The Kabbalah Centre Blog

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The Rav enjoying the festivities at the new Moscow Centre

In February and March, members of the Berg family visited the new Kabbalah Centre in Moscow in an effort to share with the local kabbalistic community.  Special lectures, workshops and spiritual gatherings were held and led by Michael, Monica and the Rav, leaving students feeling more connected with the wisdom of Kabbalah, inspired to perform further actions of sharing, and to embark on more positive initiatives this year and beyond.

The Moscow Centre, fresh from moving into its brand new headquarters in November, hosted the Rav in February – his first ever visit to Russia.  At a time when unrest over the upcoming presidential elections had manifested in the form of riots, the serenity of a spiritual leader’s presence was especially welcome to a dedicated Kabbalah community.  Around 370 Kabbalah students crowded the Moscow Centre in anticipation of the Rav’s arrival on the night of Tu B’Shvat – a holiday that provides us the spiritual opportunity to go above our nature and gravity.

The first thing the Rav did as he entered the new Moscow Centre was to hang and bless a new Mezuzah on the front door.  A Mezuzah is a piece of parchment inscribed with special verses and Names of God, placed in a case of silver, wood, or some other special materials.  The seed level of a house or building is the doorway; to transform the negative influences that hover around doorways, kabbalists affix a Mezuzah to the right door post.

As the Rav approached the main hall, the atmosphere was one of genuine celebration and happiness.  The assembled students sang songs, danced and connected to the energy of Tu B’Shvat with the Rav performing the blessing for the holiday.  “The Rav said that he was even happier this Tu B’Shvat than last year,” says Rachel, who worked to organize the event, “He told the Moscow team that he was very proud of us.”

Volunteers, students and sisters, Alena and Ekaterina, help make Monica’s event a success

Monica interacting with the audience during her Relationship Boot Camp

Next to visit Russia, in late March, were Monica and Michael.  This being their first trip to Moscow since October of 2010, a team of staff and volunteers worked hard to make preparations, happily showing off their new space.

Monica held a Relationship Boot Camp at the Centre on Monday March 26^th, which more than 250 people attended.  Monica dressed ‘Russian-style’ – borrowing clothes from a friend in Moscow due to the loss of her luggage during her flight – and spoke about how to overcome problems in relationships.  “Not many of us realize where the roots of troubles in our relationships come from,” Oxana, a member of the Moscow Kabbalah community, says, “Not all of us are brave enough to see that they come from the ego.  The lecture Monica gave was very important for me personally, because there were a lot of practical tools that can be used in my work on my personal issues (in relationships).”

Michael sharing the weekly portion of the Torah with the Moscow community

The next day, Michael took the lead on three events at the Moscow Centre.  First was a special breakfast with the community, and afterwards Michael and Monica answered questions from those in attendance in a warm, personal setting.  Michael remarked that the Moscow Centre had come a long way from quite humble beginnings seven years ago, when a small study group of about ten people held lectures in Moscow’s libraries, and from there jumped into leading the study of the weekly portion of the Torah.  This was translated and broadcast on Kabbalah University.

That evening, 250 people attended Michael’s Zohar class and lecture.  The event also celebrated the publishing of Michael’s Secrets of the Zohar in Russian.  Event organizers noted that some 50 persons, who had never taken a Kabbalah course nor even been to the Centre before, attended both Monica and Michael’s functions.

Michael during his special Zohar class at the Moscow Centre

Leaving behind a Moscow community infused with new energy and positivity for the future, Monica and Michael made their goodbyes after two whirlwind days in the Russian capital.  The Moscow Centre has seen much positive change recently, and the teachers have many ambitious plans for the future – all invigorated by Michael’s certainty that they will come to fruition.  Says Oxana, “Thank you to Monica and Michael for sharing this with us: ‘Everything depends on our consciousness.  And it’s never too late to start the transformation.’”

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Karen delivers opening Pesach lecture

The holiday of Pesach, or Passover, was celebrated this year on April 6 and 7 in Kabbalah Centres across the world, with many students joining the Rav, Karen, Yehuda, and Michael Berg at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego for a powerful connection. This unified gathering included more than 1000 students from locations spanning the globe across six continents.

The 15th of the month of Aries, known as Pesach, is one of the most powerful 24 hour periods of the year. Traditionally, Pesach is known as the holiday where we retell the story of the Israelites’ being lifted out of slavery in Egypt and brought into freedom. But Kabbalah teaches that this is not simply a story; on Pesach, there is actually an energy available to us that, if we tap into it, can help us free ourselves from what we are slaves to in our own lives.

