Women and Kabbalah 0

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2 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 5 THE NATURE AND ROLE OF WOMEN IN KABBALAH 7 What is the importance of women in Kabbalah? 7 What is the nature of a woman, and how does her nature differ from that of a man? 8 What are the roles of women, and how do they differ from those of the men? 9 Why do women suffer more than men, and what does this mean spiritually? 11 INNER WORK OF A WOMAN 13 How does a woman see others as already being corrected? 13 How does a woman aim herself correctly toward the goal in the most efficient way? 14 DISSEMINATION 16 Why is it important for women to become involved in dissemination projects? 16 How do women disseminate, and what is the most efficient and correct way? 17 To whom should women disseminate and to whom not? 19 1

3 VISIBILITY OF WOMEN 21 Why are no women s questions asked of Rav during the morning lessons? 21 What can be said to women who find the separation between men and women demeaning? 22 How did the feminist movement contribute to our development? 24 CORRECTION OF A WOMAN'S SOUL 26 What is the root of a woman s soul, and how does it differ from a man s? 26 How is a woman more corrected and closer to nature than a man? 28 What is a woman s greatest and deepest desire, and how does it differ from a man s? 29 What needs to be corrected in a woman s soul, and how is this done? 30 If a female soul is the will to receive, how will this change during correction? 33 Do women cross Machsom? 33 Do women need men to attain spirituality? 34 How does a woman know that she is making sufficient and correct advancement? 36 2

4 What are the ways in which women can approach the Creator? 36 Does a woman s soul ever reincarnate in the body of a man, or vice versa? 38 UNITY 40 What does unity mean for women, and how is it different from men? 40 Why is it important for women to be organized? 41 RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER 43 How do women relate to each other virtually and physically? 43 Why doesn t Arvut apply to women? 45 What is the best relationship one woman can have with another? 47 Do women form their own groups? 48 CHILDREN 51 What is the role of women in nurturing their children with respect to Kabbalah? 51 What is the role of the father in educating his children in Kabbalah? 54 What if the parents disagree regarding the need to educate their children in Kabbalah? 56 What is the best and most correct environment for a child? 57 3

5 In lieu of an optimum environment for a child, how can the influence of general society be mitigated? 60 Should a child be isolated or sheltered in any way? 64 SPOUSES WHO HAVE NO INTEREST IN KABBALAH 66 How does a woman attain spirituality if her husband has no interest in Kabbalah? 66 What is the main help for a woman whose husband has no interest in Kabbalah? 67 MARRIAGE 69 How can the wife create a correct environment in the home for her husband? 69 4

6 INTRODUCTION Dear Women of the World Kli, You are holding in your hands the result of a desire. Many women have worked with this in order to help all women new to the study of Kabbalah. The questions gathered are those asked by women students of the BB Learning Center as they began their journey. The answers were picked from Rav s books, lessons and talks. The questions asked arise from our need to attain spirituality: we hunger for it, our hearts heavy with the cry for it. We find ourselves ready to DO anything in order to achieve it by supporting our men towards the Goal. To help guide us, Rav says: Women need to unite in mutual work with the goal of wakening the men and bringing them together, so that the men would unite with each other and reach the spiritual through this unification. Then through unification and a mutual guarantee between the men, the spiritual will also spread onto the women. As a result, everyone will be a single union the male and the female part of the nation or of all mankind. But how do we accomplish that? Over and over, we internally ask that question, the force of our need so great that the questions burst forth they come in many forms. The questions presented here are simply the clothing for the deep longing that we all feel. In the answers, may we be reminded of our important role in bringing all of humanity to the fulfilment of its Purpose. 5

7 We would like to thank all those whose desires and efforts have contributed to this project: Beverley von Lucken Project Manager (EWC); Brenda Jones Project Coordinator; BB Learning Center students Susan Castagna, Kenya Olivera, Liliana Altamirano, Michelene Benson, Olivia Hamilton, Sally Stroud, Mirela Simonescu, Judy Frizzell, Kathleen Kurek and Nicci DeMerchant; English Women s Committee (EWC) Leah Goldberg, Susan Morales-Kosinec, Debbie Sirt, Denise Galante, Judy Hobart, Nina Chulak and Inna Pavlova. Only Together! 6

