Bnei Baruch

Bnei Baruch, also known as Kabbalah Laam, is an Israel-based association devoted to the study and dissemination of a universalist interpretation of Kabbalah. It was founded by Michael Laitman in the early 1990s and takes its name from Baruch Ashlag, the son and successor of the Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag. The movement presents itself as an educational and spiritual organization rather than as a conventional religious denomination, and Laitman generally describes its teachings as a method or science for understanding reality rather than as a religion. The association belongs to the broader contemporary Ashlagian Kabbalah environment. Yehuda Ashlag, who emigrated from Poland to Mandatory Palestine in 1921, became known for his commentary on the Zohar, commonly called the Sulam, or Ladder. His interpretation emphasized the transformation of human egoism into altruism and treated the principle of loving others as a central route to spiritual attainment. After Ashlag's death in 1954, his disciples and descendants formed several branches. Bnei Baruch emerged in the context of disputes over the interpretation and representation of Baruch Ashlag's teachings, with Laitman establishing the organization in order to preserve and disseminate the Baruch Ashlag tradition. The association's central concepts include correction, connection, altruism, and the progressive development of human desire. Bnei Baruch teaches that people ordinarily pursue material, social, intellectual, and other forms of fulfillment, but that the emergence of a spiritual desire produces a search for the meaning of life. According to its interpretation, humanity's growing egoism generates social conflict, while properly organized human connection can reveal a higher force described as love, bestowal, or the Creator. Its universalist outlook holds that the method associated with Abraham and later Kabbalists should ultimately be made available to all people rather than restricted to a Jewish scholarly or religious elite. A significant turning point came in the late 1990s, when Bnei Baruch began distributing free introductory courses through the internet and radio. Television programming followed later, and online broadcasting enabled the association to reach students outside Israel. Its headquarters moved from the Haredi city of Bnei Brak to the more cosmopolitan city of Petah Tikva. The organization has also operated study centers in Israel and abroad, while its principal lessons have been broadcast and translated into multiple languages. Public descriptions of its scale have estimated tens of thousands of students in Israel and substantially larger numbers of participants or followers worldwide, although these figures are not independently verified here. Bnei Baruch's educational model combines daily lessons, recorded and live broadcasts, introductory courses, publications, and group study. Laitman has led regular lessons from Petah Tikva, with separate arrangements for men and women in some advanced study settings and less separation in introductory courses, depending on the country and local practice. The association also promotes books, lectures, films, congresses, and other media intended to explain Ashlagian Kabbalah to a broad audience. The organization has attracted criticism from several directions. Academic scholars of Jewish mysticism have questioned the historical and philological basis of its practical interpretation of Kabbalah. Orthodox Jewish critics object to its dissemination of Kabbalah to non-Jews and to its independent status outside established religious authorities. Anti-cult activists and some commentators have alleged excessive devotion to Laitman, strong demands on members' time and resources, and coercive or manipulative group dynamics. Bnei Baruch's supporters and academic observers have situated these disputes within a wider Israeli debate over who has the authority to define authentic Kabbalah. Despite the controversy, the association remains active as a global educational and spiritual network centered on Laitman's interpretation of Ashlagian Kabbalah.