Karen Berg opened the event by acknowledging the special time we are in and to speak of the energy that exists in this holiday and over the next six months:

“This is a year like no other. This year we can win, we can be victorious. We can go into the world of real freedom, when Moses took the Israelites out of Egypt, when the sea was in front of them and the Egyptians were behind them. The people went to Moses for help, and Moses of course went to the Boss, and God said ‘What do you want from me? Jump in! Don’t cry to me.’ Basically what He was saying is that it is in OUR hands to break through the walls that separate us from the Lightforce of God.

We’re in the year of 5772 according to the Hebrew calendar, and the year 2012. I’ve spoken about this several times – the idea that every 164 years we have a cosmic occurrence that creates new and wonderful things in the world. This is the kind of occurrence that is happening now.

First of all, we’re told that the time of Aries is a time of difficulties. How do we grow? We only grow through the things that make us change – sometimes forcibly, sometimes with great pain. If we look around the world, we see places like Syria and Egypt where there’s tremendous conflict. The conflict is a conflict of growth of the people through its spiritual roots and its religions which are great and wonderful in themselves. The only problem with these types of forces is the force of fanaticism. The only thing we need to be fanatic about is being closer to the Lightforce of God. Anything else is a negative.

Here in The Kabbalah Centre when we look at people around the world, we try to see the person as in God’s image. We are in a time that we can really and truly break the prototype of putting somebody inside a box because of the energy that’s now available in the cosmos, because of the universal forces that exist. We are capable today to move out of our own box, to go into a place that we’re capable of seeing things through the eyes of others.

When we see somebody for the first time, what is the first thing we do? We have our own built-in prejudices. We have already judged them and decided the moment we see them and listen to them speak, by the clothes they wear, by the words they say, and how they present themselves to us. We need to learn, especially now, as nobody is God’s policeman, to see each person as they come to us. If a person runs by and smacks me, and I practically fall down, I can say ‘Hmm, what did I do to make that happen?’ Rather than, ‘What did he do, how come he didn’t see me?’ The opposite – ‘Why I didn’t see him?’

The month of Aries, and the five months thereafter, are the time when our seeds are planted for the New Year. We have the ability, because of the energy that exists, to fix ourselves. And in fixing ourselves, in fixing those things that separate us from the Lightforce of God, the spaces we create in our life can be controlled in this month. But how? Each and every one of us can find a little space that we have – the space of not wanting to commit to anything, the space of being afraid to say what we feel, the space of telling a friend, ‘Sure I can help you, but what can I do, I never had the time.’ Within those small little spaces are the things that create a tremendous difference in the world. Because we have the capacity, by looking inside at our internal war, our internal imbalances, to know as long as we live, it means that we still have something to do on this planet. Hence, we’re still going to have a problem with that desire to receive for the self alone. But we can fix it – removing that one little space inside of me. And if I get to that space, then I can create a viral entity that makes you, and me, and everybody else around us fix just one small space that makes a tremendous difference.

There’s only one way we fix the world – we’ve got to fix ourselves. I’m the one that needs to change. The world CAN be better. But the world only becomes better because we are a microcosm of that macrocosm. If I can’t balance myself, if I can’t find the room inside of me for others, if I can’t stay away from my anger, my envy or my jealousy, then how can I expect there to be a change in the world.

We have to try to create a world in which we make love a virus. We have to create a place where our energy is a virus of love and care, as opposed to that of hate. What if you looked at others in the eyes and into their soul, instead of seeing judgment and deciding of who is in front of us? What would it be like if we saw love? Here’s something I want you to try – I want each one of you to find another person and look them in the eye. I don’t want you to see what they’re wearing or where they’re from or what color they are, I just want you to see the immortality of their soul and make that connection.

This is what we need to see in each of us. Can you imagine what this world would look like, if just 1000 people helped to bring that idea alive? That every time, we as a group looked at people, we thought about them and how positive they are. Can you imagine how much greater we can create this world to be? When I sit with my Creator, and I’m learning, or I’m meditating, or I’m doing MY thing, it’s wonderful to do that, but it doesn’t assist spiritual growth. The only time one grows spiritually is when they’re interconnected with others, when they’re doing the things that are most difficult, opening our ears to be able to truly hear, and our eyes to truly see.

Thank you. “

Karen’s full lecture, in addition to Michael Berg’s lecture, are available to view on www.ukabbalah.com.