8 THE NATURE AND ROLE OF WOMEN IN KABBALAH What is the importance of women in Kabbalah? Kabbalah allots a woman the main role in the world. It is because the world's foremost development is its continuation, and it is a woman who continues generations. She extends this world from generation to generation; without her, it wouldn't be able to exist. Besides, since she forms the basis for the next generation's development she educates and supports it then naturally, progress and in general, life itself is impossible without a woman. This stems from our roots because creation as created is of feminine gender. Malchut a female component of the entire creation is what in fact was created. And a man is only an auxiliary element that later perhaps leads her in some way, yet he exists for her sake. That is, men in this world assumed a totally wrong role. Their role in this world is auxiliary. Throughout generations men are to help women continue and correctly develop offspring. According to Kabbalah, the world exists around a woman. A so-called Malchut is a female component of the world. Zeir Anpin her male part exists only to help, support and fill her in accordance with her desires. 7

9 A female part in particular has to direct a male component how to act correctly for her sake. And then the world will move toward correction. Woman in the Modern World, The Kabbalah Perspective, August 17, _vconf_bb_jenskiy-forum.doc What is the nature of a woman, and how does her nature differ from that of a man? The essence of men and women is very different. As we know from Kabbalah, we represent two different worlds. The essence of a man comes from bestowal, and the essence of a woman from reception. However, both of them certainly have a part of the other in them, and this is how we exist. A woman is nature. It is a very strong force, and it is important for men to feel it. After all, it is not the same force that a man possesses. A man is more torn away from our nature. He is more of a philosopher and a rationalist. The force of a woman is much more real. A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, January 16, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel *** 8

10 In reality, a woman s nature is a very good one. After all, a woman s ultimate necessity is to be given the opportunity to express love. She wants to have a man that will be able to apprehend the self-expression of her love and her desire to be loved. A man does not even need to express very much. She only needs to know that he exists. In this case she is able to live by developing her image of love in relation to him. I understand a woman s character and can only empathize and feel bad together with you. Men are not ready for this; it is part of being uncorrected. If they knew a woman needs only to be given the opportunity to express her feelings and her devotion then they would acquire very much. That which a woman must receive from a man is such a triviality, yet she is unable to receive it. Kabbalah Library Home / Rav Michael Laitman / Booklets / Relationships / A Woman's Nature, Paragraph ?/eng/content/view/full/27305&main What are the roles of women, and how do they differ from those of the men? There is no discrimination in spirituality. Women, like men, must attain adhesion with the Creator, the highest degree in creation. But women study differently from men, and so are the ways in which women can approach the Creator. The only difference lies in the method. The beginning of the learning process is the same. That is why in our introductory 9

11 courses there is no difference between the method provided for men and for women. Later on, if a person goes deeper into the study of the actual Kabbalah, the difference in the method becomes apparent. Men and women begin to feel the world differently, because men and women are indeed two different worlds and have a different perception of creation. The Kabbalah Experience / Chapter 3. The Study of Kabbalah, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, Sections: "Women Studying Kabbalah" and "Men and Women" *** In the natural order of things, woman constitutes the home. She raises the children, runs the household, cooks, and greets her husband. This stems from as far back as the Stone Age, and this is how it should be today as well. Woman searches for the correct structure of the world. She is closer to nature and feels within that the present world structure is incorrect. This includes any and all interrelationships: with the children, within the family, between families, and, naturally, between nations....in the roots man prevails over woman. Whereas a woman, seeing as she looks upon her man as though from below upwards, in accordance with the spiritual root, demands from him a higher level not the animal one that he demands of her, but one that is spiritual, soulful, human, cultured and so forth. From this stem all the familiar differences in our world in the demands of men toward women and women toward men. This stems from the spiritual root and thus manifests in absolutely all 10

12 forms and on all levels of our relationships: family, society, with our children (both girls and boys), and so forth everywhere." To the woman of XXI century / Man and Woman, A talk between the scientist and Kabbalist Michael Laitman with the Kabbalah Academy instructors, Michael Sanilevich and Yevgeniy Litvar, July 10, 2007, Sections: "What Does a Woman Want?" and "How Do We Understand One Another? Why do women suffer more than men, and what does this mean spiritually?...the woman, who represents the creature, really is the creature, the Hissaron, Malchut, the kingdom of desire. While man, in a way is the representative of the Creator, the one that governs, the one that bestows and fulfills. Naturally the female part, regardless of the fact that it carries the most important function in our world birth continues, develops, basically makes our world comfortable. It holds it together, while at the same time feels like it is small, unfulfilled and imperfect, to a greater extent than a man does. This inner sensation of dependency, the sensation of personal inferiority of some kind (psychologists such as Freud interpret this through a sexual point of view), in general comes as a root from the Light and from the desire that arises in it. In our world man perceives himself in accordance with this, and in this manner the woman perceives herself in accordance with him. For this reason the female desire in our world is twice as deep. On one hand it is so because it comes from the root itself, from the creature itself, and on the other hand because it can not be fulfilled on its own. It is only through proper work with each 11

