TRUE LINEAGE

This is the true lineage of the key Kabbalists throughout history. Please SHARE this as the lineage is Light itself, once it becomes part of someone’s consciousness.

There is only one lineage, where Master imparts the secret teachings and tradition to his one disciple. Rav Yehuda Ashlag’s successor and beloved disciple was the honorable and eminent Kabbalist Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein. Rav Brandwein’s blood lineage is also one of the most powerful in all of history, if not, the most powerful.

Check out the details below.

This lineage is important because only by connecting to the root and line of Kabbalists are we able to draw blessings, miracles and Light through the “pipeline” that is the lineage, into our lives. If a student is not experiencing genuine miracles and wonders in their life as a result of their transformation and studying, it means they are not connected to the lineage in a proper way.

The sign of an authentic Kabbalist is that he is surrounded by students who experience bona fide miracles and transformation.

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

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Billy Phillips

Billy Phillips has been a student of Kabbalist Rav Berg and Karen Berg since 1989. He has been instrumental in helping to make Kabbalah accessible for the masses working on both private and public projects under the guidance of Kabbalist Rav Berg. He has lectured on a variety of topics, most notably the profound connection between Kabbalah, Christianity, Islam and the world of Science.

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72 Responses

  1. Stuart Lewis says:

    You left out the ultimate lineage of our wisdom, none other then the Creator itself.

    • Kabbalah means to receive. we are in the work of correction (tikun). Thus, its the Kabbalists who receive and reveal the wisdom/Light of the Creator for that is how we become the cause of our happiness and remove Bread of Shame. The Creator has no need to remove Bread of Shame and has no desire and has no need to receive anything. The Creator just shares. The work of the Kabbalists and mankind is to reveal that Light. And this lineage represents that process.

  2. Guillermo Del Solar says:

    Billy Thanks I remember this is one of the first things I asked my teacher about when I started studying some years back, but I don’t remember seeing it layed out like this

  3. Matthew Keehan says:

    Didn’t Rav Ashlag have a son called Baruch Ashlag? And didn’t Baruch Ashlag go on to be the teacher of Rav Laitman of Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Centre?

    • Anyone can teach Kabbalah. Not everyone is a true Kabbalist.

      The authentic, chosen successor and beloved disciple of Rav Yehuda Ashlag was his esteemed student, Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein. Rav Ashlag had other children as well. All Kabbalists have children. But this does not make them a successor.
      Joshua was the successor to Moses and was given the secret Kabbalistic tradition from Moses. Moses children, Gershom and Eilezer, were not his successor.

      Here are the facts: Laitman started studying Kabbalah under Kabbalist Rav Berg at the Kabbalah Centre. He was a dentist. He had Rav Berg convert his wife and children to Judaism. Then he left to do his own thing — like a few other students who left over the years to start their own gig. Laitman, however, never received rabbinical ordination (smicha) from any Yeshiva or Rabbinical authority. Laitman never received any documents or letters or ordination from Baruch Ashlag. He is self appointed. So, according to Kabbalistic authorities, he falls under the definition I gave at the top of this response. He is a teacher of Kabbalah, but not a Kabbalist. Big difference. No different than a teacher in a university who studied Kabbalah and teaches it to others.

      There is only one true lineage. And each Kabbalist in that lineage is an ordained rabbi and Kabbalist who has received the true wisdom from a master. And they have the rabbinical and Kabbalistic documentation, the “war stories”, and the miracles stories that make it self evident as to who they are. I have listed the true Kabbalists who have these credentials, degrees and testimonies in this document.

      The lineage is key and vitally important to students because its through that chain and pipeline of Kabbalists that blessings, miracles, and transformation flow through.The lineage is the root to the divine reservoir. The lineage is the transmission line from which the true wisdom is broadcast to the student. Instead of just learning information, a true student receives blessings, transformation and purification. The wisdom is just a garment. Learning Kabbalah from a non Kabbalist is just an exercise in intellectual information gathering. It can be stimulating intellectuality but it in no way purifies, transforms, elevates and raises consciousness. This is not my view. This is the view of Rabbi Ashlag who says having one true Kabbalah teacher is the most important thing you can do. This is why Rav Berg has a vast network of loving students all around the globe with the most insanely cool miracle stories you’ve ever heard. Each one on the level of the Great Baal Shem Tov stories. The proof must be in the pudding.

    • Tom says:

      But you did not include Rabbi Baruch Ashlag in your lineage poster. Even if Michael Laitman is not a true Kabbalist, that doesn’t mean that Rabbi Baruch Ashlag was not. Baruch Ashlag was a true, ordained rabbi. He did study Kabbalah with his father, Yehuda. He did teach Kabbalah. It seems you would need some factual basis for excluding Baruch Ashlag from the status of Kabbalist, something like an authenticated statement from Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag that his son Baruch was not his successor, or was not a Kabbalist. Otherwise, your exclusion of Baruch Ashlag could seem to be motivated by a prejudicial or egoistic desire to exalt your teacher, Rav Berg, at the expense of other Kabbalists.

