Yehuda Leib Alevi Ashlag, better known as Baal HaSulam, is considered one of the greatest enlighteners of the Kabbalistic ideas of the last century. His second and best known name to the world, which stands for "Master of the Stairs," he received after the publication of his commentary "Sulam" (Staircase) on the book of the Zohar.
The beginning of the path of the great philosopher
He was born in Warsaw (Poland) in 1884. From the very beginning, he chose the path of religious enlightenment: by the age of 19, Baal HaSulam became a rabbi, that is, he received a scientific title allowing him to interpret Jewish law. He joined the human rights defenders, having worked for 16 years as a judge, while at the same time teaching young rabbis his craft. However, the Baal-Sulam was attracted by the religious and ethical side of Judaism, and soon the philosopher plunged into the interpretation and rethinking of the teachings of Kabbalah, which became the work of his life.
Educational activities in Jerusalem
Meir Rabinovich became his first spiritual teacher, later Baal HaSulam studied with his son, Rabbi Yoshua. The result of his enlightenment was the move to the Old City of Jerusalem in 1921. Then the rabbi was already quite famous for his interpretations of Kabbalah, and in 1922 a circle of students formed around the philosopher, with whom they studied it together. Baal HaSulam did not abandon his academic studies, exploring the issues of Judaism in the yeshiva (the Jewish analogue of the theological seminary) “Hai Olam”.
First publications
He spent several years (1926–1928) in London. It was at that time that his comments “Panim Meirot” and “Panim Masbirot” were published on the book “The Tree of Life” (“Etz Chaim”) of the then-famous Kabbalist Yitzhak Luria. During his departure, the philosopher kept in touch with his students, conducting active correspondence, which in 1985 will also be published under the title “Fruits of Wisdom. Letters. "
The Last Works of the Kabbalist
Upon his return to Palestine, he was actively engaged in writing and educational activities. In 1933, Sulam began writing his main work, “The Doctrine of the Ten Sephiroth,” which lasted about twenty years. Soon after the publication of his work, in 1954, the philosopher passed away. A Kabbalist is buried on Har ha-Menuhot (Mount of Peace). This is a cemetery that is located at the entrance to Jerusalem.
Heritage
In total, 30 books of Baal HaSulam were published. Thanks to his work, he received the status of the founder of the modern doctrine of Kabbalah. Yehuda described the practical application of this religious trend, during which a person will be able to know himself and the depth of the world around him. According to his ideas, Kabbalah can become the basis of the ethical and political transformation of society. The main idea of the teachings of the Baal HaSulam can be described as follows: God is an absolute good that gives everything and takes nothing in return. Following His will, we will be able to overcome our desire to receive something by learning to bring something into this world in return. So we can become kind by nature.
Philosophical and religious reflections on the essence of man
The philosopher tried to convey this idea to the general public as much as possible. Most of his articles (Peace, One Law, Free Will) are intended for readers who are just beginning to study Kabbalah. In them, the author discusses self-knowledge and how much depth his teaching can bring to this process. So, in “Free Will”, the Baal HaSulam speaks of the measure of freedom, of how correctly we interpret the concept itself. He believes that man is initially free only to a certain limit, God controls him. Only by understanding what he can influence, and what he cannot change from the beginning, can a person gain freedom. “Our life is between pleasure and suffering,” says the philosopher. We cannot escape suffering when we see a distant target and know that these are forced measures. Even more difficult for us to give up any pleasures. The sulam concludes that man cannot change his essence, but he is subject to a change in the environment.
In his article “Body and Soul,” Yehuda describes the relationship of Kabbalistic teachings to various theories about the essence of man. The doctrine excludes the construction of any theories and claims that everything around and the man himself is the result of a sensation of his five senses. Everything that an individual passes through himself is called the term “revealed,” that is, something already conscious. Everything that a person can still discover for himself, the Kabbalist calls “hidden,” potential. One way of knowing this “hidden” knowledge is to discover it through the sixth sense. Sulam concludes that Kabbalah is a practical tool for educating the sixth sense in yourself.
The ideological basis of Kabbalistic teachings
The next step in his teachings after a person reaches the desired level of self-knowledge is considered to be a direct acquaintance with what Kabbalah offers. Shulam described the ideology and application of the teachings in such works: “The Science of Kabbalah and Its Essence”, “Comparative Analysis of Kabbalah and Philosophy”, “The Science of Kabbalah and Modern Sciences” and others. In them, he describes ways to achieve the main goal of all teachings - the personification of the Higher power.
Yehuda believed that there are two ways to achieve this desire. The first involves going down from above to our world, from knowing the Higher Power to revealing it around us. Such a path was called the “descent of the worlds” or “Sefirot”. Another option involves a gradual rise along the same spiritual ladder from the realities of our world to the highest divine goodness, and the Kabbalists called it "comprehension of the Higher power."
All these reflections are more fully described in his fundamental textbook, The Teaching of the Ten Sephiroth. In it, Sulam describes the whole process of working on his spiritual beginning, changing his nature by approaching the Creator. Some quotes from the Baal HaSulam in which he talks about how internal changes should take place are:
It is necessary to destroy the iron wall, which by its existence separates us from the science of Kabbalah.
It is necessary to correct your nature from selfish to altruistic.
Baal HaSulam and the Book of Zohar
What was the most important? The main work of the Baal HaSulam is his commentary on the book of Sefer HaZohar (The Book of Radiance). This work is revered by the Kabbalists as sacred and is taken as the basis of all teaching. It is a commentary on the Pentateuch of Moses, in which three learned men discuss among themselves ambiguous passages in the Holy Scriptures. The book expresses the principle of the unity of being, the merging of good and evil into common attributes of the Higher Power, arguing, however, that the latter will completely disappear as soon as the world reaches a blissful future.
Of course, the complex ancient and semi-mystical religious text could not be understood by the general public and needed interpretation. The comments of Zohar Baal HaSulam gained the greatest popularity.
In the first parts of his explanation, the author talks about the purpose of the Book of Radiance, arguing that it is there that the essence of the relationship between man and the Universe is revealed. According to Kabbalists, the soul of any person is a particle of the creator. This means that there are no differences in their basis, except that the Creator is something whole, and man is part of this whole. It is in the Zohar that describes how to move from a state of fragmentation to spiritual integrity. In the framework of the so-called “studies” in the commentary-preface, the Kabbalist summarizes the essence of each chapter of the Zohar, describing what philosophical questions each of them hides. So, the book raises the following questions:
- the connection of evil and the will of the Creator;
- the essence of the resurrection of the dead;
- interconnection of spiritual worlds;
- purpose of creating creations.
In his introduction, the author successively explains each of these aspects, and in the article-conclusion he sums up what a person should come to, having made a merger with the Creator.
The consistency, depth, and simplicity of thoughts that Yehuda sets forth have made him the main modern teacher of ancient Jewish teachings, perpetuating his works in history. However, it attracts the interest not only of the followers of Kabbalah, but also of people interested in finding alternative ways of spiritual knowledge, many of them of non-Jewish origin. So, at one time, the singer Madonna went on a pilgrimage to the mausoleum of the famous philosopher.