The Kabbalah Centre Report SPARK VOL. 4
Interviews with Karen, Yehuda & Michael Berg The Ivory Coast Miracles A Day in the Life: Chevre KCA & Team Kabbalah Updates www.kabbalah.com
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
letter to our donors
the end of chaos
The Rav once explained that people do not really understand the Kabbalah Centre. The mission of the Kabbalah Centre is more than teaching and spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah. The Rav teaches that our goal is to end pain, suffering and chaos in the world; to manifest the purpose of creation; a perfected reality without any separation, duality, wars or diseases. In 1922 Rav Ashlag foresaw a cloud of darkness that would descend on the world. He was certain that through the study of Kabbalah - the conscious awareness that develops when engaging in the wisdom - and the light that it generates would banish the darkness and negativity that was destined to come to the world. To this end Rav Ashlag began the Kabbalah Centre. This vision and mission has been the purpose and driving force of the Centre since the opening of our doors. Every book we publish, every project we begin, every class we teach, every flyer we create is only to further this original purpose. This is why making a contribution to the various charitable projects of the Kabbalah Centre is more than doing good work for a good cause. Whether you are contributing financially, or donating your time, effort, and talents to support the Kabbalah Centre, you are contributing to this original goal. We cannot achieve Rav Ashlag’s vision without a strong community constantly striving to overcome their negative inclination, and instead, selflessly sharing with others with this consciousness in mind. Whether you are a parent that contributes tirelessly to a bake sale 1
SPARK
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
supporting the Kabbalah Children’s Academy; or you use vacation time to go to unchartered territories to share the Zohar with those starving for spiritual fulfillment; or you are dedicated to feeding the homeless every Sunday with the Community Outreach program, you are in fact revealing the light and removing the darkness. This magazine is for all students who have stood by the Kabbalah Centre; supporting the mission of the Rav and Karen to eliminate chaos, pain and suffering from the world. We sincerely thank you for your commitment towards this goal. It is with this intention that this SPARK edition was created – to help every student feel a stronger connection and closeness to our work and our mission; that you are doing much more than “good work for a good cause.” With this in mind, we are pleased to offer you an inside view to the Kabbalah Centre and the community within the organization. Whether it’s a glimpse into the lives of Karen, Yehuda and Michael Berg, or the chevre, who describe themselves as students and volunteers just like you; a student in Ivory Coast and his determination to share Kabbalah despite his country’s challenges; or the impact a school is having on future young leaders of tomorrow, we hope these stories inspire you to continue to serve the global mission of the Kabbalah Centre and to feel closer as a global community.
contents 1.
Letter to our Donors
2.
The Rav’s Consciousness Message
3.
In Depth With Karen Berg
8.
In Depth With Yehuda Berg
13.
In Depth With Michael Berg
19.
A Day in the Life of a Chevre
24.
Determination and Dedication in Ivory Coast
27.
KCA – More Than Just a School
31.
Team Kabbalah Goes Global
Rav Berg (left) with his teacher Rav Brandwein (right).
As simple as it sounds, there is nothing more important nor more essential than sharing and caring for one another. The ideas of unity and sensitivity have always been the hallmark of the Kabbalah Centre ever since its founding in 1922. This is the most important lesson I learnt from my master and teacher, Rav Brandwein, to treat every student in need as a member of our family within the Kabbalah Centre community. Rav Brandwein saw the Light in everyone. How someone looked or acted on the outside was completely unimportant to him. “Do not look at the container, but search for what is inside. Everyone is worth our time and love.” To spread the word of the Creator, it is not necessary to correct others on their spiritual flaws. You simply need to find the deepest point within them and then bestow love. Spirituality will be the natural result. The Centres all around the globe have always had a consciousness that, while we can sometimes be physically separated, we should always feel concern for every member in the global community and for that person outside of our community who seeks our assistance. The world around us today only reinforces our convictions that we must make every effort to assist and support our friends in time of need.
consciousness from the Rav
the light in everyone
interviews
in depth with karen berg As the Kabbalah Centre grows and interest in the wisdom increases across the globe, the Rav and Karen, the teachers and chevre have more engagements and people to meet than ever before. As time goes on, it becomes increasingly difficult to make individual connections with every member of our global community. What if you had the opportunity to sit down with an individual of the Berg family and get to know them better – to ask different things you may not have the occasion to ask? We asked 15 personal and thought-provoking questions to Karen, Yehuda and Michael Berg with the hope that you will get a better glimpse of who they are as individuals and leaders of the Kabbalah Centre, as well as gain strength from their answers in your own life.
Many of us come to a place where our study of Kabbalah is more than a teaching, but something real and personal. Can you remember what incident or event made Kabbalah real for you? Karen: When I was very young we had no religion in our house. We had no calling towards anything. My grandmother lit candles on Friday night and people would come and take a bit of food and leave; that was the only ritual that existed for me. When I met the Rav, it was after I had gone through many searches and read about different cultures. When I started to learn the wisdom Kabbalah offered it fit into everything else that I learned before, only this was something I could apply to my own life. In other words,
3
SPARK
it wasn’t just something to study; it was something that I could bring inside my life. The changes I went through alienated my family and my friends; I took a step into life that was very different than anything I had ever done before. The most difficult change was to realize that I had to not only digest the teachings, but I also had to bring them to fruition in my life. They had to become a part of my every day; I had to actually live Kabbalah, not just learn Kabbalah. I understood that if I kept it only as a tool it would remain in the shed of my mind someplace. I had to take that tool and apply it into my actual every day. That was 42 years ago and I knew that my way of life would never look the same again, for better or for worse.
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
Who do you turn to for spiritual advice? Karen: I used to turn to the Rav. The Rav was the eyes in my head and I was his. Few people in the world have the opportunity to have what we had. With regard to today, quite honestly, I have to wait for “them upstairs” to allow me the answers, because there isn’t anybody that could take that place. No one was near the spiritual level that the Rav was on. So unfortunately, I must answer, in that aspect I am very much alone. What is the lesson you remember most from your teacher, the Rav? Is there one lesson or principle you remind yourself about over and over?
Karen: Perseverance. I remember watching the Rav on Rosh Hashanah, standing in one place with his feet together at a podium without
moving for 4 hours. I remember times when the Rav was sick with a high fever, and yet he stood himself up and did the prayers. If he believed that something was real he would turn hell over; nothing would stop him. He would just go to the point and plod, and plod until he finally got there. Definitely perseverance. He was the most persevering person that I had ever met and that’s the reason we built the Centre the way we did. The most difficult lesson for me is to understand that whatever is happening is here to bring me/us to some other level. When it seems like someone is at your door saying, “We’re going to come in and we’re going to rob you,” you have to say to yourself, “Okay, where is it that I took something that I shouldn’t have taken?” Or when someone says, “We’re not friends anymore,” you have to say to yourself, what did I do to make that happen? Or to understand that in our everyday life the things that happen to us are the result of a higher consciousness saying, “this is what you have to do and this is how you have to get it right”. So the idea constantly in front of me is to live with the consciousness that I don’t know why I have to take that road, but I know it’s the road that is going to make things better at the end. We all struggle with doubt from time to time. Can you tell us about a time when you struggled with doubt? Karen: When we first started the Centre the word Kabbalah didn’t exist for most people. The only people that thought about these teachings were a bunch of Rabbis and small groups of people. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the Great Assembly (where the Zohar was
revealed for the first time) were 10 people; Rabbi Ashlag had maybe 20 people; Rabbi Brandwein had the same number. We are tens of thousands strong today. When we started, no one wanted us to bring this knowledge to the people. There was a great doubt, but the great doubt meant
When we were called charlatans and had stuff thrown at us, and the Rabbis didn’t want us to teach, and everybody was against us, did I have doubts? I had one doubt: whether the Light was strong enough to make us pass through that time. We did; but the reason we did was because of the
that this will be really good. People also didn’t want the Rav and me to marry; the Rav coming from the religious roots that he came from, and I came from practically no roots at all. The Ari wrote, when a soul mate union is about to happen, the world turns upside down; but if inside the two are happy then you know that it’s a soul mate marriage. Did I have a doubt just because he was 20 years older than me and from a different culture, wanted to live in a different country and a different everything? Why would I have a doubt? Of course I had doubts. But, I also had a drive because I knew this was something that we needed to do.
