Audio Version Of The Blog – 11.30.14

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Awakening Society

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen we disseminate the integral system, we need to explain to people that the problems everyone has are solved by one method only, by one movement through connection and unity.

When we have people sit at a roundtable, after just one lesson with us they will feel that what we offer has a strong practical basis.

We can try to explain the basis and the theory and we can just leave it since it is irrelevant. A new inner force is revealed in a group that focuses itself correctly, and it nourishes and heals us of all the problems, whether personal problems, problems in the group, social, political or ecological problems. This force guides people in the connection between them and helps them solve all their problems.

We have to show them all that in a practical manner. People today don’t listen, don’t read, and don’t see anything except for what answers their small egoistic intention. Their indifference, however, is only external. We can dig a little into every person and discover what disturbs him: “What do you lack in order to feel completely happy? I am ready to give it to you.” This is the descent to the people and the fulfillment of the laws of connection and unity.

A person suffers, he cannot make ends meet, and he doesn’t feel secure personally or politically; he is ill, there are disputes in his family, and problems in his relations with his kids, which means that he has problems in all his connections.

He can, of course stay away from any discussion on the topic and not engage in it at all, since he feels that it doesn’t matter anymore, but his indifference is only external. The authorities want to suppress all that by making mild drugs legal, but it won’t work. A person will still not be able to escape his problems.

Therefore, we have to offer a person, without coercion, and without delving into his problems: “Do you want to solve your problems? All you need to do is to visit our workshop just once, sit in a circle, and have a cup of coffee or tea with us,” and so on. The main thing is to make him feel that there is a power in our method that can help him solve and correct whatever he wants to.

Later he will join us by himself and will stay with us, since we are dealing with dissemination to the masses, and there will be mutual bestowal that will grow like a snowball; our method will become a social movement.

Today there is no movement in society but we do have a big group that is beginning to stand out by influencing different parts of society, which thus integrate and affect one another. People will soon start thinking about unity even if no one speaks about it.
[147902]
From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 3/26/14

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An Unhappy Sage

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Knowledge is the highest degree that allows us to comprehend the whole of reality. This is what is expressed in Ecclesiastes by King Solomon. However, as a result, he came to the conclusion that “For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” and “the wise man shall die the same as the fool.” Why didn’t acquisition of wisdom and knowledge bring him the desired happiness?

Answer: Because wisdom and knowledge are just a way to achieve happiness. To be happy is our whole life. We do not need anything except to feel what to enjoy. Ultimately, the only thing we want is to enjoy life.

We can clothe this into various things, events, phenomena, but we want to enjoy, to fulfill ourselves. By pleasure, I mean filling ourselves with life because we have nothing except life. So, we want to feel it as fulfilling and pleasant.

What does it mean that a person lives? He has a spirit that either oppresses him or makes him happy. I want this spirit to be filled with vitality. As we have said, I always need to renew myself in order to do this. Thus, when I want wealth, power, knowledge, or even lesser things, such as a family, sex, or food, it is only in order to receive pleasure.

If you remove the enjoyment of food, a person eats because he has to only to support the body, much like a person who is sick. If he does not receive pleasure from sex, he gets treatment, since otherwise he does not feel any pleasure from life. If there is no joy in the family, he gets divorced.

The same applies to wealth, where we look at our environment and hope to gain independence and security. And now we see that at any moment, everything can be lost. Power today is too transient and not the way it was in the past when there were kings.

Finally, you reach wisdom and see everything what happens. What did you discover? Looking at all the sources of enjoyment, you see that they contain nothing, just as wisdom itself. What have you achieved by comprehending all of creation, which you can see from edge to edge? Everything functions and everything is empty.

And then you find yourself at a dead end and you literally hit the wall, because there is no place further to go. If you are a wise man, if you see the consequences of your every action and every task, you do not start it. You have nothing to do. What remains is only to commit suicide.