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Shabbat morning connection at Beit Shmuel

Picking up from where we left off…

On the morning of February 3^rd near the Western Wall of Jerusalem in the Davidson Center, David Berg, son of Monica and Michael Berg, embraced the ancient practice of laying Tefilin in honor of his Bar Mitzvah.  “A truly transformational moment,” says Billy, longtime student and friend.  Black crows were seen circling around the wall, and as soon as David put on his Tefilin everyone started singing and white doves and pigeons were seen soaring overhead.  “It was an epic moment.  He channeled his father and the lineage before him like a true pro!” says Betsy, another Kabbalah student present.

Celebrating David Berg’s Bar Mitzvah

Fellow student Rudy also felt the significance of Shabbat Beshalach and David’s Bar Mitzvah, reflecting on the touching speeches delivered by Monica, Michael and Yehuda.  Rudy was moved by the strong sense of unity between the two brothers on this day.  “It was a mere 6 months ago that Yehuda’s son celebrated and conducted his Bar Mitzvah in Israel.  I felt a part of the family being there to witness and celebrate this special moment.  And more so… there was a particular synergy between Michael and Yehuda – their words to each other in their speeches expressed a real bond and brethren.  It was a powerful moment.”

Billy added, “At the risk of sounding repetitive and thus diminishing what I want to share, Shabbat and David Berg’s Bar Mitzvah connection was yet another biblical event and living Torah story.  Saturday morning inside the Beit Shmuel building, the moment David Berg began reading, two birds flew inside and began circling the ceiling.  Then they perched onto a fixture and watched. David read incredibly, the speeches were a sea of tears and I began to realize on yet a deeper level, the spiritual giants in our midst.  To say more will only lessen what I have tried to convey so far.”

Rav and Karen share a moment together at Meleve Malka

Saturday, February 4^th was a day of connections; from morning, second and third meal connections at the Beit Shmuel hotel in Jerusalem, followed later by the evening prayers.  Hundreds gathered to connect and hear Karen Berg’s message about how we can bring the true arrival of the Messiah: through love, care, dignity, and unity, which as we know is the heart and soul of Kabbalah.

“This is the time when we can join together as one force and create an everlasting embrace to the divinity that exists for all human kind,” Karen told the massive crowd of Kabbalah Centre students, “As we sit here together, we sing together, we bond together; there is love here.  There is no desertion in the Light because the Light of God is one.  We may have our own pathway to get there but the Light of God is singular and we are all a part of that Light.  Our greatest endeavor is to form this unity, from one end of the world to the other, through the Centres.  It is our duty to make a home where all people, of every race, color and creed feel capable of coming together, refreshed and feeling a part of that unity.  This is the only way we can temper the world of chaos and negativity, and find the whole world at peace.”

750 students visit Rachel the Matriarch to charge the Red String

Later that evening at Ramat Rachel (a kibbutz just south of Jerusalem, overlooking Rachel’s Tomb) everyone gathered together for Melave Malka, also known as the 4^th meal of Shabbat, singing and enjoying the day’s festivities to the maximum.  Karen spoke, telling a story about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the famous Jewish religious songwriter, and the Rav; they were friends and both came under attack from the religious establishment for wanting to spread ideas to all peoples of the world.  Yehuda then announced that the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had received a personal copy of the sacred Zohar.

Karen charging the Red String at the resting place of Rachel

The entire group also visited the resting place of Rachel the Matriarch to connect and charge large spools of red string with her energy. The kabbalists teach that gravesites of Righteous people contain the essence of their energy. Rachel the Matriarch is known for her qualities of spiritual protection. Therefore The Kabbalah Centre brings the red string here to imbue it with her energy while doing special kabbalistic meditations.

The Dead Sea and Bedouin village awaited everyone the next day.  The first stop, however, was the energy site of Rav Ashlag, which according to Billy was nothing short of miraculous.  “To see hundreds of people around his tomb was incredible,” he says, “Michael Berg explained that Rav Ashlag once asked his teacher how would he ever know if he accomplished what he came here to do.  His teacher said people from around the world will flock around you and your teachings.  Well, this morning there were Americans, Israelis, Brits, Brazilians, Mexicans, Venezuelans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and more connecting to the greatest kabbalist of the 20th century and of all time.”