Bnei Baruch developed within the modern Ashlagian Kabbalah tradition. Its intellectual background reaches back to Yehuda Ashlag, a Polish-born Kabbalist who moved to the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine in 1921. Ashlag became known for the Sulam, an extensive commentary on the Zohar. His teachings placed particular emphasis on the transformation of egoistic desire into altruistic desire and on the idea that love of one's fellow human beings is a practical foundation for spiritual development. His interpretation also included a vision of a cooperative or altruistic society, which he distinguished from materialist Soviet communism. Ashlag died in 1954. His legacy subsequently divided among relatives, disciples, and competing interpretive lines. One important branch followed Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein, while other followers accepted the authority of Ashlag's sons, including Benjamin Shlomo Ashlag and Baruch Ashlag. These divisions formed the wider religious and organizational setting in which later Kabbalah movements emerged. Michael Laitman founded Bnei Baruch in the early 1990s. The organization took its name from Baruch Ashlag and was formed partly in response to a dispute concerning the interpretation and representation of Baruch Ashlag's work. From the beginning, it sought to preserve Ashlagian teachings while making them accessible outside established Orthodox institutions. Laitman became the association's principal teacher and public representative. Although his followers may use rabbinic honorifics for him, the available reference material states that he was not formally ordained as a rabbi and does not conduct conventional religious services. During its first years, Bnei Baruch operated in Bnei Brak, an important Haredi center. The group later relocated its headquarters to Petah Tikva, a city with a more mixed and cosmopolitan character. This move accompanied an expansion from a local study circle into a media-oriented educational network. A major organizational breakthrough reportedly occurred in 1997, when the association began offering free introductory courses over the internet and radio. The decision to distribute teachings without charging for basic access helped Bnei Baruch build an audience beyond its Israeli base. The association subsequently added television programming and a broad online presence. Its lessons have been transmitted live and recorded in numerous languages, including English, Russian, Chinese, Turkish, Italian, Japanese, and Arabic. Bnei Baruch has also established study centers in Israel and other countries, where students conduct introductory courses and regular group activities. Public descriptions have estimated roughly 50,000 students in Israel and approximately 150,000 participants worldwide, though the precise meaning and reliability of these estimates are not established in the supplied sources. Bnei Baruch's routine centers on regular lessons led by Laitman, study of classical and modern Ashlagian texts, and group exercises intended to cultivate connection above personal egoism. The organization teaches that desire develops through successive material, social, intellectual, and spiritual stages. The spiritual stage begins when ordinary satisfactions no longer answer a person's existential questions, especially the question of life's meaning. In its account of history, Abraham discovered a method of uniting people above rising egoism in ancient Babylon; the group formed around him became Israel in a spiritual rather than merely ethnic sense. Bnei Baruch interprets the later dispersion of Israel as part of a long historical process that will eventually lead to the correction of humanity as a whole. The concepts of correction and connection are central to the association's contemporary message. Correction refers to an ongoing movement from hatred and self-interest toward love and bestowal. Connection means creating relationships in which a higher common force can be experienced. Laitman identifies that force with the Creator, understood less as an anthropomorphic deity than as the quality or force of love revealed through properly formed human relations. The association therefore presents Kabbalah as a practical method for social and spiritual transformation. Bnei Baruch's universalism has also generated opposition. Academic scholars have challenged its interpretation as insufficiently grounded in historical and philological study. Orthodox critics have objected to teaching Kabbalah to non-Jews and to the authority claimed by an independent teacher. Anti-cult organizations and commentators have alleged leader-centered devotion, financial pressure, and manipulative practices. Scholars of contemporary religion have treated the movement as part of a wider struggle in Israel over the right to define authentic Kabbalah. Bnei Baruch continues to operate internationally through its website, media output, lessons, local centers, and public events.

• 2016

  Kabbalah Laam congress draws thousands

  [1]Bnei Baruchen.wikipedia.org

  A reported Israeli congress associated with Kabbalah Laam attracted approximately 7,000 participants.

• 2007

  Television dissemination expands

  [1]Bnei Baruchen.wikipedia.org

  The association extends its public education strategy to television while continuing its online and multilingual activities.

• 1997

  Free internet and radio courses begin

  [1]Bnei Baruchen.wikipedia.org

  Bnei Baruch begins distributing free introductory Kabbalah courses through the internet and radio, accelerating its growth beyond Israel.

• 1954

  Death of Yehuda Ashlag

  [1]Bnei Baruchen.wikipedia.org

  Ashlag's death led to the development of several competing lines of discipleship and interpretation, including the line associated with his son Baruch Ashlag.

• 1921

  Yehuda Ashlag moves to Mandatory Palestine

  [1]Bnei Baruchen.wikipedia.org

  The later Bnei Baruch tradition traces its intellectual lineage to Yehuda Ashlag, who emigrated from Poland to the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine.

• Bnei Baruch is founded

  [1]Bnei Baruchen.wikipedia.org

  Michael Laitman establishes Bnei Baruch in the early 1990s as an organization dedicated to Baruch Ashlag's Kabbalah tradition.

Bnei Baruch positions itself as a global, nonsectarian educational association offering practical and universalist Kabbalah study. Its distinctive proposition is that the Ashlagian method can be used by people of different nationalities and religious backgrounds to develop altruistic connection and address the social consequences of human egoism.

