Dr. Michael Laitman has a PhD in Philosophy, an MS in Medical Cybernetics and is a professor in Ontology and the Theory of Knowledge. For 12 years he was the primed student and personal assistant of great Kabbalist, Rav Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag, firstborn son and successor of the greatest Kabbalist in the 20th century, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, author of the Sulam [Ladder] commentary on The Book of Zohar. To date, Dr. Laitman has published more than 30 books in 13 languages and is a world-renowned expert on the wisdom of Kabbalah. Laitman is president and founder of the Bnei Baruch—Kabbalah, Education, and Research Institute, and the Ashlag Research Institute (ARI), and is a frequent lecturer in North America and Europe.