Rav’s perseverance. It was me that said, “Let’s go out there. We’ve got to teach the masses.” It was me that pushed all those things. The Rav said, “You know we’re going to get murdered,” and we practically were. But my doubt wasn’t whether what we were doing was the right thing for the world; my doubt was if we were going to be allowed to do it and if the timing was right to do it. I never had doubt about the reason that we were together, or that the road we were taking was the right one. I was a rebel; I always took the road not taken; that was my thing – not to be contrary, but somehow I had to do this because I
felt it was right. Oftentimes in the path of spirituality, it feels as if we make mistake after mistake. You have obviously made a lot of great decisions in your life. Can you share with us one of your biggest mistakes and what you learned from it, to give the rest of us hope? Karen: G-d knows we probably made lots of mistakes. In my own personal life, my mom and the Rav were not exactly the best of friends. Once we were visiting from Israel; we were staying in my mom’s house and it was Shabbat. Usually on Shabbat, we put the 12 loaves of challah bread on the table; the Rav says the blessing, then cuts the challah and removes them from the table. Well, on this Saturday afternoon the Rav does as he usually does, the blessing the cutting of the
challah, and with that my mother walks through the front door; as we start taking the bread off the table, I could feel the tension, and hear the cabinet doors slam, so I go in the kitchen and I say, “Mom, what’s wrong with you?” She answers, “I know the way I live is contrary to everything he does, but does he have to take the bread off the table just because I am walking into my own house?” So I tried to explain to her that that’s not really what happened. I think the mistake was that I didn’t invite her to come and join us for dinner; which, as I mentioned earlier, would have been difficult as it was not easy for her or anyone in my family to accept that I had gone from one extreme to the other in terms of spirituality. Besides the Zohar and the books of the Centre, do you have a favorite book? Karen: Unfortunately, the thing I like to do the least is read. It’s been a long time, but I remember reading Exodus years and years ago, which was a favorite book of mine. The thing I enjoyed reading the most was poetry. I used to read some of the great poets like Frost. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall / That sends the frozenground-swell under it…” Do you have a favorite food? Karen: I love Italian food (the most fattening, of course). Spaghetti and meatballs, and lasagna.
Karen & her mother in Brooklyn, NY.
5
SPARK
Do you have a favorite or funniest myth about the Kabbalah Centre or about studying Kabbalah? Karen: I was talking to someone once who didn’t know who I was. She said, “I went to that Kabbalah Centre. Do you know
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
that they do actual sacrifice? Do you know that they bring chickens into the Centre and they cut their heads off? And you know what then? They eat them.” So I said, “Oh, really? How often do they do it, once a week, once a month?” She replied, “I don’t know how often but they told me they bring these live animals and they cut their heads off in the Centre.”
“
1.) I’m a nice person. Try me, I don’t bite. 2.) I can’t imagine how anybody could be intimidated by me. -karen
”
I went on to explain Kapparot to her and the idea of changing your energy once a year before Yom Kippur. How do you achieve balance in your life with everything that you take on – as a spouse, parent, teacher, mentor, Kabbalah Centre director, lecturer, friend, and individual? Karen: Sometimes it’s very difficult. You have to prioritize. At this stage in life, I think my priority is to get out and see as many people as I can, and be a messenger. That is my priority. The children, thank G-d, are grown and are moms and dads themselves. As much as I care about them, my purpose and my goal is to
be out there and speaking to as many people as I can; and by doing so, creating a bubble of energy that will support everyone.
talking to people. I think maybe that’s why the Light allowed the Rav and me to bring this message to people.
What would you say to people who are intimidated to speak to you? Karen: I know people are, but I don’t know how to make it less intimidating. Maybe I am the only one who thinks so, but I am open to most people. I think that a lot of people are afraid because they think that I’m a very religious personality, or holy figure such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I’ve heard people say, “Well, maybe you wouldn’t understand this because of where you come from.” Many people think that I have come from a religious upbringing. It’s absolutely not true. I say to people, try me, there are a lot of things that you have in life that I have probably gone through and experienced, including most of life’s lessons. I think once people know that they might be able to approach me easier. The bottom line is that I truly see myself as being a channel and a messenger; and as a messenger I am not coming from a place of holiness. I don’t ever want to be up on a mountain; I love people too much for that. I enjoy
How do you feel when people or the media criticize the Kabbalah Centre? Karen: In the words of George Bernard Shaw, when people would say, “Oh they gave a terrible review of your show,” he would reply, “Yes, but did they spell the name right?” That was also the Rav’s response to media criticism. The media is never looking for something good to say; they’re always looking for the man that bites the dog. Especially in a place like the Kabbalah Centre which is an oddity in itself. Why is it an oddity? We teach from the five books of Moses, but 70 percent of our people are not Jewish. We have a synagogue, our prayers are in Hebrew and we read the Torah, but many of our students come from Africa and Latin America. We don’t exactly fit into a box. As a spiritual organization I feel the Light is one regardless of what you believe, and those of us inside understand this concept. For people on the outside it’s difficult to get their arms around what it is we are trying to do. I think
that’s one of the reasons why we get so much media attention.
It’s much easier to find out what’s wrong with anything than to find out what’s right. Of course we don’t like the fact that they write negative things about us, but in a way all of the negative press that has been published has brought more people to the Centre. I think people become curious, so they come and they say, “Wow, it’s really not that bad. I don’t see anything that they’re talking about.” For instance, years ago they wrote that we are a cult and we brainwash people. We have students who are doctors and lawyers and engineers and business people. Some of them have been studying Kabbalah at the Centre for 20 years and they still live very useful lives. It doesn’t seem like those people could go to work every day, live with their families, and still come to the Centre and be a part of “hocus pocus.” I think it may take a few years – as it did in the beginning when we were called charlatans – but eventually people will begin to understand what we are trying to do. I think in that light things will change. Definitely. What has been the moment when you have felt the most pressure to be the leader of the Kabbalah Centre? Karen: When the Rav had his stroke; I think that was probably the most difficult time of my life. Nobody was prepared for some-
thing like that. The Rav was always the spiritual leader. He gave the lectures. He had this aura and power. I was the one that worked with the chevre and did the behind the scenes work. After his stroke, I had to find my voice; I had to find my way. It was very difficult at that particular moment. I said to myself, “Well, we started this road together, we’ve created this mission, we’ve created these Centers and for whatever reason I have to do this job.” So I said “Okay, we’ll go on and we’ll do it,” and that’s the way it started. It wasn’t simple at all. It was very difficult. Looking back, I’m not the same person I was seven years ago. I’m certainly stronger and more forceful now; but that strength was not acquired by me; it was given to me to do what I do today.
Karen and her dog, Keeper
If you weren’t Karen of the Kabbalah Centre that everyone knows, what would be the one thing you wish people knew about you that you don’t think they really understand?
7
SPARK
Karen: I’d like to have a rescue with dozens of animals around me. I love animals. I would probably live on a farm with a huge rescue for dogs and cats; and I would raise different kinds of animals. I love to be around animals and nature, but it’s not something I get to do very often as I’m occupied at the office and doing the work that I do. What is your vision of peace on earth, and what keeps you working towards that ultimate outcome when you witness destruction, chaos and suffering all around the world? Karen: So does G-d. We’re still alive, right? Apparently He hasn’t given up. Peace on earth is peace for you. Peace for you in your relationship with your husband; peace for you in knowing that everything you’ve done (no matter how hard to swallow) manifested the right result in the end. With a hundred thousand people like you or a million people like you living in peace, we can bring peace to the world.
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
It’s easier to want to change the world, because it‘s not possible. Instead, we need to change ourselves; to feel our own inner peace; to know that what we’ve done has created fulfillment and peace within ourselves. Once we achieve that, we can go on to the next person and pass it on. You give so much to others. Oftentimes it feels as if there is nothing we could possibly give to you in return. What would you say we could do to give back to you? Karen: Just pay it forward. In other words, if you’ve received something from the Centre that’s helped you or fulfilled you, pass it on to somebody else. And when someone says to you, “Oh, I know about the Kabbalah Centre,” don’t back up and reply, “Well, okay.” At least stand your ground and say, “Okay, you can say whatever you’d like, but I know what I’ve gotten from the Centre.”
Many of us come to a place where our study of Kabbalah is more than a teaching, but something real and personal. Can you remember what incident or event made Kabbalah real for you? Yehuda: Growing up, Kabbalah was very real. My parents would take us on spiritual trips twice a month. We visited Northern Israel, Jerusalem, and the gravesite of Rav Ashlag and other spiritual sites. The teachings of Kabbalah were very real right at the start. But, if you’re asking me about the moment when I knew I was going to do this work, as opposed to anything else, it was when I was 16 or 17 and Michael and I had begun studying the writings of Rav Ashlag (Ten Luminous Emanations) with my father. Through that study, I just knew; I just knew that this is what I was going to do. But the realness started way at the beginning.