• Educational service

  Daily Kabbalah lessons

  Live and recorded lessons led by Michael Laitman form the association's principal educational offering. The sessions examine texts associated with Yehuda Ashlag, Baruch Ashlag, and the wider Kabbalah tradition, while applying their ideas to questions of human desire, altruism, connection, and the meaning of life. Lessons are distributed online and translated or recorded in multiple languages.

• Educational service · 1997

  Introductory Kabbalah courses

  Bnei Baruch offers introductory courses intended to make its interpretation of Kabbalah accessible to people without prior religious or scholarly training. The courses emphasize universal access, group discussion, and the practical development of connection above egoistic impulses. They have been delivered online and through local study centers in Israel and other countries.

• Digital media

  Kabbalah.info digital library and media platform

  Kabbalah.info serves as the association's principal public web platform, providing access to educational materials, broadcasts, articles, publications, and information about study activities. The platform supports Bnei Baruch's international model by allowing participants to follow lessons remotely and access material in several languages.

• Publishing

  Books and publications

  Bnei Baruch and affiliated publishers distribute translations, commentaries, introductory works, and other publications presenting Ashlagian Kabbalah. The material is designed both for students following a structured course and for general readers interested in the association's interpretation of spiritual development and social connection.

• Community events

  Study centers and congresses

  Local centers provide in-person introductory courses, group study, and community activities. Larger congresses and seminars bring students together for lectures, workshops, and collective exercises focused on unity and connection. These events function as both educational programs and mechanisms for maintaining an international movement identity.

• Criticism from anti-cult activists

  Anti-cult critics have characterized Bnei Baruch as a cult and have alleged excessive devotion to Michael Laitman, unusually heavy demands on members' time and resources, and manipulative or brainwashing practices. The supplied reference presents these as allegations and criticism rather than established findings.

  Source

• Dispute over religious and scholarly legitimacy

  Academic Kabbalah scholars and Orthodox Jewish authorities have challenged Bnei Baruch's interpretation and dissemination of Kabbalah. Objections concern its practical and universalist method, its divergence from academic textual approaches, and its teaching of Kabbalah to non-Jews.

  Source

Read more

• 2016Kabbalah Laam congress

  Israel

  Bnei Baruch-associated activities included a large Israeli Kabbalah Laam congress focused on lectures, communal study, and collective spiritual practice.

  Outcome. The event reportedly attracted approximately 7,000 participants, demonstrating the scale of the association's organized community activities.

  Source
• 2007Television and multilingual outreach

  Israel · International

  The association expanded its media strategy through television and multilingual live and recorded lessons.

  Outcome. Bnei Baruch increased the number of languages and channels through which its educational content could be accessed.

  Source
• 1997Free online and radio dissemination

  Israel · International

  Bnei Baruch began offering free introductory courses through internet and radio channels, shifting from primarily local instruction toward broad public dissemination.

  Outcome. The initiative is described as a breakthrough that helped the association attract students outside Israel and establish a global online audience.

  Source

• 2007

  Expand into television educationProduct launch

  Background

  After establishing online and radio distribution, Bnei Baruch continued to broaden the channels used for public teaching.

  Action taken

  The organization added television programming to its internet, radio, and local-center activities.

  Aftermath

  Television complemented the association's growing international and multilingual educational network.

  Source

• 1997

  Adopt free mass-distribution educationStrategy

  Background

  Bnei Baruch sought to move beyond local instruction and make its interpretation of Kabbalah accessible to a larger public.

  Action taken

  The association began offering free courses through the internet and radio.

  Aftermath

  The move became a foundation of the organization's international expansion and later multilingual media model.

  Source

• Relocate headquarters from Bnei Brak to Petah TikvaStrategy

  Background

  The association's growth and increasingly international public profile created a need for a base outside its original Haredi setting.

  Action taken

  Bnei Baruch moved its headquarters from Bnei Brak to nearby Petah Tikva.

  Aftermath

  The relocation accompanied the association's development as a more cosmopolitan, media-oriented educational network.

  Source

1. 1Bnei Baruchen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bnei Baruch - World Religions and Spirituality Projectwrldrels.org