1 | P a g e

Student Orientation Packet

September 3, 2014
2 | P a g e


Welcome to the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center!

Welcome to the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center. We are excited that you have chosen to explore this
incredible wisdom with us. Our program is based upon Kabbalistic teachings that span thousands of years. The
methodology developed by Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) is used to provide you with the
most authentic instruction in Kabbalah possible, incorporating key Kabbalistic texts into the curriculum.
One of the cornerstone concepts in Kabbalah is that spirituality cannot be bought or sold. As a result, there is no
charge for any of our Education Center courses, and all the required materials can be downloaded for free from
our website. This is our gift to you, and we encourage you to delve deeply into all that is available to you.
You will find your study of the wisdom of Kabbalah to be unique, differing from any other course you may have
taken. You will actually be receiving two separate kinds of education. The first is intellectual. Starting with basic
concepts and progressing into the intricacies of Kabbalah, you will gain an understanding of the Kabbalistic view
of reality, humanity and history.
Knowledge is not the primary goal of Kabbalistic study, however. Kabbalah is meant to be experienced. The great
Kabbalists tell us that a mans soul shall teach him. While we can give you guidance in the methodology, this
aspect of your education is entirely up to you as you examine your inner sensations and feelings. Kabbalah will
change the way you look at yourself and the world around you. It is a very intense personal journey, offering many
avenues for personal growth and discovery.
We know your experience here at the Education Center will be both challenging and rewarding. If we can assist
you in any way, please contact us. Again, welcome to Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center.
Sincerely,
Mike Kellogg
General Manager
Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center

3 | P a g e


Contents

Welcome to the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center! ........................................................................ 2
Contents ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Education Center Staff Directory ................................................................................................................ 4
Course Scope and Sequence ....................................................................................................................... 5
Course Descriptions ................................................................................................................................ 5
Fundamentals of Kabbalah ..................................................................................................................... 5
Intermediate Kabbalah ........................................................................................................................... 5
Important Information ................................................................................................................................ 6
Using the Education Center Website .......................................................................................................... 7
Watching Your Lesson ............................................................................................................................. 7
Question and Answer Forum .................................................................................................................. 8
Course Schedule and Course Materials .................................................................................................. 9
Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center Lesson Archive ..................................................................... 10
Setting Up Your Profile .............................................................................................................................. 11


4 | P a g e


Education Center Staff Directory

This directory is to introduce the people who help make this learning experience the best it can be. To
contact anyone listed below, please email ec@kabbalah.info.


Mike Kellogg
General Manager
Riggan Shilstone
Assistant to the General Manager
William Jackson
Operations Manager
Sandra Armstrong
Broadcast Manager
Judy Hobart
Administrative Manager
Jike Paramo
Communications Manager
Beth Shillington
Q&A Forum Manager
Shane Greve
Executive Producer
Tiffany Kellogg Pittman
Retention Manager
Richard Rodberg
Marketing Manager






5 | P a g e

Course Scope and Sequence
The core curriculum of the Kabbalah Education Center (EC) consists of two semesters of study. Each semester
includes 10 weeks of lessons meeting twice a week. Following completion of this curriculum, students may enter
into a practical study environment called "The Young Group." The Young Group is designed to provide the
information and experiences that students need in order to continue their Kabbalah studies with Dr. Michael
Laitman and Bnei Baruch groups around the world. Dr. Laitman broadcasts the Daily Kabbalah lesson to the
world every Saturday through Thursday at 8pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).

In addition to the core EC curriculum, electives and special seminars may be offered. These will be announced on
the Education Center website as they are available.
Course Descriptions
Fundamentals of Kabbalah
The Fundamentals Course introduces you to key Kabbalistic concepts, including the evolution of desires, the
operating program of humanity, the perception of reality and free will. Experienced instructors help you
understand the forces that have caused the world to develop from its initial creation until today, and how these
forces continue to drive us forward. Each class provides you with the opportunity to ask the instructor questions
as the concepts are presented and explained. The Fundamentals Course gives you the foundation you need to
continue your Kabbalistic studies where you will learn how to put these concepts into practice.

