Time to Act

Rav Michael Laitman PhD

Bnei Baruch, Israel
September 28, 2005

Bold and in quotes: Original text of Baal HaSulam

Regular: Commentaries of Rav Laitman
lowercase italics: emphasized words

Capitalized italics: transliteration from Hebrew

 Baal HaSulam is a special Kabbalaist form the long chain of Kabbalaists beginning from
Adam HaRishon from Adam, to whom the book The Angel Raziel is ascribed. And then
Abraham, Moses, Rashbi, Ari, Because in Baal Hasulam’s time, – it was time to disclose the
Wisdom of Kabbalah. And for that purpose, apart from Talmud Eser Sefirot, he wrote his
commentary on the Zohar Beit Sharr HaKavanot (The Gate of Intentions), as well as a few
other books, his letters that we collect. Meaning he wrote material for Kabbalaists or, for
those who study the Wisdom of Kabbalah in order to become Kabbalaists.

• Besides that he wrote articles for the nation, for the public, about Kabbalah He
wanted to write a lot of articles; he wanted to publish about 50 books like the Matan
Torah booklet. But since right after he published the paper “The Nation”, it was
closed and all kinds of actions started against him in order to block the process. He
said “the generation is still not worthy and it’s a sign that I am not allowed to
continue with it”, and did not write anything else.
• Here and there we find preparations for other articles that he meant to write, but
were never published. But even from what he did publish we have a great asset from
this special Kabbalist who actually opened the Wisdom of Kabbalah to the masses
toward the Gmar Tikkun (General Correction) of the entire world. And he determined
that our generation is the generation of the Messiah, at the end of the Introduction to
the Zohar. And determined that we must study and publicize the Wisdom of Kabbalah
to the masses.
• The first article that he writes in the beginning of these words to the masses is the
article “Time to Act”. So, let's read it and see how much we can understand of what
he wanted to explain to us. It is from the book Kabbalah LeMatchil, "Time to Act".
"For a long time now my conscience has burdened me with a demand
to come out and compose a fundamental composition regarding the
essence of Judaism , religion...“

what he wants is that everyone, all those who want, will attain the Wisdom of Kabbalah in its
true meaning.
• "Prior to the innovations in the printing industry there weren’t any fallacious books among us
that related to the essence of Judaism, as there were almost no writers who could not stand
behind their words, for the simple reason that in most cases, an irresponsible person is
Meaning, for a long time he felt a great pressure and desire to erupt toward the general
public, and bring them the knowledge about the Wisdom of Kabbalah.
• "...and the Kabbalah, and spread it among the nation so that people will come to
understand these exalted matters in their true meaning."
• So usually not famous."
• That’s how it used to be in previous generations, that only famous figures who acquired
strength from the public were able to publish. Even in those who were wise in the worldly
wisdoms, and surely Kabbalaists as well. As Rabash says that up until Rav Ashlag there
weren’t books that were not written in the “holy spirit” - meaning, out of spiritual attainment.
Because all the holy literature is called that since it is written out of spiritual attainment;
without spiritual attainment what can one write about?
• There is nothing to write about this world. About this world, you write a book of medicine, of
science, things we need in this world in order to advance in this world. But what’s to write
about in this world for no reason? And about spirituality or what is above this world, what
concerns the life of a person beyond his body, or the part that does not belong to his body.
Only those who are in these states can write about them accordingly. That’s the meaning of
‘there weren't any irresponsible authors.’
 "Therefore if, by chance, one dared to write such a composition, no
scribe would copy it, as it would simply not return the investment,
which was quite considerable. Thus, such a composition was doomed
from the start to be lost.“

