Audio Version Of The Blog – 01.30.14

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Citizen Of Two Worlds

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How is the “middle phase” between this world and the spiritual world discovered?

Answer: The transitional phase between this world and the spiritual world is the physical group where we can begin to establish spiritual laws. This is a wonder in this world: deeds which are Lo Lishma (for my sake) can bring us to Lishma (to bestowal).

In other words, we do all kinds of deeds artificially, with false bestowal. Yet they advance us because there is a transitional level between the spiritual world and this world. This intermediary level is a person who is comprised of two parts: one within the other. Therefore it is possible to build an external group of people to carry out external actions and to awaken internal actions within them. This is as if we have two parts from different worlds in one “medium.”

And therefore a collection of people, a Minyan (ten people), become the ten Sefirot that intervene between this world and the upper world.
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Positive Instead Of Negative

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can a person open his desires before the friends on the corporeal level as well as on the spiritual level?

Answer: Everyone should feel that they are in their own family where you can be sure that no matter what happens, it is all yours. All the problems, the outbursts, the disagreements with the children or the spouse are all yours and you have to fix things no matter how difficult it is. So try to treat the friends that way and see; check your heart to see whether it is really inclined to respond that way, whether it has this inclination, and whether it is ready for that.

We must develop our connection until we reach the level of mutual guarantee. Mutual guarantee is when I am ready to respond this way to everything for the sake of everyone, like a mother with regard to her children. She is ready to be responsible and to provide her children with everything that they need. This is natural and everyone understands this in our ordinary life. This is why we live in the corporeal world. Later this world will disappear and we will see forces instead of bodies. This world is called fictitious because instead of forces and qualities, we feel the body as the still, vegetative, animate nature, and people, which are all matter. But later we will see that these are forces of receiving and bestowing.

This world is given to us so that we will be able to ascend from this lowest point without being forced to or pressured to from Above. If we could see the spiritual world, we would lose our freewill. We would want to do everything according to what we see. So the concealment helps us to be free and puts us in a state where we can grow freely.

Adults move away from children in order to allow them to do things independently. It is the same here as the Creator conceals Himself to a certain extent and helps us in different ways “behind the scenes.” He gives us clues by showing us exactly what is wrong and what needs to be corrected. Our job is to remember that we are constantly shown our deficiencies in a negative manner and to constantly try to change the negative to positive.

Then we will be grateful to the Creator for treating us this way and teaching us in different ways, showing us the picture of all our attributes in an opposite manner, in their negative form. We want to connect this negative picture with our attributes, desires, and thoughts and make them positive. This is why we are in a constant search.

This is called the work of the Creator, which is done on top of everything that surrounds us. If we regard all these things spiritually, it will be spiritual and it will become our spiritual world. It is said that “the Creator did not change its original action of creation.”
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/24/14

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Open To Connection

Dr. Michael LaitmanIsrael means “Yashar-Kel” (straight towards the Creator). This is a person who reacts to influence from the Creator within himself and is ready to react in regard to Him. The Creator sends the “burdening of the heart” to us and it is up to us to surmount this, and to the degree that we surmount it, we begin to enter into a connection above all the disturbances, above all the egoistic desires, above all the thoughts that weigh upon us and which don’t direct us towards equivalence of form with the Creator.

When we rise above these disturbances that the Creator sends, we are called Israel. And if we sink within the disturbances and yearn to alleviate our condition, to become as comfortable as possible at every moment, then we remain on the level of corporeal, material existence.

Eventually, after undergoing very many trials and disappointments, “A penny and a penny are gathered into a large amount,” into a higher level. And then we begin to feel that we won’t agree to continue life this way. It is clear that this development can only be by means of the Light that ultimately brings us to a state of Israel, the yearning “straight to the Creator.”

The states through which we pass accumulate. We must pass through a multitude of actions, which within our ego, we don’t agree and don’t want to endure patiently. For our ego we want everything to happen quickly and pleasantly; but according to the relation between Lights and Kelim, it doesn’t happen this way. This continues until the desire to receive ultimately decides to be transformed, changing to an intention “for the sake of bestowal.”

This is like a pendulum that goes up higher and higher in two directions until in the end, it transforms at the highest point, reaching an intention “for the sake of bestowal.” And then all of the movements forward and back, right and left, up and down, in all directions and in all forms, everything enters into the volume of the new Kli that receives an intention “for the sake of bestowal.”

Therefore it is said, “I labored and found.” We must invest maximal effort until we reach this finding. And the finding arrives from Above. Even just a moment before this it is impossible to know when it will happen. It is forbidden to reveal this secret and to talk about it, so that we don’t sweeten this period too much for a person whose ego must be restrained.