    • There is only one lineage, where Master imparts the secret teachings and tradition to his one disciple. That is the lineage i present. Rav Yehuda Ashlag’s successor and beloved disciple is the great and eminent Kabbalist Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein. This was not a list of Kabbalists in history. This is the one lineage dating back throughout history. This is important because only by connecting to the root and line of Kabbalists are we able to draw blessings, miracles and Light into our lives. If a student is not experiencing miracles and wonders in their life as a result of their transformation and studying, it means they are not connected to the lineage in a proper way.

    • The successor to Rav Yehuda Ashlag was Rav Brandwein. Moses had children but Joshua was Moses’ successor. Joshua is the lineage quoted by the rabbinical authorities and Kabbalists, not the children of Moses, though the likely learned from their father. We are talking about a pipeline, a chain, a sacred umbilical cord that runs from Sinai, to Rabbi Shimon through the centuries up to our modern day. Those are the facts. There is no reason to dispute or debate or even question it because it just is. For someone to say Joshua was not the successor to Moses or Chaim Vital was not the successor to the Ari, Rav Isaac Luria, doesn’t make it so, just because someone says that. The Kabbalists tell us the lineage and we listen to them. There were those during the time of the Ari that claimed other people were the successor to the Ari, and not Chaim Vital. Big deal. They disappeared from history and Chaim Vital is still recognized as the successor and he has the books and writings and profound depth of wisdom in those writings that make it self evident. And every giant of Kabbalah since the Ari, from Baal Shem Tov to Ramchal, all agree it was Chaim Vital. There is no debate. Rav Ashlag designated Rav Brandwein as his successor which is why Rav Brandwein had the Zohars of Rav Ashlag and he published them along with the writings of the Ari and Chaim Vital. the lineage is clear. There is nothing to argue over. And Rav Brandwein transmitted the lineage to his beloved student Rav Berg. Period. All the handwritten letters of Rav Brandwein illustrate this and thus it puts an end to all debate and arguing. To debate is a waste of time. I just posts this to show the lineage because connecting to it brings us blessings. If you choose not to connect to it, that is your right and privilege.

  4. babcsiga says:

    Quite big gaps on the lineage… Thousand years is a bit too much to cover…

    • Kabbalah went underground at that point. It wasn’t till Rashi came on the scene and then Abraham ben David who literally opened up the doors to Kabbalah after 1000 years of concealment. It still took until the 13th century for Zohar to come forth. The Zohar explains why. The Zohar says kabbalah must be concealed for 1200 years from the time the temple was destroyed. 100 years for each of the 12 tribes. The temple was destroyed in the year 70. 1200 years later is 1270. The Zohar was revealed in Toledo Spain in 1270-1290 period. Exactly as Zohar says. This is why the 1000+ year gap.

  5. Ramon Ariza says:

    god is one,

    adonai ejad

    why separate ourselves around whos goat or not the lineage,

    let us get together, Crhistians, Muslims, Budists, Bnei Barujm KCenter, , lets get together and thats the only way of getting higher, separated we never will achieve,…

    lets focus on our similarities and not in our differences..

    and we’ll find the ejad between all of us..

    • All Kabbalists in history focus on the lineage and master — student transmission and lineage for this is the sole cable through which the Light of the Creator flows. The Kabbalists, including Nachmanides calls it “the way of truth.” The “way” refers to the lineage and how the master Kabbalists teaches his successor. What is miraculous and profound and historic about Rav Yehuda Brandwein, the successor to Rav Ashlag, is that Rav Brandwein transmitted the tradition and secrets to Rav Berg both in person, and for the first time in history, by way of letters, which the Kabbalah Centre has published. This action of writing personal letter filled with Kabbalistic secrets was designed to open up the Kabbalah and Zohar to the entire world which is why Rav Berg and Karen Berg began publishing all of the teachings of Kabbalah, the Zohar and Rav Ashlag back in 1972 embarking on the greatest and largest publishing effort in the history of humanity. Knowing and connecting to the lineage is how we connect our souls to the Light. No one connects to Israel Sarug, one of the students of The Ari, Rav Isaac Luria. Rather, we all connect to the Ari’s disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vitale. This is how we maintain our connection.

  6. Ed says:

    So based on your observation that father son relationships don’t automatically makes the son a Kabbalist, then Michael and Yehuda Berg are not but rather students? Who is Rav Berg’s successor?

