Audio Version Of The Blog – 03.01.13

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Cleaning Up

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 2: In order to clear all that up, we need to make some preliminary inquiries. And not, God forbid, where it is forbidden, in the Creator’s essence, of which we have no thought or perception whatsoever, and thus have no thought or utterance of Him, but where the inquiry is a Mitzva (commandment/good deed), the inquiry of His deeds. It is as the Torah commands us: “Know thou the God of thy father and serve Him,” and as it says in the poem of unification, “By your actions we know you.”

At the beginning of the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Baal HaSulam raises five major questions that a person faces on his way to spirituality, and then he adds preliminary inquiries to them that are meant “to clean things up.” After all, my questions are accompanied by confusion and are surrounded by trash and “weeds” that prevent my understanding, clear examination, arrangement of everything in its place, and the ability to differentiate things.

It is as if I search in a dirty messy place, and so the first thing I must do is clean it up and find out what it is exactly that I am looking for, where exactly, why, and according to which rules. This means that there are many additional conditions that I have to discover in order to clarify my questions and to find the answers and filling for them.

So we first get rid of everything that is redundant; we get rid of it simply, and have no contact with the Creator while we search. The Giver remains up there out of reach because He is not dressed in the matter of our desire so we cannot study Him. From the “Preface to The Book of Zohar” we know that we can study and investigate only matter and form dressed in matter; if we can dress our matter with the form of giving, then from it—which means from the Creator’s actions “by Your actions we know you”—we can study Him.

It is about the actions that He performs on me by having created me. From that moment on, I begin to work on the inner changes, having connected to Him, until I attain the whole process, until the end of my correction. Thus I get to know Him better, and He operates on me more and more. At the end of my correction, I reach the exact same form He has and the upper is completely dressed in me.

Thus, “by Your actions we know You,” I don’t know Him but His image that is dressed in me by his actions. This is the origin of the word “Bore – Creator, which means “Bo-reh – come and see.”

We solve many problems this way: We immediately stop “floating in the clouds” in an attempt to study the upper and “come down to the ground,” to the basis of everything. It is because the main thing for us is to discover the Creator.

All our other actions are arranged around that, our whole life, all of reality. All this is only so that the created being will discover the Creator.

So we have to remember that we are innately limited by our very form. Only by the Creator’s actions can we know Him, as it says: “by Your actions we know You.” This approach solves many philosophical problems, and besides, it sets me in the right direction showing me that it is I who needs to change and not the Creator. I have to act in order to discover His actions; all the beginnings are in me. I am the changing element in the system. It is the most important thing.

We are not speaking about Atzmuto, about Ein Sof (Infinity), about eternity, about wholeness, about the absolute. It is only I who discovers the Creator according to the changes in me; it clears things up from the confusion and the usual trash and brings us closer to the right implementation.

Question: Why do we attain the Creator by His actions, as it says: “We know You by Your actions?”

Answer: If you tell me about your mother, I will probably hear about what a great cook she is and how she takes care of you. You are telling me about her actions but not actually about her! Try to take the actions out of the story and you will see that it is impossible.

Question: So what are the Creator’s actions?

Answer: You are His action. It is His deed; this is how we are made, unable to attain anything except for His actions. It is only His actions and not their essence that we see and it is only about His actions that we speak.
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From the 4th part of Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/27/13, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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Not To Live In A Lie

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Writings of Rabash, Vol 1, Article 19, “The Matter of Joy”: And now he doesn’t want from the Creator that He will give him something. So he’s not asking something from the Creator. And all his aim now is that he only wants to give thanks to the Creator. It is found that he has now adhesion with the Creator because he is occupied with bestowal. So by this, from within the adhesion, the state of joy and completion is attracted to him from the force that he is now in adhesion with the whole.

But how is it possible to adhere in completeness. I feel inside myself total deficiencies and there is no adhesion in the whole. I would be willing to adhere to the whole like a baby that adheres to his mother, but what is revealed to me is an opposite picture, completely not whole: lack in everything, there is nothing, the “left line” in its most extreme form. And then “above my reason,” I adhere to the Creator. This is called “Dvekut – adhesion” to the whole. In spite of this full and complete opposite in my mind and heart, I rise to completion, and in the equivalence, I reveal Him.

The feeling of completion can ride only on the feeling of lack of completion. It cannot be one without the other. Simply, these two extreme things are not revealed in me together, rather intermittently: once night and once day, once evening, and once morning… This is how I roll between them until all these things are connected to one state in which all the components are supporting each other: “And there is no difference between “night” and “day” and “darkness will illuminate like light” and then it will be for me a day that is all good, “24 hours” of completion.

Question: But what completion is there if inside of me there is a war?

Answer: On the contrary, I don’t feel the war, rather pleasure, because only in this form do I rise above doubts and find myself in bestowal. Precisely this ascent above my inner resistance, above the collision within me, is proving that I live in the truth and not in a lie.

Question: What are the signs of this wholeness?