Who do you turn to for spiritual advice? Yehuda: Before my father had a stroke, he was my teacher 100 percent. He was the teacher. If I ever had a question, I would go to him. He was available to me 24/7 and I could call him anytime. Even after I got married, I would take my family to stay at my parents’ house on Friday nights so I would be able to study with the Rav in the middle of the night. After 2004, when he had his stroke and became less available, I started visiting righteous sites such as the gravesites of Mordechai and Esther, the Bal Shem Tov in Ukraine, Rabbi Shimon in Israel and Rav Ashlag. Anytime I have anything that is troubling me, or a question I need answered for someone else, I go to these sites and I try to find an answer.
interviews
in depth with yehuda berg
What is the lesson you remember most from your teacher? Is there one lesson or principle you remind yourself about over and over? Yehuda: I want to say certainty. The Rav went against all odds and the only way he could have succeeded was through certainty. And it wasn’t that he was certain himself; he gave the people around him certainty. If he told you it was going to be okay, you knew it would be because he said it was going to be okay. If people were ill or someone was facing a hard situation, they would come to the Rav and things would work out. What do you think about when you scan the Zohar? Yehuda: The truth is I don’t think about much when I read the Zohar. The kabbalists say that there are 3 things you can do and it doesn’t make a difference what you’re thinking about: reading the Zohar, cleansing in the mikvah, and tithing. When I do those 3 things, I don’t really think too much or try to answer questions - although if there is a question, I will randomly pull a
Zohar to try to find the answer. But, in my daily routine, whether if it’s my morning connection or while I’m reading the Zohar, I try not to think much and be open to what is revealed. We all struggle with doubt from time to time. Can you tell us about a time where you really struggled with doubt and what you did to overcome it? Yehuda: There are two moments in my life when I can say that I really questioned everything. Is this real? Is Kabbalah real? Is the Light real? On September 2nd, 2004 my father had a stroke. On Friday September 3rd, we woke up in the morning and got a phone call from the Rav’s doctor; he said the Rav had a massive stem cell stroke and we needed to decide if we were going to take him off life support or not. Being faced with a life or death situation sparked my questioning everything. The uncertainty didn’t last very long, but it was a moment of questioning everything. I don’t think I could duplicate something now that I did at that moment to overcome doubt, but I do believe that when you overcome something
like that, you can look back later and say “Okay, when I come to a difficult situation I can overcome it.” I don’t think there is a tool that can be used in the moment when you have complete doubt; it’s usually like a storm that you have to weather. In Los Angeles we sometimes experience earthquakes, and in those moments you just hold on or you grab a kid, or you wait for it to be over. And that’s what I did; I went to the hospital and found that they had made a mistake in diagnosis, and the Rav is still with us today.
Another time I was faced with doubt was when I was 19 years old. My brother and I got called to our school’s headmaster’s office where we were told to make a choice: Kabbalah or religious studies. For a second I thought, this is that fork in the road where I really have to decide. I already knew that Kabbalah was going to be a major part of my life; there was no question; I already made that decision. But this was a question of, “Am I going to throw away everything and only do Kabbalah? Am I going to go all in? Am I going to put everything I have into this Kabbalah business?” It wasn’t a question about Kabbalah; it was a question about whether or not I was going to put everything into it. Kabbalah is usually an all-in proposition. So, at that moment, after some doubts and overcoming, I eventually went all-in. Oftentimes in the path of spirituality, it feels as if we keep making mistake after mistake. You have obviously made a lot of great decisions in your life. Can you share with us one of your biggest mistakes and what
mother’s death for instance, and there’s probably hundreds of other situations like that. But I think the most important thing to always realize is that we don’t get thrown out of the Garden of Eden because of the mistakes we make, we get thrown out because we are incapable of living with them.
you learned from it, to give the rest of us hope? Yehuda: I’ll start with a lesson and then I’ll talk about some mistakes. One kabbalist was in the town of Izbica in Poland and he wrote that after Adam sinned from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, he spoke to G-d and said, “G-d, I ate from the tree; I have to go out of the Garden of Eden.” G-d replied, “It’s okay; people are allowed to make mistakes.” And Adam responded, “No, I can’t.” Adam was not taken out of the Garden of Eden because he sinned; it was because he couldn’t live with his mistake. I could look at my life and say I’ve probably made a lot of mistakes. Some of them are things I can’t take back. I remember one clear example; I got a phone call one day during school letting me know that my grandmother was in the hospital and the doctors thought she had a heart attack. After the call, I took my lunch break; I didn’t study Zohar or do anything special. Two hours later she passed away. I always look back and think, maybe if I studied Zohar or did a prayer with my classmates, things would
have been different, but I didn’t do that. I realize that people have often come to me for advice and I’ve tried to give them my best and I’m not sure I always did. However, I do try to live knowing that it’s what we do today and not what we didn’t do yesterday that’s important. Sometimes I fail with that and I often have guilt. There are things in my life that I know I could have done differently; my grand-
Other than the Zohar and the books of the Centre, do you have a favorite book? Yehuda: I actually don’t read; I listen to audio books. Most of Malcolm Gladwell’s books are great like Tipping Point, Outliers and Blink. I haven’t listened to What the Dog Saw, but that’s the last one. I like Dan Brown; my favorite of his books is Angels & Demons. I wasn’t as excited about The Da Vinci Code as everyone else. The Da Vinci Code touched on spirituality and I already have spirituality, so maybe that’s why it wasn’t as exciting to me. My new favorite author is Daniel Pink; he wrote a book about right-brainers called A Whole New Mind: Why
Yehuda and his family
Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. The book I’m currently listening to is Free Agent Nation by Daniel Pink. Do you have a favorite movie? Yehuda: I have a few favorite movies. Gladiator and Braveheart are definitely great movies that I really like. I would say those are my top two movies. And my number three movie is 300 with Gerard Butler. Do you have a favorite or funniest myth about the Kabbalah Centre or
about studying Kabbalah? Yehuda: There are two things that have always been foreign to me. The first is the idea that you have to be forty years old to study Kabbalah. I’m not forty yet, I’m pushing forty, but I’m not forty yet and I’ve been studying Kabbalah for like 30 plus years. The second is the idea that you have to be Jewish. When we started the Kabbalah Centre in Jerusalem the first students were the Arabs of East Jerusalem. Those are the things that I grew up on the oth-
11
SPARK
er side of, so I just don’t understand it. It’s like someone trying to prove to you that the world is square and flat and you know that it isn’t. What is your most embarrassing or ego-shattering moment? Yehuda: There is a kabbalistic technology used to purify negative energy; sometimes it’s done with sage and sometimes it’s done with fire (you can speak to your teacher if you want to know more). One night I was using fire after I had used sage and there was smoke all
around me. It was 2 o’clock in the morning and I was wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt and shorts while holding a pan of fire. Three police officers approached me and said, “Sir, put down the pan.” I had to explain to them that I’m a spiritual teacher (in a Bob Marley t-shirt and shorts) doing some spiritual actions. It was a very embarrassing moment. How do you achieve balance in your life with everything that you take on – as a spouse, parent,
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
teacher, mentor, Kabbalah Centre director, lecturer, friend, and individual? Yehuda: Balance is the hardest thing for me to do. When I travel, I want to be home. When I’m home, I want to travel. I have a wife and five kids; and work and travel; and students and books to write; and classes to record; and I work every day to balance all of that, which is not easy.
We don’t get thrown out of the Garden of Eden because of the mistakes we make, we get thrown out because we are incapable of living with them. The nature of a Gemini is to always be in the next, so whatever you’re doing now you always think about the next thing. It’s like chess, you always think one or two or three steps ahead. So balance is something that I haven’t achieved yet; it’s something I’m working on, but I’m not there. I know that often, not only do I not find balance, but I probably give the wrong energy in the wrong places. I’m always trying to figure out what I’m not doing instead of what I am doing. What would you say to people who are intimidated to speak to you? Yehuda: I see myself as a fun, easygoing guy. People don’t have any reason to feel intimidated. Most of the students get emails from me
regularly, so we have a relationship anyway. Just come and talk to me. What has been the moment when you have felt the most pressure to be the leader of the Kabbalah Centre? Yehuda: I have constant pressure to step up and do more. I won’t say I refuse, but I think my nature is to not step up. I think if I had a little more pressure I would probably step up more. If you weren’t Yehuda of the Kabbalah Centre that everyone knows, what would be the one thing you wish people knew about you that you don’t think they do already?
Yehuda coaching youth basketball.