• Everything was a matter of profitability; the public understood this, the public leaders
understood this as well – who was and who was not worthy of writing a book and becoming
famous.
• "In those days, knowledgeable people had no interest in writing such a book,
because the people did not need that knowledge. Quite the contrary, they had an
interest in hiding it in secret chambers for the reason that “the glory of God is to be
hidden”. We were commanded to conceal the essence of the Torah from those who
did not need it, or were unworthy of it, and also to not degrade it by displaying it in
shop windows for the lusting eyes of the boasting, because thus the glory of God
demands."
• We also see this in this world. If I am looking for something and something appears to me, to
the extent that I look for it, I appreciate it; I need it, I require it, I am willing to pay for it. It is
not customary to bring something to someone and oblige him, if he does not desire it. In
advertising today that’s exactly what happens, where they’re trying to oblige us to purchase
all sorts of things. They try to convince us that we need the products they produce. But with
respect to the Torah, there is no such thing; you can disclose each and every part in the Torah
only to the extent that the people are developed and discover a desire, meaning a deficit for it.
That is why Kabbalists used to hide things and open them only to those who demonstrate a
prior desire. And then, all the other parts of the Kabbalah, of the Torah were, hidden.
• This is called “the glory of God is to be hidden”. Meaning, don’t publicize something that the
public still doesn’t need. By that, you make it into something cheap, something which belongs
to the peak of the world.
 "But ever since the printing of books became popular and
inexpensive, thus eliminating the need for manual scribes, the way
has been paved for irresponsible writers to publish whatever books
they please, for money or glory. But they do not take into account
their own actions and examine the consequences of their work.“

• There is a question. If we advertise the things that are in the Wisdom of Kabbalah what will
become of them? Several things. The worst of all is that people might take all kinds of ideas
and commercialize them according to their desires, just like we see today. You walk into stores
and see all kinds of books about spirituality and Kabbalah; everyone does whatever he wants
in order to make money and be publicized. That’s one matter. Another thing, it might confuse
people. Because a person who is not ready and hasn't prepared his internal Kelim Despite that
his mind might perceive all kinds of things here and there and he may understand the text;
meaning he understands it literally as he reads it.
• The Wisdom of Kabbalah is perceived according to the inner preparation. I can read for the
next fifty years – literature, genuine literature of Kabbalaists, and it will not give me any
results. I can only receive internal reactions to the extent that I am corrected internally, to the
extent that I somehow match what I am reading about. It’s just like reading a romance novel
to a cat. So, what is it going to do? Cry, laugh, be impressed with what happens there? No.
• It’s even a greater difference if you read a book of Kabbalah to a person. Whatever that person
can imagine in his own Kelim is only corporeal things, things that happen in this world, or how
he imagines spirituality from within this world. Of course, it’ll not be what is written in the
book. Meaning only corruption can come out of it. Then, a person will completely stray from
the path, and in that case, it’s better to just sit idly. Meaning, for several reasons Kabbalists
did not want to open the Wisdom of Kabbalah to everyone.
• It could be like placing an obstacle before a blind person, might confuse the people. It might
cause a few people to go mad from things that don’t belong to them. And it might be, yes, that
you shouldn’t bring something so sublime and special and make it so cheap that it is thrown to
everyone like excess factory production. There are several things that Baal Ha Sulam will talk
about afterwards.
 "From that time on, the publication of such non-credible books began to
significantly increase...“
Meaning, anyone who felt like it start writing about Kabbalah.
"...without any tutoring and “mouth-to-mouth” transmission from a Rabbi that
is qualified for that...“

