Audio Version Of The Blog – 09.28.13

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The Democracy Of Give And Take

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: I don’t believe that it is possible to connect because everyone worries only about himself. For example, my car broke down so now I can’t get to work and make a living. If you call for unity, why don’t you collect the money I need to fix the car? Why doesn’t this happen?

Answer: This indicates that it is impossible to fulfill the connection in our world by certain individual actions. If I am in a shattered state, I cannot discover any corrected parts there. This is clear, so what else do you want? You will not find any signs of connecting for the benefit of others in this world.

It isn’t just a connection that is good for my ego, when I connect with someone else to profit at his expense. It is about a totally different connection that doesn’t exist in this world. So your complaints are invalid. It is true that our world is opposite to unity and that everything in it exists according to the laws of give and take, according to capitalistic principles. Modern democracy means that everyone is allowed to take care of his or her own welfare.

Democracy was limited in socialist Russia; there were limits to how much a person was allowed to think about himself, because he was otherwise obliged to think about the society. Capitalist democracy offers a person the freedom to do as he wishes and to profit in any way he feels like. If you aren’t directly harming society, then it is fine; this is democracy.

The first step towards the correction of the world is through the education of the people. Education should precede everything; otherwise, we will not be able to fix the system. Education should correct people so that they will want to change the social priorities by themselves to bring about social balance, a more or less equal standard of living, and to gradually organize everything. Changes should be according to the desire and development of the majority, and should meet the general agreement; this is called true democracy.

Without social changes you cannot change people and society. After all, in today’s corrupt society, if you are don’t have a car that you need in order to make a living, you will die of hunger. This is the world you are living in. if you want to start changing it, please start studying integral education. I am offering you a process of correction, but you cannot come complaining to me about the flaws of this world and demand that I correct them for you.

Besides, you don’t even want to correct them—you want to go on living with these defects—but only to steal for yourself from the united society that I am offering you, to take from it to your world with your shattered society. This of course will lead to nothing. This is precisely the case when the impurity (Klipa) wants to adhere to Holiness and exploit it.
[117476]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/13, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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Correction Is Only During The Ascent

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Book of Zohar, Introduction, Item 210: However, if ZON are connected below, the Sitra Achra can receive the abundance, hence AVI are separated above and their Zivug is stopped.

All the discernments inherent in Malchut of Ein Sof (Infinity) are included in our vessels. In our work, we have to impose restrictions on which vessels we use and which we do not. It’s impossible to get rid of something inside me, to cut off something from inside me, but I decide upon what to give importance in my contact with the Creator, with bestowal. In order to reveal Him, I have to constantly clarify where I restrict myself and where I already work with the Masachim (screens).

When ZON illuminates, it’s a dangerous state since it’s an example of how two attributes can be connected even though they are opposite by nature. On the whole, the connection of ZON during the descent can provide the Sitra Achra with the powers to connect. So Zeir Anpin and Nukva mustn’t connect below. The connection is possible only if they rise to the upper.

The corrections are always performed in the upper: We are incorporated in it and it gives us the right pattern. I can behave correctly in a perfect flawless manner if I find myself in a place with all the necessary conditions to do so. For example, I may come to a party where men and women sit on opposite sides of a table and do not mix when communicating.

This immediately leads me to a certain pattern, to a certain framework, leaving no room for confusion: I participate in the business conversations and am not distracted and drawn to different problematic directions. The place itself actually molds the right pattern for me and guards me.

With regard to ZON, its lower vessels are the whole impurity (Klipa). So there cannot be specific accurate measurements in them below that enable the connection when they descend. The connection can only be above, when they are in the Partzuf of the parents, in AVI.

So how did ZON descend to the souls in order to bestow the Lights upon them? ZON really descends and bestows in order to raise the souls back up with it. There are never any corrections below where the flawed vessel is. This is the law: All the corrections are only during the ascent.
[116966]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/17/13, Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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Between Two Creations

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What are “practical commandments?”