Yehuda: I think most people know that I love sports. I like to play sports and watch sports; I like sporting events. I go camping once a year with my kids for my birthday. I need space for myself, so I always try to find a little space for myself. I’ll probably try anything once. I love taking risks; as long as it doesn’t have to do with high things; I’m a little scared of heights and scared of closed spaces. So, anything that is not claustrophobic or really high, I’m into trying once. If I wasn’t doing Kabbalah, I would be some type of producer. Whatever hair I would have would be long. I’d be producing movies, doing shows, doing parties; being
really involved in music; getting lots of people motivated to do things. I can see myself getting 30, 40, 50 thousand people into something. Producing stuff or working with U2. I would definitely be doing something like that. What is your vision of peace on earth, and what keeps you working towards that ultimate outcome when you witness destruction, chaos and suffering all around the world? Yehuda: I have absolutely no idea what peace on earth looks like. All I know is it’s not this. Right now, the world is full of chaos. If we can reach some place that’s not this, I’m good. All of these concepts like “resurrection of the dead” or “immortality”; I don’t have to know what it looks like. I just know that right now is messed up. People ask me what it’s going to look like and I don’t know. Right now is really bad; peace on earth is really good; that’s all I know. It’s not going to be like this. I’m not going to feel like this. I’m not going to wake up to find another tornado in the middle of nowhere, or another 5,000 birds dropping from the sky, or some earthquake here or some nuclear thing happening there. Those things won’t happen; the world will be better. What really keeps me motivated is the idea of never having to say goodbye to anyone that I love. I think that’s the most important thing for me. Anything that’s on the one percent level is not that important. The only things that are important are the people in my life and I never want to say goodbye to them.
interviews
in depth with michael berg Many of us come to a place where our study of Kabbalah is more than a teaching, but something real and personal. Can you remember what incident or event made Kabbalah real for you? Michael: Well, obviously we grew up with Kabbalah; it was all over our house. Kabbalah was what my parents studied all day and all night, so clearly it was part of our lives from the beginning. Amazingly, my parents, the Rav and Karen, never pushed me or Yehuda to study Kabbalah or to take part in spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah. I’m not sure if I could do that with my own kids. I guess they knew as we grew up and we witnessed the Light, the miracles and the wisdom all around us that we would gravitate to it on our own. When I was 13 or 14 years old living in Queens with my family, Yehuda and I went to the 13
SPARK
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
Rav and asked for the first time if he would study with us. We specifically wanted to study the Ten Luminous Emanations which is the foundation of Kabbalah; the foundation of everything that we study at the Kabbalah Centre. The Rav said yes and agreed to teach us. From that time on, Yehuda and I would study with the Rav from about 1:00am to about 5:00am almost every day of the week. That went on for about 8 years. Amazingly, we still have recordings of some of those classes. For me, all that time, all those hours of studying was when Kabbalah became real for me. Still to this day when I think about what my foundation is; it’s those hours that Yehuda and I spent with the Rav; those early morning hours in New York studying the Ten Luminous Emanations. Everything that I have studied since and everything that gives me a foundation in my spiritual work and in my connec-
tion to the Creator, all flows from those hours and those years. Who do you turn to for spiritual advice in your life? Michael: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Rav Ashlag. Obviously, growing up it was my parents. It’s really interesting, in the introduction of The Secrets of the Zohar I speak about the fact that while we were growing up and until the Rav had his stroke, he was the person who I always turned to; but now the Rav comes to me in my dreams. Of course, I turn to the Creator as well. One of the fundamental things about the study of Kabbalah is the fact that at the end of the day it is a personal connection to the Light of the Creator. We use the Zohar and the writings of the Ari or Rav Ashlag as a way to strengthen, reinforce and awaken our personal connection with the Light of the Creator. Of course you should still go to your teachers and you should still get advice and assistance from friends and other students, but at the end of the day there has to be a growing connection between ourselves and the Light of the Creator. This connection is where our questions get answered, and where our assistance and strength comes from. What is the lesson you remember most from your teacher? Is there one lesson or principle you remind yourself about over and over? Michael: It’s a big question. The reality for me is that I don’t think there was one lesson. There are constant moments when I can’t believe how amazing this wisdom is; how deep it is. Sometimes students don’t always push themselves to deepen their understanding and their wisdom; I often wonder how a
person survives, how a person continues to grow without that constant push. I don’t know how. For me it was never really about a moment of revelation or a moment of wisdom that came, but it was about that constant push.
This is really the most powerful thing about the wisdom of Kabbalah; you can study Kabbalah for 50 years or 100 years and you can still come to a moment of revelation every day which could sustain you for the next year. That’s one part of it. The other aspect is the writings of Rav Ashlag. When you study the writings of Rav Ashlag, something turns on in your soul and you start making a connection; and that connection just continues to grow and grow. That is what sustains me; that is what excites me and inspires me every day. If a day goes by where I’m not studying something that’s new and inspiring, then it’s not a good day for me. What I hope for myself, and for all of us, is that every day there is some new piece of wisdom, some new way of understanding that really gives us inspiration and helps us go through the day, and hopefully even further than that.
Do you ever feel like you don’t want to pray, or teach, or study, or share -- and where do you find the ongoing motivation? Michael: I wouldn’t say that I don’t want to pray or teach, but there are certainly days when I feel more inspired to do it. There are days I feel more inspired to meet students, to speak to students and to teach. When the Rav was living in the United States, his teacher, Rav Brandwein, was living in Israel. The Rav would study with Rav Brandwein by handwritten letters. Thankfully, in the past few years we’ve had those letters translated into English and published in, Beloved of My Soul; a really amazing trove of wisdom. In one of those letters, Rav Brandwein speaks to the Rav about the idea of feeling inspired or uninspired. It was just after Passover, and the Rav shared with Rav Brandwein how inspired he felt; how he felt the Light in the actions and he was so excited. Rav Brandwein told him to be very careful because if a person’s connection is based on that excitement it could be taken away. Of course, our spiritual work needs to be with understanding
and it needs to be with inspiration and excitement, but that can’t be the basis. The basis has to be the work of my soul. One of the things that we teach at the Centre, and it’s a very important understanding to remember, is that the greatest Light is revealed when we don’t want to do spiritual work, but we do it regardless. When there’s somebody I don’t want to share with or I’m having a bad day; if I still choose to share then that small action will reveal greater Light than the hours of
connection I do when I am inspired and excited. Certainly throughout the week there are times when you’re more excited and less excited; more inspired and less inspired; but we must remember that the only way we can reveal the true Light of our soul and receive all the blessings that come with that, is when we are
15
SPARK
constantly pushing ourselves. That is the only way to receive the greatest Light. What do you think about when you scan the Zohar? Michael: To be honest I don’t scan the Zohar; I read the Zohar. Often when students begin, they’re scanning, but at a certain point whether 5 years or 10 years into studying, students must also start reading the Zohar. It’s true that there is great power in possessing the Zohar;
there’s great power in scanning the Zohar; there’s even greater power in actually saying the words of the Zohar, even if you can only say one word, it’s powerful. It’s important we don’t neglect that. Especially for those of us who’ve been students for a while. Unfortunately, some people stay where they are in terms of their
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
connection to the Zohar. They could be a student for 10 years and their connection is good, but it’s at the same place it was 5 or 6 years ago. Our connection to the Zohar has to constantly grow. My hope is that my connection to the Zohar in the next week, the next month, or the next year is greater than it is today. If we understand that the Zohar, otherwise known as the Tree of Life, has an energy that’s constantly flowing from it, then we will have a greater connection to it; and we will receive greater Light. Our connection should never stay the same. There are many thoughts that I have at different times as I am scanning, reading or studying the Zohar. At the core, it is what I hope my desire is in all my spiritual work; I want the Creator to show me what I need to do. This is the one prayer I have whenever I go to Rav Ashlag for instance, and that prayer really needs to be at the core of our spiritual work and our connection to the Zohar. Of course there are times of need; there are times you pray for healing and for other people, but we must ask the Creator, “Just show me. I want to do what I came to this world to do.” We ask, we beg, “Show me what I need to do.” Oftentimes in the path of spirituality, it feels as if we keep making mistake after mistake. You have obviously made a lot of great decisions in your life. Can you share with us one of your biggest mistakes and what you learned from it, to give the rest of us hope? Michael: I’ve made and continue to make many mistakes, as we all do. The reality is if we really believe in the Light of the Creator and that the Light exists in everything (and this is a really beautiful and
deep concept), it means that even in our mistakes, it’s the Light of the Creator. This means that whatever situation or position we find ourselves in is where we need to be. It’s really about developing a lack of ego. Our ego wants us to believe that the mistake is all you; if you’ve made the mistake you’ve ruined everything. The truth is that it’s never all you and therefore there is never a way you can ruin everything. Yes, we make mistakes, we fall and we grow, but the reality is that there can only be Light where there was once darkness; and there can only be growth where there was once falling. Secondly, we need to trust the Light of the Creator. I know the Light is in this with me too and therefore I’m not worried about mistakes I might have made. Of course, I’ll try not to make the same mistakes again, but I know that the Light of the Creator is with me in the mistake and will help me out of it as well. For instance, when we began Kabbalah University we invested a lot of time and effort in building it;
and after six months we had to completely start over. So, I could spend the time regretting it, but the reality is that the energy we use never goes to waste; it will ultimately help whatever you’re doing become even greater. Besides the Zohar and the books of the Centre, do you have a favorite book? Michael: I enjoy Malcolm Gladwell’s books, for example, Tipping Point and the collection of his New York Times essays What the Dog Saw. I like to read anything that makes me think. One of my favorite books is called Freakonomics; the author takes accepted wisdom about certain things and proves it to be wrong. Everything changes once we understand that the way we see things isn’t necessarily the way it truly is. This is one of the amazing things about Kabbalah, and also very helpful when you discover it from other sources. It changes what we get upset about; what we get disappointed about; what bothers us. We’re too conditioned into thinking that what we see is the truth.
