Audio Version Of The Blog – 08.28.12

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Introductory Lecture “The Essence Of Religion And Its Purpose” – 08.28.12

Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Series “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

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The Features Of Future Employment

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “The Last Generation”: The unemployed will receive their needs equally with the employed.

In principle, this is how it should be today. After all, those who live in cities, having lost a source of income, are unable to feed themselves. They do not have livestock and land, and they do not know how to cultivate the land. However, a person, in any case, should have something to eat: It is his natural urgent need.

Question: If we are talking about a single system of humanity, each must perform some task, like a cell in the body. Then, where will the unemployed come from?

Answer: So, we have to organize society in such a way that everyone has something to do. But in reality, we are speaking about spiritual “employment.” As for its material counterpart, it can be minimal.

In the past generations people lived very simply. For example, a seller at the market could sell one pot during the whole day and that was enough for him. There were no cars, automation, productivity was low, and yet people worked a few hours a day and did not need more. Today, there is no need for so many workers. Instead, people will study, and in everything else assist and support each other.

Our task is to fill people’s free time productively. Today, about 90% of working activities of various kinds are redundant. If you burst this bubble and reduce everything to the level of healthy, good, rational life, there won’t be work for everyone. After all, we will produce reliable products with much greater durability, instead of short-lived products that need to be repaired or replaced. It turns out that a maximum of 10% of the working population will need to work.

Today, the overproduction of extra things, which are imposed on consumers by advertising, is well established, so these things are dumped and make way for new ones. This applies to manufacturing industries and medicine, and everything else. Whatever a person does, he does it to his own detriment. The pharmaceutical industry produces extra drugs; the defense industry produces military weapons; in short, everything is reverse compared to how it should be.

So, in the end, half a billion people will work, or we will divide work among everyone so each can work, say, two hours a day. And the rest of the time will be dedicated to spiritual work: People will study and learn to help each other, etc. It is necessary to guarantee the same level of living to everyone regardless of whether a person works or not because the point is not whether he works, but whether you can provide him with work. If you are to blame someone, don’t blame him but yourself.

So, you have to create the same standard of living for everyone. You can add to it respect from others, competition in giving to the benefit of the community. One can and should compete for the contribution to the common cause, for meritorious service to society:

– Look, how happy people are at my concerts!

– Look, how perfectly I manage the company!

Moreover, it is not just a director but the owner of a company. We don’t need to expropriate anything as it was done in Soviet Russia. If a man owns a factory, he takes care of uninterrupted production and of decent working conditions for his employees, and at the same time, requires that they perform their duties diligently. He is proud of what he does and receives the same salary as his subordinates or the unemployed. The remaining part of the scale of pleasure is filled by respect from others and nothing more.

Indeed, does the director’s body need more than the bodies of others? No. He has a company car and a chauffeur, but this is for work. And in everything else, he is like the rest.

Thus, we use the potential of everyone to the greatest extent possible. In this case, at the “animal” level, everyone receives equally with everyone else, but earns honor and respect at the human level. All this will work only if people become involved in the system of integral education.

Thus, we will take the correct course and strive for the general correction because our goal is not an “animal” existence, but the peak of human development.
[86623]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/27/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Last Generation”

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Weekly Torah Portion – 08.28.12

The Book of Zohar, Weekly Torah Portion, “Ha-Shavua” Selected Excerpts

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Change The Rules Of The Game

Dr. Michael LaitmanChange is possible only by the Light that Reforms. This Light comes by itself in order to advance us to attain the state in which we are. It constantly increases its illumination on us, or in other words, it constantly illuminates and the Reshimot (reminiscences) are revealed, change, and intensify, and thus we feel that we are changing.

When we want to do something, to reveal something, to develop technologies, and to advance, it is all according to the Reshimot. They oblige us and we act. Suddenly Newton discovers the law of gravity, suddenly Einstein develops the theory of relativity, then other scientists come along with new discoveries, and so the world advances. Different people come along, good and bad, and it seems as if they are advancing the world. And so under the influence of the Light, we live in the developing Reshimot.