Baal HaSulam laughed about the complaints of his students and said, “I am happy about the wicked that are discovered”. I remember when I was studying with Rabash, I was angry and demanding and encountered a very dry response from him that did not seem appropriate from a person who loved me. I thought that the teacher hated me, so happy was he with my difficulties. That is how it really seemed to me in the beginning of the study in the first half year. He would simply laugh in my face in response to my complaints.

I was really furious because I had invested so much effort; I did everything that he required from me, and he wasn’t at all merciful to me. But all this was only not to weaken this feeling of bitterness and despair in me. This is because if we soften this feeling, the time is lengthened. There is nothing to do; we must bow our heads and continue to accumulate our overcoming.

It is true that it is possible to “get your world in an hour.” Our efforts can be gathered very quickly and we can suddenly reach revelation. And truly there are signs that we are very close to revelation. But the last effort has a unique quality. And all of the quality that is attained depends upon the connection between us, in its strength and directness. For this we must open ourselves maximally so that not one thought or desire will remain that we wouldn’t reveal to everyone. This is the way each must examine himself, both men and women.

The work of the women is different from the work of the men, it is earthier, and that of the men is more spiritual. The men are more connected with the Creator and the women among themselves, overcoming rejection. This requires much effort.

It is worthwhile to pay attention to this, for in general a person thinks that spirituality is something detached from life, that it is above this world. He forgets that the spiritual Kli within which the Creator is discovered is his link with the friends. If the link between us will be appropriate for the discovery of the Creator, then He will be revealed, and if it is not appropriate, then the Creator will not be revealed. Period!
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/24/14

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Wealth Destroys Society

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from News.com.au): “A recent study by researchers at the University of California Berkeley Campus has found a clear connection between wealth and a disregard for a fellow person’s feelings. The Berkeley research team is lead by Paul Piff, a psychologist with an avid interest in the power of money over human interaction.

“In one test Piff’s research team set up games of Monopoly between more than 100 pairs of strangers. A coin was flipped and randomly determined which person out of the pair would be the ‘rich’ player in the game. The game was clearly rigged in favour of the ‘rich’ player, with fascinating results.

“The rich player was given twice as much money as their poorer competitor, and when they passed ‘GO’ they collected twice the salary they were entitled to. They also got to roll two dice on their turn instead of one, and thus moved around the board quicker.

“The videos showed that the language and comments of the richer players became more confident as the game progressed. They began to move their piece around the board much louder, at times smacking it down.

“We were more likely to see signs of dominance and non-verbal signs, displays of power and celebration among the rich players,” said Piff. …

“’The rich players actually started to become ruder toward the other person, less and less sensitive to the plight of those poor … players,’ said Piff. They became ‘more and more demonstrative of their material success, more likely to showcase how well they were doing.’

“Numerous surveys and studies made over seven years found that wealthier individuals are more likely to moralise greed as being good, and the pursuit of self-interest as being acceptable. …

“Individuals who made between $15,000 and $25,000 a year gave on average 44 per cent more of their money to the stranger than the individuals who earned between $150,000 and $200,000 a year.”

“They even tested hundreds of vehicles and found that drivers of expensive cars were more inclined to break the law, failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing when there was someone waiting to cross.

“Nearly 50 per cent of drivers of expensive range cars cut off pedestrians, while none of the drivers of the least expensive cars did. As the price of the car increased, the driver’s tendencies to break the law increased too.

“Other studies have tested whether richer individuals are more likely to lie in negotiations, to endorse unethical behavior at work like stealing cash from the cash register, taking bribes or lying to customers.

“What these studies have found is that, “the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to pursue a vision of personal success, of achievement and accomplishment, to the detriment of others around you.”

My Comment: How can we get back on the right track? Only by implementing re-education that will lead to the leveling of wealth in a voluntary way. Otherwise, we are faced with civil war.
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Gates Of Attaining Wisdom

Dr. Michael Laitman“Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Article “Two Points,” Item 121: This is the meaning of the locks on the gates. First, all the many contradictions to His uniqueness, which we taste in this world, separate us from the Creator. Yet, when exerting to keep Torah and Mitzvot with love, with our soul and might, as we are commanded—to bestow contentment upon our Maker—all those forces of separation do not affect us into subtracting any of the love of the Creator with all our souls and might. Rather, in that state, every contradiction we have overcome becomes a gate for attainment of His wisdom.

Question: What does it mean “every contradiction we have overcome becomes a gate for attainment of His wisdom…”? What is a contradiction?