What is your favorite food? Michael: I like different things. I guess steak and sushi are two favorites. Do you have a favorite or funniest myth about the Kabbalah Centre or about studying Kabbalah? Michael: There are so many. I think one of the funniest things I remember hearing was when somebody came up to me, maybe 15 years ago, and said, “You know the reason why I really hate Kabbalah and the Kabbalah Centre is because you teach that Jesus was Jewish.” It’s funny because this is clearly a historical fact; it’s not a teaching of the Kabbalah Centre. There are so many others. When Yehuda and I were growing up, we went to a Yeshiva in Queens. In those days the Centre was really small and the chevre lived with us in our house. I remember once there was a really negative article written in one of the local newspapers about the Kabbalah Centre. Someone wrote that people were living in our home and selling books. The next day when I came
to school all my friends had questions for me like, “Is it true that your father has people locked down in the basement working for him?” There have been so many myths that I’ve heard over the years, it’s hard to think of just one. How do you achieve balance in your life with everything that you take on – as a spouse, parent, teacher, mentor, Kabbalah Centre director, lecturer, friend, and individual?
Michael: Balance is important. I think we only achieve balance if we are constantly focusing on balance. Once a month I try to look at everything that I do and make sure that it’s in balance. I try to assess whether I believe the things that I’m doing can bring the most Light, or are the most important ways to work. I think what happens often – not just for people involved in spirituality but in general – is that life can take over and you can get so busy doing “important” things. But are they the most important
17
SPARK
things? I try to constantly assess this because you can be overwhelmed with so many different aspects of life; you can be overwhelmed with being a father; you can be overwhelmed doing your spiritual work; you can be overwhelmed teaching people; all of these are openings to be overwhelmed. So, for me it’s important to constantly assess how I’m spending my time. Is it the best use of my time? And is this the way I want to continue spending my time? I am constantly making changes
and tweaks to how I spend my time. What would you say to people who are intimidated to speak to you? Michael: Oh, they shouldn’t be. I really enjoy when I get feedback from students. It doesn’t happen often enough, but when somebody shares with me a certain teaching that inspired them, it’s part of what fuels my desire to continue to grow and to change and to share. So, I would hope nobody would ever be intimidated to speak to me. I truly enjoy those moments.
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
How do you feel when people or the media criticize you or the Kabbalah Centre? Michael: Well I think you just get used to it. One of the things that the Rav always said and I’ve repeated this a few times, is that Rav Brandwein taught him that when you come up to heaven and you say everybody loved me, that is the first ticket to hell; because if you’re making change in this world for spiritual reasons, you’re not going to be applauded by everybody. And if a person has a desire to be applauded by everybody, then he’s never going to make any real change in this world. If you love the fact that people are writing great things about you, then you’ll be disappointed when they write negative things. I try not to be too happy when positive things are said or too upset when negative things are said. I always say that when Rabbi Akiva tried to spread the wisdom of Kabbalah 2,000 years ago he was killed for it; Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai had to hide in a cave for 13 years or else he would have been killed for spreading the wisdom. Things are relatively easier today. One of the things that I always tell myself and students is that if you’re not fighting for something enough, then you’re probably not doing enough. There have to be challenges and there have to be those people telling you that you shouldn’t; that’s the way this work is. For some people this is too much; some people don’t want that. But if you want to have any effect in this world, any real change in this world, you have to accept the fact that there are going to be challenges. At some point you have to stop caring about it.
What has been the moment that you have felt the most pressure to be one of the leaders of the Kabbalah Centre? Michael: I don’t think I ever felt pressure. It’s interesting because the reality is, by nature this is not what I want to be doing. And that’s always a good sign. The kabbalists teach that the way you know what your Tikkun is and what you’re meant to do in this world is if it’s what you don’t want to be doing. I often share this: my dream growing up was that I would get married, have kids, and move to the Galilee in Israel and sit there and study all day. That was my life dream. And to this day if you still ask me if I had my selfish choice that would be my selfish choice. But I know that’s not why I am in this world. I am in this world to teach, I am in this world to help. I try to keep this true to myself; that I don’t do anything that I am doing now because I want to be doing it. I do it because I believe this is what the Creator wants me to do. And if tomorrow the Creator comes to me and says, “That’s it, your job is now to move to the Galilee and
that you don’t think they do now? Michael: This is an interesting question. I don’t know that there’s anything that I would want people to know or not know about me; that’s not so much my personality. But, an interesting fact maybe is how much I love to laugh. My favorite TV show is the Daily Show; and my two favorite things to gather are jokes and stories. One spiritual, one less so. If I get a good joke or if I hear somebody tell a good joke, it can make my day. The joy of telling somebody a really good joke is a very powerful thing. I really, really enjoy that. just sit by yourself and study,” I’ll be just as fulfilled and happy with that. Certainly there are times when we feel a little bit more pressure, or there’s more work or more problems and challenges, but because underlying all of it is the fact that I don’t really want to do this, it makes it all easier. If you weren’t Michael, Michael of the Kabbalah Centre that everyone knows, what would be the one thing you wish people knew about you
You give so much to others. Oftentimes it feels as if there is nothing we could possibly give to you in return. What would you say we could do to give back to you? Michael: If a person believes that they have received something from a teacher or from me, then two things: first don’t forget it, because everybody forgets. I know with my father, the Rav, I forget. So the first thing is not to forget it. And people can say, I’m not going to forget, but everybody forgets. Really work on not forgetting, because what happens is that when a person’s thankful, he’s thankful until he’s not. And when he’s not, he’s not thankful at all. So the first thing I would say is to fight to keep that appreciation; fight to keep truly being thankful for what you have received because it almost never stays. The second thing is if you have received something then push yourself in a greater way to share with somebody else. It’s not just about sharing; it’s about pushing ourselves in a greater way to share with somebody else.
chevre spotlight
a day in the life: with chevre
Yehuda & Rachel Sivan We wanted the community to get a taste of what it is like to be a teacher for the Kabbalah Centre, so we asked a student to spend a day with two teachers in the Student Support department. Yehuda and Rachel Sivan agreed to let Jane Gideon, from the San Francisco study group, shadow their work for a day. This is their story. The building that houses the Kabbalah Centre’s Student Support offices in Los Angeles is hardly noticeable from the street view. The walls are grey, plain and unmarked. The building does not invite attention. But this non-descript structure on La Cienega Blvd is the place where a group of teachers are doing everything from the mundane to the extraordinary with the sole purpose of changing the world.
When I started studying Kabbalah seven years ago, I came to the Centre the same way most students do – I wanted
help overcoming a personal challenge. Having no understanding of the student/teacher relationship, I treated my first teacher like a friend who had a new perspective and some good advice to give from time to time. I say that because I’m not sure that I really valued that advice any more than I valued the advice of a new acquaintance. Yes, I’d sought out the relationship and specifically I wanted to receive counsel, but I was skeptical. How could this young person really
19
SPARK
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
know what he was talking about?
also still teaching. Rachel quietly
too. The only difference is our
It was a long time before I started
explains to a student the signifi-
passion and commitment to the
to truly appreciate the wisdom my
cance of the brit as a tool to remove
big picture. I have my good days
teachers had to share. However,
negativity in the world. Another
and bad days, just like every other
I didn’t even begin to scratch the
teacher explains to a student the
student. We are all working to get
surface of what a student/teacher
importance of the meal after the
connected to the Light. But teach-
relationship is really worth until I
brit.
ers are working on being a kabbal-
spent time following Rachel and
ist and manifesting the vision of the
Yehuda Sivan.
as Rachel’s early lunch before she
kabbalists. That’s our path.”
returns to the Student Support of-
teacher, starts her Monday morning
fices for a teacher training meet-
dent and a teacher becomes more
with an inspirational breakfast meet-
ing. Mordechay Balas, a senior
apparent as Mordechay continues
ing. Every Monday, she and several
teacher at the Centre, leads a
his training session. One of the
other teachers cook breakfast to-
discussion about helping students
teachers is struggling with how to
gether and discuss a relevant topic
overcome doubt and find certainty.
help a student. “I’ve scanned for
for the week. Perhaps they watch
The teachers attending the session
her, taken her name with me to
a video from one of the Bergs, or a
range from fairly new teachers to
Mikveh, done late-night studies,
teacher shares some thoughts about
ones who have been with the Cen-
and still she can’t seem to break
this week’s lesson, or they exchange
tre for many years. Still, Mordechay
through.” I realized that a teacher
ideas on how to impart wisdom to
reminds them that every teacher
is never merely having a conversa-
students. The goal of this gathering
must check the status of his or her
tion with a student. Like the mission
is to begin the week refining their
own certainty before helping a
of the Centre, they are looking to
own thoughts so they can be better
student.
end the student’s chaos and suf-
teachers for their students.
fering. They send students energy,
explains, “Teachers are students
Rachel Sivan, a student support
“Our conversations with stu-
In fact, the brit meal will serve
Rachel’s husband Yehuda later
The difference between a stu-
meditate for them and often come
dents have to be about connecting to the wisdom of Kabbalah,” Rachel says “If we let student interactions
The Kabbalah Centre has 300 teachers on staff around the
become a counseling session, then
world. While teachers have always been part of the Centre,
we’re not sharing the teachings of
the idea did not start with the Centre. The concept of hav-
Kabbalah, and there’s always some-
ing teachers or ‘chevre’ goes back to Rabbi Shimon and the
thing to teach.”
friends who collaborated with him as written in the Zohar.