Today, we talk about science as of the revelation of the entire world. It implies that you are not just a scholar who studies bugs, either live or electronic, but a great philosopher, a sage. And that is completely different wisdom.
[148491]
From KabTV’s “A New Life” 5/23/14

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The Kabbalists About The Nation Of Israel And The Nations Of The World, Part 12

The People of Israel Must Carry Out their Mission

From Baal HaSulam’s article, “The Writings of the Last Generation.” Additions and drafts, Section 2, of the Introduction: 

I already presented the essence of my opinions in 1933. I also spoke with the leaders of the generation, and my words were not accepted then, even though I shrieked like a crane and warned then about the destruction of the world; this made no impression.

But now, after the atomic and hydrogen bombs, I think that the world will believe me that the end of the world is approaching and coming in rapid steps; and Israel will be burned first before the other nations, as it was in the previous war; so today it is good to awaken the world to accept its only remedy and continue to live and exist.
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The Plague Of The Century

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Every person is on a search for happiness throughout his life. We look for what can bring us joy, love, elation, or peace. As a result, there is a need to turn to King Solomon’s famous book Ecclesiastes, which was written thousands of years ago.

I would like to understand why this story involves King Solomon and at a time of absolute prosperity? What is the message conveyed through this book?

Answer: What is Hevel Havalim (foolishness)? It is the bestowal and good attitude that stems from a person. The word “hevel” (“foolishness” in Hebrew) stems from the word “steam,” which is the breath that comes out of a person’s mouth, his attitude towards others, the Returning Light, by which he returns the good attitude to the world.

This is the only thing a person’s success and wellbeing depends on in this world. King Solomon teaches us how we attain happiness by this steam, which we create by our attitude towards others.

Question: I reflect on the environment and the environment reflects on me in response?

Answer: Yes. Everything depends on my attitude. The world is external to me and I don’t know it. But if my attitude towards the world is that I constantly take from it for myself, it seems dark. I constantly look for what else I can take for myself, and consequently, I remain empty. On the other hand, if I operate through what stems from me, I attain happiness.

Comment: But we usually understand the term Hevel Havalim (foolishness) as something that is hopeless.

Answer: It is because we understand it in our ego.

Question: Why did Solomon come to the conclusion that material acquisitions will never make a person happy?

Answer: Because this way we only expand our vessels of receiving, the desire to be full. When I want to buy something, to fill myself, I thus double my desire. Therefore it says that “a person dies with only half his desire in hand.”

What does it means that a person dies? That he kills his desire to receive. I wanted something and I got it. At the same time I receive the filling, my desire dies. Suppose I want to buy a house and I do it. I enjoy it for a couple of weeks, but gradually the pleasure diminishes until it disappears.

Question: I have a feeling that you are talking about people who have everything and feel emptiness, while a person who is not well off still desires something. How can the idea that a rich man buys a villa for a several million dollars and doesn’t feel any pleasure in it after a year help me?

Answer: Humanity advances along the path of its egoistic evolution, thus becoming more and more qualitative. The point isn’t that yesterday I wanted a two room apartment, today I need a four room apartment, and tomorrow a villa in an exclusive neighborhood. No. Our desire develops in a qualitative manner. The desire that develops in me today ceases to feel property as the goal of life. Humanity sees that it isn’t worth making such an effort for that.

Today the disappointment from life is much greater than looking for luxuries and prestige. I have become more indifferent and lazy. I want to be happy, but virtually. I want to feel happiness directly, and not through bricks called a villa, or a water reservoir called a swimming pool. I want to obtain an inner feeling! This is the whole problem, the plague of the century!

I have nothing to say to a person who still hopes that material acquisitions will bring him happiness. He sees his life as a process of working and in another ten years buying a house, two cars, having a family, and bringing up his kids. He considers this a good organized life. In that case he has to wait another ten years to see that it is all Hevel Havalim.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 5/23/13

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Regarding Terror, Rising Prices And The Unification Of Society, Part 2

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt would seem that the cost of living is not a subject that grabs the heart and compels it to beat strongly. But in fact, for some this could even be more meaningful that an intifada.

If I wake up every morning and am tormented with the thought of what to feed my little children, how to finish the month without a deficit, without new debts and additional bank loans, then this becomes a subject of great concern.

