Audio Version Of The Blog – 11.13.14

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Kabbalistic Holidays

laitman_276_02All the Jewish holidays stem from the wisdom of Kabbalah and symbolize different phases in our spiritual evolution.A person goes through many levels as he ascends the ladder of the spiritual worlds totally detached from the Creator until he reaches complete unity with Him. But in between there are special levels called “holidays” or “good days” (Yom Tov).

Pesach (Passover), which in our world symbolizes the redemption from the slavery in Egypt, reflects the first spiritual level, the exit from the ego, breaking free from it and ascending above it.

Then there is the level of the giving of the Torah that is symbolized by the holiday of Shavuot.

The breaking of the “stone tablets,” which means the temporary return to Egypt “falling into the ego” (Tisha B’Av) is symbolized by the Ninth of Av. This date now symbolizes a day of mourning, but in the future it will be the most joyful day.

After the Ninth of Av there is Rosh Hashanah (New Year), a major turn towards the new spiritual correction.

Ten days after Rosh Hashanah there is Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) when all of a person’s states are revealed and then his sins are revealed and corrected.

After Yom Kippur a person begins to receive a special Light of correction called the Light of Sukkot, the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) that reforms him.

During the seven days of Sukkot a person reaches a state called Simchat Torah (rejoicing in the Torah), since the Light that descends on him provides him with the general corrections, bringing him close to the Creator.

The next holiday is Hanukkah, which is the holiday of Light that raises us above the ego and frees us from it. When we ascend above the ego a person feels that he is free, but this isn’t the end of correction yet.

The end of correction comes when we finally change the ego to a state of love and bestowal. This happens in Purim.

This is how a person goes through a whole cycle of holidays that symbolize the history of the Jewish people. I really hope that we will finally reach Purim, the end of correction, in the near future and thus the whole earthly saga, the history of man’s existence in this world, will come to end.
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From KabTV’s “Short Stories” 10/22/14

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The Force Of Overcoming, Part 5

laitman_600_02Question: Why is it that our life is not easy from the beginning? Why do we need all these hardships?

Answer: Problems are necessary to make us clarify what in fact is important in life and then to make it into the goal we pursue. In other words, I have to understand why I live all these years and what I fill each day of my existence with in order to achieve the desirable goal.

We should choose what we want to achieve by the end of our lives and place this image in front of us as a reference. We should make this goal extremely desirable so that we work hard to achieve it and continue thinking about ways of approaching and better understanding it.

In this case, all the work we do won’t require any effort on our side; it’s as if we are little children who run around the room without getting tired, who do not consider their movement to be a hard work. Everything is determined by the importance of the goal.

In order to make the goal important, we have to be a part of a society that helps us shape the priorities that we are currently lacking. At the expense of our surroundings, we overcome our previous interest in useless things. Our environment turns into a vital factor that changes our priorities.

That’s why when we join the group of people that guarantees that we accept certain values, it is enough to become a part of them in order to continue our advancement, discuss things with them, and get inspired by their attitude. In this case, our work on attaining the goal will be very easy.

When choosing a goal, we in fact never pick it by itself; rather, we select the surroundings that help us realize the importance of the goal. Then, our advancement towards our goal will be easy and pleasant.

For example, in order to stay on a diet, one needs a group that values slimness and a healthy lifestyle. In this case, instead of forcing ourselves into observing the diet, we would voluntarily do it. In this case, we won’t have to overcome ourselves. The only thing that we need in order to pursue our goal is joining a new environment that will do the work for us. This is what the patent is about.

People around us will convince us that losing weight is very important and then we’ll easily stay on the diet. It won’t be necessary to fight with ourselves in restricting our food intake. Overcoming is crucial only to connect with the correct surroundings and accept the importance of the task of losing weight from them.

