Zagazig University

Asian Institute Studies and Research

COMPARITIVE Religion "Departement"

Michael Laitman and His Impact

in Modern Kabbalah Thoughts

Master Thesis By

Fatma Moukhtar M. Hassen Darwesh

Under the supervision

Prof. Mohammed Ali Hassen Hawary Prof. Hoda Mahmoud Darwish Mostfa
Professor of Jewish religious Thoughts and Chief of Comparative Religion Department
Comparative Religion At Ain-Shams University At Institute of Asian Studies and Research

2 July 2015
15 Ramadan 1436
The worshippers of the Rabbis attempt to explain Judaism and to change
the religious speech till our current time. Some of them consider The
Kabbalah connected to the core part of the Jewish creed while others
reject such thoughts at all.

In the medieval age, a number of sects are derived from the Rabbis.
Such sects adopted the Kabbalah Thoughts. They named themselves the
Kabalistic (Kabbales), from such sects, the Hasidic sects and others.
These are a lot of sects derived from Hasidic. All of the sects depend on
explaining and interpreting Judaism through Kabbalah.

The strangest thing in such thesis is that we found a Kabalistic- who

was not a Rabbi or religious man but a physicist called "Michael (Mikhail)
Laitman (Lightman) Simovic- whose nickname is "Michael Laitman"- tried
to spread the Kabbalah among the Jews and the Jews and the Non- Jews
throughout the world countries. Laitman got the PhD in 2004 from
Higher Institute for Philosophy- Science Academy in Moscow in the field
of Kabbalah Science. He considers the Kabbalah Science the origin of all
sciences. His first book written and composed in this field was published
in 1983 under the title: "A point in The Heart". It was written in Russian.
He has more than forty books written in Hebrew. He gave a lot of world
lectures about the Kabbalah affairs. Most of his works were translated
into more than seven languages. Laitman launched a teaching sessions
entitled "Sons of Baruch" (Sons of the blessing) to spread his principles
till it changed into an international organization. The number chose
name in an attribution to rabbi "Baruch Ahlag"- professor of Laitman and
his instructor.

A movement has been spread strongly since 1997. Its emblem is:
"Regardless of your religion or your nationality, you can follow the
principles of Kabbalah and make it your daily life approach". This is the
main part of the new Jewish Thoughts that is growing among the Israel
communities and is spreading outside them so that we have to study
Laitman's View and what it contains from the deviation of Judaism as
well as shedding the light on the most important scientific theories upon
which the thesis is based, studying the possibility of making a
comparison between the thoughts of his precedents to observe the
phenomena and beliefs derived from the Jewish Legislations and the
extent of their reflections on the modern Kabalistic Thoughts and to
cover the Jewish thoughts and to pursue its steps.

This thesis consists of Introduction and five chapters and ten topics,
each Chapters consists of two topics, in the end of every chapter we
write down the most important result in this chapter. After the fifth
chapter, we put the conclusion, resources and references. At the end of
thesis we put hole of Kabalistic and the famous names in index to share
A pages where we told about them.

We used the descriptive approach in the first three chapters while the
analytical approach was used in the second (fourth and fifth) two
chapters as follows: Introduction: it includes the linguistic and idiomatic
definition of Kabbalah, a brief summary about its history.

The first chapter: "Michael Laitman life and his role in

"Bni- Baruch" (sons of Baruch) movement".
A chapter consists of two topics first named:

First topic: "Laitman life".

We deals with the brining up of Laitman life in Russia, then his decision
to immigrate to Israel and how he cooperated with Rabbi "Baruch
Ashlag" and how he became one of his followers. We mentioned some
of his important works, the phases of establishing his movement that
named "Bni Baruch" (sons of Baruch). We shed the light on the most
important conference in which Laitman participated. Then we move to
talk about the most prominent international and specialized characters
the praise him in addition to the most significant Rabbis and their
opinion criticizing him.

Second topic:"Laitman a main role in Bni Baruch".

 In this topic we divided a history for "Bni Baruch" to three phases: the
Construction phase, Development stage and the last one was Boom
phase. In each phase we explain laitman role on it. We also mentioned
the most important phases with which the movement passed till it
become an international organization that has all legal rights. After that
we displayed the most significant lawsuits filed against the movement
even it became an international organization.

Second chapter: "Laitman doctrines for the Kabbalah".

Laitman tried to explain the Kabbalah and to present its importance
whereas he instilled its importance for the Jews and the non- Jews and
its role in spiritual Israel to which Laitman called for. First topic called:"
the Kabbalah and role to Jews and non- Jews", another one was:"
Kabbalah between science and philosophy".

We have to say that we could conclude such matter upon comparing his
works published in Hebrew with English and the only Arabic book
"Laitman publishers" were published it.

Third chapter: The important of the ten Sefirot (Levels or

tracks) according to Laitman".
When Laitman tried to confirm the existence of differences between
the souls of people, he depended on his approach to explain his
predecessor Kabalistic on explaining the ten Sefirot.

First topic:"Laitman definition a ten Sefirot".

We defined each Sefirot according to Laitman opinion.
Second topic: "The relationship between Sefirot and Jewish
Thoughts".
We mentioned the definition and the role of Sefirot as well as shedding
the light on a number of Jewish religious Concepts that Laitman
connected with the ten Sefirot.

Forth chapter:"Similarities and differences between

Laitman thoughts and non-Jewish religions"
This chapter and the fifth we start to answers on the second part of the
thesis of the thesis title that is "Laitman's impact on Modern Kabalistic
thoughts". We mention the most significant points of comparisons
between what Laitman and some history thinkers claim until arrive to
Islamic Religion Scholars.

First topic: "Intellectual convergence between Laitman

thought, Ancient religions and access to Christianity".

Second topic:"The impact of Muslim philosophers on Laitman

thoughts (Al-Ghazali, Ibn Sina, Ibn Majah, Ibn Rushd, and
others)".

Fifth chapter: "the impact of kabalistic on Laitman

thoughts"
First topic: "Kabbalah Thoughts since its inception until the
eighteenth century".

Second topic:"A Kabalistic Thoughts from eighteenth century

until the twenty-first century".
 Laitman tries to increase the number of members from various
countries and Jewish. At the same time, he mentions the similarity
between religions and mentions the point of proximity between them;
yet he refused to compare Kabbalah with Religion since he considers the
Kabbalah the first brick of all religions. We end such sects with
comparison between Laitman's thoughts and the thoughts of some of
the Jewish sects and the thoughts of his correspondents of Kabbalah so
that points of difference between Laitman and his corresponding
modern Jewish sects are clear us.