    • Chasvashalom, and G-d forbid. We do not talk about successors because Rav Berg is the Kabbalist of our generation and the sole objective is to achieve the redemption in our life time. We give zero energy to such talk as this introduces doubt into the goal of achieving the end of death, pain and suffering. Having said that, the Kabbalist designates his chief disciples by handing them and teaching them the secrets, the wisdom, and the transmission of the energy of the lineage and the consciousness of the Zohar. Chaim Vital was the chief student of Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Ari, while both were living in Safed. Yehuda Berg and Michael Berg have learned with the Rav since they were children and their kabbalistic and rabbinical ordinations were achieved through the top yeshivas in the United States and through their teacher, The Rav.

  7. susan says:

    Hi: Why is the methods of Bnei Baruch and The Kabbalah Centre so different. You wrote that Laitman is not a Rabbi on some of his videos the newscasters call him Rabbi. Also he says he teaches scientifically . I have attended his classes and I have attended KC. They are completely different Laitman teaches a method that seems so sad that we do not need money just be happy with what we have and to study and watch his classes each night, personally I do not understand one word of it. At The Kabbalah Center I felt lighter and I had miracles of my own. I wanted to see the difference, I just do not understand each bad mouths one another so you are saying Laitman is not a Kabbalist? Well, I have noticed a difference the organization is run like a cult. I just need to ask one question Billy, he is teaching ud that we must pass The Machson when I was at the KC I never heard of this can you clarify?

    • I don’t know what they teach but Laitman himself will admit he is not an ordained rabbi. period. and he has no documentation, no smicha (rabbinical ordination) and he used to study at the Centre. And Rav Berg converted Laitman’s wife and children to Judaism. He left the Centre and took a bunch of teachers with him to start their own thing back in the 80s. So he left the lineage and his teacher. There has always been only one lineage of Kabbalists. Only one. And Rav Berg and his teacher Rav Brandwein and his teacher Rav Yehuda Ashlag, all the way back. No matter what anyone says. To even debate this is such a joke and so silly and anyone who knows true Kabbalah knows this. So i personally do not care what Laitman or any college professor or anyone else teaches about Kabbalah because they are not Kabbalists. Only the lineage can empower you with enlightenment, purification, and transformation that Kabbalah delivers. Everyone else only imparts information. Information does not create miracles. If you are not experiencing true miraculous changes in your life, then you are not receiving Kabbalah. The word “Kabbalah” means to receive and you can only receive the wisdom from the lineage. But don’t believe me. Just test the wisdom and the path and see what happens. Sounds like you already have seen the difference so I would focus on the Centre’s teachings and practice restriction, one of the most profound kabbalistic ideas in history, one that Rav Berg introduced into the world in simple language for the layperson so that people like you and i could grasp the teachings in a simple, practical way. Restriction is what unites you with the 99% reality which exists beyond the five senses, beyond the curtain that separates the 1% physical world with the 99% spiritual realm and source of all blessings.

  8. Paradzai says:

    Bayohai and Jesus live the same time?

  9. Ash M. says:

    Who wold be the Baal Shem Tov’s teacher in this lineage? And how would Moshe De Leon be linked to Isaac Luria? and the RABAD to the RAMBAN etc?

    • Baal Shem Tov’s teacher was a heavenly teacher, but I will check with Yehuda Berg on the question if he had a regular teacher as well. Regarding Moshe De Leon, he preceded the Isaac Luria. De Leon lived in the 13th century and The Ari lived in the 16th century. The Zohar is their connection as De Leon received the Zohar after it was discovered buried under the temple mount and it was brought to the Kabbalists of Spain to be translated and copied and spread to help ignite a final redemption. The Rabad lived before De Leon, and Rabad received the Bahir after it was discovered buried under the Temple Mount and it was brought to France. The Rabad is the one who opened up the doors to Kabbalah in the 12th century after receiving instruction from Elijah the Prophet. Ramban lived after the Rabad and he also had access to the Zohar but did not reveal it publicly at the time. I cannot go into greater detail at this time. I will do a lecture in the near future that will tell the whole story.

    • Ash M. says:

      Wow, thanks for that chunk of info! Looking forward to the lecture!

  10. Bob Barry says:

    I watch “Power of Kabbalah” and “Authentic Kabbalah” on JLTV weekly and I would like to point out a few things:
    1. Your approach talks about correcting our ego in this world, Astrology, palm reading, scanning the Zohar, scanning the 72 names of God, etc.
    2. Dr laight says Kabbalah has nothing to do with worldy things such as these and connection is key.
    3. You say we need to correct ourselves in this world.
    4.Dr Laitman says correction is only possible in the spiritual world.

    Is it possible that both approaches are have some merit?