• The author must receive "mouth-to-mouth" transmission. Meaning, one who worked with his Rabbi with common
Masachim(screens), was in the same spiritual world as his Rabbi, and worked with him in the study of “mouth-to-
mouth”. Meaning, in reception of the information in the adjacent Partzufim; that’s called the study of Kabbalah,
from Rav to disciple. That’s the only way that you can say that one is a disciple of his Rav. If that exists, then the
disciple is permitted to write books, to the extent that he attains and understands what he received from his Rabbi,
and not otherwise. Here he talks about people that had no connection to this.
• "…and even without knowledge of earlier books that dealt with this topic. Such writers fabricated
theories of their own empty shells and relate their words to the most exalted matters, and so claimed
to portray the essence and fabulous treasure of the nation. Such fools cannot even know how to be
careful, and they permeate faulty views to generations, and in return for their petty lusts they sin and
make the nations sin for generations to come."
• Their own foolishness is that they don’t understand that they must receive Orot (Lights) and Kelim (Vessels) from
the great ones, from their teachers; to be in contact with them with common Kelim. Besides this, they write books
completely detached from spirituality and say that they are books of Kabbalah. This is what they pour to all of
humanity, that creates as he says, “corruption for generations”.
• So, that has happened already, there is nothing you can do about it. Baal HaSulam already disclosed it 70 years ago
in the '40s when he wanted to publish this paper “The Nation”. He discovered that it’s happening, as if at that time
it seemed to us that nothing was happening. Who wrote anything about the Wisdom of Kabbalah? It is now in
modern times where everyone writes about red strings and holy water and sell all kinds of cards, fortune-telling,
successful mating; "self-help" Kabbalah books. But in those days, in the ’40s, what was there? No. Then about the
book, the literature that was written then, that’s what he says. So, just imagine what he’s talking about. We don’t
count any more… it all happened a while ago. All the different types of literature that we see today about the
Wisdom of Kabbalah, this pop-Kabbalah, came out in the last 20 years. But he’s talking about the ’30s and the ’40s
of the 20th century. Who wrote about it then?
 For us, it’s as if they are ancient matters, but what kind of literature was present then? But he already
talks about it here; within the 200 years before he writes about it, they started writing irresponsible
books on Kabbalah. We do not even understand it. That’s why we should be very careful when we open
books that were even written even 200 hundred years ago, we should be careful of them. Apart from
Kabbalists that we know are genuine Kabbalists, that we have no doubt about, that they won't confuse
us; and that don’t confuse Kabbalah with philosophy or anything like that. Meaning, just as we study
Abraham, Moses, Rashbi, the Ari, Ramchal, Agra, Baal HaSulam and Rabash – genuine Kabbalists. We
have to pay attention to the period he talks about, a period which – it was really horrible.
• "Recently their stench has soared upward, because they have plunged their
nails in the wisdom of the Kabbalah, not minding that this wisdom has been
locked and chained behind a thousand doors to this day, that no person may
understand the true meaning of even a single word of it, much less the
connection between one word and the next. That is because in all the genuine
books that were written to this day there are no more than clues that barely
suffice for a knowledgeable disciple to understand their true meaning, coming
from the mouth of a wise and reliable Kabbalist."
• Again, he says that this is the condition to convey the Wisdom of Kabbalah from one to
another. So, how is it possible that those authors dared to write if they hadn’t received
this kind of transmission?
• "And there too the conspirators have multiplied, who make such delights that
disgust those who behold them.
• Some of them even go as far as presume to assume the place of the leaders of
the generation, and they pretend to know the difference between the ancient
books and tell which of them is worthy of study and which is not. It is both
frustrating and infuriating…"
• We know about the greatest among the generations who determined for us which books
are less holy or holier, and which are more or less suitable for us; which books of
Kabbalah are, God forbid, false, and which are allowed for study, in what manner, etc
• "It is both frustrating and infuriating because until today the work of
discriminating the good from the bad had been limited to one in ten leaders of
a generation, and now the ignorant abuse it.“
 In other words, in the past Kabbalists determined the management of the
generation and approximately 200 years ago, the situation started to become
corrupt.

