an absolute reality, proving that time is an illusion. Why?

Let's look at the wooden table once again.

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Both the cause (the original vibrating bundles of energy) and the final effect (the table) and all the transitional steps of cause and effect in between (atoms causing molecules, molecules causing wood fibres, wood fibres creating the table) all exist together as one ~ the table.

The cause and effect are actually one !

When we look at a table, we are seeing all these transitional steps occuring as one single entity.

We must understand and remember that cause and effect are actually one.

Their separation is only an illusion in our realm. This illusion, this separation of cause and effect, is time.

Reread this section a few times over again. Make sure you truly understand it because we are now ready to reveal the axiom of Kabbalah.

Kabbalah will take us to the events that preceded the Big Bang. Remember, science says the Big Bang is the cause of our universe. Kabbalah will now reveal the cause behind the cause. Let's now look at what existed before our own universe came into existence.

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CREATION

We are about to unravel a very complex process concerning the events that caused our universe to come into existence.

This process of creation is so in depth and intricate, many advanced students in the Kabbalah Learning Centre have spent over 10 years studying this Kabbalistic teaching.

In order to help new students develop a basic understanding of what actually occured, we will examine creation in a much more simplified manner.

However, the layperson will still be able to gain a general and clear understanding of how we and our universe evolved.

The following information will simply be a general overview of an immensly more complicated process.

THE ENDLESS

"Before" the Creation of our universe there was an infinite, endless emanation of Energy.

Guess what?

We have just learned a new word in the Language of Branches.

The new word is "before".

When Kabbalah uses the word "before" it really means:

CAUSE

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In the Hebrew language, the ancient Kabbalists referred to this infinite Energy as:

(Ha'Or)

In English, HaOhr translates:

THE LIGHT

Light is simply a code word ~ another word in the Language of Branches.

When we speak of Light we are not referring to the physical light of the sun or a light bulb but instead, to an infinite energy of infinite intelligence.

We use the word light because in our physical world light is the best analogy for what was occurring. Why? Because the same way physical light expands and fills every corner of a room, this spiritual Light filled every corner of eternity.

The Light was everywhere. An infinite, endless emanation.

There is an intelligence to this energy. This intelligence is one of complete and total sharing!

This Energy didn't just share, it was the essence of sharing! There was no time, space or motion within this Light. The Light filled infinity for ever and always. There was no lack inside this Light. Everything was contained inside this Light. All pleasures.

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DESIRE TO RECEIVE

Imagine seeing an old lady on a street corner. Immediately you have a strong desire to share. You want to help her cross the street. When you try and help her, she resists. Your desire to help her cross the street is very strong so you try again. She resists. She refuses to cross the street. Why? Because she doesn't want to cross the street. She is simply waiting for a bus to arrive. Your desire to share cannot become manifest because the lady has no desire to receive your sharing.

Your energy-intelligence of sharing could not materialize because there was no one to receive it. There must be an intelligent desire to receive an action of sharing for the concept of sharing to become manifest.

Kabbalah refers to this concept of a receiver as:

Vessel

Vessel is also referred to as:

Negative Energy

Intelligence of Receiving

Think of wine as the energy-intelligence of sharing and a wine glass as the energy-intelligence of receiving.

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When we refer to the Light as "Positive Energy" and the Vessel as "Negative Energy" we do not mean positive and negative in terms of good and bad. We are referring to an energy force similar to the positive and negative in electrical energy.

The next phase that occurred was the creation of a Vessel by the Light.

The Light had to create an energy-intelligence of receiving so as to manifest its endless sharing.

Without a willing recipient to receive the Light, real sharing could not occur. You cannot force someone to receive. If you do, it is not considered to be real sharing.

In effect, the Light created something (the desire to receive) from nothing because the intelligence of a desire to receive did not and could not exist in the infinite Light. From whom can the Light receive? The Light was all!

At this point it is extremely important to note that the creation of the Vessel was not an act that occurred in the context of time. There is no now and then or before and after. There is only cause and effect. The Light being the cause. The Vessel being the effect.

(The human mind is limited in its ability to grasp infinity and other complex concepts. Because the human brain exists in the context of time it might be hard for us to imagine a realm without time).

The Vessel possessed an infinite desire to receive. Why?

The Light had to create a Vessel large enough to receive all that the Light could emanate. The Light was infinite therefore, the Vessel had to be infinite in size.

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THE ONENESS OF THE ENDLESS

In The Endless there was a perfect harmony between Light and Vessel.

Sharing and receiving occurred as one.

Perfect union.

No separation.

Infinite sharing of the Light fused with infinite receiving by the Vessel.

Both occuring as one!

There can't be two infinities because infinity means one everywhere. Therefore, this Endless realm must be understood as one unified whole of infinite sharing and receiving.

If this concept is difficult to grasp imagine a glass of water.

Imagine the water to be the infinite emanation of Light and the glass to be the infinite Vessel. The glass and water seem to be two separate entities.

However, now imagine a big block of ice.

What if we were to carve out and sculpt a cup from this block of ice.

Then, we poured water into this cup constructed from ice.

The water is made of water and the cup is made of ice. However, both entities are H20 -- water.

The water and glass are one though they are different in purpose.

The intelligence of the water is to fulfill and share. The intelligence of the cup is to receive. Light and Vessel as one.

The Endless World is similar. Both are one though different in purpose and intelligence.

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This is the seed of all creation before our physical universe of outer space, galaxies and planets came into existence.

Every desire and pleasure was contained in this Light including food, money, love, sex, security, power and more.

They were all one pleasure yet they each had their own energy-intelligence.

If this concept is also hard to imagine consider the white light streaming from the sun. White light contains all the colors of the spectrum within it. If you were to shine white light through a prism, all the different colors would be revealed.

However, they are still just part of the one white light.

The same is true with the Endless. All pleasures imaginable were contained in the Light but as one whole.

The Light in the Endless, this infinite Energy, can be referred to as G-d. The Vessel can be referred to as the infinite Soul.

Where does this emanation of Light come from? Kabbalah does not deal with this subject. To deal with it and to name it is to limit it. We cannot comprehend it. It is out of our reach. We cannot ever truly comprehend the idea of infinity let alone comprehend where infinity comes from. Kabbalah teaches us that it does not matter. All the infinite mysteries and answers to our universe can be found in the infinite Light. The Light itself is infinite and therefore our infinite questions and infinite desires can be completely fulfilled by The Light.

According to Kabbalistic writings:

It is beyond the power or capacity of even those angels who are near him to conceive of it. They have no conception of The Endless. There is no intellect created which could conceive of him, since he has noplace, and no boundary, and no name.

- The Gates of the Sages, Sabbath

We are now ready to journey back to the beginning of this class to reveal our axiom.

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The ancient Judaic wisdom of Kabbalah begins with this axiom:

Infinite Light of sharing. Infinite Vessel of receiving.

ONENESS

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

So where do we fit in?

Why are we here reading this learning guide? Why is there misery, suffering and pain in our world? Why do we feel lack, envy and hate?

Where is the connection between our universe of disorder and lack of fulfillment and The Endless realm of order and infinite fulfillment?

If there were perfect harmony in the Endless why are living in a universe of disharmony?

If the Light and Vessel were one, what is the purpose behind our universe of fragmentation and separate parts?

If the Endless world contained infinite pleasures as one, why in our world is there love, hate, bitter, sweet etc.?

Why are there different attributes and characteristics if everything was one in the Endless?

Why is there animal and vegetable, animate and inanimate objects in our world?

Where is the oneness? Where is The Endless? Where is the infinite? Why is the Light concealed?

These questions will be dealt with in your next class.

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