13 other, can the masculine and the feminine parts the part of the Light, of the Creator, of fulfillment and the part of the Kli, of the desire find their appropriate union together. Naturally this can only happen in the spiritual world and not in our world. Although in our world we try to find some kind of an illusion of perfection in one way or another, it is impossible. Only on low levels of egoism does it sometime seem to us that we are capable of attaining it in this illusion. There can be no proper relationships and love in our world. As they can only be a consequence if this contact is completely rendered in the spiritual world, on a spiritual level, through mutual bestowing-receiving, above-egoism, then we will be able to experience this not within our bodies, but in the souls. This is why there is always a women s lesson, out of respect for that sensation of an uncompensated, unfulfilled desire, a Kli that the woman feels and that she can not fulfill at all in this world. Although she might have everything, a home, family, children, and still for some reason there is nothing. This is so because all of it comes from the Purpose of creation. Toronto Congress, Lesson for Women 2006, Lesson for Women by Rav Michael Laitman, Bnei Baruch, Toronto, Canada, July 30, 2006, Paragraphs

14 INNER WORK OF A WOMAN How does a woman see others as already being corrected? Question: In one of your talks you mentioned that women know how to love or have this ability and men don t. If we are all egoistic, then what kind of love can women give? Rav s answer: Egoistic love. A woman can take care of the people whom she egoistically loves or respects. Question: Dear Rav, I have been studying Kabbalah for some time. I realize fully that I am totally egocentric and hope that the Creator will help me with this. But I also seem to note more than ever the egocentrism of other people in my every day life and I really don t like it. What can I do to overcome judgment and be at least polite to them if not compassionate, which I find very hard to do? Rav s answer: What you are seeing in others is your own reflection, according to the rule Everyone who condemns others, condemns himself. However, if you loved them, then you would love their egoism as well - just like you would a baby of yours. laitman.com, Kabbalah and the Meaning of Life Michael Laitman s Personal Blog, A Woman Can Love Others Egoistically, Posted August 20,

15 *** Question: Dear Rav, when you talk about distinguishing between Factory and Group, then as a woman working in dissemination, does my intention change? Should I think of the two as different entities? Rav s answer: For you as a woman, it doesn t matter at all what is happening inside the group. You advance to the extent that you contribute to the common advancement, regardless of how correctly the men in the group realize the opportunities for unification given to them. You advance independently of the men s state. laitman.com, Kabbalah and the Meaning of Life Michael Laitman s Personal Blog, A Woman Can Advance Independently, Posted August 22, How does a woman aim herself correctly toward the goal in the most efficient way? By disseminating, you correct your self. It seems like it s outside of you, in others, but in fact it s your spiritual body. So by bestowing and loving others, you re really bestowing and loving yourself! It s because this attitude to others allows you to acquire their desires and their Light. 14

16 *** Try to find some kind of dissemination work to do, this will make you obligated and attached, and give you motivation to develop. The participation in the common work will increase your attainment, give you support, and enable you to correctly assess the value of this world. laitman.com, Kabbalah and the Meaning of Life Michael Laitman s Personal Blog, Advice for Beginners - Disseminate!, Posted July 13, laitman.com, Kabbalah and the Meaning of Life Michael Laitman s Personal Blog, By Disseminating the Wisdom of Kabbalah, You Correct Your Self, Posted July 25,

17 DISSEMINATION Why is it important for women to become involved in dissemination projects? Women should understand that they are responsible for the men s desire to advance spiritually. This pertains to all of the male kind because we are talking about occurrences in the spiritual, where we are united. The female part and the male part in the spiritual are across from each other and act together harmoniously. Women oblige men to attract Upper fulfillment, and then this fulfillment is divided onto all. The dissemination of Kabbalah, their relationship with each other, their collaborative studies and work everything should have the intention to clarify their desire toward the spiritual in the most precise manner: 'what is the most clear and beneficial way that we can give our desire to the men, so that they would act just as beneficially and effectively in their work in attracting spiritual fulfillment?' Then together, the male and the female part of humanity rise toward the Upper Light and a better life in the material world. All of this needs to be done by women. A woman doesn t need to understand in detail the arrangement of the universe and to know the acting mechanism of the laws of spiritual physics. For a woman it is enough to have a general understanding, and she should devote all other time to dissemination and help. Because of this she joins the male part and gives them her desire, her Hissaron. This is her spiritual contribution, through which she becomes corrected. 16