"Therefore, the perception of these matters by the public has been greatly corrupted. In addition,
there is an atmosphere of frivolity and people think that a glance in one’s leisure time is sufficient
for the study of such exalted matters. They superficially browse over the deep sea of wisdom and
the essence of Judaism in a glance and reach conclusions based on their passing mood."
• Meaning, they relate to the wisdom as if it is any other ordinary wisdom, that you can engage in it whenever
you have free time, and under the conditions that any knowledge demands of a person, any ordinary human
wisdom; and there is no difference between the Wisdom of Kabbalah and the other teachings, so that they
engage in it and accept it this way. Does that mean that we must still be careful not to say anything that is
not, that will not come to an unworthy person? No. That is what he will determine afterwards, when he writes
about this “Hiding a Portion and Disclosing Two Portions”. But now, he’s talking only about sources, why he
must go out and write; and that it now is a worthy thing to write about. He will talk about it later.
• Meaning, the problem is to open the genuine things, the authentic sources to the wide public; not to be afraid
that they will not take it, and not to be afraid that they will be used incorrectly. He writes that many books
were written and the glory of God is in hiding things, so how can you be taking Kabbalah outwardly? Baal
HaSulam explains that today nobody will desire the genuine Kabbalah except those who really need it.
Everyone else will fall for all kinds of other wisdoms of Kabbalah that provide some benefit in this world, some
support in this world. The genuine wisdom of Kabbalah, because it doesn’t talk about this world, but only about
ascension toward the attribute of bestowal, will not appeal to the majority of the world, rather only to those
who are ready for it.
• "These are the reasons that have prompted me to go out of my way and decide that it is time to
“do for the Lord” and save that which can still be saved. Thus I have taken upon myself to reveal
a certain amount of the true essence, which relates to the above matter and spread it among the
nation.“
 Meaning, he decides that it is time that he must disseminate the Wisdom of Kabbalah, and specifically
among the nation. What does that mean for us? We must do the same things that he talked about, the
same material; we have to disseminate it onward. In the end, we must come to a situation where
everyone, if not directly then through our explanation, will reach the words of Baal HaSulam.

• But the authentic sources, meaning, the words of the Ari, the words of the Zohar, and what he
passes on and how he explains and conveys it – they have to be open for all. God forbid, we do
not write anything instead of his words. Rather, everything that we write is so that a person
will reach his words, and read them as he wrote them. This is the only justification to write
anything about the words of Baal HaSulam.
• Questions:
• Question: How can a simple person who now wants to study Kabbalah and sees two
kinds or several kinds, how does one decide which is correct? How does one decide
what to study?
• Just like anything else in life, you decide according to what’s close to you. I went through so
many “Kabbalists" before I reached Baal HaSulam - meaning before I reached Rabash - and I
didn’t feel that I was getting anything from them. Until it appears that you have to be
somewhere, to hear, to learn and you’re confused; you’re told you have to invest yourself,
that’s where your soul is, you have to learn. After you learn for a few years, you start
understanding, but you see, after a month or two that you can’t, you are just bursting. They
speak of things that do not fit your structure. They did not speak with reason or with rationale
feelings. I couldn’t tolerate it. I am serious, I couldn’t tolerate it and that’s it. I did not think
about how it was maybe rude or inappropriate, that I am obligated, that I am doomed by the
Creator if I leave. No. I simply couldn’t, so what could I do; and that’s how I came to Rabash.
But I’ll tell you, I was in many places and I hear about them, I hear about the people who grew
further in these places. Today, some of them are famous, and very influential. It’s just like Baal
HaSulam tells us about in “Freedom of Choice” – you can’t compel a person or restrict him in
some way.
 Question: But today that’s not the case, today we should tell
everyone, right? It’s as if there is a pessimistic picture – so many
things are forbidden. But today there is no limitation, the more
people know the better.

