Lurianic Kabbalah

Lurianic Kabbalah: "The Kabbalah, in both its old and new incarnation is a profound spiritual and intellectual discipline. Yet, as the Hasidim have long recognized, it is nothing, unless it is a discipline that informs one's practical life. Kabbalistic practice is embodied in the notion of Tikkun ha-Olam, literally the 'repair' or 'restoration' of the world. The Hasidic doctrine of Tikkun holds that a person's soul exists in sympathy with the people and objects inhis environment, in such a manner that each moment in a person's life presents an opportunity to 'raise the sparks' that only he or she can redeem. The people and objects a man encounters in the course of his lifetime are presented to him precisely in order that he can liberate the spiritualenergy within them and, in so doing, also liberate the sparks within his own soul. How is this to be accomplished? The traditional answer is through adherence to the 613 divine commandments (mitzvot) of traditional Jewish practice. Each mitzvah, it is said, is designed specifically "