Students lined up to enter Rav Ashlag’s resting place

Bordering Jordan to the east, and Israel and the West Bank to the west, the Dead Sea is known throughout the world for its healing properties.  Spiritually speaking, salt represents the energy of judgment, and the low elevation of the Dead Sea symbolizes its concentrated desire to receive for self-alone.  Just as a vaccination contains a portion of the disease it’s meant to destroy, kabbalists come here to inoculate themselves against the poison of ego – this is the secret of activating the Dead Sea’s miraculous healing powers.

In the Bedouin village

Betsy sat enjoying the view with a friend over a glass of wine, reminiscing about her two boys and husband back in Los Angeles, whom she missed desperately but still felt the unequivocal bond and unity with, as well as the community she had shared her company with over the past week and a half.  “I just have so much appreciation for being able to do a trip like this; being in the presence of teachers and the family, spending real quality time growing spiritually—even though I missed my family—is just a miracle in and of itself.  My mother always said to me that one never really understands how much the heart can grow until you have children, and being on a trip like this, until you’ve been a part of it, you just never fully understand how much your heart and soul can grow with appreciation, love and clarity.”

The trip not only offered a time for spiritual advancement, but more than that, a time to savor the simplicities in life, for instance visiting the Bedouin village in Kfar Hanokdim, where a green oasis in the Judean desert awaited…surrounded by breathtaking views, and offering relaxed desert hospitality– offering a real break from daily life.  Shaded by palm trees, and filled with Biblically inspired gardens, merely walking into Kfar Hanokdim takes one back in time, where Bedouin tents fitted with colorful rugs and mattresses, drum circles, delicious Middle Eastern cuisine and music was offered as the backdrop to a wedding and more celebration.  Students happily engaged in many other Bedouin activities, including fantastical storytelling, belly dancing and palm reading.

Kabbalah Centre students pose outside of the Cave of Machpela

In the heart of the old city in Hebron on the next, and last, day of the tour, students rose early and visited the Mearat HaMachpela, or the Cave of the Patriarchs, to connect to the energy of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah.  Then it was off to the Israel Energy Tour’s farewell event in Kedma, where students recounted their experiences and newfound spiritual energies for the future over lunch.

Rudy sums up his experience by saying, “People really cared about the Centre’s mission, and the energy of commitment was almost visible, tangible even—the new phase of 2012 encompassed a true sense of unity.”

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The Rav and Karen conclude Shabbat in Nablus at Yosef HaTzadik

“It is a privilege to begin our year here in Israel, the spiritual nucleus of the earth.  As we enter 2012, we can feel that there is a new kind of pressure among us.  The cosmos is pushing us to move towards greater empathy, human dignity, and unconditional love.  In response to that energy, each of us personally, as well as humanity on a large scale, seems to be seeking a connection to something beyond the material world.  What a perfect time to be here together, making connections beyond time, beyond space and beyond motion.  This is our opportunity to connect to the Righteous souls who walked before and paved a way, opened a portal for each and every one of us to draw Light for ourselves and the world.”

This was Karen Berg’s welcome message to those fortunate enough to be a part of this year’s Israel Energy Tour.  Before the actual tour even began, however, Yehuda Berg was able to arrange a historic kabbalistic Shabbat in the Palestinian city of Nablus.  The Berg family, along with a small group of Kabbalah Centre students that had come to Israel a little early, entered Nablus as guests of very kind and hospitable Arab hosts.  An unprecedented event, the Shabbat with authentic kabbalists was “world-changing” says one student who participated.  After this amazing Shabbat, the group was given a special escort to Yosef HaTzadik and other tzadikim’s resting places in the heart of Nablus, where further blessed connections were made.  On their way back to Israel after this amazing experience, the Palestinians told them that the Kabbalah Centre community is welcome back anytime – and to come back soon.

Michael and Yehuda share the significance of the Ari’s Courtyard

After the brilliant Nablus excursion, the energy tour commenced, with 650 students from various Centres and study groups around the globe making their way to Israel from January 31^st through February 6^th.  With a jam-packed itinerary – visiting several areas of spiritual significance – this year’s tour marked a significantly different journey from previous trips.

This trip not only inaugurated the beginning of 2012 — a time that is rich with opportunity, when big changes are afoot for humanity — but it was also the coming of age (Bar Mitzvah) ceremony of David Berg, son of Michael and Monica, which was held at the Kotel in the Old City of Jerusalem.