After breakfast, Rachel has a
Rav Ashlag said, “Make yourself a friend and make yourself a
few morning meetings with students
teacher.” A teacher doesn’t just teach. A teacher takes on the
and other teachers before heading
responsibility of being an example of kabbalistic principles
to a brit at the Kabbalah Centre
in action. Having teachers who are connected to the lineage
on Robertson Boulevard. Several teachers have come to the brit to support the parents, but they are
of kabbalists and living the wisdom every day is one of the most important ways the Centre can reach its mission to end pain and suffering in the world.
together to give extra support to se-
than their own needs and desires.
rious situations. As I think about my
Rav Ashlag said that listening to
inspired me,” Yehuda said. “I never
own spiritual work, it occurs to me
a teacher is one level of being a
came across any person or orga-
that perhaps my teacher is some-
student, but the ultimate connection
nization that thought so big. I also
times working harder than I am to
is not just studying from the teacher
liked that the wisdom was available
bring about change for me.
but tapping into their consciousness
to everyone. When I walked into
of serving others.
the Tel Aviv Centre, I came across
teachers has on the community,”
the book, Education of a Kabbal-
Rachel continued. “A couple of
born into or raised in the Centre.
ist, and I saw the picture of the Rav
weeks ago, one student was go-
They started out like every other
on the cover. I knew that was my
ing through a lot of chaos and the
student who comes to the Kabbalah
teacher. There was something so
teachers got together to do a study
Centre. Somewhere along the way,
familiar about him.”
in his honor. Even when we just say
they become inspired to dedicate
that we’re putting our conscious-
their lives to serving the mission of
of Kabbalah and before he even
ness in unity towards something,
the kabbalists.
finished the course, decided to
a big break usually happens. We
become a teacher.
started the meeting with the intent
was traveling in India with friends
to resolve an issue, and by end of
when he came across, “The Secret
came to Kabbalah when she was 11
meeting it was resolved.”
Code of the Universe” by Rav Berg.
years old. By the time she was 14,
After reading the book, he cut his
she was attending Shabbat at the
what sets the teachers apart. They
trip short and came back to Israel to
Toronto Centre regularly and even
are committed to a bigger vision
learn more.
teaching classes to young children.
21
“We see the effect our unity as
This kind of consciousness is
SPARK
Most of the teachers were not
A native of Israel, Yehuda Sivan
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
“It was the wisdom itself that
Yehuda signed up for the Power
By contrast, his wife Rachel first
Still, Rachel says she had a very
sleep less. It’s good to sleep and
the teens get to play a round of pin
normal life. “I think it’s important
important because the body is the
the tail on the bull – as in the Taurus
for people to know that we all expe-
vehicle for our work, but we don’t
bull. The old game of spinning and
rience life. We’ve had heartbreak,
have to sleep so much. Not sleep-
walking while blindfolded gets the
depression and understand first-
ing is overcoming body-conscious-
kids laughing and moving, just like
hand what our students go through.
ness and stretching yourself to go
she’d hoped.
beyond the physical needs. A year
from now, you won’t remember that
8:00 and does the quick walk from
it was a stretch. You won’t remem-
the classroom to the main building
ber that you stayed up all night for
so she can attend the wedding of
Shavuot. The teachers have a sense
another teacher. Still full of energy
of urgency, so we cannot really rest.
and joy, she dances around the
You feel what’s happening in the
bride, laughs and sings. Yet, there
world and that it’s your responsibil-
is always something to teach, so she
ity. We know we’re responsible for
takes a student aside and explains
so many people. That gives us a
the kabbalistic wisdom behind the
fire inside.
wedding ceremony. In fact, this day
Rachel finishes her teen class at
happens to be Rachel’s one year Why do some people always ad-
wedding anniversary. Yehuda is
dress the Rav and Karen in the
teaching a class in Washington DC.
Even though I was brought up in
third person, even when speaking
For most of the couples I know, this
the Centre, I still experienced what
directly to them?
would be an unacceptable situa-
I needed to go through so I could
Mordechay: It’s not about respect
tion. But Yehuda and Rachel share
help people.”
or that we’re expected to. It’s
a mission as Kabbalah teachers
because you want to tap into the
to take care of people, and help-
Rachel’s day. The teacher train-
channel of the Rav and Karen, not
ing others on their first wedding
ing meeting ends around 2:00PM,
just the person. If you ask them a
anniversary is their way of serving
and Rachel spends the rest of her
question, you want your answer to
together.
afternoon meeting with students
come from the Light they channel,
and preparing the lesson notes and
not just their 1% mind.
squelch the misconception that the
hand-outs for a class she is teach-
teachers are somehow enslaved to
ing that evening.
the Kabbalah Centre where she
the Centre. “We are not locked in
is teaching a teen astrology class.
chains. The truth is I’ve never ex-
be brave, for the sake of the article
She says that teaching teens is a bit
perienced any place that gives you
of course, and ask some questions
more challenging because they’ve
more freedom to go through your
that I’ve been too shy to ask.
already been sitting at desks listen-
process. You’re in control of what’s
ing to a teacher all day. Her goal is
going on for you.”
Why don’t teachers sleep?
to keep the class lively and engag-
Mordechay: We sleep. We just
ing. During this particular class,
”People think we sacrifice so much
Helping people is the focus of
While Rachel works, I decide to
At 6:30, I join Rachel again at
However, Rachel is quick to
Yehuda seconds that notion.
and give up so much. To me, that’s
can access the wisdom of kabbalists
says that his son studies Torah and
strange because it feels like bliss.
all the way back to Abraham. But
through his son he has learned a
What I hold in my hands is really
how does a student accomplish this
few things. The Rabbis do not think
the only chance humanity has to
kind of connection?
the man is wise enough to help, but
truly manifest the end of pain, suf-
he begs them to give him the op-
fering and chaos, so I have to act.
thing, it’s about consciousness.
portunity to understand, and so they
I don’t know any other job I could
“Teachers are here to help. We
share. The traveler offers his ideas
have that would bring me fulfillment
may run a Centre, or we may clean
on the section of the Torah and then
like this. Teachers receive so many
a warehouse. We’re willing to do
goes on. Later, they learn that the
blessings, it’s unbelievable.”
whatever it takes. But cleaning a
traveler was a great sage and mes-
warehouse with the consciousness
senger, but was concealed in his
in a different way. It’s a way of life
that we’re helping the world is what
modesty.
most of us cannot comprehend. In
connects us to our teachers. Our
the end, the teacher’s reward is the
students need to do the same. If
sometimes stumble into a rela-
student’s blessings because they
they come to us with an agenda
tionship with a teacher just as
recognize that every blessing is one
other than putting in the work, they
Rabbi Chizkyhah and Rabbi Yesa
step closer to peace for everyone.
will get the information, but they
stumbled into the modest sage. We
“Our students’ transformation and
won’t get what they really need. At
do not fully recognize who they
growth is what feeds us and keeps
some point, there has to be a shift
are and what they know. Like the
us going,” Rachel added. “We have
from self-help to using Kabbalah
building that houses the Student
certainty that by taking care of oth-
to help the world, and that’s when
Support offices, what we see on
ers, the Creator will take care of us,
you can begin to connect to your
the surface does not fully represent
and that is exactly what happens.
teacher in a way that your teacher’s
what goes on inside. Whether it’s
We do not experience lack.”
thoughts become your thoughts.”
apparent to our eyes or not, these
The next day, I return to Stu-
are the people who are taking
Rachel, her day began around 8:00
dent Support. Yehuda is back from
responsibility for the end of our
in the morning and ended at 11:00
Washington DC and I wait for him in
personal pain and suffering and for
that night. I was exhausted, but
an empty cubicle while he finishes
the pain and suffering of the world.