We are constantly using this rule without realizing this fact. All clubs are organized in accordance with this principle: groups that combat obesity, sports clubs, etc. A person gets into a certain environment that explains to him or her the importance of the goal; then one starts aspiring to the same goal, and thus voluntarily follows the rules. In this case, one doesn’t have to overpower oneself.

This explains why when a boss sees that an employee is acting lazy he has to invite specialists who know how to raise the importance of the work, in other words, motivate the employees. When people are enthused, they have energy to work well. If they don’t have a stimulus, nothing can help. In this case, the boss will always have to watch them with a stick in his hands.

An employee will naturally come to the conclusion that it’s better to complete the work instead of getting hit. Again, overcoming is needed not to do the work but to persuade oneself that avoiding potential troubles is far more important. We cannot achieve anything by fighting ourselves. Overcoming is required only to realize the importance of the work we do. It applies to everything and everybody at each given moment of our lives.

Question: Why do we feel that we constantly need to overcome things?

Answer: It happens because we haven’t chosen the goal, nor have we selected the remedies for achieving it. That’s why we get desperate, cry of our powerlessness, get upset… If we knew the goal and were aware of what can inspire us and show us the importance of our activities to the degree that we really aspire to achieve the goal, we wouldn’t have to ever overcome anything at all. We won’t have to work beyond our ability; we’d have as much energy as we need for that. It’s a unique patent.d

Question: Does it mean that we should orient our children to choose a goal at a very early age? Does it mean that if we do so, our child’s life will be easier? Why doesn’t it happen in reality?

Answer: It’s because we don’t know how to educate and bring up ourselves and our children. The essence of any education is to make a person realize and accept the purpose of life and show them how to obtain a huge desire to achieve it with the help of the environment. In this case, our life will become a “vacation,” entertainment.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 5/27/14

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The Kabbalists About The Nation Of Israel And The Nations Of The World, Part 9

The Mission of the People of Israel

“But the end of the correction of the world will only be by bringing all the people in the world under His work…

But the role of Israel towards the rest of the world resembles the role of our Holy Fathers towards the Israeli nation…”

“Thus, each and every Mitzva that each person from Israel performs in order to bring contentment to one’s Maker, and not for any self-gratification, helps to some extent with the development of all the people of the world. This is because it is not done at once but by slow, gradual development, until it increases to such a degree that it can bring all the people in the world to the desired purity.”
– Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut” (Mutual Guarantee), Item 20
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Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut” (Mutual Guarantee), Item 20

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Ten Kilograms Of Effort

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Money is associated with various aspects of our lives. These connections are so many that they create a special structure: money and status, money and tradition, money and self-esteem. A person defines himself with the help of money. Will all of this go away someday?

Answer: No, only the form will change. Once a person walked around with sacks full of gold; today we get what we want everywhere by presenting a plastic card. Even though this is not obvious, a person will soon understand that his investment in society gives him the ability to fulfill himself. And it is possible to measure this.

By developing in this direction, a person acquires measuring tools. I invest ten kilograms of effort in society, and in response, I receive the same number kilograms of fulfillment from society. Together with this, a person feels free and isn’t obliged to anyone. According to what he invests in society, he receives in return.

Do you want to be satisfied solely and only on the physical level by filling yourself with what is necessary for existence? Go for it! All the rest of your needs and fulfillment depend on your degree of inclusion in society to the degree that you feel it and to the degree you invest effort.

You are not limited, you don’t expose yourself to danger and you don’t participate in competition with others such that if you take, nothing will be left for others. The more a society becomes cohesive, the more a person receives inner fulfillment.

Question: If, thanks to science, we discover inexhaustible sources of energy and instead of a car, everyone will have their own flying machine, do you think this will be negative?

Answer: I am not against technological advancement and I welcome every modern development in the field of nanotechnology. It will be good if cheap energy is developed and we purify the Earth. But what I am saying is that through the development of his desires and aspirations, a person will begin to feel that worldly things are limited they don’t fulfill him.

Question: How do we evaluate our success? Generally we connect it with some kind of attainment: a person acquires, builds, or conquers something.