    • Laitman is not a kabbalist. He was a dentist. There is only one authentic lineage of Kabbalists and its Rav Berg in our generation. Zero debate. Laitman is not a rabbi. Not a kabbalist. He used to study at the Centre over thirty years ago. After Rav Berg converted his wife and children to judaism, Laitman left. So you cannot compare what Laitman says to what the Centre teaches because Laitman is not a credible source and thus not privvy to the true teachings. Anyone can read a book on Shakespeare and then call themselves a scholar of Shakespeare. But I would listen to Shakespeare himself when wanting to understand the writings. So, Kabbalah includes Palm and Face reading because its in the Zohar, the most sacred and holiest book on earth. Abraham, the father of Torah, and Islam and Christianity wrote a whole treatise on the secrets of Astrology as did other Kabbalists. The whole Torah and all the “holidays” are based on astrological dates. So to deny this is silly and demonstrates a lack of understanding. No credible rabbi in the world will tell you that astrology and palm and face and scanning the Zohar are not found in the Zohar itself. Every orthodox rabbi in the world knows these truths. We are in this physical world to transform desire to receive into desire to receive for the sake of sharing. This means, transforming ego from selfish to selfless. This is why we are in a physical world. The whole path of Torah is all about making this transformation. Kabbalah is not about doling out wisdom for intellectual purposes. It’s about offering a path of transformation as per the teachings of Torah. There is no debate. If someone says otherwise, they are simply do not understand the teachings of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Moses. Period. Both approaches, as you say do not have merit. There is only approach. The path of Torah. The Zohar is clear: If a person is not a true Kabbalist and Rabbi, yet he teaches Kabbalah anyway, calling himself and self appointing himself as a Kabbalist, this brings darkness and death to the world. This is NOT my view. This is the view of the Kabbalists. You can read the teachings of Zohar on this provocative subject by clicking this link: http://kabbalahstudent.com/dangerous-kabbalah/

  11. Bob Barry says:

    Let’s backup a step.
    Did not Baal HaSulam (Yehuda Ashlag)have two spiritual disciples his son Rav Baruch Ashlag (Rabash) and Rav Brandwein?
    Why isn’t Rav Baruch Ashlag also on the lineage chart?

    • Hi Bob,

      The same way Joshua was the successor and beloved disciple of Moses, and not Moses’ own son, Rav Yehuda Brandwein as the true successor and beloved disciple of Rav Ashlag. There many, many sons of Kabbalists who are not in the true lineage. Spiritual bonds are more powerful and real than physical blood bonds. What’s incredible about Rav Brandwein is that he has both! He is connected by blood to all the greatest Kabbalists from the school of the Baal Shem Tov and Kabbalistic dynasties that evolved afterwards. Read the chart i posted to see how many Kabbalists Rav Brandwein is connected to. And of course, he is the spiritual disciple and successor of Rav Ashlag.

    • Bob Barry says:

      So are you saying that the son Rav Baruch Ashlag (Rabash) of Baal HaSulam (Yehuda Ashlag) was not a Kabbalist?

    • I am saying the true successor and disciple to the great 20th century Kabbalist Rav Yehuda Ashlag and the one lineage is the great Kabbalist Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein.

    • Bob Barry says:

      Let me rephrase:
      Was the son Rav Baruch Ashlag (Rabash) of
      Baal HaSulam (Yehuda Ashlag) a Kabbalist or not?

    • I have no idea if the son of Rav Ashlag would be considered a Kabbalist. i never read his writings. I am not a member of the rabbinical council. i focus my learning upon my teachers and their teachers and their teachers before them. I suggest you find the answer yourself. As Rav Ashlag says, find one rabbi for life and make him your teacher for life. I have found mine and I share the wisdom that I have learned and lived. By the way The Ramchal also explains in great detail that Zohar’s revelation in our world is a gradual process that occurs in each generation, and this is nothing less than the restoring of the Light, ray by ray, the once shone on Mount Sinai when the world experienced immortal existence. We are now pouring that Light back into the world. To understand the importance of Zohar and Kabbalah in our world as it relates to our redemption, read Gift of the Bible and other books by Rav Ashlag available from the Kabbalah Centre.

  12. Bob Barry says:

    Here’s a follow up:
    Words in the Zohar has been interpreted differently by many Kabbalists. Is the interpretation by Baal HaSulam,his son Rav Baruch Ashlag (Rabash), and Rav Brandwein all the same?

    • Rav Brandwein and Rav Berg’s insanely profound and powerful teachings and writings are self evident of their Kabbalistic status and they stand on their own as unquestionable proof of the one lineage that exists and has always existed. The Zohar is not open to intellectual interpretation. A Kabbalistic master hands down (spiritual downloading) the consciousness and truths embedded in the Zohar revealing deeper and deeper wisdom and truths. There is nothing intellectual about this in the traditional academic sense. Its about a state of consciousness. The teachings of Rav Brandwein and Rav Berg transcend the intellectual and have a refining effect upon the students character and soul, for those who merit the chance to be called students. There is no debate and no argument about this. Read the books that have the published letters between Rav Brandwein and Rav Berg. Truly an enriching and transforming and enlightening experience, books and letters that can be read a thousand times to glean the secrets and wisdom embedded in every page.