Rachel still seemed energetic and
a call. I can overhear one of the
To spend a day observing them was
happy. My day with Rachel demon-
teachers preparing his study group
truly an honor. However, I’ve come
strated the commitment and pas-
lesson. He and another teacher
to realize that even more impor-
sion it takes to be a true Kabbalah
are discussing a story in the Zohar
tantly, spending an hour, a day or a
teacher, but what does it take to
about a traveler who encounters
lifetime serving them just to gain a
be a good Kabbalah student? Rav
Rabbi Chizkyhah and Rabbi Yesa
glimpse into their consciousness is
Ashlag says the ultimate connection
on the road up a mountain. The
a privilege worth striving to attain.
to a teacher is to receive his or her
traveler asks them for water. The
consciousness and the conscious-
Rabbis are discussing a complex
ness of the lineage of kabbalists.
portion of the Torah and ask the
When we speak to a teacher, we
traveler if he studies. The traveler
Kabbalah teachers see rewards
23
On the Monday I spent with
SPARK
Yehuda Sivan says, like every-
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
As students of Kabbalah, we
The Rav teaches that the Zohar is not only a source of spiritual wisdom and information, but also a source of great Light. Every year, we receive stories from students around the world who have experienced miracles in their communities due to studying and sharing the Zohar. Ivory Coast is one such community.
On the morning of September 19th 2002 an armed uprising exploded into a violent conflict that later became known as the Ivorian Civil War. Over 1,000 men, women and children were killed during the war and thousands more were forced to live as refugees in neighboring countries.
One year earlier in 2001, a beginner Kabbalah student and Ivorian
national named Firmin Ahoua traveled to the United States to meet with Rav Berg at the Los Angeles Kabbalah Centre. This auspicious meeting, coupled with Firmin’s own determination and dedication, spurred the creation of the Ivory Coast Kabbalah Centre – as well as countless miracles for Ivory Coast and beyond.
This is Firmin’s story.
people began attending classes
and by midday they had control of
and it was no surprise when, only
the north of the country. On the first
a few months later, nearly 60 of our
night of the uprising, our former
students attended Rosh Hashanah
president, Robert Guéï, was killed
celebrations with the Rav and Karen
and attacks were launched simulta-
in New York.
neously in most major cities. Astonishingly, the Ivorian Se-
During this holiday I once again
cret Service believed that the
had the merit to meet with the Rav
Ivory Coast Kabbalah Centre had
and what the Rav told me during
planned the war because we had
this meeting would change my life
been able to predict the conflict
forever. The Rav said that he could
weeks in advance. While the Secret
see bloodshed coming to Ivory
Service demanded an explanation
I arrived in Los Angeles on a Thurs-
Coast and that we urgently needed
for how we knew these events would
day. One hour after my arrival, I was
to distribute Zohars throughout the
occur, there seemed to be no “logi-
privileged to meet with Rav Berg.
country. Very quickly, the Ivorian
cal” way of explaining our actions.
During this meeting the Rav asked
Kabbalah community went on
How do you explain a prophecy
two questions of me:
to share this news with as many
by a spiritual teacher to the Secret
people as we could; we warned our
Service?
Why do you want to study Kab-
families, friends, neighbours and
It looked as though we were in
balah? Why do you want to open a
anyone else who would listen. In a
grave danger. But, as Michael Berg
Kabbalah Centre?
matter of weeks, indeed, civil war
teaches: before there is illness, the
broke out in our country.
Light creates the healing.
I was unaware of the complexity
As I was bracing for the worst, I
of these questions. I looked for the
Government troops mutinied in the
received a contract for a full profes-
right words. I said that I wanted to
morning hours of September 19th
sorship at the University of Biele-
give to people and help people get out of chaos. With support from the Berg family, I immediately started to prepare for the opening of a Kabbalah Centre in my country’s capital. Yehuda Berg assigned Eliahu Bouhanna to be our teacher and the doors of the Ivory Coast Kabbalah Centre opened in the spring of 2002. Lively crowds of more than 300
25
SPARK
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
we related our stories of the Rav and Karen to them. Since then, the Nigerian students have begun to spread the Zohar and have reported many blessings in their own lives and country; including the historically low instances of post-electoral conflict following their recent presidential elections. The Kabbalah Centre has deeply affected our lives in West Africa over the years. The impact is not only on a personal level, but it also extends feld in Germany, with instructions
to the Ivory Coast in 2004 and I
to the national level. We believe
to leave immediately. As soon as I
found not only a growing student
that our work of sharing the Zohar
arrived in Germany, I learned that
base at the Ivory Coast Kabbalah
throughout the country has contrib-
the Ivorian Secret Police and death
Centre, but also many community
uted immensely to the avoidance
squads were searching for me. It
members experiencing life chang-
of bloodshed and to improving the
was an unbelievable situation as I
ing events which they deemed to be
lives of many individuals, includ-
realized the Light was protecting
miracles.
ing leaders and other influential
me by sending me overseas.
people in our country. After years A student was miraculously cured
of suspicion, many people in Ivory
after being diagnosed with AIDS;
Coast are slowly beginning to ac-
two of our students were cured of
knowledge the Kabbalah Centre’s
The Rav called me personally and
Hepatitis C after years of suffering
contribution to peace.
said that he would send 6,000
with the disease; and another stu-
Zohars to help bring peace to Ivory
dent, who had tremendous fibromas
I wish to express how much we
Coast. The Rav also assured me that
in the stomach, proved to be cured
deeply and humbly appreciate this
the civil war would stop in Decem-
once a second round of X-rays were
spiritual path – the Kabbalah Cen-
ber 2002 and political agreements
taken.
tre – that provides techniques for
And the miracles did not end there.
would be reached by February
real transformation and real contriThe news of these blessings, and
bution to global change. Almost all
many more, began to spread very
of our students agree that the Kab-
These events happened just as
fast and even reached as far as
balah Centre has brought them to
the Rav said. Indeed, the civil war
Nigeria, where a small study group
love, understand and practice the
ended in December 2002 and po-
had formed. These students trav-
Bible more than they ever believed
litical agreements were reached in
elled to Ivory Coast to attend a
they could. All of this is thanks to
February 2003. I was able to return
Shabbat with our community and
the teachings of the Zohar and
2003.
the opening made by the Rav and Karen, and Yehuda and Michael.
more than just a school
The Kabbalah Children’s Academy was founded by the Rav & Karen Berg 17 years ago. The school’s first class of students graduated high school last year. We spoke to a few of the alumni and asked them to share how attending KCA impacted their lives as well as some of their favorite experiences at the school.
27
SPARK
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
The KCA Difference Triplets Hannah, Rachel and Estee Kessler spent 10 years at KCA and are now in high school. They describe KCA as not just a school, but a family. Yosef Grundman, a recent high school graduate, agrees. “At KCA, I loved going to school every day. I loved being with all the kids and all my friends. The friends I had in 1st or 2nd grade are still my friends now.” Small class sizes mean that the students interact with each other all day and learn together. If someone is struggling to understand something, the teachers and the classmates work closely with the student until he or she fully comprehends the material. The school is a community working together to help everyone meet their potential. Yosef Farnoosh, a recent high school graduate, adds, “We weren’t just going to any school. We were going to the Rav’s school – to Rabbi Shimon’s school. We had people all around us who were living Kabbalah. That made it pretty special.”
Academics Yosef Farnoosh’s younger brother Michael skipped 8th grade and recently graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. He is a testament not only to the academic excellence of KCA, but also KCA’s commitment to helping students learn how to reach their potential.
All of the alumni emphasized that the one-on-one attention they
received from teachers greatly contributed to their academic learning. Most of the students felt they were ahead of other high school students in both secular and Torah studies, and they attribute their advanced learning to the open environment at KCA. Everyone is encouraged to ask questions and teachers are supportive. Therefore, there is no embarrassment or reluctance to ask for help.
“One of the tools I learned at KCA was perseverance,” said Rachel Kessler. “We are taught the importance of finishing what you start and that it’s up to you to meet your potential.”
Her sister Hannah echoes her sentiment, ”Even if you’re struggling,
KCA teaches you to believe in yourself and that eventually, you will succeed.”
PHOTOS: top left: Yehuda Judah, Michael Farnoosh, Yosef Grundman; middle: Arynton Hardy; bottom: Yosef Farnoosh
Teachers Students describe their teachers as caring, attentive and willing to do anything to help. Not only do students get one-on-one time with teachers, they often see them outside of class. Because teachers are often also living Kabbalah, they are helping students learn much more than academics – they are helping students become caring human beings.
Estee Kessler says her teachers
always helped her, but at the same time, they pushed her. “When they know you can do better, they make you try harder.” This kind of individual attention and understanding helps each student flourish and achieve.
Yosef Farnoosh said he often saw
teachers at the Centre or with his parents, and sometimes Michael or Yehuda Berg would sit in on classes. “Being a student at KCA helps you learn to be the same person all the time – at school, work, with friends, parents or teachers. You have to be the same person in every environment.”
Transition to High School
Every one of the KCA alumni students said the hardest adjustment going to a new high school was learning to adapt to the negative behaviors they had never encountered at KCA.