But if we want to awaken this Light so that it wouldn’t illuminate in order to increase our egoistic desire but in order to change it, to correct it, and transform it into a desire to bestow, we have to do something on our own that is called “exertion.” This action is voluntary since we have to change our desire. We are making this change with the spiritual spark that is concealed in us, in our desire, and which helps us understand that things can be different, that we can play with our desire differently, and instead of using others, can act in their favor and attain love and bestowal for others.

The Light continues to illuminate our Reshimot, and we can only change its influence on us. If we somehow understand and approach this issue, then according to the extent that we fulfill the Reshimo that is evoked in us in order to use it in bestowal and not in receiving, the Light that illuminates for us brings about such a result, by performing the change in us.

So, everything depends on us, on how much we, no matter what state we are in, in the Reshimot that are revealed in us every moment, are wanting to fulfill the Reshimot instinctively in bestowal instead of in receiving.

If we really want to fulfill the Reshimot, our action is divided into two parts at least. First, we gather in order to work on the connection among us. The connection that we want to fulfill among us resembles the connection between the shattered souls in order to make the general soul from them since this is our goal. This is the aspect of the desires, the vessels. From the aspect of the Lights, we want the one Light to illuminate in us, to connect us, to reveal the Creator for us, meaning the general collective force of bestowal that is revealed among us.

This is why we read in Kabbalah books about the actions that are fulfilled within a group of people who try to connect. Of all the books, the most effective is The Book of Zohar since it describes these actions, this system, in the most perfect way.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/26/12, The Zohar

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Fear Of Appealing To The Creator

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: If I don’t know who to appeal to before a prayer, then why do I experience a sense of trepidation before the Creator, a fear of appealing to the Creator?

Answer: I envy you. This means that you know Who you’re addressing.

It is a very exalted state when a person addresses the quality of bestowal, the Light, or something higher and feels a sense of trepidation. This means that he feels the extent to which his state, his life, each cell and each moment, all of his relationships and encounters, all depend only on the Light. That is, he feels that he is not the one in control of himself, that he isn’t in charge of the next moment, and that everything exist outside of him. He doesn’t yet sense whose hands he is in and because of that he feels a sense of trepidation. For the time being this is an animal trepidation, but it propels us forward.

Then at some point, an opposite sensation of confidence will come, making me feel good, as if I don’t depend on myself. Nothing could be worse than actually being in charge of myself and my destiny!

I’m glad that there is Light that determines everything, forms everything, and guides me. The only thing that remains for me to do is to feel and work in unison with the Light, which is the only way for me to realize all of this.
[86430]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/18/12, Lesson 5

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The Connector Between Man And Woman

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: There is a spiritual committee in our group. Three men are elected to raise the importance of the goal in the group throughout the week. You say that the presence of women is always additional help. Can the spiritual committee also have three women participating on this committee from the women’s part?

Answer: No, you cannot. When men are talking about their spiritual problems, they must clarify them separately. You must find another place to solve some problems together, but not during the time the men designate as their strictly male meeting time. You can’t do that! This will not work!

We, meaning humanity, are purposely separated into two very sharp parts: male and female. This dissection and separation comes from above to below, as the Creator to creation. These are two worlds. It’s impossible to connect and compare them in any way.

Unity between man and woman happens only through the Creator; otherwise, this unity doesn’t exist. Therefore, we see where this is leading in our world. With everything that is happening around us, we can only balance it through the Creator. In the same manner we can also balance our families, but only if we accept the necessary condition that the Creator has to be between us, as between me and my friend, also between me and my spouse. If He’s not there, then there won’t be any connection between us. In the end, this is what we are coming to.

However, joint meetings of men and women must really be held and also men’s and women’s meetings separately. And women need to be thinking about how they can unite among themselves and how to help the men.
[86362]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/18/12, Lesson 4

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We Can Do Anything If We Connect

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In the Ukraine, there is a high rate of unemployment. Employment centers were set up where conversations with psychologists take place. Would it be possible to give integral education classes in these centers?