• No. When Baal HaSulam says that there is or isn't a limitation, he is speaking from
his degree; from his degree he knows what to disclose and what not to disclose. You
should disclose it in such a way that it’ll not block that person, but reveal vessels for
him. I can show you things and you’ll be impressed with it like a child, and it will not
create any deficit in your Kelim; the disclosure is in concealment, as the book is
called Megilat Esther ("Scroll of Esther", literally means "disclosure of concealment").
The concealment attracts, you understand? Everything which is completely disclosed
cancels the deficit for it, and when you work with the disciple you need to know how
you will arouse him and gradually build in him the correct deficit for the correct
things, so that he will slowly grow and advance in the right direction. Besides, there
are things that can confuse the disciple, which is not for his own good. There are
positive confusions, as it’s written that “the contradiction of the wise is constructive,
and the construction of the foolish is contradicting." You have to know how to present
the material. Baal HaSulam says this from his high degree, that there are things that
must be hidden and not revealed. In his vision of the world, he observes all the
worlds; so he knows what should be written about, in what measure, and in what
form; that’s what he talks about. We who somehow understand from below what he
did, we don’t know how much he hid or even in what manner he wrote, as if he
sprinkled for us, even in this we don't know what he sprinkled. We only understand
how we can grasp it.
Question: Many of the books of Baal HaSulam he has consents of the greatest
of the generation, yes? How can you reach a conclusion about our generation
as the generation of the Messiah if the greatest of the generation give
consents to books about fortune-Kabbalah books and things that are not
meant to bring correction? What does it mean about our leaders and our
generation?

• I don’t pay any attention to it. Why should we care? We have a genuine source that the true
and greatest among that generation wrote consents for at the time – Rav Kook, rav Zonenfeld
– after that there is nothing else to look for. Also, even if you do search, you’ll only discover
misery.
• Now, regarding what is occurring today, I don’t know. I think that leaders come according to
the generation; they’re not worse than the generation. Although it says “the face of the
generation is as the face of the dog” meaning, they are the worst. In the generation that is
descending, they are the leaders of the descent. The leaders only serve the generation, and
not more. I don’t actually think that we should have any complaints about them. They do what
the public wants, and that’s it. They check the audience and speak before them, and tell the
audience what they want to hear. Besides, the problem is the audience itself; what they can
swallow, what they desire.
• When you bring out the Wisdom of Kabbalah to the audience, you see what kind of reaction
you get – almost zero. You get almost nothing out of audience. Lets say you disseminate and
exhert 1000 kilograms of energy and you calculate according to ordinary rationale that the
feedback should give you, let's say, 200 kilos. But, what you get instead is two grams. Why? It
can’t be any other way; your calculation is incorrect. The reaction is correct, the calculation is
incorrect - because you are not taking the pyramid into account. You may say that you
disseminated 1000 books, 2000, or even 10000. Now, I should have 100 students. Maybe in an
ordinary wisdom or something else, that’s the kind of reaction you may get.; and in some
advertisement agency they calculate like this – we saw this once when we checked with a few
of them. But it’s not going to work by us.
• Rather, according to this pyramid and its exponential you should see: you insert a ton of force
and get back 2 grams. Because you are working on quality, a different quality; and everything
else also falls into place. It somehow works slowly, over time – it surely does not disappear.
But if you look at it with ordinary sight, that’s how it is.
Now, with respect to books that get endorsements or consents; look, you have
to operate in the generation you are in, with the present public and with the
present great ones in that generation. The public listens to the great ones in
the generation – it’s correct and that’s how it should be.