18 About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, Talk 2, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 19, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel How do women disseminate, and what is the most efficient and correct way? At least one hour a day you should listen to my lesson or talk. The rest of the hours during the day, if you have them, have to be used only for circulation translations, book distribution, work with films, texts, what have you. This is where the source of success lies if you invest your efforts here. From there, a woman bears something into this world, and it is specifically through her that all this wisdom comes and spreads into the entire world. All that you see on the Internet, all the material that we present to you from the beginning to an end is prepared and posted on the site, and organized by women. I am not just telling you that now, you can hear the same from all of our men: it is impossible to do anything in Kabbalah without a woman without her participation, her outlook, without her skill to organize, support, put together, and prepare things. It is impossible without that. Hence I recommend that each of you find an opportunity for yourself to take part in circulation. 17

19 To the measure to which I invest my efforts into a collective Kli and connect to it, to the measure to which I circulate in the world the knowledge about the reason for and purpose of creation, about the process of its development and its goal which we, willingly or not, must reach, to this measure I receive the help from Above, from the Creator. Ultimately, I circulate the name of the Creator in the world, and then it is not important whether someone knows about me or not, remembers me or not to that measure I progress. There are no calculations here when the most important thing is that people would know about me and so on. No. A simple calculation is in effect here; I receive back as much as I put inside, only multiplied many times, from the same power, the same Creator, the same Upper Light. And no matter how much rush there is around me, it will not help. Work is examined by my entering into the collective soul. From: The North American Kabbalah Congress, "The Next Step," Rav Laitman's Talk with Women. September 25, ongress_shiurnashim_ doc *** The inner work of a woman is similar to her regular work in this world. This is a part that gives birth to the next generation. True, she does it with the help of a man, being supported by him, but she gives birth, the descendents come out of her. Hence the main work of women is not in studying, but in circulation. She has to study just a little bit in order to have energy to 18

20 circulate, to carry out further correction the same way as she gives birth, reproduces, passes on the knowledge. From: The North American Kabbalah Congress, "The Next Step," Rav Laitman's Talk with Women. September 25, ongress_shiurnashim_ doc To whom should women disseminate and to whom not? We have to disseminate Kabbalah to all the people in the world, accept the world as a whole, and provide every person with everything they need for correction no matter where they are located. All the people in the world are sick with the same illness egoism, which separates them from the Light of life. Hence, everyone needs the medication the Upper Light. This is what we believe, and this is why we disseminate Kabbalah to everyone. After that, it s up to the person to take the medicine now, or later on - when he will feel his illness at a more advanced stage. laitman.com, Kabbalah and the Meaning of Life Michael Latiman s Personal Blog, All the People in the World Are Sick With the Same Illness. Posted August 13, *** You have to be in contact with the external world in order to stay balanced inside - and the best contact is through 19

21 dissemination. However, you shouldn t disseminate among the people you know, since by doing so you ll greatly limit yourself in regular life. But dissemination is necessary, and you should do it among strangers. When you do something for others, you balance your knowledge and your states with the common system of souls - and this moves and accelerates your spiritual growth. laitman.com, Kabbalah and the Meaning of Life Michael Latiman s Personal Blog, Advice for Beginners Disseminate!, Posted July 13 th,

22 VISIBILITY OF WOMEN Why are no women s questions asked of Rav during the morning lessons? No, that s not true. First of all, we receive questions for the TV show Ask a Kabbalist, and I also give lectures in a lecture hall called Beit Kabbalah LaAm, where I answer everyone who attends the lectures. I don t think there is a single question that we don t clarify during our studies. These questions are asked by men from Israel and from all over the world. During our lessons, people ask questions through the Internet, and a woman can also ask a question this way under any name she wants. No one will try to figure out whose name it is. If the question has to do with our topic, I will gladly answer it, even if the question comes from a woman and not a man. That means there is no problem. A woman who wants to receive the answers to her questions will receive them. She just needs to have the desire. A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 11, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel 11_sicha_bb_q&a-al-itkadmut-ruhanit-shel-isha.doc *** 21

23 It is very desirable that there will be a separate organization in the States a few women or even one woman, able to collect all the women s questions and problems, to focus on them and pass them to us. Start discussing this, write to each other, each of you should have all the addresses. Create a database of women so that you know who can do something, help in something, how each of you can be assisted. Believe me that everyone has all of the same problems that each of you goes through descents, different thoughts this exists in each of you. Hence, write me, and I will answer each question, show you where it is written in the book, explain to you how to continue and overcome any obstacle, how to use it, and why each of you receive a certain state (suddenly something good, or, G-d forbid, bad). All of this happens for a reason, and we have to learn from these states how to progress based on them. Then everything will be useful. The North American Kabbalah Congress, The Next Step Rav Michael Laitman's Talk with Women, September 25, cancongress_shiurnashim_ doc What can be said to women who find the separation between men and women demeaning? In order to correct a woman s soul, being at live lessons won t help, and why else would one need all this? By doing so, a woman will bring distortion into the group and only lose out in 22

