Laibl Wolf - Practical Kabbalah: A Guide to Jewish Wisdom for Everyday Life

Part One:

Part Two:

T HERE ARE COUNTLESS individuals who have contributed to this book, and I am indebted to them all. However, in particular it would be remiss of me not to publicly acknowledge the following individuals whose support and encouragement have been a source of real inspiration. To those who have been instrumental in constructing the building blocks of my faith: my master and teacher, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory; my spiritual mentor, Rabbi Shneur Zalmen Serebryanski, of blessed memory; my parentsReb Pinchos and Regina Wolfmay they continue to live many and healthy years; my brother Don, whose acumen has always been of assistance to me. My sincere thanks to Emanuel Althaus, Morry Fraid, Efrem Harkham, Uri Harkham, Lynette and Menachem Joel, Eric Kornhauser, Moni Liberman, Garth Symond, Jeffrey Weiss, who have made the work of writing this book possible through their kindness and generosity. Adrienne Weiss of Adrienne Weiss Corporation has always extended herself and given me both practical advice and friendship, and Julie Frank of Fifty Plus Expo was the one who moved this undertaking from square one and has been invaluable, as has the energy and exuberance of Roselyn Cosentino. Thanks to my literary agent, Frank Waiman of The Literary Group, without whom this book would not have seen the light of day. My sincere thanks to the special team at Random House: Laura Wood, who was so patient with a first-time author; and Doug Pepper, with whom an immediate chemistry imbued me with confidence in a great publishing company; Jessica Schulte, who steered the book to completion; Brian Belfiglio and Ari Gersen, whose gifts of making the unknown better known have served this book so well; and Jim Walsh, for his painstaking and loving care of aesthetics and style. Thanks as well to Judith Estrine, whose talent for formulating my often convoluted sentences and obtuse grammar into something that the reader can read with lucidity and ease is appreciated. I must acknowledge some special friendsfriends being as precious as pearlsNachman and Ilana Guriel, who have kept me physically functional, and a special person whose friendship I treasure since the first grade in junior school when we first metArnold Rosenbaum. The Human Development Institute that I founded has been in the administrative hands of a talented and astute expatriate Australian, Rabbi Moshe Raitman, who has been solely responsible for the success of my various lecture tours, ably assisted by a special Mordechai Smith. At a time when information has become increasingly democratized and accessible, Web page managers are central to spreading the word. Thank you, Moshe Merwitz and Yisroel Meyer, for your generosity of time and expertise.

Acharon acharon chavivthe very last is the dearest of all. To my dear wife, Leah, and my children, Olamit and my son-in-law Eli, Yaakov and my daughter-in-law Daniella, Devorah and my son-in-law Abba, Moshe, Menachem, Chaya, and Yisroel. You have sometimes had an absent husband and father, and therefore your individual greatness is a tribute to your own gifts. Thank you for putting up with me and being so loving.

To the Creator, for providing for me with a life of fulfillment and so many wonderful opportunities to grow, discover, and share with others.

K abbalah is an ancient Jewish wisdom that explains the eternal laws of how spiritual energy moves through the Cosmos. For many centuries holy men have spent their lives immersed in the study of its mystical teachings. Library shelves are filled with thick volumes of arcane Kabbalistic commentary that illuminate tiny elements of its myriad levels of profound truth.

To truly understand the Kabbalah one must spend a lifetime committed to study and prayer. Yet even without delving deeply into its esoteric depths, the wisdom it embodies can enrich our lives in innumerable ways. In Practical Kabbalah we will embark on a spiritual adventure with a down-to-earth destination.

We all seek to imbue our lives with meaning and purpose. We aspire to clarity of vision and strength of conviction. Unfortunately, very few of us are born possessing the ability to act instinctively on our innate purpose.

I wrote this book to make the basic teachings of the Kabbalah relevant to daily life while at the same time providing the modern reader with a taste of the original intent. Self-understanding and personal mastery are the goals. Toward this end we will examine what the Kabbalah says regarding the nature of Mind and Heart. We will engage in simple imaging exercises and use as our guide the principles of Hassidic psychology as expressed through the school of Chabad Lubavitch Hassidism.

Practical Kabbalah is divided into two sections. The first provides a general introduction to the tradition of Kabbalah. We will look at some personalities and concepts and explore the fascinating parallels between Kabbalah and other spiritual traditions. In the second section we will study the ten spiritual flows known as the