Audio Version Of The Blog – 05.29.15

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

[audio:http://files.kabbalahmedia.info/download/audio/eng_o_rav_2015-05-29_declamation_blog-rav_full.mp3 title=’29.5.15′]

From A Dark Point To The Light Of Love

laitman_276_01Comment: There is an entire discussion in The Book of Zohar as to which letter the creation of the world should begin with. Eventually it was decided that the first letter would be “Bet” (Bereshit, Genesis).

Answer: The first letter is very important since it determines the meaning of the whole act of creation.

In the article “The Letters of Rav Hamnuna Saba” in The Introduction to The Book of Zohar there is the description of the “struggle” over which letter should control the world to bring all egoism, all the attributes opposite to the Creator, to compatibility with Him.

The attributes have to be opposed to each other because it is only as a result of the conflict between the positive and negative forces that we can begin to study and reveal the Creator; it is impossible to do it any other way. It is impossible to discover any attribute, anything in the world, if we don’t have attributes that are opposite from the Creator.

But how could anything opposite to Him be created? For this purpose the constantly growing egoism was created, so that it could be compared to the positive force and in the contrast between them compare: the attribute of the created being and the attribute of the Creator, day and night.

A person has to feel alternately this and that, and then together; these properties are opposite to each other. During this comparison, he either lowers the Creator to the level of darkness or raises darkness to the level of the Creator.

This work helps the created being discover the Creator from the attribute that is opposite to Him, but not in contrast, one against the other, like in our world. A person ascends and dresses his ego with the Creator’s attributes making them into a form that is totally egoistic internally and opposite from the Creator while all His positive attributes are revealed externally.

Then the created being begins to attain the two opposite attributes through one action, in one thought, in one deed, at the same time. As he ascends from our world upward, he begins to build all the creation by himself.

This is why it is said that the righteous build worlds. It is as if the Creator has destroyed the world He created (which is indeed so), and they build it and recreate it just like a child who is given a toy that is totally disassembled in order to teach him to put it together.

Thus, a person gradually ascends to the Creator’s level , and thus becomes equivalent to the Creator. He passes all the emanations and acquires the Creator’s attribute in all his filling.

Question: When you speak about a person, do you refer to the united figure of all mankind?

Answer: Yes, it is all the people in the world; it is their corrected inner core that is connected into one unique correct state called Adam (a human being) that resembles the Creator.

Comment: The wisdom of Kabbalah is so deep and rich that one constantly thinks about how he can absorb it.

Answer: It is impossible to do it in any theoretical manner. The wisdom of Kabbalah isn’t an ordinary wisdom that can be learned from a distance; it isn’t a performance that can be acted and thus felt. We have to fully penetrate and be incorporated in this figure and that is the problem.

Here there is absolute adhesion with the levels of ascent and a person constantly changes his form from a dark point to an enlightened figure of complete love and bestowal.
[159641]
From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 12/31/14

Related Material:
Learn To Read The Creator According To The Letters
The Letter By Which The World Was Created
Four Steps Towards The Light

Israel: From The First Settlers To The Present Day

laitman_742_02Question: Why did the first settlers in Israel lose their main internal essence of the mutual relations between them and just accepted socialism with all its implications and mistakes?

Answer: The fact is that in Israel there was mutual exclusion between Kabbalists and traditional Judaism, between Rav Kook and the religious people. Rav Kook called for unity, for the Light that is reflected in his writings, while the other Jewish leaders continued to educate their followers according to the principles laid down in exile.

They didn’t welcome the spiritual revival of the nation according to the principle of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” So far this condition has not been met because they are awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, that is, some force, some special circumstances, that will reveal the love of others in us. They don’t realize that this is only possible due to our own internal work, as the wisdom of Kabbalah tells us. From the Kabbalistic perspective it is totally wrong to tie the fulfillment of the law of “love thy neighbor as thyself” to some upper illumination or to a certain person or leader.

