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Yesterday marked a very special day—the day of the departure of the great and wise guide whose footsteps my thousands of fellow students and I strive with all our heart and might to follow and attain—Kabbalist Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag.
Every great Kabbalist in his generation took another step forward with the aim of bringing the wisdom of Kabbalah closer to people and to the world, so that it would be clear and understandable to everyone, ready to be felt and attained. Kabbalist Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag, whom we call briefly RABASH, made the final step. From him onward, the wisdom of Kabbalah has been ready and inviting to anyone who has questions about life and its meaning, about human beings and their purpose in the world, to receive answers in simple, everyday words, with tangible, living examples. Whoever reads RABASH’s writings need not fear being confused by the depths of the wisdom, getting lost, or misinterpreting the words.
RABASH did not invent anything. Instead, he stood on the shoulders of the giants of Kabbalah who came before him, from Rabbi Akiva onward, through the ARI, the Ramchal, the Baal Shem Tov, and his own father and teacher, Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag, known as Baal HaSulam. He gathered and summarized what they revealed to humanity and gave it to us in a structured form that we can take, use, and realize.
Baal HaSulam, RABASH’s father, expanded and embraced all the spiritual worlds in his writings. He addressed the difference between philosophy and the wisdom of Kabbalah, gave a comprehensive review of the history of the people of Israel along with its present and destiny, and deeply explained humanity’s evolution. Because RABASH, in his modesty, took care not to present himself as one of the greats, like his father and the chain of Kabbalists before him, he focused his teaching within the framework of a person’s inner work. This is why, to this day, we do not fully see his true stature; we do not know who he really was and how great he truly was.
I think that the greatest principle I learned from my teacher is that everything passes—even the most difficult states—and a person must always remain steady, his eyes fixed on his goal. Even when the goal seems distant, perhaps even unattainable, it is not his concern; he continues to aim toward it without stopping.
There is a purpose to our existence: to break through, by our own strength and our own choice, from our narrow world, from our egoistic nature that sees nothing beyond its own nose, to love of others, to the quality of love, to the open and infinite world of the upper force—a force in which there is no trace of self-interest, only delight in bestowal and giving.
At times, this goal seems unrealistic or impossible to the one pursuing it. At times, it disappears like the sun behind the clouds; the world turns in the opposite direction from what we thought it should be, not as we planned. However, we must cling to this goal, which we attain by exiting ourselves in the direction of love of others. Then, we will discover that it is once again before us, desirable and real. We will all reach it.
The people of Israel, and indeed all of humanity, torn and conflicted, are approaching the realization that the situation is hopeless, that our nature leads us to self-destruction. If we fail to bring love of others into our midst, so that the upper force may dwell within it, we will not survive. RABASH and all the Kabbalists labored for this moment, that we may take this path, realize it, and reach a good life.
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