24 the process. So, don t strive for this, stay home. I m telling you seriously. Please understand that such are the laws of nature. You can t change this. In Bnei Baruch, Israel we also have plenty of such women who want to worm themselves in everywhere. You don t need any of this. A woman should quietly help from home and put pressures through the others, the way she knows how to. We ll learn how to do this, I ll teach you. Women gain when they pressure the men correctly and force them toward unification and attainment. What can you get from sitting next to the men at the lessons? So you sit there, hug them, sing with them, drink a little, so what? This doesn t mean anything for a woman s soul..we will study the appropriate material with the female part as well. Don t see just the male part of humanity as that which is doing correction. Instead you should feel that women are not just equal but rather the main participants in this process because the correction happens for your sake, for the sake of the spiritual female part. However, women have different intentions. A woman s intention is to bring the entire woman s group to a state where they compel the men to pay attention to spiritual development. The men lack this pressure, even though they don t realize it yet. However, they will realize that they need serious women around them who will push them ahead and direct them. They don t need to feel these women or see them. They simply need to feel that there is this pressure from within. It is the same way a man goes to work in the morning, knowing that he has to do it because he has his house, family and kids on his shoulders, therefore he feels obliged. Such an obligation must also be felt by a man in regard to the spiritual. He must not only feel his personal obligation, but also particularly this need from the women. This is not simple. 23

25 Kabbalah Library Home / Rav Michael Laitman / Talks / To the woman of XXI century, About the Need for Women to Unite 60?/eng/content/view/full/46460&main How did the feminist movement contribute to our development? Today it is already clear why women want to take everything upon themselves, why they don t want to be dependent on men, why they re organizing everything between themselves. They are naturally more dependent, but they don't want this dependence, because they cannot stand it. It is impossible to be dependent on the part of nature that suddenly begins to malfunction and fails to provide them with what they demand and deserve. Therefore, on one hand, the manifestations of feminism are unnatural, but on the other hand, they are a natural result of today's crisis. And, of course, we need to take this into account. Do we have a choice?! This is the larger part of humanity, its stronger half, and right now it s coming out ahead. Today there s still the influence of religion and other remnants, which hinder this process. If, however, liberation of conventionalities takes place in religion and in all the other areas, where man traditionally held the leading role, our world will acquire an entirely different nature the one that it should acquire to the extent of its corruption and oppositeness to the spiritual world. We ve said that in the roots man prevails over woman, whereas in our case it is the opposite, as our world is truly opposite to the spiritual one. 24

26 E. Litvar: Is this phenomenon positive or negative? M. Laitman: Neither, it is natural in equilibrium with nature. Nature thus balances itself between the two worlds. Hence, opposites must be located one opposite the other. It is precisely the fact that today woman is ahead and out at the forefront, that she asserts herself as dominant and a leader, as the stronger and more energetic constituent, whether she wants to or not, all this testifies to the fact that our world is uncorrected, wrecked and in a state of crisis. As soon as we begin to emerge out of this crisis and utilize Kabbalah to do so, the natural contacts and interrelationships between our world and the Upper World will be established. Optimal relationships will begin to form within our world between all of its parts man will instantly rise and become the leader in this life, and woman will gladly accept this. Man will become more dependable, not like he is today. Rav Michael Laitman / Talks / To the woman of XXI century / Man and Woman, A talk between the scientist and Kabbalist Michael Laitman with the Kabbalah Academy instructors, Michael Sanilevich and Yevgeniy Litvar, July 10, 2007, sections: What does a woman want? Paragraph 7 ff. and Should women rule the world? Paragraph

27 CORRECTION OF A WOMAN'S SOUL What is the root of a woman s soul, and how does it differ from a man s? According to the Kabbalah, the Creator, the giving force is the spiritual root of the male part of reality, and the soul's desire to receive the abundance is the feminine root of the female part of reality. Between Men and Women kabbalah.info htm *** There are men and then there are women, because there is the Creator and then there's the creature, created by Him two of them, two partners in this tango. There is the prototype of the Creator the giving, dominant leader that's the male root. And then there's the creature receiving, drawing closer to the Creator, bringing them together the female root. The same applies to our life in this world. If we were to act correctly, clearly understanding how these two roots are implanted in nature and interconnected, then we would do quite well both men and women. After all, it is not just us, but all of the nature before us is divided from above downwards into clear-cut male and female roots. Kabbalah Library Home / Rav Michael Laitman / Talks / To the woman of XXI century, Man and Woman, 10 July,

