AboutRobert Waxman Expertise Any questions relating to ancient or modern Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. Also, any questions relating to comparisons between Kabbalah and other religions or philosophies. Questions about spirituality including cosmology, numerology (gematria), hidden meanings of the Bible, what happens after death, the purpose of life, the eternal validity of the soul, the importance of the inner voice and parallels with modern science.
Experience Author of "Kabbalah Simply Stated" published by Paragon House. The book is distributed in 12 countries. Author of "The Seven Fundamental Propositions of Kabbalah" and "The Power of AWE!". Studied Kabbalah with Rabbi Azriel Abraham of Jerusalem from 1985 -1998. I've been teaching Kabbalah since 1999 as a series entitled, "Kabbalah According To The Scholars" (Scholem, Kaplan & Tisby). Thousands have attended my classes over the years. I have (4) on-going classes in Sarasota, FL and many private students by phone. Many guest speaking presentations are given throughout the year. At my last speaking engagement in Greenacres, FL at Temple Beth Tikvah, over 650 people attended. Please see my current biography at: www.kabalist.com
Organizations President of The Kabbalah Education Network.
Publications (3) Books, many original articles that can be found on the internet (ezine, netterweb, searchwarp, etc.) "Beyond Madonna - Kabbalah according to the Great Scholars" and "Beyond The Da Vinci Code", see: www.robertwaxman.org for more articles.
Education/Credentials Graduate of American University in Philosophy and Psychology. Graduate work at Columbia University. Currently pursuing PhD in Philosophy of Religion. Graduate of The School of Practical Philosophy in NYC and certified by The American Seminar Leader's Association. Host of the Kabbalah WebRing on the internet.
Awards and Honors Many certificates of appreciation from various organizations where I've given presentations.
Past/Present clients Longboat Key Education Center, The Open Center, Unity of Sarasota, Center For Positive Living, (5) Jewish Community Centers in South Florida, many synogogues, churches, interfaith groups and religious/philosophical organizations.
Expert: Robert Waxman Date: 2/7/2008 Subject: The Truth
Question QUESTION: I am proudly Jewish and I believe in G-d. However all teachings of Judaism or any religion for that matter, were written by human beings. There are many rules I feel are irrelevant. The most logical thing I have stumbled upon is Kabbalah which stems from Judaism, but that too was written by people, and various groups interpret various things in a different way. I can't trust other people to teach me what G-d wants for me to do, and I feel very lost. How are you supposed to know what the Truth is?
ANSWER: Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your question.
The brilliant philosopher Baruch Spinoza agrees with your first statement that all religious texts have been written by people (mostly men). He writes that Moses was 'divinely inspired' by a powerful spiritual force, but 'the burning bush' on Mt. Horeb (Sinai) didn't hand the Torah over to him.
The 'dogma' taught in many religions is archaic, since these 'rules' go back many hundreds or thousands of years. Many of the ancient laws were specifically written for people of that time and the situation they were in. So, many of the laws of "Leviticus" were written for a new civilization wandering in the desert without a police force. If we were to read the Athenian Constitution, we'd also find many of the laws to be obsolete in our world.
Kabbalistic scholars would agree with you about the "Origins of Kabbalah" and it's man-made philosophy (see Gershom Scholem's book on this subject). Like many other world traditions, Kabbalah is an esoteric, wisdom teaching that has evolved throughout the ages.
Your feelings about trusting other people who say they know what "God wants for you" are understandable. People have been using such words since time immemorial to manipulate and influence others.
Please listen very carefully: No one can teach you 'what God wants for you' - only you can discover your own inner voice within your Neshamah or soul. Neshamah communicates with you on an intuitive level from within. This a timeless, universal teaching and it's found at the heart of Kabbalistic teachings.
There is a famous phrase - "no religion is higher than the truth". Plato says that all wisdom comes from within - and all we have to do is 'remember'. Your best bet is to stay away from anyone who is trying to convince you that they know 'what God wants for you'. The odds are - they want something from you, and unfortunately, many people have selfish (sometimes greedy) motives or an egotistical need to control others.
You'll know your own truth when you look within yourself. Sometimes, this requires taking a break in your life for some quiet time and reflection. Biblical characters go into the desert or to the top of a mountain to confront themselves and find peace of mind. This metaphor is about being by yourself, so you can look in the mirror and decide how you want to live your life.