Essentially, the blame does not lie with the bank nor the company that makes children’s yogurt and who inflates the price. Not one of them is guilty. For they are all acting according to their egoistic nature. But if we want to influence them by convincing them to make the price of food for children four times lower according to the basic price of such products and they will still be left with a large profit, it is necessary to change the foundation of their thinking.

It is possible to do this through the influence of the environment; so come, let’s change our environment! And this is not through shouting, protests, and demonstrations; rather, it is done through connection and unity between us.

With the help of the force of our unity, we will influence the makers of children’s yogurt in such a way that they themselves will want to lower the price. And the same thing goes for the price of apartments and everything else. Let’s fix everything through the connection between us.

Question: Why would a company suddenly want to lower the price?

Answer: Because society will influence it through its singular opinion.

Question: Why wasn’t this successful before when we got together in a general protest?

Answer: This didn’t work because before we wanted to crush the companies and didn’t seek general unity. This is not the same force that acts within the system of nature. If we were to want to unite and achieve good relationships in society, then we would influence everyone.

Certainly this wouldn’t happen immediately, for this is not aimed precisely towards the goal of creation, but even so, we would see benefit. If we just try to annihilate someone, then there is no constructive message in this and we will never succeed in this way.

We don’t unite to go out together against someone, but rather for the sake of unity itself; that will help lower the cost of living. Unity is the means for correcting the situation.

And there was no unity in the general protests. The demonstrators wanted to break the companies. Whereas, through the unity of society, we want to bring it to such a good state that the prices will go down by themselves. This is the difference between all the previous protests and revolutions. This is unity not against someone, but rather for the sake of the positive force.

Everyone clearly sees that if society were good and corrected, this would influence even its most wealthy members. This is because they are also human and are found among the people. All of our thoughts in the world are connected and influence each other, and people influence each other without even uttering a word simply by way of the atmosphere. We are all found in a single field of thought and desire.

Question: What must that woman do who doesn’t have enough money until the next paycheck and doesn’t have anything to feed her children?

Answer: She must understand that only through connection and unity can she influence the entire society and herself. We always think that if we can change someone’s opinion only if we grab him and convince him. In fact, it is possible to influence him only if we create a large force in society that will begin to think as we do, and then this thought will penetrate into him.

Come, let’s do this, so that our society will begin to think about good changes, about balance in society and about warm relationships. And as a result of this, the prices will decrease. If our society were to become one big family in which everyone thinks about balance, connection, unity, and equality, then our thought will begin to act and be influential on all levels and all sectors of the population.

And then this will begin to work. This is because readiness in mind and heart will appear in everyone, making everything more balanced, social, and shared, as in a single commune. From this, all systems will become balanced. The gap between the rich and the poor will be greatly reduced, from thousands of fold to only a hundred fold. That is how it works; everything becomes regulated in this way.
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From a talk 4/13/14

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Who Is To Blame For The Arab Turmoil?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Today, Israeli Arabs to some extent feel that they are second-class citizens. How exactly does the union among all Jewish citizens of Israel and the correct relationships between them help the Arabs get rid of the sensation of being harassed?

Answer: At the end of the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”, Baal HaSulam writes that if the people of Israel correctly unite on the basis of mutual guarantee, in accordance with “do not do to others what you hate for yourself,” and “love thy neighbor as thyself,” then the force of unity will overflow from them as water from a full vessel and will spread to all the nations of the world. They will feel where the force of perfection comes from and will join the people of Israel.

We have to understand that it is about the only feasible influence of one part of the system upon the other and the impact of the people of Israel upon the nations of the world as a result of which they will stop considering themselves as “second-class” nations.

Every nation has certain needs and desires. We see people’s actions, but their feelings are much more important.

Many people want to be as Einstein, but I do not. I am not fascinated by him. However, I want to be as strong as my neighbor and not a titan of thought or power.

It’s not about internal sensations, nor whether or not other nations will be jealous of the fact that we have a special task in this world. No, they won’t. Will Arabs continue feeling that they are disadvantaged? Not any longer.