28 60?/eng/content/view/full/46460&main 27

29 How is a woman more corrected and closer to nature than a man? A woman looks for the meaning of occurrences more than men do because she comes from the spiritual root where the feeling of need is deeper than in men. Therefore, she feels it more. A man comes from the side of the bestowing, from the side of the Creator, while a woman comes from the side of creation. All creation consists of ten Sefirot, separated into two parts: the first nine Sefirot pertain to the male structure, and the tenth Sefira Malchut pertains to the female. To put it in simpler terms, Sefirot mean properties. The first nine properties represent the property of bestowal, which comes from above in relation to Malchut, which is the creation. Hence, a man has an imprint of the first nine Sefirot, and a woman has an imprint of Malchut, the tenth Sefira. This tenth Sefira consists completely of the need to receive fulfillment.... However, in addition to the feeling of need, she also received a great power of opposition, restraint, and stability from nature. Everything is in balance in a woman. About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, Talk 2, By Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 19, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel, Text- Q1-H3 *** 28

30 A woman feels reality, the world, nature, and the ground underneath her feet, differently because according to her nature, she herself gives birth and continues life. There is a certain part in her that men do not have. After all, the Creator gives birth and continuation and a woman gives birth and continuation. So, which one of us is more like the Creator is still in question. We, men, lack the force that would allow us to give birth and to raise. We are like a transmission link between the Creator and the woman just like Israel is the link between the Creator and the nations of the world. A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, Talk 3, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, January 16, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel, Text-Q _sicha_bb_q-a-al-itkadmut-ruhanit-shel-isha_3.doc What is a woman s greatest and deepest desire, and how does it differ from a man s? It expresses all the secrets of their hearts, all the depth of the desire for spiritual attainment and revelation of the answer to the question what is the meaning of my life, which a woman asks, all the sorrow caused by the fact that she is incapable of attaining the spiritual alone and therefore feels a greater lack of power than a man, since she wants to reach her correction. A woman is nature. It is a very strong force, and it is important for men to feel it. After all, it is not the same force that a man possesses. A man is more torn away from our nature. He 29

31 is more of a philosopher and a rationalist. The force of a woman is much more real....her desire is natural and deep. Men can do anything they want and become confused in different things, while a woman is much more down to business. She strives for the spiritual because she wants it. She understands that there is no life without it. Men can still be tempted to go in different directions, but a woman s desire is much more deep, natural, and genuine. A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, Talk 3, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, January 16, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel What needs to be corrected in a woman s soul, and how is this done? A woman does not unite with other women in a group, in love for her neighbor or for her girlfriends, but rather she unites with other women only through helping each other disseminate Kabbalah. She doesn t receive help directly from above, the way the men s group does, but receives it through the men s group. This is explained in the story about the reception of the Torah, where the men carry out the condition of Mutual Guarantee (Arvut), and the women support them with their desire. As a result they receive it together - the men conduct the Light to the women. The difference is only the order in which they receive the Light from Above, and it practically doesn t matter. That is to say, a 30

32 woman doesn t feel it in any way if she studies and disseminates. Moreover, a woman should study Kabbalah only to the extent that she feels a need to do so, and no more than that, whereas the men are obligated to study between one and three hours a day. Sailing On, Bnei Baruch World Kli s Blog, Woman s Correction, June 29, *** A woman must study for at least half an hour a day. Moreover, it is best if she listens to a part of the morning lesson on a daily basis. Our lesson is divided into three parts, and the third part of the lesson is usually more universal. Therefore, she can listen to the third part of the lesson or to my lectures for the general public. A woman doesn t need to understand in detail the arrangement of the universe and to know the acting mechanism of the laws of spiritual physics. For a woman it is enough to have a general understanding, and she should devote all other time to dissemination and help. Because of this she joins the male part and gives them her desire, her Hissaron. This is her spiritual contribution, through which she becomes corrected. About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, Talk 2, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 19, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel, Question 13 31