    • Bob Barry says:

      You said “So, Kabbalah includes Palm and Face reading because its in the Zohar”. I had the understanding that the Zohar does not talk about our physical world but only the spiritual. Do you have a reference from Baal HaSulam (Yehuda Ashlag) or Rav Brandwein where they state otherwise?

    • The Zohar itself says it. “As above, so below.” The entire physical world is a stamp, as Rav Ashlag says, of the spiritual world. The whole purpose of Zohar is to unite the two worlds together according to all Kabbalists in history. In fact, the Kabbalists and the Zohar tell us if we do not reveal the Zohar’s Light, the world will transform through suffering instead of mercy. The Zohar says it will be the ARK in the End of Days and those who merit to connect to the Zohar with leave the exile with mercy instead of suffering. The Zohar is all about refining and perfecting the physical world. By conversing about the spiritual, it affects the physical.

    • Ash M. says:

      I have noticed that Laitman seems to put an emphasis on group work and rigorous study of Kabbalistic texts as a means to cross the barrier and accessing the spiritual worlds. According to his Kabbalah nothing in this world has any spirituality – be it astrology or palm reading. These parts of the Zohar are misinterpreted because its written in the language of “roots and Branches” where mundane things like “rain” has its spiritual root like “light entering partzufim” and that’s what the Zohar actually means. I have not seen the teachings of the Kabbalah Centre allude to this language, the Zohar seems to be interpreted quite literally and there doesn’t appear to be any emphasis on group unity work.

    • If you are happy with Laitman’s teachings, wonderful. A true Kabbalist is a rabbi with ordination (smicha). A true Kabbalist has ordination in Kabbalah as well by his master. A true Kabbalist has the relationship with his master and the rabbinical and kabbalistic documents that sanctify and acknowledge the individual as a rabbi and Kabbalist. The Centre has taught about the language of branches since the very beginning, including when i began studying in 1989. To say the Zohar has no influence in our world is a gross misunderstanding when the purpose of life is to correct and perfect the physical world through the teachings of Torah and Zohar. The entire Torah and all of the holidays from Rosh Hashahan, Yom Kippur to Passover, Shavuot are all based on astrological events. To deny this is absurd and ridiculous. Further, the Centre is not about astrology and palm reading. This is another gross distortion. The Centre teaches Torah, Zohar and puts people on a path of observing the connections of the Torah with emphasis on Shabbat and daily minyans in cities throughout the world, three times a day, using the Torah and the prayer-connections as a vehicle and instrument to remove darkness and pain from the world. The Kabbalistic siddur of the Kabbalah Centre is the most profound one in human history, which even scholars agree. It if filled with the kabbalistic meditations and formulae that activate morning, afternoon and evening prayer connections so that are prayers refine our character and elevate the world. The classes at the Centre teach us and offer us the opportunity to uproot the ego, the selfish, narrow minded aspects of our nature. This discussion and emphasis on palm reading is a ruse, a distraction to all of the other profound, powerful and necessary Torah connections that the Kabbalah Centres around the world make on behalf of all mankind. No one does a Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Tish’Bav, Pesach, Shavuot and every other single connection with the same detail and halachic observances like the Kabbalah Centre. No where. To not recognize the power of what the Centre does and the loftiness of the Centre’s Daily and Shabbat Siddurs merely reflects a lack of education, understanding and grasp of true Kabbalah and Torah. Which is okay. Not everyone has to be a scholar.

    • Ash M. says:

      Thanks for clarifying Billy, I guess this info is just not heard of in the media portrayal and common knowledge of the Kabbalah Centre. I never would have known the Centre teaches the language of branches and all technical aspects of Kabbalah. This was what I was trying to get at, most people’s knowledge of the Centre is that its a mystical new-aged form of self help rather than an authentic and pragmatic approach to attaining the objective Ultimate Truth.
      Just to clarify, what emphasis does the Centre put on group work and workshops with groups as a means to spiritual connection and correction?

    • The Centre’s Kabbalah classes include interactive workshops and participatory exercises that help students crystalize the teachings, wisdom and lessons of each class. The sole purpose is to help the student uproot the ego, identify the Satan (Opponent or evil inclination) within us. The Centre’s prayer connections are a whole other division of the Centre, as I mentioned in previous reply. Of course the media and others distort what the Centre does. This is for free will purposes. All Kabbalists were slandered, defamed and ridiculed by the mainstream as this is part of the process. Someone has to merit the truth and earn the right to gain access to the true teachings. If someone cannot get past the barrier created by silly media distortions of the Centre, it really means they do not have the merit and are not yet ready to enter into the true wisdom. Kabbalah chooses us, we do not choose kabbalah. The illusion that we are choosing Kabbalah is, again, for free will purposes. Of course, the ego will love to reject this point as well.