On the morning of January 31st a mass arrival of students landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, where buses awaited and soon carted them off to northern Israel for their first connection.  Kabbalah teaches that when we visit the resting place of a righteous person, we can ask for their assistance and request miracles upon their merit and their great names.  Here there were 650 people in all, making their way to Tsfat to visit the courtyard and resting place of the Ari (Rav Isaac Luria) and Rabbi Pinchas Ben Yair.

The group gathers with the Rav, Karen, Yehuda and Michael at the Amuka

The Courtyard of the Ari is one of the oldest places in the mystical city of Tsfat, and it is where the master kabbalist studied and prayed.  In his Courtyard one is able to connect with the amazing energy and light of his soul, and ask for help in our personal and global process.  Rabbi Pinchas Ben Yair was known for his reluctance to take anything from anyone else – not money or even food at a time of need, not even from his own father – as well as the abundance of love he had in his heart for all human beings, regardless of their nationality or religion.  His soul can assist in igniting our powers of restriction, and opening our hearts to all people who cross our path.

The Rav and Karen at the site of Rav Yonatan Ben Uziel

Later that evening 600 people found themselves at the site of Rav Yonatan Ben Uziel – with a welcoming set up high on the hills of northern Israel.  Lights, heaters, coffee bars, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider were readily available as each person took their time to perform the connection to the power of soul mates at the Amuka.

Rav Yonatan Ben Uziel was one of the greatest kabbalists, and his tomb has been known for centuries as a place for connecting to the energy of soul mates.  It is taught that during his lifetime, he was so devoted to his studies that he never took time to find his soul mate.  When he ascended to heaven, he realized what an opportunity he had missed, and promised to assist all future souls who called on him in re-uniting with their soul mates.

Much later that night, for those who had not surrendered to sleep, Yehuda Berg led a small group of students through a cemetery in Tsfat.  With Yehuda explaining about the great kabbalists throughout time, they made their way to the gravesite of Rav Brandwein’s great grandparents; Rav Brandwein came from a long lineage of kabbalists.  Yehuda relayed a story of his father, Rav Berg, who in 1964 was with his teacher Rav Brandwein at the very site on which the group was now standing.

The Rav was undergoing some troublesome times.  He was filled with uncertainty about his purpose as a spiritual teacher; traveling back and forth from New York to Israel, he was tentative about sharing Kabbalah with the world.  He visited Rav Brandwein, and the two set off for the elder’s ancestors’ graves.  The student and his teacher continued talking, when suddenly a black scorpion walked by the grave.  Rav Brandwein handed his cane to the Rav and told him to kill the scorpion.  The Rav did as his teacher instructed, and at that moment, in the exact spot each student was now standing, the Rav committed heart and soul to his teacher and path.

Michael visits with a group of students at the site of Hanina Ben Dosa

The next day, Wednesday February 1^st, proved to be an intense day as students battled the adverse conditions of a mid eastern rainfall.  But no amount of mud, rain or wind stood between them and their pursuit of making connections at the resting places of great kabbalists.  Michael Berg explained that the more difficult the day was, the more Light and blessings were shining at the different sites: “Rainfall is a blessing, especially in the desert that is the Middle East.”

This kind of a trip is not only a time for spiritual reflection and growth, but also an opportunity to connect with fellow community members and enjoy the feasts, treats and delights of local sites and cuisine.  On the eve of February 1^st, everyone dined in Tiberius, and had the opportunity to unwind a little.  A DJ played some thrilling tunes and people danced the night away.

The group participates in David Berg’s Tefilin Connection in Jerusalem

Thursday February 2^nd began rather early – it was time to start making tracks toward Jerusalem.  One particular group dispatched to visit Hanina Ben Dosa, which is known as the ultimate source for miracles and ascending beyond the laws of nature through the power of consciousness.  “This was great,” shares Betsy, mother, wife, friend and student of nine years, “I felt the earth leave my feet, the energy was just buoyant – I mean, one could put it down to lack of sleep – but this was so much more.”

As with many of the other days, all the groups converged once more for a collective lunch break, this time in a local restaurant situated in the Arabe Village.  After an exciting day, people checked into their hotels to get some rest in anticipation of the next experience.

A group of students visit the Idra Raba

Friday February 3^rd included a rare opportunity to perform a Tefilin Connection at one of the closest places to the actual location of the Holy Temple, the Davidson Centre, providing everyone with the chance to connect with the unadulterated power of immortality.  This connection was a special part of David Berg’s Bar Mitzvah leading into Shabbat.

Be sure to look for Part 2 of this story to find out what spiritual and heart-warming events followed for the remaining days of the Israel Energy Tour.

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