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What Does It Mean To Try To Bestow?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What Does It Mean To Try To Bestow?
Answer: Trying to bestow means trying not to work for one’s own benefit as much as I can understand this. I wish to rise above any reception that can bring me any contentment and comfort, as if I cut myself off from it. And besides that, I turn to the group and try to follow the example of the friends of how to work not for reward.

It does not matter how high the group is. If I am looking for this quality in it, I will find it. And then I will be able to absorb this energy and to perform at least some action or even just want to perform an action without any self-interest, not based on the worldly energy. I will want to act detached from my material, my nature.

And naturally, what I will feel is how it is not natural and is impossible, how it is against my whole nature. But such attempts draw the Light towards me, and they are called a prayer.
[91211]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/24/12, Writings of Rabash

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What Can We Give The Creator?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I bestow unto the Creator if I have nothing to give Him?

Answer: What does a baby have to give to the mother? But look how much joy it brings her, what contentment he gives her. If we imagine that the Creator treats us with infinite, absolute and perfect love, what can we give Him? At least some response, a small smile. If He loves us, no matter what steps we make towards Him, it will be a pleasure for Him. The only question is what does it mean “towards Him.”

There is only one goal: to please the Creator. This is only possible by bestowal, by becoming like Him.

What does the mother want from the baby? She wants to feel the reaction from him as from a little person: a smile, a move towards her. This is a pleasure for her. The mother wants to see the manifestation of human qualities in the baby, signs of progress. And we need to learn from this example. This is what the Creator wants us to do, and thus we can bring Him pleasure.
[91209]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/24/12, Writings of Rabash

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For Some Reason I Don’t Feel Like Anything

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah),” Item 8: This matter is like a rich man who took a man from the market and fed him and gave him gold and silver and all desirables every day. And each day he showered him with more gifts than the day before. Finally, the rich man asked, “Do tell me, have all your wishes been fulfilled?” And he replied, “Not all of my wishes have been fulfilled, for how good and how pleasant it would be if all those possessions and precious things came to me through my own work, as they have come to you, and I would not be receiving the charity of your hand.” Then the rich man told him: “In this case, there has never been born a person who could fulfill your wishes.”

It is impossible to shake off the feeling of shame by some external actions. The only way to do so is to receive in order to bestow.

Question: Doesn’t the state of Hafetz Hesed neutralize the shame? After all what do I have to be ashamed of if I only want to bestow?

Answer: Suppose you brought me a present and I say:

– “You know that I really don’t need this. I don’t like it. And why did you give it to me in the first place if I don’t need anything? I don’t want your presents.”

– ” But I tried so hard, I have looked for so long, I wanted to please you and to express my love so much…”

– “But I don’t need anything, you didn’t have to come.”

Either, I outright reject the person, hate him, or there is no connection between us and I feel no urge to correct anything. This means that it isn’t a state of Hafetz Hesed at all.

In fact, it is about my desire and not about signs of love that people around me show me. When I am in a state of Hafetz Hesed it means that all I want is to bestow; I am ready to receive the whole world from you. Bring it to me; I have the right vessels. I will gladly receive everything with love and infinite delight and at the same time I will remain Hafetz Hesed.

It is about my vessels and not about the revelation of the connection with others. I may not need your present or I may really want it, but I ascend and receive it not because I want it. I ascend to the level of Hafetz Hesed and even higher and receive it in the vessels of bestowal in order to bestow pleasure back unto you.

We are always in the desire to receive; we either enjoy or suffer. Therefore, the state of Hafetz Hesed is not a lifeless wall that rejects any receiving. It is a level of correction of my desires to receive and it doesn’t forbid me from receiving what I want at all.

Question: But I dedicate myself to the goal of creation…

Answer: Yes, in this state you don’t need anything and you still receive a present and still want only Hassadim. It is the same state but in addition to it you work with additional desires and constantly add new forms.

This is the spiritual work, it is varied and multi-layered.
[91187]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/24/12, Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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At My Command, According To My Desire

Dr. Michael LaitmanIntegral education is not a collection of some kind of rules, laws, conditions and states that you learn, are tested on, and thereby you are brought up. Unfortunately, we really do not have upbringing anywhere, since it provides the rise of a man to the next level, and humanity has no such means. If you go to the army, there they teach you instinctive actions, to react automatically, and nothing else; similarly are astronauts and others.

In integral education it is understood that you need to show a person and teach him how to extract from nature such forces that will allow him to rise to the next level, above the level of self of today. This means that if today you are an egoistic individualist, then tomorrow you need to transform into an integral, altruistic component of all of nature and humanity. Where do we get such forces?

This is what integral education teaches: how you can extract and transform the integral force that is basic to nature from within a nature of for oneself; how you can attract it in such a way that it will change you, and then you begin to enter the integral system, “at my command, according to my desire,” and not in opposition to my desire.

The great integral force of nature, which is in its foundation, this force of bestowal, force of love, force of mutually shared activity, will begin to influence you. You will suddenly begin to change and will naturally yearn for unity with others. Suddenly a completely different relation to everything will appear in you: Your opinions will change, the paradigm by which you will begin to act.

This means that integral education specifically anticipates this change in a person. That is why it’s different from any other. Thus we always feel that in our world upbringing isn’t found at all. There are exercises, coercions of some kinds of instinctive actions, warnings, limits, and rewards, which in principle are not different from how we train animals.

Integral education is the one thing that we can give to a person; we call it “integral” because this is its goal. However in principle, it’s “Upbringing” with a capital letter when a person changes himself.

No one can change a person, thus there exists a system that indirectly brings a person to this education, “by way of the stick to happiness.” He can’t change himself instinctively: “Here it’s bad for me, so I escape. There it’s good, so I run there.” Is this called, “by way of the stick to happiness”? No, “by way of the stick to happiness” is when, in any case he is brought to education, he should understand: “I need to change myself,” and then he enters this education.
[90989]
From KabTV’s “Building the Social Environment,” 9/25/12

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