These notes are from Ruth Rosenbergs Zohar Class taught at the Kabbalah Centre in New York every

y Tuesday night at 7 m! "in#e the time of Creation$ a different energy is revealed ea#h week! This energy gives us information$ knowledge$ and su ort to ta into so that we #an grow and #hange! %ll this knowledge is revealed in the Zohar$ the an#ient$ sa#red te&t of Kabbalah! The Zohar de#odes the Torahs hidden meanings so we #an understand the s iritual signifi#an#e of its messages! 'uite sim ly$ the Zohar is our manual for life! (t hel s us understand the laws of the universe so we #an live in harmony with them all for the ur ose of finding fulfillment! Zohar Class - Mishpatim 2004 This portion is full of laws - laws about slavery, murder, property, etc. Its actually kind of boring, but its the most perfect portion to demonstrate how without the Zohar, you cant possibly understand the Torah. The Zohar says that this portion deals with reincarnation, and that the laws of slavery are really the laws of reincarnation. There is no other commentary that you could read on this portion that reveals this, except for the Zohar. They dont even mention it. e need the Zohar to decode the lessons of this portion, the same way we need the Zohar in life generally, because things are not always the way they look. If we use our five senses to !udge reality, wed be lost, because often times what appears to be chaos is a blessing, and blessings are chaos. "t. #inai was the one opportunity in history where humanity could have been free from the $ngel of %eath and removed the worst form of negativity. The people were united as a nation and were given the tools to know how to connect to the &ight. 'ight after you read about this, we get to this portion, "ishpatim, and we read about the laws of slavery. Its interesting timing, considering that everyone was !ust freed. #o why is this addressed( This week, the Zohar says that every spiritual revelation comes as a flash ) it shows itself, you get it, and then it disappears. e get it and then lose it. $nd when you get it, its so clear* #ometimes it happens once in a while, other times you can see clearly right before you go to bed, but when you wake up, you forget it. The clarity we have disappears. 'abbi $shlag said that at "t. #inai, there was an opportunity for the people to have received the Torah. +ut in fact, while the Torah was given$ it wasnt re#eived! ,ow do we know( +ecause we were never freed from the $ngel of %eath. The system was given, but it was never accepted until today. e become so excited to start things, and often have beginners luck when we do. Then, we wonder if its working. #tudents go through this when they first take classes in -abbalah. They think its ama.ing, and then they /uestion it. here does the enthusiasm go( The giving is there, but people arent always willing to receive it. hat are the cause and effect laws of not receiving( They are different on a personal level, global level, and for the soul and the body. If last week you tapped into the desire or understanding of the consciousness of the &ight, then this week, you start the process of building your soul. hat does that

mean( hat is our connection with our soul and how do we recogni.e the soul vs. the body( The body is all about our desire to receive, and the soul is the desire to share. $ll of our actions should come from the point of view of the soul, but how do we know if they do( 0ou cant always tell by the action itself, because someone could be the biggest sharer, but what if they have an agenda( This brings us to the idea of transformational sharing, which is sharing when its really, really hard for you. Its not helping someone out or writing a check when it makes you happy or its easy to do. Its sharing when you dont have an agenda, and when its so big, that you dont even understand what youre doing. Transformational sharing can only come from the soul. There are two ways that you know if what youre doing is from the soul1 23 Transformational sharing 43 -nowing what your doing is a vehicle for you to change. 5nderstanding that your restriction is allowing you to tap into your potential and better your life. hat brings you to do transformational sharing is knowing that it will help you change. +ut you still cant feel youre getting anything out of it, because you dont have an agenda. Its when you give because you know you should, but immediately you forget why you did it. 0ou even regret it, maybe. hy is it so important to know the difference between what the body and the soul does( +ecause we have to know the extent to which we are slaves. e are all slaves to our bodies, to our desire to receive for the self alone. The Zohar says that when a soul comes down to this world, its like a chunk of &ight coming. The soul is pure &ight put into the body which is the desire to receive. The soul can become a slave to the body. ,ow do you know when it is( hen you have no control over your thoughts. 0ou could be a sharing person most of the time, but when you are intimidated or humiliated, what happens to our sharing consciousness( 6one. Then you might try to change, seeing that you need to, and doing this restriction could allow your vessel to grow a little bit. 0oure becoming spiritual. The cycle is pure, then you shrink, then you grow, etc. The same thing happens on a physical level. hat happens to the body when its put in a trying situation( 7or example, what if you are shoved onto an ice skating rink when you dont know how to skate( 0ou narrow ) you lose your consciousness. +ut then the body gains a little control as you ad!ust to the situation, and you can bring yourself back to better than before. 0ou might even learn how to skate. This is what we do in life. +ut if youre not aware that the body wants to control the soul, you wont be able to see the &ight. 0ou cant see the good because the body controls the soul. If the body is in control, the portion of "ishpatim is lost. hy are we reincarnated again( +ecause the body makes the soul a slave. If the soul is in control, it wouldnt be reincarnated because it could receive the Torah. This week, we must get to the point of knowing whether our actions are coming from the soul or the body. e have to be differentiate. 0ou have to know where your actions are coming from or you wont know if its the &ight.