“KCA students don’t curse,”
Michael Farnoosh said. “And there
29
SPARK
aren’t cliques. You’d just never see that.”
Hannah Kessler added, “Every-
one is happy and nice at KCA. Kids understand the power of their words and their actions. It was shocking to be in a school where people could be mean for no reason.”
Despite the initial social shock,
KCA students have become known
Yosef Farnoosh said. “So, when it’s time to study in class, we engage with the teachers and ask questions. When it’s time to do our prayers, we don’t talk. We pray. We know we’re there for a reason.”
in their chosen high schools for their commitment to learning and
Michael Farnoosh said other kids
exemplary behavior. Another KCA
eventually stopped cursing around
graduate, Arynton Hardy, was
him. Not because he asked them
given the Middos Award at his high
not to do it, but because they saw
school graduation for exemplifying
he behaved differently.
good character. He will be attending Loyola Marymount University
Leadership
this year.
We asked if the alumni had op-
“We know that it’s up to us to overcome any challenges and meet our potential,”
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
portunities to help other students change or learn about Kabbalah. All said that they focused on leading by example rather than offering unsolicited advice.
“Maybe something in science or
When you keep that in mind, you
one particular situation in his high
medicine, or becoming a teacher at
behave a lot differently. You think
school Torah class where he and
the Centre. I want to do something
about how what you do affects other
Yosef Grundman engaged in a
that can change the world and
people. KCA is so much more than
discussion with the Rabbi. “The
make a difference.”
just a school. It teaches you what
Rabbi told the class that accord-
you need to know for life. I learned
ing to the Torah you can say gossip
wanted to do something to help
history, English, Torah, but what
about someone who is not Jewish.
the world, or maybe even go back
stuck with me is the Kabbalistic tools
Yosef Grundman and I challenged
and be a KCA teacher. “At KCA, we
and wisdom. That makes all the dif-
the Rabbi and said that it was not
learn that it’s not just about us. It’s
ference.”
okay to say gossip about anyone.
about how much we’re able to give
www.kabbalahacademy.net
We talked about human dignity for
our class, the school, and the world.
Michael Farnoosh recalled
His brother Yosef also said he
everyone, not just particular backgrounds. In the end, the Rabbi conceded that a person shouldn’t gossip about anyone. I guess that was how we shared by example.”
Yosef Farnoosh took the respon-
sibility of being an example one step further. “We knew we weren’t just representing ourselves. As KCA students, we represented the Rav, the Centre and Kabbalah. We knew we had responsibilities beyond our school work, so we tried to keep to those standards.”
What do you want to do in life? KCA students have a different way of looking at life and their contribution to it. Not one graduate said they wanted to do a specific career. Instead, all of them said they want to do whatever they can to help people and the world.
”I want to do something that can
help people in a global way,” valedictorian Michael Farnoosh said.
Yosef Grundman, KCA graduate, on the court.
team kabbalah goes global Founded in 2006 by Karen Berg,
volunteers have worked closely
defined roles and growth paths
Team Kabbalah was created to
with the Kabbalah Centre staff and
along with mentoring programs
support the Kabbalah Centre with a
teachers to ensure a quality expe-
give volunteers opportunities to ad-
structured volunteer program at in-
rience for all attendees. In fact,
vance their skills into new responsi-
ternational events. Under the direc-
Team Kabbalah has been so
bilities.
tion and leadership of Karen, Team
successful that the Centre decided
Kabbalah provides an organized
to implement the structure across
primarily to further our own spiritual
framework for students to discover
all of the study groups and Centre
work, and secondarily to help others
the fulfillment found in sharing and
locations.
on their path. Karen says, “A person
giving of themselves. Anyone who
really learns the spiritual lessons by
has attended the Pesach or Rosh
as the standard volunteer structure
doing or taking action. For exam-
Hashanah international events has
for the Centre creates a consistent
ple, a student may take Kabbalah
seen scores of volunteers sporting
way for students to volunteer locally
1 and get information. But if that
Team Kabbalah badges. These
and at international events. Clearly
same student becomes a mentor, he
31
SPARK
Implementing Team Kabbalah
FALL/ROSH HASHANAH 2011 EDITION
The goal of volunteering is
or she starts getting more. Action and sharing are important steps in spiritual work.”
Karen further explains the value
of volunteering: “Knowledge will not create a spiritual human being. Knowledge is a tool. If I was taught what the mountains look like but I’ve never gone to the mountain and smelled the dew of the grass, it would never have the same meaning. It’s only when you take what you’ve learned and apply it to living with other people that you understand the concepts of spirituality.”
groups. The Mexico City Centre,
more successful. Like we’ve seen
Under the new global Team
for example, utilized the new Team
in the international events such as
Kabbalah structure, volunteers will
Kabbalah model to support a lec-
Pesach and Rosh Hashanah, the
have a structure they can step into,
ture Karen gave last March. Team
more information and training the
understand, follow and succeed
Kabbalah leaders and the local
volunteers have for such events, the
with, whether they are volunteering
volunteer coordinator helped train
more successful the event is going
locally or at a world-wide event.
volunteers and divided them into
to be.
The goal is to create a streamlined
specific teams, each with various
and efficient way to volunteer for
tasks to perform at the event.
been about supporting the teachers
the Centre year-round. The new
and staff so they are free to spend
system will also engage students
new structure with the Berlin study
more time helping others, be it
who are experienced volunteers to
group when Yehuda Berg visited
students in or outside of the Centre.
mentor new volunteers and step into
for a Shabbat and lecture. In both
If you would like to get involved in
leadership roles.
cases, volunteers reported that the
volunteering, please look for the
events were more organized, better
Team Kabbalah desk volunteers
and Centre staff has been assessing
prepared, and went very smoothly.
during Rosh Hashanah 2011 in Mi-
the current volunteering structures
The volunteers understood how they
ami, or contact your local volunteer
and opportunities at study groups
could contribute to the event and
coordinator or teacher or email
and Centre locations around the
therefore felt they were able to be
teamkabbalah@kabbalah.com
A team made up of volunteers
Team Kabbalah also tested the
Team Kabbalah has always
world. This phase is wrapping up
teamkabbalah
and the official roll-out will happen shortly after Rosh Hashanah.
Many of you may have already
volunteering to change
been involved in testing new structures in your classes and study
®
now you
KNOW! The Kabbalah Centre has awarded
5,711 scholarships for Kabbalah books, classes, DVDs
and products.
Yehuda Berg’s The Power to Change Everything has been translated into 30 languages. The Kabbalah Children’s Academy enrolled
112 children in 2010-2011 (a 46% increase
from previous years).
Karen Berg’s Peace Thru People world tour includes stops in England, Russia, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Kabbalah Centre volunteers have provided
43,200 meals to homeless and impoverished
families in the United States. Spirituality for Kids has updated its service model and will now teach
universal spiritual
principles to children, caregivers and educators through an interactive website. Kabbalah University (www.ukabbalah.com) under the direction of Michael Berg has been noted by the Wall Street Journal as an “internet phenomenon”. The Zohar Project has achieved
the Rav’s mission of donating 1 million Zohars
to hospitals, governments, military troops, humanitarian aid agencies and areas of conflict and natural disaster.
your feedback is very important! Name: Home Address: Home Number: Mobile Number: Email Address: Teacher: How long have you been a student at the Kabbalah Centre? What motivated you to contribute to the Kabbalah Centre? Did you engage in similar acts of sharing before studying at the Kabbalah Centre? yes/no How interested are you in being informed about the use of your donation? Very Moderately
Not at all
Please explain: How satisfied are you with information you have concerning the charitable acts of the Kabbalah Centre? Very Moderately
Not at all
Please explain:
The Kabbalah Centre’s global team of teachers, chevre, staff and volunteers are consistently working to affect the greatest amount of change at the most fundamental level. From spreading Zohars in areas of conflict, to operating the world’s only kabbalistic private school, these efforts are entirely made possible through donations from students like YOU.
We have always believed in maintaining open lines of
communication with our community and hope that you will take a moment to share your feedback with us. As a gesture of our appreciation, we would like to offer a free Red String package in the mail with each completed questionnaire.
Thank you.
your feedback is very important! My questions about donations are answered respectfully and completely: Always Sometimes Never Please explain:
How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for being a donor? Always Sometimes Never Please explain: How would you like to be recognized as a donor?
How satisfied are you with the relationship between the Kabbalah Centre and yourself as a donor? Very Moderately
Not at all
Please explain: What is your favorite article in this edition of SPARK?
Mail your completed survey to: The Kabbalah Centre Attn. Global Communications Dept
What kinds of articles would you like to appear in SPARK in the future?
1100 S. Robertson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 or email your comments,
Additional comments or suggestions:
feedback & suggestions to: shannon.laforge@kabbalah.com
the kabbalah centre
TM
learn transform connect
速