    • Ash M. says:

      Thank you again for clarifying, I agree, these things come into life from above and ultimately its for people to decide, we have free will and we are here in this world, the next step is questioning why and searching for our purpose we can either decide to explore this or reject it.
      I have in fact have started studying at the Centre in London but with all these differing views on the Wisdom its difficult to know who’s the real deal and whose just misinformed. Finding the truth is never an easy task! Thanks Billy for your efforts and illuminating info.

  13. Bob Barry says:

    Will you agree per Wikpedia the followng and:if not correct it:
    Rabbi Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag was a Kabbalist, the firstborn and successor of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag and author of “The Sulam” commentary on the Zohar. Among his writings: Shlavey ha Sulam, Dargot ha Sulam, Igrot Rabash. Wikipedia

    • Bob, why are you coming to me with this? I am not a student of R. Baruch Ashlag. I am not a historian or a scholar. I am a student of the Kabbalah Centre. A student of Kabbalist Rav Berg and Karen Berg. What Wikipedia has to say about R. Baruch Ashlag is of no concern of mine. It’s not my business. I only answered your question because you asked about the lineage and as i stated over and over, Rav Brandwein is the successor and disciple of Rav Yehuda Ashlag. If someone else wants to make claims, they are free to do so. I am not here to police media and wikipedia. I am secure in the wisdom and answers that I have found. I know the truth and I am happy to share what I know should someone ask. I really don’t care what any other site has to say. I don’t go around trying to convince others on their facebook pages or blogs what I know to be true. I just post my views on my own pages and blogs and people are free to come or not come and read what is written. I have zero interest, personally, in R. Baruch Ashlag. that is not a slight or even based on an opinion about him. It’s merely a reflection of my interest in the lineage of my own teacher, Rav Berg and his teacher Rav Brandwein and his teacher Rav Ashlag. Again, read the personal handwritten letters between Rav Berg and Rav Brandwein and you will glean tremendous knowledge about the wisdom of Kabbalah and also the history of the Centre. That said, if you are a student of the teachings of R. Baruch Ashlag you should not need any one else’s approval, especially mine. Be secure in your teacher and stick with your teacher for life. That is more important, says Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, than anything else. We need one teacher for life and we must remain united with that teacher. If you were truly united, you would not care what Wikipedia or billy phillips has to say. I hope this makes sense and i wish you miracles, blessings, answers and connection to the Light.

    • Bob Barry says:

      Thank you for your replies. Can you give me a few references in English written by Rav Brandwein only?

    • read the book Beloved of My Soul, by Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein.
      http://store.kabbalah.com/primary-texts/beloved-my-soul

  14. Amir Michael Rehan says:

    This is the most powerful post ever!

  15. Cecil says:

    How can you prove that Jesus was a Kabbalist? This not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, Old or New Testament?
    Nor have I ever heard of any Christian organizaton or publication that ever mentioned this or made such an assertion? In fact, to the best of my knowledge, Kabbalah itself is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible or in any Christian teachings? Why is this so?

  16. Cecil says:

    Hi Again Billy: I viewed your video as sent above – unfortnately I am hearing impaired and cannot easily
    discern the spoken word, and this even more difficult for me when viewing videos or listening to audio tapes etc. As a consequence my above questions have not been answered for me. If you have the time could you please provide me a written answer to these questions? Secondly, if I have further questions is there a way for me to start a new discussion with you. Thanks – Shalom/PAX – Cecil

  17. Roseli says:

    Como Billy Phillips mencionou: “nós precisamos de um professor na vida”. Nem todos poderão ser da linhagem. O que importa é aprendermos e agirmos conforme os ensinamentos da Kabbalah. No momento em que começamos a trilhar este caminho passamos a entender que tudo coopera para o nosso bem, para o nosso crescimento espiritual. Shalom!

  18. Ed says:

    who is Rav Berg’s successor? His sons? Which one? according to your statement above, sons may not be considered Kabbalists even if they have rabbinical ordinations and their father was a kabbalist, like Rav Baruch Ashlag had yet he is not considered a kabbalist by your view. Who takes the leadership of the KC now?

    • As Yehuda Berg explained, the Rav gave a piece of his own soul to all of his students around the world. Karen is the spiritual leader of the Kabbalah Centre and the other half of the Rav’s soul for as the Bible says, “When the moon shines as bright as the sun, the redemption will take place.” As Moses (the sun) hid himself by leaving this world, he allowed Joshua (the moon) to shine. If the sun shines, we cannot see the light of the moon. For the first time in history, the power of the Zohar, the Or Ganuz (hidden Light) that is the Light of our Final Redemption, is now able to shine from the moon, Karen, so that the Shekhinah (the female aspect of the Divine and our world) and the male aspect of the Divine (the Light radiating from the Creator) can reunite and ignite our redemption and the end of all death, pain and suffering.