After the first wave of settlers in Israel, there was a delimitation between Kabbalah and Judaism. After all, the masses that came to Israel totally rejected religion, or clung to its ordinary corporeal frameworks. The number of Kabbalists among them, was very small and no one listened to them. Moreover, they were afraid to speak in public, afraid they would create a situation that would force them to leave the country.

It soon became clear who belonged to which camp among the settlers that caused the division among society according to political, economic, spiritual, and physical principles. This led to great problems. None of the famous Kabbalists who lived here were able to speak openly about spiritual correction. Rav Kook for example, used a language that could not be understood; therefore, everyone regarded him as an ordinary ideologue, not a Kabbalist.

The great Kabbalist, Baal HaSulam tried to publish a paper to reach the people, but he wasn’t able to achieve anything; the paper was shut down under the accusation of pro-communist ideas. After all, if you pursue the principle of love thy neighbor as thyself, it is perceived as a communistic principle.

Thus a quarter of a century after the first Zionist congress in Basel, the situation in Israel is that we have to revive everything all over again today. There are many people and movements opposed to the Kabbalistic approach of creating one nation since each one is trying to grab a “piece” for himself to become a tiny king in his own community.

We see how divided and torn apart modern Judaism is; a huge confrontation exists between the religious and non-religious factions of society. The entire nation is divided into many sectors.

I think that today we can speak openly about the wisdom of Kabbalah and with an appeal for the love of others, as a consequence of the deep frustration people are now beginning to feel and realize as a result of the cumulative experience gained over 150 years of development.

Therefore, we have the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of the first settlers and the founders of the country to call for practical actions based on our internal constitution of love thy neighbor as thyself.
[159548]
From KabTV’s “About Our Life” 5/7/15

Related Material:
The Spirit Of The Russian Jewry
Russian Jewry: An Uncompromising Spirit
Russian Jewry: An Attraction To Self-Expression

The Benefits And Dangers Of Reforms

laitman_202_0Question: People are always waiting for new reforms with the hope that life will be better. For example, in their opinion, the crisis in the housing sector can be resolved through reform in the Israel Lands Administration, or through the allocation of additional plots for construction, or through a zero value added tax when buying a home.

In general, each project under discussion in the media or government arouses a multitude of reactions depending on whose interests they represent. So do we need reforms?

Answer: Reforms are useful. By announcing them publicly, politicians muffle the loud voices of opposition and shelter themselves from criticism. “Be patient, I am working on the problem.” Over time, the sore subject is obscured, giving way to another, and again someone comes out with new reforms and proposals for sensitive issues.

In brief, talk about reform helps calm passions and shifts people’s attention in the direction convenient for the government or the reformist. Therefore, the only effective reform is possible only on condition that we understand how and in which direction humanity is developing. This basic “educational plan” will allow us to judge if we can continue to live under the egoistic lifestyle that determines all of our mutual connections, the entire nature of our relationships.

Today, unlike in the past, humanity is feeling itself as a single jumble that is welded together in a system that includes the still, vegetative, and animate nature. The entire globe is a single whole.

Just open our eyes and make out the picture, we see, we see that we are in an integrated, global structure, which tightly binds us together. As long as we don’t get along within it, we can expect a thorny path of failures for us.

So in any reforms except for social ones, I see no benefits. They are just a waste of time;  their results will show that the time is up, nothing was accomplished, even to the extent possible in the existing frameworks, and the problem is only exacerbated.

We must bring modern society in accord with the requirements evolution applies to us. Suddenly we are discovering that we have formed an integral community in which all depend on each other. At this stage, according to the wisdom of Kabbalah, we need to consider ourselves as a single common family. First of all, it is necessary to take care of the appropriate social reforms. After the development of this approach, it must be conveyed in educating people. It is necessary to provide people with educational and informational systems so that he will begin to be involved in this actively, so he will understand and feel what is at stake. Only then will unity stop being a hollow sound for him.

Today a new force is manifested in society that connects all people, even against their will. But we don’t take it into account, not in politics and not in economics. And so we stand on the threshold of chaos, continuing to form artificial “bubbles” of systems that have already completed their life cycle and no longer inherent in the nature of human society.