Answer: Practical commandments are corrections that we are capable of making today. The entire Torah and commandments are corrective actions that are made with the help of the Light.

As it is written, “I have created the evil inclination, I have created the Torah as a spice.” The evil inclination is the “material,” the egoistic desire. The “Torah” is the power of its correction. A man, me, should be positioned between them.

It is I who organizes a liaison between the Torah and the evil inclination. As it is written, “Whoever attains the Light hidden in the Torah can see with it from one end of the world to the other.” I am the one who defines egoism as evil and the Torah as a spice. My main duty is to initiate the impact of the spice to correct the evil inclination, so I build the whole system, and by doing so, transition from an evil inclination to a good one, which means that I am following the commandments.

Between Two Creations
There are practical commandments that are possible to follow right away, and there are commandments that are not available to us as of yet. In general, it’s about the methodology of the fulfillment of the commandments (corrective actions) with the help of the Torah (the Light).

“Commandment” is a transition from evil to good, from receiving to bestowal, from egoistic intention to altruistic in each given desire. It is done by the Light. Accordingly, before anything else, I must identify evil with the help of the Light of the Torah. Then, I will be able to make a request that will lead me to a good inclination.

I cope with all stages of this path due to the Light. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” is the general, great rule of the Torah, the corrected form. The corrupt form (the evil inclination) signifies hatred toward our neighbors. Therefore, the Torah is not a scroll of parchment that is kept in a special bookcase but the Light that Reforms.
[82789]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/12/12, The Zohar

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The Methodology Of A Spiral Takeoff

Dr. Michael LaitmanSomething that a person does on their own is never taken into account because he alone is not capable of spiritual actions. “Spiritual” means that it’s directed towards correction of the shattering and is oriented towards connection that requires the participation of the common force. If one does something on his own, he always acts out of egoism since he’s not capable of any other actions.

So, this kind of effort is not taken into account. One imagines that he puts in a lot of effort and deprives himself of so much and he thinks that he engages a huge power; however, there is no point to his endeavors and they will not be taken into consideration. In the course of time, one becomes indignant because he doesn’t see any advancement nor does he move anywhere; he gets disappointed in his ability to attain spirituality. However, it doesn’t mean that he is not capable of achieving it; he simply hasn’t done anything in the right way.

Sometimes it can take up from 10 to 15 years to understand where we are and to eventually hear what we were told so many times from the very first day of our study. Only after quite a number of years does a person realize that spiritual power can be obtained only from the group, the environment, and only to the extent of one’s self-annulment. One is able to nullify himself even if it does not involve his thoughts or desires, but only at a simple level of physical actions. The more he bows his head, the more he’ll accept other people’s thoughts and desires that are oriented towards spirituality. Those will be spiritual thoughts and desires, since a person receives them by suppressing his egoism! Thus, he’ll advance one step at a time; it is said that a many pennies accumulate into a large sum.

So, love of one’s friends is the necessary and only prerequisite that serves as the leverage and springboard to achieve the goal. If a person doesn’t make a “zero” of himself in relation to his friends’ “one,” he won’t attain the spiritual force and proceed with its help.

To proceed means that with its help he can annul himself once again, then he gets inspired by the group once more, and through this inspiration he comes into contact with the Creator. So, it looks as if there is a small child compared to the group of adults. I get a sensation of the greatness of the goal by relating to the Creator through them. This is how I advance over and over again by ascending in a spiral, that is called “in circles.”

There are no other opportunities to move forward. The network, the only vessel that was shattered, is right in front of us at this very moment. Even though we can’t actively work with 99% of the vessel because they don’t want to become our partners in this kind of work, we still have friends given to us by the Creator who gathered us together in order to help each other by annulling oneself in front of others in order to get strength from each one of us. With the help of this force, we’ll continue our advancement to the Creator.
[82212]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/4/12, Writings of Rabash

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