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34 If a female soul is the will to receive, how will this change during correction? A woman is the desire, and a man is the correction of the desire, the intention of bestowal. In our world, a woman waits for a man to do something, such as to marry her, and her part in this is relatively passive. This comes from the spiritual roots: When the soul acquires the intention of bestowal, it is called a man, whereas a soul that s unable to bestow is called a woman. The parts of the Kli or soul are also called male and female for the same reason. So, without paying attention to your gender in this world, start being a man that is, actively participate in your private correction and humanity s common correction! Otherwise, regardless of your gender in this world, you are a woman. laitman.com, Kabbalah and the Meaning of Life Michael Latiman s Personal Blog, Men, Women, and the Soul s Correction, Posted September 7, Do women cross Machsom? A woman enters Kabbalah and the upper world in the same way a man does. During the period of incarnation when we are located in our world, before we pass the Machsom (the boundary separating our world from the spiritual) and leave the perceptions of our world, 33

35 what type of body (male or female) our soul inhabits is significant. Afterwards, when souls pass the Machsom and enter the perceptions of the Upper world, it is no longer significant who is a man and who is a woman. We will all be Kabbalists the soul does not have a gender. Of course, there are differences between souls, but they are not purely based on gender. The differences regard what part of the common soul each of the souls relates to. Kabbalah Library Home / Rav Michael Laitman / Booklets / Relationships / The Purpose of Creation, paragraphs 14, 8 & Do women need men to attain spirituality? Yes. Women receive the Light through men. The duty to correct themselves and the world lies solely on men. The wife s role is to help. Our world is designed in the likeness of the Upper World. Learn from it. The Kabbalah Experience by Rav Michael Laitman, Chapter 12, Reflections and Thoughts, Page 417 ebook available at: *** A man needs the desire for spiritual advancement that a 34

36 woman must give him. She must support and encourage him, and give him strength. She should expect that he will attain the spiritual. Due to this, equipped with strength and armor, a man sets out for spiritual attainments the same way that formerly, he left his cave to hunt and bring food home. This is a very important part, through which a woman supplements the work of a man, and without it a man cannot reach the spiritual. Women are able to do this work wonderfully. If we talk to psychologists, we see that everything a man does in the world, he does in order to be liked by women. Pride, strength, power, and the desire to rise above others, are to a great extent roused by a man s need to appear a man in the eyes of a woman. This is a reflection of a spiritual state, which, of course, is not connected to our egoism, but the attitude itself remains. In other words, an unsatisfied desire that emanates from a woman, reaches a man, and the man uses this desire in order to reach the spiritual. We can say that a woman wakes the desire in a man, and the man turns this desire to the Upper Force, acquires spiritual advancement for himself, and shares it with the woman. A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 11, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel, Paragraph 3, _sicha_bb_q&a-al-itkadmut-ruhanit-shel-isha.doc 35

37 How does a woman know that she is making sufficient and correct advancement? Only the Creator knows and only He can give the answer regarding our advancement. We must turn to Him with this request and demand an answer. In Kabbalah it is called going above reason, meaning above our knowledge and understanding. Every step we make, if it is genuine, should make us rise to the next degree. But the thoughts and desires in the next degree are not just opposite to the ones in the current degree; they are completely different! The Kabbalah Experience, Michael Laitman, PhD, Page What are the ways in which women can approach the Creator? Question: We received a question concerning women s intention. When a woman does dissemination or reads, should her appeal be directed at the Creator, or should she address the Creator through the male part? Rav s answer: No, her appeal should be to the Creator directly. Women pray the same way as men do. Only the need for fulfillment, which should be realized while she does this, goes through the male part. 36

38 Let s suppose that there is a woman who is somewhere on the edge of the earth, and she has no men who study Kabbalah nearby. She studies with us through the Internet in a different language. How it happens is completely irrelevant. Still, if a woman prays and asks the Upper Force for spiritual elevation, it will nonetheless come through the Kli, which is called the male part, and which is ultimately the common soul, from which she receives the fulfillment. Question: So, she needs to appeal directly to the Creator to the extent that she feels Him? Rav s answer: We learn that in almost all cases, it is carried out through the inclusion of Malchut into the Tet Rishonot (the first nine Sefirot). This means that the female part tunes into the male part, and then into the Creator. However, she doesn t even need to know about this. It is simply the way this process is arranged. First Adam was created, and then from Adam, Chava and everyone else (their children and so on) were created. It happens the same way with us. We raise our pleas about fulfillment by following the same path. In other words, Chava (the female part) should transmit it to Adam, and he, in turn, transmits it above. A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 11, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel 11_sicha_bb_q&a-al-itkadmut-ruhanit-shel-isha.doc 37

