| The Ari was a landmark figure in the history of | | | | text examines the origin of all life and the essence of |
| Kabbalah. He transformed the centuries-old Kabbalistic | | | | Creation or man. Most importantly, it talks about the |
| method so that Kabbalah was no longer a wisdom | | | | general force of Nature that governs everything and |
| reserved for unique individuals with divine souls. The | | | | brings everything into existence. The Ari called this |
| method he created was a preparation for the modern | | | | force “Upper Light.” Here is an excerpt from the |
| age, when masses of people would begin using the | | | | book The Tree of Life: |
| wisdom of Kabbalah for spiritual ascent. | | | | Behold that before the emanations were emanated |
| The Ari was born as Isaac Luria Ashkenazi, in 16th | | | | and the creatures were created, |
| century Jerusalem. He lived at the dawn of the | | | | The Upper Simple Light had filled the whole existence. |
| technological era, when the Middle Ages were being | | | | And there was no vacancy, such as an empty |
| rapidly replaced by the Renaissance, and the first | | | | atmosphere, a hollow, or a pit, |
| sprouts of a new civilization began to emerge. But | | | | But all was filled with Simple, Boundless Light. |
| humanity was not undergoing just technological and | | | | And there was no such part as head, or tail, |
| cultural development. People also began to develop | | | | But everything was Simple, Smooth Light, balanced |
| spiritually, to yearn for spiritual elevation and to discover | | | | evenly and equally, |
| the source of life. Precisely this new desire that | | | | And it was called the Endless Light. |
| emerged in humanity allowed the Ari to reshape the | | | | The Ari’s great achievement was that he |
| Kabbalistic method, in order to adapt it to the new | | | | renovated the entire Kabbalistic method that existed |
| spiritual desires of the masses. | | | | before him for thousands of years—the method of |
| Beginning with a very young age, he became | | | | attaining the Upper Light. Before him, the method was |
| interested in sacred texts and devoted all his time to | | | | intended only for special people whose souls already |
| studying Kabbalistic texts, such as the Holy Scriptures. | | | | possessed unique spiritual qualities. After the Ari, the |
| Very quickly, he absorbed all the Kabbalistic | | | | method could be used by the masses, by anyone who |
| knowledge that was attained before him and became | | | | truly desires spiritual ascent, regardless of age, gender |
| a renowned spiritual teacher at the young age of 35. | | | | or nationality. Thanks to the Ari, anyone can now |
| The Ari headed a Kabbalistic school in a small town in | | | | engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah, find out about the |
| Northern Israel called Tzefat. There, he expounded his | | | | purpose of Creation, and attain a sensation of the |
| spiritual attainment and the wisdom of Kabbalah, but he | | | | Upper Light. |
| did not simply teach the things others before him had | | | | Moreover, the Ari paved the way for Kabbalah to |
| attained. He presented the Kabbalistic wisdom in a | | | | become a modern science. He was the first Kabbalist |
| completely new way, and later generations would | | | | to expound the wisdom about the spiritual world in a |
| study the spiritual world using primarily his books. | | | | modern, scientific language. Before him, Kabbalists had |
| But as fate would have it, he taught for just a year | | | | stated the same knowledge in a mysterious, |
| and a half before passing away at the age of 36. Of | | | | concealed language of legends, fantastical stories and |
| all his students, he felt that only one student had | | | | the like. Their texts could be properly interpreted only |
| understood him enough to continue studying his spiritual | | | | by other Kabbalists, and remained hidden to the |
| teaching. This student was 28 year old Chaim Vital, | | | | uninformed reader. |
| and in the year and a half he had studied with the Ari, | | | | Thus, the Ari laid the foundations for modern Kabbalah, |
| he wrote down everything he heard. When the Ari | | | | creating a method that responded to people’s new |
| passed away, Chaim Vital was the only disciple | | | | spiritual desires in his generation. The Kabbalistic |
| allowed to continue and publicize the Ari’s work. | | | | method used in the world today by millions of people is |
| All the existing texts of the Ari’s Kabbalistic | | | | also based on the Ari’s work, and his book The |
| teaching are the notes Chaim Vital took during that | | | | Tree of Life remains a fundamental textbook used by |
| year and a half. They comprise about 20 volumes, of | | | | modern students of Kabbalah. |
| which the most important text is The Tree of Life. This | | | | |