"ost of the time, slaves dont want to be free anymore. The Torah says that slaves are released from all mit.voth. They dont have to follow the laws of cause and effect. $ slave is a person who says, 8Tell me what to do. "y thoughts have no value and I like it this way.9 $ slave likes the soul to be in control of the body. hy is it that -abbalah really isnt for everyone( +ecause not everyone deserves it. If youre a slave to your body consciousness, forget about it. :eople like this dont want more out of life. These arent people who seek out spirituality. The people who seek out spirituality are people who already know how life works, but want more. They know that -abbalah is the only way to get to the freedom. -abbalah is for people who arent slaves ) those who are not willing to accept things as they are. &eaders are people who want to take more responsibility. This portion is to get you to understand that the soul is a slave to the body and if you dont know it, you will never have control. The well know 8eye for an eye9 is in this portion. hat does that mean( That revenge is the answer( $ctually, its worse. Its saying that even if you were hurt, its not up to you to hurt back. The universe will take care of it. If you created a short-circuit, you must pay in the same way. If you blind someone, then in your next life, you will come back blind. If you hurt someone, you will hurt. In this lifetime. The universe is set up so that everything comes back to you. If you turn ;< and you say that youre finally ready to get married, thats fine, but what have you accumulated in your file already that might make that take a while to happen( The good news is, that the boomerang works for positive actions as well. If you share and share, then even if someone wants to take advantage of you, it cant happen. The universe is set up that way. If you have savings in a bank account, others cant !ust come in and draw on it. hen you deal with spirituality, you know this cause and effect is not immediate. 0ou could pay for something you did as a child much later in life. If youre lucky, it will take two minutes, but it could take years. The reason its easier for there to be no space between cause and effect is because then you could understand it. =therwise, you dont get it and you ask, 8 hy is this happening to me.9 0ou dont know anymore. Time prevents our understanding. Time, space and motion all exist from not receiving the Torah. It could take a lifetime to figure things out now. This is how the world works. $ person needs to understand at least one of his past lifetimes to know what is happening to him in this one. The 'av says that if we knew why we came back, none of us would have any ego, and in fact wed all bow our heads in shame* This portion can help us remove !udgment and disconnect us from the cycle of cause and effect that brings hurt to us if we hurt others. 0ou can come out of it. +ut to en!oy that benefit, you have to do something this week ) three things, actually. They are the things we have to do on 'osh ,ashanah as well. 0ou have to1 23 %o tchuvah ) understand that you did something wrong> take responsibility for the negative things you created in your life. 'eali.e what youre doing wrong.

43 %o tfilah ) Its not enough to !ust see it, you have to awaken the desire within yourself to change through prayer. ?3 6ive t.adakah ) give charity. hen you reali.e youre wrong and you want to change, the &ight is then =+&I6$T@% to allow you to correct it. It is obligated to allow you to go above your nature. hy is charity so important( Its the number one tool to allow us to go above the laws of the universe, to rise above the system of cause and effect. The moment you give charity, the laws cant affect you. hy( hat is charity( Its giving money> its not giving your time or sharing in any other way. hats so special about money( Its as physical a thing as you can get. #o charity is taking the essence of physicality and connecting it to a spiritual act. $nd this isnt !ust giving some odd amount of money. $ccording to the Torah, the Talmud and the Zohar, charity is only when its transformational sharing ) when you give what you dont have. Its donating beyond imagination. hy is it needed( +ecause it helps you stretch your vessel. ,ow( If you give what you dont have, where do you get it from( 0ou have to borrow it, and where does that come from( 0ou must take it from the &ight. hen you take from the &ight, you connect with the &ight, and so become part of the &ight. $nd when youre with the &ight, your vessel expands. Ao one can know what level of charity is real for us> only we know. Transformational sharing is getting to the place where you say, 8I have to trust the &ight9 and you share more than you ever thought you could. If you want to change and rise above cause and effect, you must go above your nature. hen the &ight provides us with a movie, a test will come and it will be so challenging that you will think you cant handle it. This is a sign that its coming from the point of view of the soul. This is the only time. hy does this portion say that a slave can only be a slave for six years, then he has to go free( The six correlates to the days of the week, and the seventh year is #habbat. This teaches us that during the week, for six days, the body is in control of the soul. Its the test of the soul. +ut #habbat is our opportunity to let the soul control the body. This is true for all people, its universal, and its not about religion. If you dont use #habbat to help you, you cant do it. $nd all the tools need to be used ) the Torah, the meals, etc. 7ood on #habbat is not !ust about eating. Its very powerful and you can receive an additional soul through it. 0our soul can control the most physical things. The reason we dont use money on #habbat or connect with any form of work is to allow the soul to rise above. The soul has to be elevated beyond the physical. If you dont do it, it is very hard for the soul to ever control the body. This is the power of re!uvenation. If you dont en!oy that &ight, how could you be spiritual( If you dont feel how powerful #habbat is, too, your body is controlling your soul. The power of this week helps you see a curtain. 0ou see the truth and it disappears. This portion is all about purity of the soul. +ut the soul cant stay pure forever because of "t. #inai. 0ou have to earn it. The minute you have a glimpse of truth, act on it immediately. %ont wait or it will disappear* If you want to call someone, call them. If you want to change, change A= . 5se the glimpse* =therwise, the clarity will go.

This portion enables us to do our charity this week. To want it. To know if you dont step beyond, even if the &ight wants to give to you, it cant. 0ou have to act from the point of view of the soul. +lessings and &ight. &ove, &inda