39 Does a woman s soul ever reincarnate in the body of a man, or vice versa? The soul does have a specific gender: male or female. That attribute extends from the root of creation, from the very beginning. Zeir Anpin (male) and Malchut (female) of the world of Atzilut are the prototypes of the genders in our world, and there are no greater opposites than these. Throughout the system of creation, built from up downward, there is a division, a separation into a feminine part and masculine part. The lower the degree of creation, the coarser and simpler it becomes, and the more overlap there is between the masculine and feminine parts. For example, in plants there is almost no division by sex. But the more the creatures develop, meaning the higher up they are on the ladder of evolution, the more distinct they become. In the spiritual world, this oppositeness is very obvious. One does not cancel the other, but complements it. Without the feminine part, the system of creation is inconceivable. The masculine part depends on the feminine part and waits for it. Yes, it is true men and women have different kinds of souls. But the souls of men are neither better nor worse than those of women. They are simply different kinds of souls, and hence their corrections are different. 38

40 The Kabbalah Experience, by Rav Michael Laitman, Chapter 6, Soul, Body and Reincarnation, Page ebook available at: 39

41 UNITY What does unity mean for women, and how is it different from men? Women need to unite in mutual work with the goal of wakening the men and bringing them together, so that the men would unite with each other and reach the spiritual through this unification. Then through unification and a mutual guarantee between the men, the spiritual will also spread onto the women. As a result, everyone will be a single union the male and the female part of the nation or of all mankind. Men unite through love toward the neighbor while women unite with the goal of exerting pressure on the men through the common force of unfulfilled desire. Therefore, this is called help against him : a woman helps in that she informs the man of the need. He needs to work because of her; because she needs to feed the children, he needs to make money and provide for the family. Thousands of years ago, a man went out to hunt in order to bring home food, and today he goes to the factory or the office to bring home a paycheck. In essence, a woman is concerned with the continuation of existence, and a man brings fulfillment into this existence. About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, Talk 2, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 19, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel, Page

42 Why is it important for women to be organized? The whole world group, as well as each group individually, consists of an inner men s group and a women s groups that surrounds it and one cannot exist without the other. Moreover, when I look at a group (and we find that we have approximately two million students and accordingly, quite a few groups), I evaluate the group according to its female part. A strong, organized, and close-knit women s group is a guarantee that the inner men s group will continue to exist, become stronger, expand, develop, and ascend spiritually. This is because women, with their desire, organization, pressure, and concern about the fact that they can only reach the spiritual through the men, will ensure that the men advance. Therefore, before all else, I look at the female part of the group, and if the female part is adequately organized, significant and strong, we can say that the men are provided for. We notice the same thing in the family. In the Torah, the woman is the home. She equips, supports, and preserves; she is the foundation of this construction called a home. A home is the Kli for the perception and revelation of the spiritual; therefore, the group, which is the home, is mostly organized by women. The men are the connecting link between the home and the Upper Force, which in itself is a huge mission. A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, December 11, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel, Page 4 41

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44 RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER How do women relate to each other virtually and physically? Women should organize amongst themselves in order to study together a little and exchange advice on how to internally conceive and influence the men through pressure from the heart. In accordance with what nature allows them, they can share advice with each other and talk about different things. However, there should not be any mutual connections based on love and friendship. This is unnecessary for the spiritual, and I think it can only hinder the path. We need to listen to the nature in us as much as possible, to see it the way Kabbalists tell us, and realize it accordingly. If women want to meet, they should do this only in order to read an article together and slightly touch upon this topic of how to increase the men s desire. Maybe once a month they should write to the men about how the women expect spiritual advancement from the men and how they want with all of their hearts to help them advance in the spiritual. They can write it together or separately. It is better for women to have as little contact with each other as possible. A woman acts correctly if she works from her home and helps either one man or the men s group. 43

45 A Talk About the Spiritual Advancement of Women, by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, January 16, 2007, Tel Aviv, Israel *** Spiritual work among women consists of talking about how to influence the men, how to help them and support them so they would reach a spiritual reward, spiritual fulfillment from above. And of course, women need to interact in mutual work. In other words, they need to develop a work relationship between them, but not an inner one, from soul to soul. They can talk about the fact that they want to influence the men through their work and their inner desire, so they would advance. And they will receive fulfillment in this desire for the men to advance. They should talk about the greatness of the goal, but not about what I want and what I feel, but about how great and meaningful the goal itself is. Then they are talking about the goal and the greatness of the Upper Force. They can unite for this benefit. In other words, one woman should not create any special connection in relation to another woman this cannot exist between women. However, the connection that gives men the need is possible among women, and it exists for the benefit of creation. The dissemination of Kabbalah, their relationship with each other, their collaborative studies and work everything should 44