Annunaki and Kabbalah Have Nothing in Common

Annunaki and Kabbalah Have Nothing in CommonA question I received: There’s one problem I must resolve before I can start studying Kabbalah. I would really appreciate an honest answer from you, and I hope that my question won’t annoy you.

What is the connection between Kabbalah and Annunaki? If Kabbalah can “turn off” your ego, then what forces will take you over afterward? Before I start “turning off” my ego, how can I make sure that Kabbalah does not take advantage and seek control over people who aspire for greater self-awareness?

My answer: I am not familiar with Annunaki, but this teaching is not connected to Kabbalah in any way. A person who studies Kabbalah does not “turn off” his ego, and he is always able to control the situation. One also doesn’t turn off one’s mind or desires, but on the contrary – they grow together with one’s ego. In Kabbalah, one learns how to control his mind and desires, and to this extent, they grow.

Related Materials:
Laitman.com Post: Be Happy About Egoism’s Growth!
Laitman.com Post: The Creator Cannot Be Attained Anywhere Besides Kabbalah
Laitman.com Post: The Goal of Creation Is Perfect Fulfillment
Kabbalah Today Article: “Kabbalah Chronicles”
Chapter from Book  Interview with the Future: “The Exodus from Egypt – from Corporeality to Spirituality”
Shamati #86: “And They Built Store-Cities”

Reality Is In Our Imagination

All of Reality Is Happening Inside Our ImaginationQuestions I received on the perception of reality:

Question: In the “Introduction to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Baal HaSulam says, “All the worlds, both Upper and lower, are inside man.” Does the authentic meaning of these words mean that the entire reality takes place only in our imagination and is perceived through our senses (vessels of attainment)?

My Answer: Yes.

Question: If so, are physical bodies even real?

My Answer: “Real” is what I perceive.

Question: But we always learned that throughout all of its stages the soul is inside the insignificant physical body.

My Answer: I never taught this. Maybe I was talking about the soul’s body (not the physical body) – the Partzuf or Kli, and the soul is the Light inside it.

Question: If we accept this, then doesn’t it mean that everything around us (including our friends and family) doesn’t actually exist, but is just a figment of our imagination?

My Answer: Yes. However, instead of imagining things, we have to attain the state where we will perceive everything outside us as being inside.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: We Have Civilizations Within Us
Booklet: Spirit and Body
Booklet: The Structure of the Soul

The Machsom Can Be Crossed Individually and As a Group

The Machsom Can Be Crossed Individually and as a GroupQuestions I received on crossing the Machsom:

Question: You said in one of the lessons that the crossing of the Machsom happens individually. Why isn’t the force of Arvut (mutual guarantee) enough for all the friends in the group to cross the Machsom at the same time, like the people who received the Torah at the foot of Mount Sinai? The reception of the Torah was collective, so why is the crossing of the Machsom individual?

My Answer: The force of Arvut (mutual guarantee) is definitely enough for all the friends to cross the Machsom at the same time! However, it’s also possible to cross the Machsom individually, if a person makes the needed amount of efforts (called Seah) relative the group and the Creator.

Question: I understood from your explanation in the morning lessons that everyone receives the best possible conditions for attaining spirituality. There was also a text where you explained that the Machsom can be crossed only under a certain kind of pressure, which exists in the group. We have a worldwide virtual group that has all the conditions for entering the spiritual world. Within these virtual connections, how can we reach the correct pressure for crossing the Machsom? And will it happen to everyone at the same time or individually?

My Answer: Baal HaSulam answers this in the article “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.” At the end of 6000 years, everyone will attain the full correction, but before that it can also be done by individuals as well as groups.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: It Takes Time, Effort and Experience to Reveal the Upper World
Laitman.com Post: Shame Brings Us Closer to the Creator
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”
“The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)” – Selected Lessons
Lesson: Freedom of Will (Based on Baal HaSulam’s Article “The Freedom”)
Kabbalah Today Article: “Camp Mt. Sinai”