Education of a Kabbalist by Berg Rav

Author:Berg, Rav [Berg, Rav]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kabbalah Centre Publishing
Published: 2018-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

HOW ARE WE TO KNOW WHO IS TRULY SPIRITUAL?

According to the ancient sage known as the Vilna Gaon, the inner wisdom of Kabbalah is sacred, while the literal and external aspects of study are comparatively superficial. As the Gaon puts it, “The chaff is the details of the pronunciation of words, which is the outermost skin of the Torah. In this there is no understanding whatsoever, but only the usage for the words and their pronunciation. Although all of this pertains to the sacredness of the Torah, it is merely an outer shell when compared to the wisdom of Kabbalah.”

My teacher frequently arranged for the printing of books on various aspects of Kabbalah. Then he and I would go to the open market of Jerusalem, where we would offer the books to the people, in hopes of bringing them closer to the Holiness of the Creator. How wonderful that market was, full of bright stalls and people of all descriptions and the sounds of many languages. Though we attracted quite a few interested shoppers to our stall, a disturbing thought often occurred to me: How could we know whether the individuals who bought our books were truly spiritual people, genuinely prepared to go explore the hidden wisdom of Kabbalah ?

One day, as we were setting up our bookstall, I asked Rav Brandwein about this, and he set down a stack of books for a moment to answer.

“Of course we may draw people who seem to have little true interest in spirituality,” he said, “but of what consequence is this? How is it possible to really know who is spiritual and who is not? Look around you right now. Can you guess with any assurance which of these people leads a truly spiritual life?”

I gazed at the chaotic scene of the marketplace, full of activity on this bright Sunday afternoon. At the stall next to us were Israelis, at the stall beyond Palestinians. Shoppers seemed to be of every possible race and nationality: Americans, Germans, Swedes, even a group of about ten Japanese tourists.

“You see those Japanese over there?” my teacher continued. “It so happens that many years ago a very devout group of Japanese travelers came to me, wanting a teacher in Kabbalah. Many people might find it hard to believe that people from such a different tradition would be drawn to Kabbalah, but I’ve always known that profound spiritual truth recognizes no boundaries. They asked if I could return to Japan to instruct them, which unfortunately was impossible. I knew they were disappointed, but I also think they were gratified that I’d taken their request seriously. In any case, I didn’t feel a need to judge whether they merited the study of Kabbalah.”

As the day wore on, all kinds of people stopped at our stall. A teenage boy stayed for quite a while and bought several books. Toward late afternoon, we began to pack up. As we gathered our things, Rav Brandwein resumed the conversation started earlier in the day.

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