Answer: That I don’t need anything except this state. In my vessels dwells TzimTzum Aleph (the first restriction) and total emptiness, darkness, like a “black hole,” and above it, I assemble and stabilize wholeness where the light is pouring, where all of me is found in bestowal.

This way all my darkness, all my “black hole,” if I use it correctly by rising above it, suddenly becomes a source of Light of Infinity.

I necessarily need this dipole of two opposites of infinite minus and infinite plus. Only in this condition am I certain that I hold to the truth. Conversely, if the plus is not riding above the minus, then this is not the “middle line” and then I simply have no criteria for measurement. The joy is always being checked facing the deficiency, wholeness facing lack of wholeness. And only from within the darkness, I achieve the Light.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/25/13, The Writings of Rabash

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A Voice Calling In The Dark Forest

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, Shamati, Article 241, “Call ye upon Him While He is Near,” (Isaiah 55:6): We must understand what “while He is near” means, since “the whole earth is full of His glory”! Thus, He is always near, so what does “while He is near” mean? It would seem that there is a time when He is not near.

Similarly, one who has lost the good way and entered a bad place, and has already accustomed himself to live among beasts, from the perspective of the will to receive, it would never occur to him that he should return to a place of reason and Sanctity. Yet, when he hears the voice calling him, he awakens to repent.

Hence, when the Creator wishes to bring him out of the dense forest, He shows him a remote Light, and the person gathers the remains of his strength to walk on the path that the Light shows him, in order to attain it.

But if one does not ascribe the Light to the Creator, and does not say that the Creator is calling him, then the Light is lost from him, and he remains standing in the forest…

Everything depends on our preparation, to the extent that we yearn to discover the attribute of bestowal, which is called to discover the Creator. To this extent, we begin to hear the Creator’s voice calling us and inviting us to Him, giving us different signs of His coming near us. However, a person only can feel them when he imagines the goal that he wants to attain correctly, the attribute of bestowal that is above his attribute of receiving, and not something else. This is called having “faith above reason.”

However, if a person has not corrected himself yet, he cannot feel or believe that it is the Creator calling him and he thinks that these are coincidental occurrences or that he simply has awakened by himself. He doesn’t understand that it is the Creator’s voice calling him by pulling him toward the attribute of bestowal.

Everything is determined by a person’s preparation. If the preparation was correct and sufficient, if a person has exerted himself enough and has filled his measure, then he begins to feel how the Creator invites him in every opportunity he encounters.

If a person makes efforts, then, eventually, he sees that the Creator is waiting for him around every corner, inviting that person to Him through giving different signs and clues. Thus, the connections between them are formed, and the person becomes the Creator’s partner. To the extent that the Creator is attracted to the person, that person also is attracted to the Creator, to mutual bestowal, until they meet and embrace one another.

Here, everything depends on a person’s preparation. At first, a person doesn’t even feel that he is lost in the dark forest. He is looking for the wrong place and thinks that he can break through by himself and attain what he desires by himself. Or, he simply may wait for someone to come and save him—there is also this phase along the way. It takes time until he manages to identify the Creator’s voice and understand that it is really the Creator calling him.

Then, they connect, and the Creator saves the person because the person already understands what true salvation is.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/27/13

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There Is No Room For Despair And Disappointment

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe must discover all the deficiencies since the good is revealed only in its opposite. So, we must rejoice when we discover the negative form; it is the first level of revelation after which there is already a correction and fulfillment.

So, we must understand that if a person follows the right path, then there is no room for despair and disappointment. A person who advances correctly always should be happy since he goes through all the phases along the way, justifying them as he understands that they are necessary for the revelation of wholeness.

Corruption is, above all, my disagreement with my state—feeling reluctant to justify it and to accept it as necessary—that must be revealed. All the states already are imprinted in the root of my soul in my nature.

The states are revealed from lighter to the more difficult: Ibur (gestation), Yenika (suckling) and Mochin (adulthood). First, I am only a tiny embryo who lacks all self-awareness. Then, I am born, which means that the awareness is born within me, the understanding. Before that I simply felt something without knowing where I was and what was going on. Then, I begin to feel pleasant and unpleasant feelings, different changes of states. Next, I begin to come to know the Upper a little, who He is, and how He manages and changes me.

I am connected to Him. He seems to be cunning since He hides from me while I look for Him and chase Him, not knowing where He is. I am told that I can discover Him through the environment, but I don’t want this environment. However, it turns out that this is to the same extent that I don’t want Him since it is the same thing.

This means that I must go through many states before I understand and reach the recognition, Mochin, which is the last level of our evolution that comes after Ibur and Yenika. It is natural since I cannot understand anything unless I have enough experience and attain the reasons for what is going on, the connection between them, and begin tying one with the other. Thus, the states begin to illuminate for me a little from within, and I understand what is derived from what. Through the connection between the events, I discover their source, which is actually external, outside the actions that I feel.

Therefore it is very difficult for a person to advance since one cannot justify the actions that one feels, which seem coincidental. One doesn’t even understand their order. He would like to see who is working on him, but he doesn’t. It is a hard way since we don’t attribute everything that happens to us to the One—that there is none else besides Him and we don’t acknowledge the fact that this One is good and benevolent.

