Finishing Abraham’s Business

Dr. Michael LaitmanToday we are completing what Abraham had started when he taught the sons of his concubines different spiritual practices which precede the actual spiritual work for the sake of bestowal. He instilled in them the foundations of belief systems and sent them off to eastern lands. Later, the same work of Abraham has materialized through the people of Israel who, after the destruction of the Temple, fell from the spiritual level and gave rise to religions thereby.

Thus the beliefs, which originated in the times of Abraham, and religions, which came about in the times of the destruction of the Temple, essentially represent stages of the inclusion of the method of Israel into the nations of the world. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam among others have been advancing humanity towards the understanding of Godliness. People would have remained complete barbarians without them.

In our time, after thousands of years of evolution, it is hard for us to imagine a person who does not ponder at all about this and the future worlds, the Creator, or good and evil. If there were no religions, we would not have culture, education, and a human society in its modern understanding.

We simply are not aware of the role that religions have played in advancing humanity. Universities have appeared due to religions. In the desire to spread religions, people have discovered new continents, settled new lands, and aspired towards something in the future.

This way, the spiritual message became part of the egoism of our world and it has reached people who had no connection with the Creator and no desire for Him for the lack of the point in the heart. However, now they have a certain impulse, belonging, and fear before the future world, a possible punishment, and something above this life.

They have a feeling of something greater and foresee certain things. And even though corporeal images appear in their imagination, even though this is idolatry, still, something close to a human is beginning to grow out of a “higher animal.” They already think about things that animals do not care for.

Previously, people did not think beyond a closed cycle of income, food, reproduction, and death. We simply are not aware of the contribution of religion into human culture and art.

However, today our development is coming to an end, and the global crisis, grasping the entire humanity, is the sign of it. Religion is not the problem: We simply can no longer keep sustaining an egoistic society that lives according to the laws of self-love.

Our egoism has brought us to its spiritual component. Money has become a “spiritual value” for people and forced them to blow unthinkable bubbles in the economy by selling air to one another in the form of virtual businesses.

This has brought us to the need for a change. We are facing real spiritual work for the sake of bestowal.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/13/2011, Ramchal’s “The Wisdom Article”

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2 Comments

  1. I think our problem is our selfishness or egoism. I also think that religion has a generally good idea about getting people to think outside of themselves, however I don’t believe Religion is a solution because most religions don’t actually ask you to self analyze and look to yourself to change, they want you to pray to a statue to ask for forgiveness instead of actually going to that person and sincerely asking yourself. Religion isn’t genuine that way, however, the overall idea of getting others to think outside of themselves isn’t bad. But then again, any environmental group that supports the environment isn’t thinking of itself and isn’t religious either.

  2. I guess my real question is that there are people I know who are religious, and they complain that their life isn’t as good as mine or that they don’t have this or that. And, I see that their problem is their egoism and selfishness. They don’t take action and they don’t delve deeply into themselves. Instead, they pray to a statue or something outside of themselves for things to change and when it doesn’t change they blame others around them. Still, all of this is coming from their egoism. I’ve tried explaining things to them, I don’t mention Kabbalah at all. And before never knew about it anyway. But I tried telling them to not be selfish and they don’t get it. So, for me, it’s frustrating for me to watch them make the same mistakes over and over again. Seems like even if I try to help it only gets through a little and then they are back to the same old complaints about their lives and problems. How do you actually help them? I use to get defensive because they would blame me for their problems, but I’m sort of stepping back from that stuff these days. I thought living life as an example of not being selfish would be enough, instead, they just got jealous and tried starting fights with me. How do you approach egoistic people without starting fights or having them think you are judging them?

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