Diving Into The World of Kabbalah

This Monday night, the 5th of Av, at Oro Shel Adam we will be celebrating the Yahrzeit of the great Kabbalist, the Ari Z”L. We will also be making a Siyum/completing the second section of Rav Ashlag’s Kabbalistic work, Talmud Eser Sfirot.

In preparation for this special event, let us begin to delve into the “inner dimensions of Torah.”

Kabbalah begins with uncovering to us “אין סוף ברוך הוא,” the highest spiritual realm we finite human beings can comprehend. In that most lofty spiritual realm, which is the source of all four worlds, Divine Light אור אין סוף and the כלים vessels that receive the Light are one with complete unity.

If the spiritual reality was complete and perfect, why did God create the worlds?

The Ari Z”L teaches us, “that God created the worlds and the souls in order to bring out the completion of His Actions, Divine Names and Alternative Names.”

This mysterious answer requires further explaination.

Rav Ashlag explains, that this process is a קישוט or an additional “adornment” to אין סוף. Just like jewelry is in addition to preexisting beauty, so too the creation of the four worlds are an “addition” to preexisting completion in Ein Sof.

This is a valuable and important secret for us to know. It helps to put things into perspective.

Our world עולם העשיה, the lowest of the four worlds, is simply an opportunity to add on to אין סוף “perfection.” God willed that we be granted the opportunity to partner with Him to reveal His Name and bring added sanctification to existence.

We can draw the following conclusions:

1. We can be relaxed and at ease. “Perfection” is intact, completely, no matter what happens in our world or during our life-time.
2. We have a golden opportunity to partner with The Creator by helping to bring out His Names to a dark, lowly world. Hashem guided us in the Torah to be able to do so mainly by learning Torah and keeping the Mitzvot.

Are you interested in understanding the next stages in the Kabbalistic process?

Exactly how reality went from Ein Sof (Endless Divine Light) to the stage of the creation of the four worlds? What is “tzimtzum” (contraction”)?

What are the 10 Sfirot (Spiritual Emanations) and how do they function?

If so, contact Rav Shalom Miller at rav.miller@orosheladam.com for more information.