Answer: That would be very good. Those kinds of listeners would better grasp the information. You only need the correct preparation and to express the information correctly, saying only what is essential. If the opportunity exists, then you need to prepare for it. In my blog, I write a lot about the unemployed needing not only retraining courses, but also entire universities.

We need to keep these people busy with something. If they sit at home, then violence and other undesirable things will begin to flourish. I am not even talking about divorces and other things. You cannot have both a husband and wife together at home. We must do something. A man shouldn’t sit at home; it ruins him. A woman can, but a man cannot.

Thus, it is essential to organize entire universities for the people so that they will study all the subjects that we learn: free choice, psychology, the ego as the source of evil, and the development of the ego. We have books about these subjects; there are all kinds of games, connection games. And suddenly we will feel that it’s possible.

Besides that, now we are trying, with the cooperation of various organizations that work with this population, to open a connection program, a project for recovery in areas where there are lots of unemployed people who are in a very difficult economic situation. This is to reach this kind of area and propose: “Come, let’s get organized.” We can create together warehouses for excess clothing, household tools, toys, bicycles, and bulk purchased food warehouses, etc. We will be able to buy at wholesale price, which will be much cheaper.

We can come together as consumers of electricity to sign a separate agreement with the company that supplies electricity. We can do everything, if we connect.

We can unite in this area and act. We can dictate our conditions to all of those who gain from us, and in this way everyone can benefit from it.

We can organize extracurricular activities for our children since among us will be volunteers who presently don’t work. They can work as organizers of these activities for the children, etc.

If we connect, then we can find virtually unlimited resources in order to make life easier for ourselves. No one will take care of us; we need to go out to the people with this.

Of course, we need to think about this since in the future it will be necessary. The Creator will put us in such a state that everyone will begin to understand that there is no way out, only through connection will we reach success.
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From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/18/12, Lesson 4

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“Atheism On The Rise Around The Globe”

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from The Christian Science Monitor): “Atheism is on the rise in the United States and elsewhere while religiosity is declining, according to a new worldwide poll. “The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism,” conducted by WIN-Gallup International headquartered in Switzerland, found that the number of Americans who say they are “religious” dropped from 73 percent in 2005 – when the poll was last conducted – to 60 percent. Those who said they were ‘convinced’ atheists rose from 1 to 5 percent. And 33 percent of the people polled said that they don’t consider themselves as a ‘religious person.’ …

America remains way down the list of countries for self-reported atheism. China tops that list with 47 percent “convinced atheists,” followed by Japan (31 percent), the Czech Republic (30 percent), France (29 percent), and South Korea (15 percent).

“According to the poll, the following are the top ten religious countries: Ghana (96 percent of the participants that they are religious), Nigeria (93 percent), Armenia (92 percent), Fiji (92 percent), Macedonia (90 percent), Romania (89 percent), Iraq (88 percent), Kenya (88 percent), Peru (86 percent), and Brazil (85 percent).”

My Comment: This is a stage of the transition from mysticism to the true religion, Kabbalah, as Baal Sulam writes in his article “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose” that brings a person to the revelation of the Creator, the single highest force of nature.
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How Difficult It Is To Begin To Speak Through The Heart

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: The last workshop was more difficult than the previous one since instead of a short question you read an entire paragraph from an article and then asked us to discuss it. But it wasn’t at all clear what exactly should be discussed.

Answer: I did that on purpose in order to force you to talk from the heart, from within feelings. If, during the reading, you follow me through your feelings, then you don’t need to remember the question and to think. You simply feel and say only a few words about it. That’s enough!

This is exactly what I wanted to achieve: to direct you to emotionally penetrate into the text so that together we would feel what is hidden there behind the words. If we try to follow the feelings that come after my words and not to look for the answer through the mind, then it works.

I don’t want you to discuss through the mind, but to begin to connect between you through the impressions you received from what you heard. In each paragraph there was some emotional development. And together you had to find your overall impression from it. Building a mutual Kli (desire, vessel), means to come to a shared impression.

A group, in general, is a shared impression in separate Kelim, desires, that connect in order to operate together. When they are ready for this one, shared impression, then this is revealed in them.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/30/12, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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