Today, they feel discriminated against because they don’t receive from us what they are supposed to. By blaming us for all their troubles, they in essence confirm that they depend on us, since we are entitled to do things which they are incapable of. However, we don’t play our role, and  thus we rob the world of benevolence.

All nations reproach us for the same reasons. Will we really be so surprised when a United Nations Organization Assembly comes to a consensus that Israel is guilty of all world problems, is a source of numerous international disasters, and has no more right to exist? In their eyes, the state of Israel is a wound that poisons the existence of the whole of humanity.

Our enemies feel the same way when they oppose our having weapons, such as machine guns, knives, and other armaments. In their minds, there is no other way out except to fight us. They think we have to be murdered and that only then, will all disasters stop.

At the same time, they don’t know that their whole future depends on us. They are not aware that we are the ones who can guarantee successful prospects to them. Nobody teaches them these things; we never convey this information to them since we are not aware of it ourselves.

So, we have to correct ourselves.

Let me reiterate. The nations of the world will consent to our actions when we start taking care of the general process of world correction. They will immediately agree to this fact.

Let’s fantasize that if today the Jews of Israel launch a good, benevolent connection among us, all disasters will immediately disappear. By connecting, we’ll involve the general system of humanity and will neutralize the evil forces inside it.

Then, those who are currently planning to run over innocent people at bus-stops will suddenly feel that everything is just fine with them, that something has changed, that they feel benevolence, and that good forces are acting within society.

Accordingly, they would suddenly feel a desire to make friends with the Jews: it happens that it is quite possible to have peaceful interactions with those people. Besides, aren’t we cousins? Why can’t we get along with them?

Question: From where will potential terrorists receive these thoughts?

Answer: The new approach will come from the same source from which an idea to murder the Jews showed up. It will emerge because of the overall unbalance in the world that we (the Jews) cause in the general system. The people of Israel don’t synchronize the two opposite forces, the plus and the minus. However, this nation is the only one that is capable of achieving stability.

To begin with, all Jews have to unite with each other until they become friends as it is stated in the principle “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Then, the intensity of our unity will overflow, just as water spills out of an overly full vessel. They will accept this fact naturally and won’t feel that they are second class citizens any longer. In a wholesome, perfect, healthy system, it’s not possible to have more or less important or more or less dignified parts. An ankle cell is equal to a brain cell.

Question: So, how will this appeal penetrate the hearts of those who are ready to commit acts of terrorism?

Answer: All humanity is interconnected through their hearts, and thus, we are united with each other. That’s why there is nothing we need except unity. We won’t even have to explain this idea to them. The same system that now demonstrates that we are the ones who bring the evil to others will also serve the purpose and convey the sensation that we have started bringing them benevolence instead of evil.

These impulses cannot be stopped. They are the ones that influence humans and not the other way around, since these impulses flow from the head to the body.

Let’s turn into a unity named Israel (ישראל), meaning the head for me (Li Rosh – לי ראש), directly to the Upper (Yashar-El). This means directly to perfection in which we have to live together with the rest of humanity and the entire reality, as the whole universe in unity with the Creator, the general upper force.

Let’s exert ourselves to achieve this state. Then, the entire world will follow us. As soon as we begin acting as a head, the rest of the world will support us.

Stop blaming others. The Torah and other Kabbalistic books and all original sources state that we are the only ones who have the ability to really make changes. Only we are entitled to translate the overall human development from the bad path to the good one.

In the end, this is what we actually are obligated to do. This is something the nations of the world are expecting from us. Let’s fulfill our duty.
[147993]
From KabTV’s “A New Life” 11/13/14

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The Jewish Mind

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Among the Jewish and Arab citizens of the nation, complex relationships have been created. We are destined to live together in one nation, even though we didn’t choose this. The Arabs are around 20% of the population of Israel. Among them, 83% are Muslims, mostly Sunni. We have equal rights and responsibilities, but there are two sides to every coin. On the one hand, many of the Arab citizens want to live in peace with us. There are cities in which Jews and Arabs have been in good neighborly relationships for decades, for example in Acre and Jaffa.