  19. Tawni says:

    Billy, I have never read anything by you until now. I have heard about you though.

    I have been a student of the kabbalah Center and I study with Rav Laitman’s group.

    Causing separation in this way? What does it accomplish?

    • Truth never causes separation. People rejecting the truth is what causes separation. Also, this is in response as well to slanderous statements made by Laitman. By the way, we are here to separate negativity from positivity. When we do Havdallah at the end of every Shabbat, its to give us the power to separate desire to receive for the self alone, from desire to receive for the sake of sharing, to see the positive actions and not to be fooled by the negative temptations in the coming week. Also, just as important, is to give people the chance to learn from authentic Kabbalists and the true lineage. Throughout history, students left their original masters to start their own path and this led to false teachings, lack of Torah observances, and other negative actions which is why the Zohar is adamant about this concept as you can read about it here: http://kabbalahstudent.com/when-kabbalah-is-dangerous/

  20. Tawni says:

    Like to mix a lot of words don’t you? LOL. And, lots of them.

    I’m sure being right is very important to you and I respect your conviction but……what is your purpose in All this?

    • My purpose is to share the Light and wisdom of all that I have received with anyone who seeks to receive it, to pay it forward, and bring an end to pain, darkness and death in this world.

  21. cecil norman says:

    Hi Billy: As a relatively new student of the study of Kabbala and as one still in search of a “true teacher of Kabbalah” I have been following this lineage debate with some interest. Your recent reponses have raised three questions I would appreciate more information on.
    1. Where can I read or obtain the letters of Rav.Yehuda Brandwein to Rav Berg?
    2.Can you explain further or provide references on the center’s teachings and practice relating to the concept you refered to as “restriction”. This is the first time I have come across this concept.
    3.Ditto for your reference on the concept of “The Kabbalistic SIDDUR ” of the Kabbalah Center.
    As a retired person on a fixed income e:books or free PDF down loads would be the most econmical resource for me, if available?
    Thanks for your time and your patience through all this debate. Look forward to you reponse. Regards – Cecil

    • Hi,

      Thanks for writing. The letters of Rav Brandwein are published both in English and Hebrew. English is available here http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1571896457/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

      Restriction is best described by the filament in light bulb which resists/restricts the current of energy and by doing so,the light goes on. When we resist/restrict our ego, spiritual Light goes on.

    • cecil norman says:

      Thanks for this info Billy. Located the book and the explanation about restriction makes sense at least from the little I know about the concept of ego from a Kabbalistic perspective.
      Can you direct me to a source that explains this concept in some detail?
      Also, in my last inquiry I had a question relating the concept you referrred to as “The Kabbalistic siddur of the Kabbalah center”. Where can I learn more about this concept? Regards Cecil.

    • Hi Cecil,

      Restriction and the basic principles of kabbalah are in the book POWER OF KABBALAH
      http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Kabbalah-Contains-Universe/dp/0340826681

      The Kabbalistic Siddur is a prayer/connection book that we use each day for the three main prayer connections we make each day. Its in Hebrew and there is an English edition.
      You can check http://www.kabbalah.com to order or call one of the Kabbalah Centres. If you live near a Centre you can borrow one to make your connections while at the Centre. Hope his helps. All the best!

      billy

    • cecil norman says:

      Mucho Gracias Billy – All the info I need for now. Located a Center in Toronto CA . It’s only a couple of thousand miles away fom where I live in Canada, but still the closest to me. Will contact them and go from there. Will keep in touch. God’s Blessings – Cecil

  22. Simphiwe Mazibuko says:

    This conflict is destroying the world. I don’t know what to trust and the truth is very crucial to humanity. Both institutions claim they have the true authentic wisdom. What should we do?

    • Very simple. Only one is an authentic ordained Rabbi with the documentation. Only one observes all the precepts of Torah and received the ordination as a Kabbalist from the successor of Rav Ashlag, Rav Brandwein. Read the books. Read the letters between Rav Brandwein and the Rav. There is no debate. Nothing to argue. See the lineage as i presented. if that does not show you, nothing i say will change it. And read on my blog by searching “dangerous kabbalah” what happens when people not authorized and not true rabbis and Kabbalists try to teach Kabbalah. There is no debate. No questioning. Only the misinformed debate and question this issue. Period.