Because we don’t try to trust this one, good force, we don’t discover anything on the way. There is even a phase during our development when a person fears any new discoveries and prefers that nothing new will happen. He simply feels the physical pain because the revelation is discovered so painfully that everything within him is an unpleasant feeling.

If a person were to expect more revelations, he could make efforts in order to attain them and not just for the sake of acting externally while lying to himself that he is working, but actually fearing to take a step forward.

Only if he has a good and strong environment—which means that he overcomes his ego and turns to the environment—he annuls his ego that comes between him and his independent vessels that seem to be external. Then, he retrieves these vessels and these means, and through them, he can discover the next states with joy and bring them near. It is possible only to the extent that he annuls his ego before the society, understanding that it is not the external society, but his internal attributes.
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From the 1st part of Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/26/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Unemployment In The World Of Unfinished Business!

Dr. Michael LaitmanOpinion (Gavriil Popov, President of the International University in Moscow): 
“As it is known, the model of the Soviet and Nazi state socialism ruled out unemployment. There is nothing more difficult for a person than the impossibility of finding a job, that is why unemployment during crises is the main factor of people turning to socialism, national socialism, fascism.

“The experience of Soviet socialism has shown that providing all the members of society with work creates social stability, but reduces the average wage because the output should be divided among everyone; the desire to work effectively is diminished, and society heads towards a dead end.

“Unemployment is inherent in the modern postindustrial formation. But it is intolerable in comparison to the benefits that post-industrialism gives the employed. The solution must combine rewards to those who work efficiently and provide employment to everyone who wants to work with reasonable salaries.

“Therefore, it makes economic sense to have two systems of work:

“The sphere of competitive employment, based on competition, where high earnings stimulate efficiency;

“The sphere of social employment, providing jobs and wages sufficient for life to those who cannot work in a competitive environment (the elderly, the disabled, women with children, the unemployed in the sphere of efficient economy). Social employment must be self-supporting. And there is plenty of work in the social sphere: the collection and recycling of waste, remediation of forests, road repair, remediation of wasteland.”

My Comment: There will be a need for work in the social sphere for many years ahead. In any case, it is necessary to combine work in both spheres with integral education.
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Uniting Europe

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Many European countries are in a state of growing separation. What can our European groups do to stop this trend?

Answer: The fact is that separation will continue. Europe will continue on the path of protectionism since problems and unemployment will continue to grow.

The growing mutual separation is a quality of Haman, egoistic qualities, which need to be presented with an opposite quality, the quality of the connection between us.

Also, you will see how people suddenly begin to understand that if they were to follow the path of separation and alienation, they would hurt themselves in a horrible way.

Europe would cease to be a civilized part of the world. These countries need to come closer despite the mutual repulsion. There is no other salvation. This needs to be explained everywhere and discussed during seminars.

All the European groups need to unite into a single group to do this.

Imagine the enormous power that will come from the unity of all the groups from all the countries and the lone students from the different corners of Europe!

You will see that everyone else will speak your words. They suddenly will begin to understand you, and they will advance your ideas independently without even knowing you. They will get this through a common net that you will create between you. Thus, everything depends on us.

This is a wonderful time! Despite all the past problems, try rising above them. Embrace as if nothing ever happened! Leave all the problems below, and you, above them. You must forget everything, get together and start a new life on a blank page.

This is a special state of the higher atmosphere to which we must connect and begin our new life. You will see that this year you will rise. You will gain respect and be valued. The world will regard you as the guide on their journey to the good and right state.
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Excerpt from a Virtual Lesson 2/24/13

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Collective Balance

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: People have differing sensitivity. Is there a chance that someone will not be able to integrate into unity that emerges during the workshops?

Answer: It is almost impossible because people who are sitting in a circle together become infected by each other. And that is why the most insensitive of them gets gentleness, tenderness, and sensitivity from the others, and the most sensitive one becomes balanced by others. Everything reaches a common denominator.

They do not have anything personal because everything changes into the collective. You say that some of them feel in this way and someone else in a different way. There is no longer “someone”—each of them includes all the others into himself.
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From KabTV’s “Professional Secrets” 2/8/13

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The Times That Have Long Passed

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Suppose two conflicting personalities, a chief accountant and a marketing manager, come to their director as an arbitrator. What principles should he take into account to resolve the conflict: business interest, personal relationships, or the laws of nature?

Answer: For example, I solve these issues simply. I ask them to leave the office and resolve their issues themselves because this is not the way to solve problems.

We have already finished the stage of human development and the human where it was possible to solve problems at the level of the “king-father” who would decide for them. He will not decide because his thinking is not integral, and thus it will not work.
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From KabTV’s “Professional Secrets” 2/8/13

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.01.13

Preparation to the Lesson

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Shamati #25 Things that Come from the Heart

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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 1, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Item 8, Lesson 7

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Writings of Baal HaSulam,The Peace,” Lesson 9

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