Prerequisites: None
Class Schedule: 10 weeks, twice a week. Each lesson is 75 minutes long. See the EC website for the times and
dates of lessons.
Intermediate Kabbalah
In the Intermediate Course, you will explore ways to apply the principles you are learning in Kabbalah to daily life.
What are the implications for topics such as family life, health, and society? How does Kabbalah relate to other
spiritual paths or methods? How can we use these principles to create a happier world? These topics and more
will be covered on one night each week. On the second night each week, you will learn about the Structure of
Creation: the sequence of events from the initial thought of creation down to the formation of this universe we live
in. During the semester, you start to build a picture within you of an entirely new level of existence. This picture
then becomes the roadmap we can follow back to our roots.
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Kabbalah
Class Schedule: 10 weeks, twice a week. Each lesson is 75 minutes long.
Fundamentals
Kabbalah
Class
The Young
Group
Study with the
Bnei Baruch
World Group
6 | P a g e

Important Information
Important information for related to the EC courses and website is included below. For more information, access
the Frequently Asked Questions page on the website.
Live Classes and Class Schedule The website is updated with the exact class times and course materials as
soon as the schedule for the semester is finalized.
Lessons are broadcast live on the Internet through an interactive interface that you can access from the Bnei
Baruch Education Center website. From the Welcome page, Sign In and enter your username and password.
Click on the course name listed under My Courses (such as Fall 2014 Fundamentals).
This will open the Classroom page where all live classes are presented, the class will begin automatically at the
scheduled start time. You can enter your questions in the question section of the interface to the right of the
screen. The instructor will answer as many of these questions as possible during the live class.
Computer Requirements: There is no need for any special software for most of the EC facilities. What is already
on your PC, Mac or Linux is sufficient. However, in order to participate in live lesson broadcasts, we strongly
recommend a broadband connection (DSL, Cable or better) with downstream speed above 512K. If you are not
sure what type of internet connection you may have, use http://speedtest.net to check your download and upload
speeds.
1. Browser. Use your preference: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari.
2. Flash video is used for broadcasts, so its recommended to update your Flash player. Download the latest
version from Adobe: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
Course Material All course materials are provided in electronic format free of charge. Links to download class
materials are listed on the Schedule tab for the class. Click on the specific class in the calendar to open the
details for that class, which will include the links to the reading material. If you wish to buy the books for your
personal use, you can do so through the Bookstore section of the website.
Missed Classes All classes are recorded. The download links are posted within 24 hours after the class. You will
find the download links on the Archive tab for the class. We highly recommend that you participate as often as
possible during the live questions so that you can ask the instructor questions and receive real time answers.
Student Forum We encourage you to use our student forum for all your additional questions related to the
material you study that arise after the class ends. The forum is moderated by Education Center instructors and
advanced students. You will also greatly benefit from the questions asked by other students, so check the forum
regularly for answers and important announcements.
The forum may be accessed by clicking the Forum tab on the top right of the Classroom page. The forum for each
new Fundamentals semester will be activated 1-2 weeks prior to the start of the semester.
Interim Study prior to the Start of the Next Semester Even if your new class will not start for a while, you can
begin your study right now by going to the Self-Study tab on the top right of the Welcome page and reviewing
the 16 Kabbalah Revealed videos there.
Technical and Other Questions Please go through the site and ensure you are able to access all of our pages
and links. If you encounter any problems or if you have any questions regarding the Education Center, please
send an e-mail to ec@kabbalah.info.

7 | P a g e

Using the Education Center Website
When you log into the Education Center, you are taken to the Welcome page. From here, you may enter the
courses that you are enrolled in and access your Profile. Important information and announcements are posted on
the Welcome page, so check it regularly. If you have any problems with the website, please send an e-mail to
ec@kabbalah.info asking for technical assistance.
Watching Your Lesson
To watch your lesson, go to http://edu.kabbalah.info and log into My Education Center. On the Welcome
page, click on your course from the My Courses list on the left of the screen.




