AN INTERVIEW WITH RABBI SHIMON

Rabbi Shimon, let’s begin by asking what you think your chief contribution was to people’s spiritual development.

I think in retrospect that it was giving them the gift of uncertainty. From the playing field where I arose, which was orthodox Judaism in a time of great chaos and alarm, I was able to interject some self-examination into the process. For far too long the Jews had believed that they had all the answers, that they had merely to follow the precepts and the Commandments, and their salvation, or eventual redemption, would be assured.. I came to show them that what they had been TOLD was not all there was to know.

And you think uncertainty is a particularly good thing?

It is critical to open the self-awareness to a higher dimension. Think of it this way. If you were certain what was to happen tomorrow, you would never do certain things because you would see they would come to nothing. And yet in their doing you can learn, experience, journey in a way that cannot be done in an atmosphere of certainty. Also, certainty leads to self-righteousness, which has always crippled and plagued organized religions.

Do you think your method of teaching, the peculiarly ambiguous method of opening that is used by the Zohar, is still effective today, given how different people are?

I do, but I would add that the terminology is wrong for these times. I think that using words and phrases that were more meaningful to the western ear, more in tune with their own background and experiences, would be helpful. On the other hand, I also see how the very unfamiliarity of the words and concepts can be generative. I believe we have a different audience now. Our audience has shifted from those who had one particular world-belief, and who were all Jews, to those who are coming from many different cultures, and many faiths, and indeed from the agnostic persuasion as well.

What do you think of the idea that the time has come to reveal the secrets of the Zohar to everyone? Do you not think that their lack of preparedness could cause problems? After all, the previous kabbalists from other centuries underwent long training before they were privy to the secrets, and were bound to understand them on other levels than people who can read them without any kind of spiritual direction or preparation.

There are two kinds of secrets, you see? Those which are hinted at in the Zohar still require people to explore them through inner work. They are not openly revealed. To say “here is the secret of 72” and then follow it with hints about how one can access the higher meaning of the gematria, is a very different thing from actually TELLING the secret. The Zohar never tells. And the second kind of secret is of course the oral tradition, which is transmitted from teacher to disciple. This is not being published in any way, and I still do not believe it should be. All humans, I should add, require self-preparation before they can work with material from the higher spiritual realms. So I see not very much danger in this new revelation, the publication of the Zohar in English for all to read.

Then what benefit is there in publishing the Zohar at all? Can you see, from your current state, any future which will benefit from this publication?

Yes, I can. It has long been foretold that this event will occur. There are vibrational spectra which are not so much revealed as accepted on the earth plane ... this is fairly hard to explain ... which are important. The vibrational essence of many people reading the Zohar will in fact have a subtle effect on the vibrational level of the entire world. And for a few people who HAVE prepared themselves properly, it will be profoundly transformative. Those who are now engaged in the process of publishing and editing the work have been brought together with assistance from the higher realms, even though they may not all know this. People should eventually know that events on earth can be, and often are, assisted by archangelic forces. This is no secret to kabbalists, but certainly not everyone in the orthodox Judaic tradition knows it.

You still see the same tension between mysticism and orthodox religion that existed in your time? And if you do, is there any way to resolve it, do you think?

The tension is a fundamental one between two entirely different ways of thinking. The logical thinker, the pragmatic sophist, is utterly unaware of the world of the mystical realm because he excludes it from his own field of vision. He cannot access it. The mystical thinker can fall into the trap of believing that the logical point of view need never be used, and of course this is incorrect if one is to live a viable existence on earth. The mystic knows that both are needed and correct in their own place. The logical positivist never does. It is dangerous to cross them, because in point of fact it is from their ranks that most of the rulers of the world are drawn. However, you are now living in a time and a continent where it is not so dangerous to espouse radical views. It is good for the establishment to be challenged, and this challenge will always exist until all mankind is changed for good.

Ah! You say this as though you still believe that all of mankind will be changed.

Yes, of course! Don’t you? Hasn’t it been written of, spoken of, predicted in a dozen traditions? Kabbalah is not the only tradition that speaks of the end-times, the resurrection, the final awakening, the revelation, the coming of Godman to the earth. Were you Mayan or Hindu or Buddhist there would be an echo of this in your tradition, would there not? And Christianity is built around this concept. It is still strange to me to see how many people of how many so-called faiths have no faith at all.

Do you have any timeline for when you think these events will occur?

I do. But I am not prepared to reveal it. See my argument at the beginning of this interview.

Is it because people would be afraid?

Possibly, but people are often more afraid of the unknown than even those events which are bad omens but surely to come. There are many reasons for keeping the timing and the exact nature of events secret. It would interfere drastically with the proper preparation on the earth plane and in these higher realms.

Can we turn back to the Zohar for a minute? As a written text, it is the story of a small group of rabbis and their search for understanding. But they really do appear to worship you. Do you think that is a good thing?

No. I did try to discourage it. It is a very hard thing to do. You cannot keep disciples who do not believe in your teachings, and yet you cannot stop them from thinking of you as some kind of G-d in that event either. In the end, just before my death, I was able to bring them to some kind of understanding. Some of that is not depicted in the Zohar, however.

I have heard that the Zohar pre-existed its writing down, in that it existed in the higher realms and was accessible to the highly accomplished spiritual masters. Is this true?

It is true. But it was not clearly received, and there are sections which have been slightly garbled, and information which was not written down even though it was transmitted clearly. This is a common situation with revealed texts, as you probably know.

I have often wondered about the rabbis’ hatred for other peoples (non-Jews) and their utter disregard for the women in their world. Do you have an opinion on this?

This was one of the areas where the transmission failed. Do you know that in my own small circle women were accepted not just as students but as teachers as well? And yet this is completely unknown, because later rabbis decided it was unacceptable and indeed even unbelievable. So they never wrote about it in future generations. These are areas that need re-evaluation very badly. It is a true fact that all who come to earth who achieve spiritual greatness come with an agenda. I wish that my agenda back then had been more inclusive and more clearly adjudicated and passed on in stronger terms to those who were to follow me. We concentrated on reaching a mystical union with G-d, and this should of course still be the one true goal of all seekers, but they must never forget that to display love to all around them is one of the true paths to G-d.

Would you like to say anything to people who are studying Zohar now about the best way to learn from it?

You should open your mind to what is NOT said. In every section, that is what is most important. Look closely for it, think deeply about it, and you will learn.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Rabbi Shimon. It is deeply appreciated, and I think very rare.

You may ask me back any time. Please know how blessed are all who study the Book of Splendor. There will be rejoicing in heaven when they learn what it has to teach.