| 5768 years ago, one man felt what no other | | | | because he was internally ripe for it. |
| human being had ever felt before-a desire to | | | | Adam is considered the author of the first |
| discover what lies beyond this world. In those | | | | Kabbalistic book, called Raziel HaMalach (The Angel |
| days, people's major interests were securing | | | | Raziel). This short book contains descriptions of a |
| shelter, family and food, but this was far from | | | | general force called "angel," which governs the |
| being enough for that man-he had to know why | | | | universe and consists of particular, lower-level |
| he existed and what makes the world go round. | | | | forces called "sub-angels." |
| His name was Adam, and 5768 years ago he | | | | Even though the book is ancient, it shows a |
| became the first man to discover the wisdom of | | | | scientific approach that is characteristic of the |
| Kabbalah, a method enabling one to feel the part | | | | wisdom of Kabbalah. When reading it, we can see |
| of the universe that is hidden to our five senses. | | | | that Adam was a true scientist of the Upper |
| The name "Adam" might be associated with the | | | | World: His book outlines the structure of the |
| Biblical Adam, described as the first human being | | | | higher forces, their interactions, and how they |
| ever created. However, we are speaking about a | | | | influence our world. It even includes a few |
| different person - someone who, of all people | | | | drawings and tables. |
| living on earth for thousands of years, became | | | | Yet, since Adam wrote this book 5768 years |
| the first to feel the Upper Force. | | | | ago, it's written in an archaic language that is hard |
| Adam began to sense the laws and forces that | | | | for us, modern people, to understand. It uses |
| govern everything in our world, and his perception | | | | many allegories and metaphors, but nevertheless, |
| penetrated through matter, into the hidden part | | | | it is clearly the first written Kabbalistic source. In |
| of reality. There, he felt a net of forces governing | | | | fact, it is deemed to be humanity's first literary |
| everything in perfect harmony, and joining into a | | | | work. Until Adam's book, people had created |
| single, all inclusive Upper Force. | | | | some texts and images on rocks, but Raziel |
| In Hebrew, Adam comes from the word Domeh | | | | HaMalach could be truly called a book. |
| (similar), referring to his similarity to the Upper | | | | Thus, 5768 years ago, the evolution of desires |
| Force. Kabbalah explains that the Upper Force is | | | | within humanity had come to a new level, when a |
| perceived through a principle called "equivalence of | | | | new, spiritual desire first appeared in a human |
| form." This means that one perceives the Upper | | | | being. The emergence of Adam marked |
| Force as soon as his qualities become similar to | | | | humanity's first awakening toward the Upper |
| those of the Upper Force. | | | | Force. Since then, Kabbalah has gone through a |
| Adam was the first person to apply this principle: | | | | long evolution, as more and more people started |
| he found the way to gain new, spiritual qualities | | | | to feel the same aspiration as Adam had felt. And |
| that are similar to the Upper Force's qualities, and | | | | in our time, millions of people are asking the same |
| thus attained the Upper Force. But why him and | | | | question that Adam once did, "Why do I exist and |
| not others who lived before him? It's because he | | | | what makes the world go round?" This is exactly |
| was the first human being to feel an aspiration | | | | why the wisdom of Kabbalah is coming out |
| toward the Upper Force. Before, no one had such | | | | publicly: to help anyone who feels ready to |
| a desire. He was able to reveal the Upper Force | | | | answer this deep question. |