Based on our egoistic understanding, we are trying to implement these “fossil” remnants of the past in new structures of mutual integral relationships, but they don’t match each other. Hence, the dire results we see here in the course of development today have become negative.

Of course we always find excuses for ourselves, referring to the deficits of another choice. But if we look realistically at the matter, humanity finds itself before a serious problem.

Whether it wants it or not, it is advancing towards an integral world “kingdom” that is more strongly mutually connected. Still within the old habits, we want to insert into it our vision of a “digital,” discrete world, although in reality there is a completely different calculation.

We don’t take into account the universal mutual connection and interdependence, ignoring the “underground” threads that strongly connect us with each other. Or we want to squeeze them into formats of our egoism, placing them under the control of money and power, the military and banks. As a result of this, two types of systems are in conflict, clashing against each other, and we are entangled more and more in a mass of concealments and contradictions. The time has come to turn to the root cause, instead of making vain reforms.
[159458]
From KabTV’s “The Solution” 5/6/15

Related Material:
We Must Embrace Nature In Order To Move Forward
Learning To Live In A Global World
Building A Model Nation

Who Is Our Master?

Laitman_069_01In the News (from thetheoryandpractice.ru): “Genes determine everything for us! They find the best partner in life for us so that we can reproduce ourselves with healthy offspring. Unconscious DNA testing for compatibility takes place with the exchange saliva in the first kiss. Genes also choose friends for us: friends have 1% of the same genes, the same as it is with fifth generation relatives.

“People prefer to associate with those with whom they have the same perception of smell, yet different immunity (so that everyone will not get sick at the same time). The genes choose the appropriate environment for their own distribution—they push us into a particular society. Characteristics of human nature are results of the genes.

“Bacteria may release psychoactive substances that enhance religious feelings. There are trillions of bacteria living within us that use the human body exclusively for their own interests. 3,000 species of bacteria live within the human body. Most of them populate the digestive system, and are nourished by the same food, and they have their own taste preferences.

“If food composition—the ratio of the proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients—is appropriate for the development of the bacteria, they encourage their host by releasing substances that improve the health of the person. If the food composition is not to the taste of the bacteria, they release toxins. In this way the bacteria shape our sense of taste and determine our diet.

“The activity of the brain depends upon forty genes and is activated by the bacteria.

“In a spoonful of water there are five million bacteria and five million viruses. The bacteria are 80% of the total biomass of the Earth. The entire biosphere is a system for exchanging genes between various micro-organisms.

“Parasites damage trees, flowers, animals, every life form. If the behavior of the subject becomes different, if he puts himself in danger, it is because of the parasite that actively controls the subject through various chemicals.

“A flatworm is so eager to get out of the body of the mouse into the body of the fox that it transforms the mouse into prey for any predator, slowly but surely. Nematodes color ants like the red berries that the birds into which they want to pass indulge themselves with.

“Toxoplasma first inhabits rodents, from them it passes to cats, and from there to a human. People who are infected with toxoplasmosis stand out in their behavior: They often lose self-control and are unable to be freed from worry. In addition, the toxoplasma slows down a person’s reaction time. So some people prefer adventure, epinephrine and eternal searching, while others are satisfied with the television remote.

“Neurons. A person makes a decision much later than it is made by the neurons. The brain alone decides how to act. The conscious choice of a form of behavior is only an illusion that conceals the true processes that are happening within the human brain without any connection with himself. The acceptance of a decision is the attainment of the active threshold of particular neurons that signal the motor cortex of the brain to launch rational or emotional behavior.

“Neurotransmitters. Neurons determine our desires. The source of the various senses are neurotransmitters—chemical substances that provide for the passage of electrical current to synapses that connect between nerve cells.

“The feeling of happiness depends on the amount of serotonin in the tissue of the brain, and depression is the result of a lack of this substance. Another neurotransmitter, dopamine, causes us to yearn for food and sex, and not for higher goals. The more the level of dopamine rises, the more the system of ‘reward and punishment’ develops.