Answer: There are many professions and businesses that don’t bring a person money, but self-awareness and self-esteem. And this is more important. For example, the work of doctors is very difficult, yet they don’t receive a high salary. So what keeps them in their profession? It is the respect for the profession and the importance society gives to the profession. And that is how it will be with everyone.

So why not be competitive?  You will be. There will be the same encouragement and respect. They write about me in the newspaper and children treat me with respect. A sense of importance and fulfillment will remain, but it won’t have a physical form.

Question: This means that we are talking about a process of a fundamental change in our perception?

Answer: It won’t be much, because we already live like this today. It is necessary only to change the values. This will happen because it is inevitable, since nature compels us. So it is not worthwhile for us to oppose it; on the contrary, we must help it.
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From the program “A New Life” 8/30/12

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The Resolution Of The Soul

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt is very important to check yourself: “What worries me?” Every moment that I feel alive and well, I am full of worries. So what do I worry about?

Am I worried about my own well-being, tranquility, achievement, what will make me happier, peace and quiet, security, food, and family welfare?

Or am I worried about friends, like a mother with a baby, searching for what they are missing and what should be done for them?  Do I worry about the group like a faithful nanny? This means I must check the intention of my worries.

The whole of creation gradually descended down to our world in which we exist in physical form and in the most inferior situation. We feel as if we are detached from the spiritual world, when in fact that can’t happen. So this world is called the imaginary world.

We suppose we exist in a vast world filled with lots of physical objects. However, in fact, it is all spiritual, but we don’t recognize or feel this.

So it is very important to check what I am worried about at every moment. Entering the spiritual world means continuing to be concerned about what is essential and vital in life: food, sleep, health, money, and relationships with people, but subconsciously, I am always troubled by the thought of how to organize the group so that it will become the Shechina (divinity), a place for discovering the Creator.

I must get used to being happy about my concern for the group. If I stop worrying about it, then I am worried about why am I not concerned about the friends. This must become habitual. In our world, habit becomes second nature.

Suppose that they give me a baby who is a stranger for whom I have no feelings. But I have no choice; I am compelled to worry about him day after day. I begin to be concerned about him and he becomes important for me. Ultimately, I begin to think about him all the time. It is the same thing in relation to the group. We must attain this state that is possible thanks only to determination and constantly returning to my thoughts about the group.

And after all these nice plans about taking care of the group, about my supporting it, attracting Light into it, about the Creator and giving Him satisfaction, I must ask myself, where He is and where I am subconsciously. I must always clarify what I am doing all this for. Certainly I hope to receive some reward, but what exactly?

It could be that in the meantime, I am not ready to imagine a reward for myself. It could be that I understand that afterward, for my effort I will demand control, respect, and transcendence of life and death, something tangible and very important for me. And here I must examine what is more important for me: Is it my reward or the ability to give satisfaction to the friends and the Creator?

Can I forego the reward, or at least part of it? And when I forego a reward, won’t I replace it with something else other than fame and the pursuit of honor?

What does it mean to give pleasure to the Creator? By what means can I do this and with which desires do I feel it? Through what will I feel that the Creator gets pleasure from me? It is necessary to try to separate my desires and perception into as many parts as possible and see how to work with them. The more parameters that I have, the more I will develop my perception.

This is like pixels on a computer screen that determine its resolution: In one square centimeter there can be two hundred pixels, there could be a thousand, or there could be ten thousand. The more points there are, the better and clearer the picture becomes.

The same thing happens also happens with our desires. The more we scrutinize them, the closer we come to the truth, to true perception.
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From the Convention In Los Angeles “Day Two” 11/01/14, Lesson #4

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 11.13.14

Shamati #16 “What Is the Day of the Lord and the Night of the Lord in the Work”

[media 1] [media 2]

The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts, “Introduction,” “The Tenth Commandment,” Item 237

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 76

[media 5] [media 6]