• And today, when you publish a book, if you want to reach a certain audience, you have to turn to a few great ones who
would write something about you, if you are not known. Let’s say today, we’re publishing a book about science –
"Science and The Wisdom of Kabbalah - so, I ask a few of my scientist friends to write on the back of the book – the
cover - about me, about the book. They are more known than me, each in their own field. So, that’s what you do. You
cannot do without it, but that’s still support. That is regarding ordinary literature or for an ordinary audience.
• But, let’s say for orthodox audience, as he is referring to – there you have to have a signature that it’s kosher. You
cannot do without this. Without it, the educated public is afraid to open any other books - and it’s very correct. It is
because you have so many books in the world. In order not to confuse a person, from generation to generation, it is
known what is permitted and what is forbidden to read. Otherwise it’s a sea of nonsense that opens up for you. That’s
how people are brought up.
• Now, we do not appeal to this audience; our audience is not orthodox, that are calm and satisfied with their lives, or
even if they are not satisfied with their lives, they try and find the solution where they are. They justify it for
themselves, that they’ll get rewarded for it, in the next world. "Today we work and tomorrow we will get rewarded,"
and so on. They also say that is how the Creator makes reward and punishment come around. So, he has some self-
justification for it, and he’s willing, that’s how he was brought up.
• But a secular person, who looks at life realistically, who asks in what world he exists and why he suffers, then he is
really willing to listen. It’s to him that Baal HaSulam turns to, just like in the beginning of “Introduction to the Ten”
Sefirot”. He gives you the questions that the orthodox ask in the first letter, and in the second letter he says those are
who will come to us. Who? Those who ask “what is the meaning of my life?” Without all those questions, they don’t
care about these questions. Did I fill my belly with Mishnah and Gmarah? Did they say this or that? The person cares
about his life, so he will come. And these people also need consents. They also need to somehow know who you are
and what you are. You can’t just push anything on them; there’s scrutiny in the audience. Over time it begins to
appear because the will to receive grows and the wisdom/knowledge grows and it becomes more apparent. I hope that
in a short time we’ll see how people will view red strings as nothing more than an ornament, and “holy water” as
nothing more than H2O, and that’s it.
• And people will stop thinking that there is some special force in any object except self persuasion. I'm referring to the
mystical power, as if spiritual. There are forces but they are physical forces. All right. OK?
Question: We learn that from the days of the Second Temple, after it
was ruined there was no spiritual attainment. What is the difference
between that period and the last two hundred years with the
invention of the printing press? What is the addition of corruption?

• From the time of the ruin of the Second Temple, the wisdom of Israel, meaning the
Wisdom of Kabbalah, remained only for special people in every generation. All the
great ones who wrote books and had students in every generation. Don’t speak about
ordinary people who just believed without knowing. Talk about people who were in
this world and in the spiritual world, in two worlds in their attainment, and conveyed
their wisdom from mouth-to-mouth, from Rav to disciple.
• And none of them did what Baal HaSulam did, as you see when he wrote “Time to
Act.” He writes I must disperse the Wisdom of Kabbalh in the nation, for everyone.
And what is the Zohar and the writings of the Ari? Don’t they stand on shelves, can’t
you buy them in stores? Also Rambam, Ramchal, Agra, the books of Hassidim, Ben Ish
Chai, and I don’t know who else – many many sages. So, why does he write that he
had to disclose it? Did they not disclose it? They wrote the book of Zohar – is that not
a disclosure? The writings of the Ari are not disclosure? Anyone can buy them and
read them; we have to see what he is disclosing. Doesn’t he write like the ari writes?
He writes himself, “I did not add anything to the writings of the Ari”. So where is the
disclosure, in what? In the writing of the Ari there is no disclosure. In the Zohar there
is no disclosure at all; the Zohar was written only for people with attainment. If you
don’t have attainment there is no reason for you to read the Zohar – just for some
impression, nothing more. You can’t connect to the book – the book is entirely about
Gimel Kavim (three lines). When you are in Gimel Kavim and open the book, for you it
is entering the place where you work, where you live.
 And the writings of the Ari? He disclosed a bit more? The Ari wrote a few words and he wrote an
additional two hundred words - that’s not disclosure. His disclosure, which is in a concealed and revealed
form, is in that he leads the simple secular person – like he writes "in the nation" - to a state where he
can reach attainment; when no books of Kabbalah were previously built for this. What does it mean that
you disclose the Wisdom of Kabbalah from Rav to disciple mouth-to-mouth according to common
Masachim (screens), common work? In a void, a place, in the same world, where one teaches the other
how and what to do.