“The arousal neurotransmitter norepinephrine influences our behavior. Our ability to concentrate, our level of energy, our motivation to act, relaxation, memory, good mood and our behavior in times of danger depend on norepinephrine. The discovery of the neurotransmitters leads us to conclude that we are not the masters of our emotions.”

My Comment: The wisdom of Kabbalah explains everything in a simple form: We have freedom of choice; nothing that happens depends on our desire. We are compelled to do everything, even if it seems to us that it is our desire.

Cooperation between higher forces that are hidden from us manages the biological substances in our bodies and arouses desires, thoughts, decisions and actions in us.

Freedom of choice is given only to make the acceleration personal spiritual development possible. The wisdom of Kabbalah explains how we can realize it. With everything else, we are always left with the illusion of freedom of choice in our decisions and actions. And this is despite the fact that science will continue to prove to us how much we don’t have freedom of action.

In general, the wisdom of Kabbalah defines our lives as existence on the animate level and the level of Adam; this is our only spiritual development, in the direction towards equivalence with the Creator.
[143658]

Related Material:
Free Will: What Is It?
Genes And Stress
A Person Doesn’t Have A Choice

Slavery In The Modern World

laitman_926_01In the News (from facte.ru): “What is slavery in the modern world? It is about economic slavery and continuous coerced work:

  1. Since the money a modern slave has is always enough for only one month, the modern slave is forced to work his whole life until his death.
  2. The creation of artificial demand for products that one seemingly needs by advertising forces the slave to buy.
  3. Modern slaves are drawn deeper and deeper into bondage by a credit system, through a mechanism loan interest creating a pyramid of debt.
  4. The myth of the state: the money in the slaves’pockets goes into the pockets of the slave owners.
  5. Inflation: the rise of prices but not the rise of the slaves’ wages leads to the invisible robbery of the slaves.
  6. Denying the slaves the means to purchase real estate in another city or state forces modern slaves to work in one factory that was built in their city and to suffer from the bad conditions.
  7. Concealing information about the real cost of the slaves work, the slaves lack of supervision as to the extra profits that the slave owner takes for himself.”

My Comment: The revelation of the true state of the society that develops as a result of growing egoism and the greater recognition of the dead-end that our evolution has reached will force society to make changes, while the search and the lack of a solution will lead to the acceptance of the new integral education method that the wisdom of Kabbalah offers to re-educate man and society.
[139770]

Related Material:
Modern Slavery
The Right To Life, Not To Slavery!
Slaves To Work

The End Of The Oil Age

laitman_273_01In the News (from novosti.ru): “Originally a task was established to create a new versatile and inexpensive source of energy. This is why scientists used the most widespread elements on earth—carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

“Unique nanomaterials were developed as catalysts in the process of creating an energy source. The process of creating ‘green fuel’ has turned out to be not only absolutely clean from an ecological aspect, but also cheaper than the extraction of oil and its refinement.

“Hydrogen is extracted from water, which is then mixed with carbon dioxide extracted from the air. The mixture is put into a reactor with a solid nanocatalyst. The output is organic liquid and gas energy. The resources used for the fuel production don’t require high expenditures.

“Generated fuel can immediately be delivered to refineries instead of oil. It can be produced right there, eliminating the need to extract raw materials and pump it thousands of kilometers, as is done now.

“The resulting product has already been successfully tested in cars with gasoline and diesel engines and even on airplanes. The new achievement doesn’t cause any damage to engines. Israeli experts are planning the industrial development to be deployed in around five years.”

My Comment: Nature has prepared inexhaustible reserves of energy and abundance for us, but we will be able to adapt and absorb them on the condition of our “correct” behavior. Otherwise, as usual, the evil of humanity will not make it possible for it to enjoy the fruits of their labor and the possibilities offered by nature.
[137658]

Related Material:
Cheap Oil And Globalization Will End Together!
Libya: This Was A War For Oil
“What Will Replace The Globalization Model?”

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 05.29.15

Writings of Rabash, “Rungs of the Ladder,” Article 12

[media 1] [media 2]

The Book of Zohar – Selected Excerpts, “You Are Partners with Me,” Item 62

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “One Commandment” 

[media 5] [media 6]