And on the other hand, this sector has become a source of violence in the latest disturbances.

We have lived together side by side for so many years, and even today, we have not learned how to get along with each other! The latest developments are frightening, disappointing, and arouse distrust between us. What can you say about the system of relationships between the Jewish and Arab sectors in Israel?

Answer: I suppose that going deeper into the daily human psychological and social levels will ultimately confuse people. In fact, it is up to us to do only one thing in relation to the Arabs of Israel. We must show them how Jews connect among ourselves and how we can accept them among us so that they will also connect with us. It is not necessary to do anything else.

In general, the Arab people, like every nation, have a unique role. First of all, historically they are our cousins. In the Jewish view, their religion is not idolatry, since they don’t bow down to any statue or image.

We have a very similar world view from a psychological and philosophical aspect. Throughout history we were in contact with each other and in particular periods, there were good relationships between us. But this didn’t depend on them or us, rather on the general process through which we had to pass throughout history. In other words, there is no room for praise or blame here.

So I ignore the traditional studies that investigate the mentality of peoples, the uniqueness, the characteristics, and their natural lines. Now the time has come for a change in the level of humanity in all nations, so what is the reason for going deeper into everyday relationships? They can change in a moment if we activate the basic general and natural forces.

Scientists and analysts are building sand castles that disappear in a moment. They have no benefit other than the flow of publications in scientific literature and newspaper articles.

I am simplifying this to a certain degree, but it is up to us to think globally. Even though the global picture in which we are heading towards the completion of correction changes all the time, specifically the lawfulness on this level that influences the essence of life and the connection between us. And this is what we must work on.

So I say: “Come, let’s begin to connect among us.” And on the way, we will begin to attract the Israeli Arabs towards us. Even though we have not yet reached connection ourselves, it is possible to check how we are doing this. It is necessary to learn about the system of connection between us, no longer on an intellectual level, but according to the corrected form.

In spite of it all, we must advance in this direction, so this will be constructive and substantive research that will help us to understand the situation more, to identify the natural forces at work in us, to learn to activate them, to identify with them, and to walk along this path.

On the other hand, what is the reason to chew on the relationships between us and our neighbors again and again like the institutions that are involved with this? Even though they provide us with precise and accurate data, the situation doesn’t change. Why should I get information with which I can do nothing?

Suppose that we get a full and complete report about a situation, including facts and detailed statistical calculations. What do we do with this? It is impossible for us to sink into a routine; on the contrary, we must change it. We don’t require statistics from the past but information on how to activate the forces of connection, how to create and increase power among the people of Israel, and with their help, connect all of humanity into one, beginning with our closest neighbors. As of today, we don’t have this power because we still haven’t created it among the people. And that is specifically what we need.

For Israel is Li Rosh (the head, the mind). We lack the head. The body is ready and it is screaming, crying with the unrest, the disturbances, anti-Semitic acts, and blaming us for inaction because we are not leading it in the good way, nor taking upon ourselves the role of the head to bring it to a safe haven.

So what remains for us to think about? After all, we are in a serious delay.

Therefore, it is worthwhile for us to give shape to the head, which is the unique mechanism in which all of us will connect together. And the moment that we connect, the people will understand why we are doing this and what kind of work we are doing to connect with one another.

So the people of Israel, at least the Jews living in Israel, must find and build the connection between them. We have a method, and we know from the wisdom of Kabbalah what we must reach. All that remains is to realize the goal and then the relationships between us and our neighbors and the nations of the world will settle down. Beyond this, they will come to help us. It is because this is talking about the head that brings the entire body to the good.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 11/13/14

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 11.30.14

Writings of Rabash Shlavei HaSulam,” “A Prayer of Many”

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The Book of Zohar “Introduction,” “General Explanation for All Fourteen Commandments and How They Divide Into Seven Days of Creation,” Item 1

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Writings of Baal HaSulam “Mutual Guarantee,” Item 21

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Audio Version Of The Blog – 11.29.14

Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download: MP3 Audio

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