And here it’s something else – you disclose it to the entire nation, or to the entire world. It’s a completely
different method. What kind of attitude is it? You understand it’s not the same as it was before. In all the
generations the Rav passed on to the disciple that was with him and balanced his Kelim. You know how it is in a
channel, where ships go from level to level. So you enter the level, you have to rise with the ship, and enter a
level which is higher up, like the Panama Canal, where they equalize the level of the water. So, the teacher has
to raise the student like in space ships when they connect; when they have a common Masach called the
“mouth-to-mouth” and then, he fills up the student and helps him and gives him examples where the disciple
can go over it and learn it. They act together and operate together, and then the disciple is left to operate by
himself – it’s a study, you can’t just…. it is a very joint study, 100% in a spiritual Kli, there is nothing closer than
that. And here he tells you, “No. I am going by a different path – I’m disseminating Kabbalah completely for the
nation.” So, how is that possible? Meaning, he gave a different method, you understand? A completely different
approach; and that is what he means when he says that in this he opens a new stage in history between
Kabbalah and the world, humanity, that can already take this Kabbalah from him; not in the form of mouth-to-
mouth between Rav and disciple. Rather by his books everyone is able to reach attainment, without a
connection with a special rav and mutual work with a common Masach of mouth-to-mouth. This is what he
actually does. When he opens up Kabbalah for everyone, he is responsible.
• He didn't just give some knowledge – what for? Only opening some knowledge for the world doesn’t mean
anything. You need to assist them, otherwise it is only corruption. It would not be “glory of the Creator”. “Glory
of the Creator” means that you open up where people wanted it and in this will reach the Creator. You have to
understand that this person created a new method and through studying his books, we can reach the spiritual
world. And for that, we don’t have to be in the degree of face-to-face with the Rav; you can be someone in
Bombay or Honolulu or wherever. If you’re studying according to the right method, if you’re aimed correctly
toward entering Baal HaSulam’s Kelim, into Baal HaSulam’s books, and engage in them, then you will reach it.
• It’s a drastic change, something that didn’t exist until now in the entire history of humanity. That’s why we
don’t have to worry about what the secular or religious say or anything at all. You have him. Deepen in the
study, operate according to what he said, and that’s it. You have no other opportunity, you don’t have any rope.
That end of the rope you need, you have no other.
Question: It’s a little strange that intentionally from him, who opened
a new history, all the pop-Kabbalah came out.

• No, it’s not necessarily from him. It’s from kabbalah in general that it is made so popular and
sold everywhere. It’s not necessarily due to him. Many books besides the well-known
institute, who think they are based on Baal HaSulam. You know, there is nothing of Baal Ha
Sulam there; they do not study true books, they do not study Talmud Eser Sefirot, in a true
manner. They don’t learn his articles in a true manner. Otherwise they would cut off their
entire foundation for themselves. It doesn’t say anywhere that you can get a good mate or
good provision or health or respect or succeed in the stock market. Now, I’ve heard that they
are producing an energy drink. It’s not written anywhere, he writes what the wisdom of
Kabbalah is and what it engages with. They just took the brand name, “Kabbalah”, that’s all.
• But all the other methods, all the other popular methods – they took other methods, they
have Ramchal, Abulafia, they have everything in there; it’s not necessarily Baal HaSulam.
Because the word itself is appealing today. Humanity has reached a state where it wants to
find the meaning of life, so they feel subconsciously that it’s in the Wisdom of Kabbalah.
That’s why whatever they sell, that they write “Kabbalah,” and it sells better. Besides, you
can sell anything to a person and tell him “it’s concealed”; go check it.
• Anyone can sit in any corner and be clothed nice and say that he is a Kabalist, go check it.
People buy things according to the clothing, that’s how it is today. I hope that time will pass
and the will to receive will grow and will demand more proof, more rationality, and be more
critical, and these lies will fall; from private people, and from religions too. Surely, only the
truth will come out. There is no doubt about that. The question is how much blood will have
to be shed for that.

• All right, with that we’ll conclude our lesson and we’ll continue tomorrow.