Quotes from Philip S. Berg

Everything found in this world must have its counterpart in the worlds above. Kabbalists have a phrase to describe this process: As above, so below. Our world is the seeable, touchable, hearable, smellable, and tastable form of all the hidden spiritual worlds. There is nothing in our physical world that does not come from the worlds above. Kabbalah tells us that everything we see in this world is only a reflection, an approximation, a clue, to something beyond outward appearances.

It is also true, however, that "Egypt" is an internal state of being that we must pass through to achieve freedom and transformation.

As time passes and the relationship grows,

Our purpose in life is first to recognize God, then to understand His presence in our lives, and ultimately to achieve unity with His nature.

Our purpose in the world is to gain joy and fulfillment though unity with the Creator. This purpose never changes. It is unaffected by the material conditions of our lives, including the state of our health.

Tears shed with real sincerity foster an instant and powerful connection with the Creator. In a sense, they are an especially powerful kind of prayer that expresses itself beyond the limits of language.

we must simply develop our spiritual potential in order to escape the chaos of a purely empirical relationship with the universe.

When a man is at home, the foundation of the house is the wife, because of whom the Shechinah does not leave the house. He who goes on a journey should pray to the Creator before departing, so as to draw the Shechinah upon himself.

It is also true, however, that Noah could have done more. He built the ark as God commanded, and he withstood the contempt of onlookers, but he did not attempt to intercede with the Creator on behalf of his fellow man. Abraham literally argued with God in an effort to save Sodom and Gomorrah. And Moses was prepared to give up his own life in exchange for the safety of the nation of Israel.

The kabbalists explain that when a human being dies and the body decomposes, a tiny bone at the base of the spine always remains intact. This bone, called the luz, is the seed from which the physical self will arise when humanity is redeemed and the dead are resurrected. But the generation of the Flood are excluded from this process. They are gone forever, and not even a tiny bone of them remains.