You should now be on the Classroom screen where you can watch the lesson during the scheduled
lesson time. The lesson should start automatically when it is time for the class to start. At all other times,
there will be a blue information screen. If the lesson does not start at class time, click on the Play button
in the center of the blue screen or on your browser Refresh button to reload the player. The moderator in
the chat area will usually prompt you to let you know that the lesson has begun.
For your convenience we provide Live Technical help 30 minutes before all classes and thorough out the
lesson. Just click on the Live Support button.

8 | P a g e


You can use the Lesson Question Panel to ask questions during the lesson. Please include your name
and location when you submit a question. Questions will not appear until the lesson moderator has
approved them, so there will be a delay between the time you submit it and when it appears. Questions
should be related to the topic of the lesson. The instructors will answer as many questions as possible
during the lesson. If your question does not get answered, you can post it on the Student Question and
Answer Forum (see next section) and it will be answered by an instructor or forum moderator. The
classroom page Lesson Questions Panel is NOT monitored outside of class time, so please do not leave
messages here as they will not be seen.
Question and Answer Forum
The Q&A Forum is available 24 hours a day, enabling you to ask questions about the material whenever
they arise for you. Instructors and advanced students will provide answers based on the teachings of the
Kabbalists. In addition, questions from other students can enhance your own learning experience by
bringing a different perspective to the material.
To access the Student Forum, go to http://edu.kabbalah.info and log into My Education Center. On the
Welcome page, click on your course from the My Courses list on the left of the screen (see the screen
shots above).
You should now be on the Classroom page where you would watch the lesson during the scheduled
lesson time. Click on the Forum tab.


PLAY Button

9 | P a g e

You should now see a list of forums that you have access to, including the forum for your class and a
forum where you can submit technical issues or problems you may be having. Scroll down the list to
find your Semester Student Forum; e.g.. Summer 2014 Semester Student Forum. The forum will be
opened 1 week prior to the start of a new semester.

Course Schedule and Course Materials
Each course has its own schedule, which includes all the course materials associated with that course.
Course materials include the reading assignments for each class. Following the class, the schedule also
includes links to the archived videos.
Follow the instructions above to access the Classroom page where you would typically watch the lesson.
Click on the Schedule tab.


There are multiple options for viewing the schedule, including a calendar view and an event listing view.
Any view can be used, but the Month view is the default and is the easiest way to find a specific class.
Use the green arrows by the name of the month to scroll from month to month.

10 | P a g e





To find the course materials associated with a particular class, click on the title of the appropriate class.
The links provided under Related Materials are for material you can use to prepare for the class, and will
open a document, start a video, or take you to the referenced website. If the class has already taken
place, the archived versions of the lesson will also be available under Related Recordings.

Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center Lesson Archive
All Education Center lessons are recorded and posted in the Lesson Archive. If you have to miss a class,
or if you simply wish to review the material, you can access the archive at any time to view or download
the lesson. Each lesson is available in three formats: WMV video, MP3 (audio), and MP4 (video).
11 | P a g e

To access the archives, follow the instructions above to access the Classroom page where you would
typically watch the lesson. Click on the Archive tab.(You can also access the archives by going to the
classroom schedule, as described above.)



Setting Up Your Profile
Your profile gives you the ability to provide information about yourself, change your password and set
your preferences. The most important setting is the one for time zone in which you will watch
lessons. This will enable you to see the start time for classes in your own time zone. To access your
profile, log into the Education Center. On the left hand side of the screen, you will see a box with your
name and a red My Profile button. Click on the My Profile button.

12 | P a g e

To set your time zone preference, click on Display Settings on the right hand side of the My Profile
screen.


PLEASE NOTE: Changing the username is not recommended. Also, do NOT change the language from
English. Doing so will prevent many of the pages from opening.
Use the drop down box for Time Zone to select the correct time zone for your location. Be sure to click on
Save after you make your changes.