    • cecil says:

      Hi Billy – Three questions if you please.
      (1) Where can I learn more about Rav. Brandwein ?
      (2) Other than the letters referred to in these comments did Rav. Brandwein produce any other published works?
      (3) Where can I obtain copies of the correspondence between Rav. Ashlag and Rav. Brandwein as well as those between Rav. Brandwein and Rav. Berg you have referred to in these discussions?
      As a relatively new student to the study of Kabbalah I thank you for your continued explanation and dissemination of this very informative and important information. God Bless – Cecil

    • There are a ton of articles but all in Hebrew about Rav Brandwein published in Israeli newspapers during the fifties and sixties. Rav Brandwein’s published works are the Zohar (Sulam) and Kitve Ari, which he finished and published when his Master, Rav Ashalg had passed on. You can find a published book of Rav Brandwein’s letters here: they are filled with untold wisdom that can be read over a lifetime in order to scratch only the surface of the profound wisdom. Rav Berg’s letters back to his teacher will be publishes soon i believe.

      http://www.amazon.com/Beloved-My-Soul-Letters-Brandwein/dp/1571896457

  23. Celso M. Elemento says:

    Sir Billy can I ask you why Kabbalist Abraham Abulafia is not included in an official Lineage Kabbalist?

    • He could be. Of course. I often quote him. In fact, Chaim Vital lists Abulafia in the lineage though other Rabbis in history were afraid of Abulafia. Thanks for pointing that out. There are others i left out as well connected to the Ari, the Baal Shem Tov etc. I just wanted to highlight the key figures who had the most dramatic, history changing impact.

  24. Celso M. Elemento says:

    Thank you so much sir. I just now digging up all on the Lineage & their history.

  25. Paul Dribbell says:

    I was just wondering, with regards to lineage, where do Kabbalah and Kabbalists stand on the viewpoint of children must be of a Jewish mother in order to be Jewish? And how does a conversion allow a non-Jewish descendant to become Jewish?

    • There is no word “jewish” in the context of religion in the Torah or Zohar. The term is Israelite. And no one knows who is a true Israelite except the Messiah and Elijah the Prophet. Yes, it is true, if your lineage is through your mother and she mother is Israelite, you are considered a descendent of the original Israelites who stood at Sinai. Conversion is a technology that can be used to alter the soul and essence of an individual to allow them to become part and limb of the Israelite nation. We are all one, as the Zohar teaches, the different races/nations are akin to the different organs of the body, each serving a specific function in the one body of humanity. The Israelite corresponds to the heart that furnishes the entire body and all the organs with nourishment/blood. Spirituality the role of the Israelites is to pump that spiritual blood, the Light of the Creator all the nations and peoples of the world by transforming their own ego and negative nature into one of selflessness and sharing and unconditional care for one’s fellow man.

  26. Celina Syuy says:

    I think the most important is the authenticity of the school´s teaching, not the linage …..

    • Thanks for writing. Your opinion differs from the what Zohar teaches and what all authentic kabbalists teach. You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but the lineage is the key, critical component of transmitting the true teachings of Kabbalah. I follow what the Zohar and Kabbalists teach, as opposed to a general opinion, which everyone is entitled to.

  27. Dave says:

    If there is only one lineage, what are we to make of all the different chasidic sects where kabbalah permeates their entire existence? They still exist and are certainly not affiliated with the Kabbalah Centre.

    Also, the Kabbalah string and water and all the other stuff really casts a dark
    shadow over the Kabbalah centre.

    I continue to struggle with whether or not to study with the KC 🙁

    • the same way the human body has many organs and arteries and parts, so does the body of humanity. when we speak of one lineage, we are referring to one “organ” of the body that has the most responsibility to pump the blood (Light) to all the other organs of the body, like the heart muscle. But there are still veins and arteries and other organs that are vital to the existence of the body. So we are all equally important in the operation and our role in the functioning of the body of humanity. The one lineage refers to the “heart muscle”. Other sects are connective tissues and organs and other parts of the body also vital. But there is still only one heart muscle and it is responsible for its singular purpose. And so is every other organ. Hope that helps. Regarding the water, the Ramchal and other Kabbalists like the Ben Ish Chai all acknowledge that prior to our redemption, there will be a special water that will come to help heal us of our negativity and thus our ailments. The water of the Centre is made following the teachings of the Ari and other Kabbalists where it has to come from certain wells, that have certain type of vegetation surrounding it, with certain amount of rainfall over the year, with certain rainfall over a 72 hour period, during that year. And then it is meditated on with certain Names of God etc. I have had insane experiences with the water, and i know so many people who have also had the same experiences. But you are free to reject it. No one has a right to rob you of your free will and choice. Read the book on the Red String to learn about its history as well. But to only talk about Red String and Water and not also experience the Kabbalistic Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and EVERY SINGLE connection that the sages and Torah prescribe, is to miss 99% of what the Centre offers. There is no place that connects to the Light with the Kabbalistic tools of all the great sages like the Centre. But don’t believe me. You would be a fool to just believe. Instead, test it. It must work for you and then you will KNOW, you won’t have to believe.

  28. Joseph Azriel says:

    “The water of the Centre is made following the teachings of the Ari and other Kabbalists where it has to come from certain wells, that have certain type of vegetation surrounding it, with certain amount of rainfall over the year, with certain rainfall over a 72 hour period, during that year.”. I’m just wondering, where is the source of that in the Kitvei Ari?

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