Awakening to Kabbalah: The Guiding Light of Spiritual Fulfillment [Hardcover]

Rav Michael Laitman (PhD) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2005

Your world is ready for change. Make it happen, with guidance from one of the greatest Kabbalists of our generation.

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, sees Kabbalah as a science that deals with drawing near to the Creator. It studies the system of creation, examines how the Creator conducts this system, and how creation can rise to the level of the Creator. It is a method of reaching spiritual fulfillment. Through the study of Kabbalah, you too can learn to direct your heart--and consequently your life--toward success, tranquility, peace, and happiness.

In this distinctive, personal, and awe-filled introduction to an ancient wisdom tradition, Rav Laitman--a disciple of the great Kabbalist Rabbi Baruch Ashlag (son of Yehuda Ashlag)--provides you with a deeper understanding of the fundamental teachings of Kabbalah, and how you can use this wisdom to clarify your relationship with others and the world around you. Using language both scientific and poetic, he probes the most profound questions of spirituality and existence, including:
* What is the meaning of my life?
* Why is there suffering in the world?
* Is reincarnation part of spiritual life?
* How can I attain the best state of existence possible?

This provocative, unique guide will inspire and invigorate you to see beyond the world as it is and the limitations of your everyday life, become closer to the Creator, and reach new depths of the soul.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By the author's own admission, this book may seem "dry, schematic... unemotional," more instruction manual than heart-moving guide. Laitman comes from a very specific school of thought regarding Kabbalah, originating from a belief that his mentor, Baruch Ashlag, carried a reincarnated soul that originated with the biblical patriarchs, passed to the rabbi known as the Ari and finally to Ashlag's father, Baal HaSulam. Kabbalah, as Laitman sees it, requires one to "rise to the spiritual world while living in this world," but this "can only be achieved through the right study, with the real books" written by rabbis in this particular lineage. Unfortunately, his efforts to make Baal HaSulam relevant to our current times result in thin and sometimes contradictory arguments. In discussing the importance of the numbers seven and 70, for example, he refers to 70 nations in the world today (there are nearly 200) and an average life span of 70 years, which is too low both in fact and for his schema of the Messiah's return to make mathematical sense. More revealing of the exclusive, myopic nature of interpretation than of the world of Kabbalah, this guide will serve few readers other the followers of Baal HaSulam. (Jan.)
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From the Inside Flap

Explore the foundations of Kabbalah with one of the greatest Kabbalists of our generation and learn how the teachings of this wisdom tradition can contribute to your search for awareness, enlightenment, and ultimate spiritual fulfillment. Infused with insight from his experience as a scientist, Rav Michael Laitman introduces the historical figures who have developed Kabbalah since the time of Abraham, addresses the kabbalistic significance of the Torah and the mystical interpretation of the Zohar, and explains how anyone with the desire to do so can draw nearer to the Creator using the tools he provides.

It's never too late to reach new heights of spirituality, affect positive changes in your own life and make a difference in the world. This stunning exploration will help get you started today.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (October 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580232647
• ISBN-13: 978-1580232647
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,819,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Laitman is the founder and president of the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute, which is dedicated to teaching and sharing the wisdom of Kabbalah. Professor of Ontology, PhD in Philosophy and Kabbalah, and MSc in bio-Cybernetics. Father of three and grandfather of three.

Dr. Laitman has received the unlikely distinction of being today's foremost authority on authentic Kabbalah. His research and study led him to ancient sources which reveal a science about how the natural laws of living systems work in human thought and desire, and the direct way this impacts human relations globally.

He is the author of The Complete Idiots Guide to Kabbalah, as well as thirty other books on the subject published in fourteen languages. In his book, From Chaos to Harmony, written in 2005 - long before the current financial crisis erupted - he laid out in detail, what would cause it, the positive purpose the crisis would serve, and what change people would need to undergo to solve it.
A warm engaging personality, with a down-to-earth concern for others, Dr. Laitman spends his every waking hour writing, teaching and traveling the world to dialog and exchange ideas, taking insights from these encounters to bring the knowledge of nature's general law of love and interdependence down to a practical everyday level, where it's needed most - in the family, education, science, commerce and the arts. His goal is to empower individuals to connect and quickly influence change in human behavior, matching the challenge of the new world we all now face.

As a member of the World Wisdom Council, he has collaborated with scientists, spiritual and political leaders, thinkers, artists, academics and social theorists.

Together with all this activity, he runs the Bnei Baruch international educational institute which provides open web-based classes daily on www.kab.tv, and produces books, films, a TV channel and other media all dedicated to the message of the unity of people, nations and the love of humanity - and all of it provided completely free to everyone who wants it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduces the reader to many historical figures of Kabbalah since Abrahamic times, April 4, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Awakening to Kabbalah: The Guiding Light of Spiritual Fulfillment (Hardcover)

Awakening To Kabbalah: The Guiding Light Of Spiritual Fulfillment by Rav Laitman is an outstanding documentation of the author's observations on spiritual enlightenment, metaphysical awareness, and fulfillment that through the years as a spiritualist and scientist has come to understand. Insightfully progressive, Awakening To Kabbalah introduces the reader to many historical figures of Kabbalah since Abrahamic times, as well as informs of an intricate and enabling path to ultimate contentment. Awakening To Kabbalah is very strongly recommended to non-specialist general readers with an interest in Jewish Mysticism in general, and Metaphysical Studies in particular.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a genuine book on Kabbalah, December 14, 2005

By 

Alex Hayter "Alex" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Awakening to Kabbalah: The Guiding Light of Spiritual Fulfillment (Hardcover)

Having read hundred of books on the subject of Kabbalah I had become very despondent. Most of the books I have read on Kabbalah had been watered down with esoteric teachings such as Tarot, Meditation and other such things. This wasn't what I was looking for.

Finally I came across Michael Laitmans book and finally I have found what I was looking for. No red strings, no holy water or other such things, just real Kabbalah taught in a logical and easily understandable way.

If you have ever wondered what the meaning of life is then you need look no further than this book. An excellent, excellent work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kabbalah as a System, handled by the creator, March 17, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Awakening to Kabbalah: The Guiding Light of Spiritual Fulfillment (Hardcover)

Rav Michael Laitman, Ph.D.'s AWAKENING TO KABBALAH: THE GUIDING LIGHT OF SPIRITUAL FULFILLMENT blends spirituality and mysticism in its survey of a science which handles drawing closer to the Creator. His study considers Kabbalah as a system and considers how the Creator handles such a system, showing how a study of Kabbalah can help direct individuals to success. From understanding how Kabbalah relates to life to considering how its basic teachings apply to the world, AWAKENING TO KABBALAH is an important guide indeed.