PURE Podcast
The Baal HaSulam Masterclass with Reb Adam
Rav Adam Polinofsky on Baal HaSulam: Never Leaving the Palace, Soul Tikkun & Receiving to Give Ayala welcomes Rav Adam Geizach Polinofsky—an Israel-based Kabbalah mindset coach—to discuss Baal HaSulam’s teachings and why they feel practical and accessible for today. Rav Adam shares his journey from a secular childhood in the Chicago suburbs (with parents from the former USSR), through atheism, New Age spirituality, and ultimately learning in yeshiva and joining an Ashlag community in Israel. He provides background on Baal HaSulam (born 1886 in Lodz, Poland), his early mastery of Torah and Kabbalah, move to Israel, and intense writing of his Zohar commentary. Key ideas include seeing oneself and others as intrinsically divine and judging by the end, the reframe that descents expand the “palace” (the garden is still the palace), integrating right/left/middle lines in inner work, and the progression from receiving to giving culminating in “receiving to give” as dvekut (equivalence of form). 00:00 Opening Prayer 00:24 Meet Rav Adam 02:12 Early Life Roots 03:17 Questions and Identity 04:45 Spiritual Search Journey 06:16 Teshuva and Yeshiva 07:21 Why Baal HaSulam 08:45 Baal HaSulam Biography 15:39 Making Kabbalah Accessible 16:08 Where to Start Reading 20:39 Supernal Self Teaching 22:56 Judge by the End 27:10 Never Leaving Palace 31:41 Stop Chasing Past Highs 32:08 Garden Is The Palace 33:54 Egypt And Intrinsic Worth 35:57 Recognizing Shadow Without Shame 39:01 Three Lines Middle Path 42:35 Lack As Hidden Light 45:17 Finding Tikkun Through Giving 47:40 Receiving And Giving Ladder 52:11 Receiving To Give Shabbat 55:14 Dvekut And Prayer Connection 57:36 Closing Reflections And Thanks