You'll be amazed at how many answers you already have when the distractions of life are silenced. Similarly, the prophet Elijah goes into the desert to find God, but instead finds 'a still small voice'. This is the voice of your Neshamah which knows your own personal truth - and no one should tell you otherwise. All you have to do is listen to your "God-within" and the rest will take care of itself.
I hope this information has been helpful to you.
With best wishes, Bob Waxman
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QUESTION: Hi Bob,
Thank you very much for taking the time for such an in depth reply.
I am indeed a firm believer of the voice within and live by it, and feel it is the best "truth" as well.
However, even an evil man thinks he is good, he goes by what he thinks is right too.
Some people feel homosexuality is wrong and others feel it is not. Is everybody's personal truth different? are there many truths in one world?
Also, I would like to ask how it is "decided" the life each Neshamah gets. In other words, the location you are born in, the life you will lead and particularly the family you are born to.
Answer Hi Sarah,
You're asking important questions and I'll do my best to answer.
It is very difficult to use the words 'good' and 'evil'. They are usually in the eyes of the beholder. Most of the time 'good' and 'evil' are subjective terms depending on one's upbringing, family values, culture, form of government, education, peer group beliefs and influence by the media. One person's evil, may be another person's good, and our judgement of such word-labels usually depends on our conditioned patterns of thought.
On the Tree of Life (Etz Chaiim), we see this duality on the left and right columns which can symbolize opposites and juxtapositions. They can also symbolize harmony when synthesized in the middle column. For example, Gevurah (severity) on the left side of the Tree, faces Chesed (mercy) on the right side. When these Sephirot move out of duality, they balance themselves harmoniously in Tiferet (beauty). There are many such triads on the lower part of the Tree, and one triad at the top, known as The Supernal Triad. The psychological implications are similar to Buddha's "Middle Way" and the "8 fold path".
In Kabbalah, there is a method of finding one's truth known as 'tikkun ha-nefesh'. This a reparation process for the self. It is a path that discards 'false ideas' and helps identify 'true ideas'.
One can either follow the 613 mitzvot, the 10 commandments or one's authentic intuition which springs from Neshamah. Some people use rules to keep them in balance; others use their inner wisdom (Chochmah) to guide them in the right direction. Neshamah contains an intuitive sense of right and wrong that is universal to the human condition. Unfortunately, some people can't hear it due anger, hatred, jealousy, pride etc.. Kabbalah teaches that these negative traits must be eliminated, so the individual - and the world - can be restored to purity of consciousness (tikkun olam).
So, to answer your question about good and evil - your higher intuition is an excellent and trustworthy guide. The 10 Commandments are also used as a practical guide for summing-up basic, spiritual common sense. I would encourage you to read "Theatetus" and Chapter 10 of "The Republic" (both by Plato) for additional insights into your question.
About Homosexuality: First and foremost, Kabbalah teaches love, compassion and universal wisdom. Therefore, there are no judgments in Kabbalah about being gay. If a gay person is experiencing love, kindness, compassion, altruism and truth in life - then, this individual is following the path of The Tzaddik.
If gay individuals denied their true Selves, they would be living a life filled with pain and suffering. Kabbalah teaches that this type of self-denial causes suffering and will hold a person back from accomplishing their true mission (dharma). So, a gay person - like anyone else - should follow their heart and follow the path of The Tzaddik. This is the path to illumination and an on-going contribution to achieving Tikkun Olam (the restoration of world consciousness). Also, there is absolutely nothing written by any Kabbalistic scholar (that I know of) that denigrates homosexuality. In fact, Kabbalah teaches unity, acceptance and higher consciousness, so anyone looking down on gay individuals, is working from a divisive, low level form of consciousness.
Your question concerning Neshamah, and who decides where, when and how the next life will take place, is an interesting one. In Kabbalah, your Neshamah will decide what happens next. Neshamah evaluates its own progress and will choose the life that is yet to come. Neshamah knows what type of experience is necessary to remove "the residue" (shards or karma) and the experience that is needed for spiritual progression. If everything happens for a reason, then the choosing of the next life is no exception. This process is called 'Gilgul' and it ties together with the cosmic law of cycles known as 'Shemittot'.
Just like the dreams we have each night that are constructed by an aspect of our 'sleeping consciousness' (separate from our 'waking consciousness'), Neshamah will create a blueprint, so it can construct a series of incarnations (the Zohar says six lifetimes corresponding to the six middle Sephirot), to arrive at a 'final liberation'.
Sarah, you have excellent questions, and I hope I've been of some help in answering them.