Answer: A contradiction is something that can be resolved this and that. A contradiction is when one doesn’t see, agree, or understand. It’s something that does not connect with His uniqueness and with the notion of “there’s none else but Him” or with the concept of “Good that does good.” It just doesn’t fit together.

We get numerous blows from various sides. We have no idea whether they are right or wrong, but we still have to justify all of them. If we knew that it’s just a form of a punishment for something we did wrong or if we were sure that if our behavior were good, we’d receive an award instead of a punishment, then we would feel more or less fine. However, it’s against our logic. It is said: “The righteous feel bad.” There is nothing we can do about it. These states are called “contradictions” in the Upper Governance.

Question: What do “the righteous who feel bad” have to do?

Answer: Because they are righteous, they justify the Creator even though they feel bad.

Question: But the goal of creation is to bring contentment to creation. Does it really help when even though one feels bad one still justifies the Creator?

Answer: In fact, one feels good, but the truth is that there is evil in him. Obviously one suffers because of one’s own wickedness; however, one still continues justifying the Creator. That’s why one is called the righteous.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/13/14, Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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Tu B’Shevat As A Turning Point In Providence

Dr. Michael LaitmanTu B’Shevat is called the New Year of trees, meaning the New Year of somebody who starts growing during these days. It’s very symbolic that we have moved to a new building at this time and will host such a huge congress that embraces three conventions in one and that we are undergoing a very special process of construction right now. All we need to do at this time is just wait for the fruit to show up so that our tree won’t be just a regular tree, but rather one that will be fruitful.

Rabash explains in his Letter No. 29 how to make a fruitful tree out of a man. Tu B’Shevat is called “Rosh Hashanah of trees” because at this time a man has completed self-scrutiny and has already decided whether it is worthwhile for him to continue the work or rather (God forbid) he decides to act the other way around. At this time, one already knows what source he draws life energy from – either out of the will to receive for one’s own sake or out of the will to bestow onto one’s Maker.

Really, these are very special days. Sometimes a man is awarded with a synchronization of his spiritual and material lives; thus one senses that holidays and weekdays are dressed in one’s internal states. During these days, one has to decide what direction to choose in life: to live for the sake of one’s body or soul. These are the days when one has to choose one or the other. If one makes a decision to advance for the sake of one’s soul, then one’s work begins.

It is said: “A man is a tree of the field.” This means that all the work that is done with the trees to make them fruitful also applies to a man. Fruit is the main thing here! “Fruit of sanctity” implies that a person merits a revelation of the Creator and turns into an ever flowing river by going from one degree to the next until one says: “Let the Maker be joyous in me, since He wants me; let Him be the crown of beauty.”

In other words, a person starts realizing that everything that happens to him and outlines the choice between his body and soul is done by the Creator. It’s He who creates all the conditions that lead us to making the decision. If the Creator brings a person to a “decision point,” it means that one has enough power, correct surroundings, and adequate support that allow one to make the right decision. From this point on, one’s destiny will be redirected correctly.

I’d like to wish all of us to always understand that “There is none else besides Him” and that there is only one force that makes everything there is. It’s the force that sends us the hardest moments in life when we have to make a decisive choice. Let us always make the right decision!
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From the Talk during Meal 1/17/14

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With One Desire And One Intelligence

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How will the world look when we reach the final correction of humanity?

Answer: All of humanity in itself will constitute one whole unity and live within a single desire, a single mind which absorbs and encompasses it.

As people unite and begin to rise above their egoism; as a result, they consequently develop completely different ways of feeling themselves and the surrounding space.

They will begin to deepen the connection between them and be detached from this world for they will no longer waste their effort on concerns about attaining the necessities in this world.

Today, 1% – 2% of humanity could supply everything required for all the inhabitants of the globe, yet not with the excesses that now fill the markets, but only with necessary products. This would require a rather small production modernization that the current governments do not want to engage in for various reasons. Together with this, people will live reasonably and well without thinking about basic needs.

The remaining 99% of the population will begin to be involved with strengthening their inner connections through which new worlds, dimensions, and universes will be revealed to us.

The material world will begin to disappear from our feelings because it will begin to be less and less required by our senses and we will be dependent upon it less and less. In the end, when we reach full mutual integration between us, it will cease to exist. We will be found only within our mutual interaction through which the one and only force that existed before the Big Bang and which created us will be revealed. It will connect us and grasp us with absolute revelation.

Humanity must reach a state of balance and equivalence with this force that constitutes the inner force of our nature.
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From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 11/27/13

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 01.30.14

Preparation to the Lesson

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Workshop

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Writings of Baal HaSulam  “Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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