Question: There is a Japanese proverb that says: “Troubles will transform you into a precious stone.” How do you relate to this?
Answer: This is Samurai philosophy and speaks about the way of suffering. I think that we have no need for this at all, since we go our own way. Why do we need to go towards happiness through the way of suffering? We can leap above it immediately, as the Jews very well know.
In the meantime, we haven’t succeeded in doing this because we don’t want to listen to the method that we received thousands of years ago, the wisdom of Kabbalah, but it can lead us to happiness in a single leap.
Comment: But nevertheless, when you had health problems, your teacher said that he was envious of you because he saw this as a sign of advancement.
Answer: Certainly thanks to suffering a person improves because suffering works against the ego [1] that wants pleasure all the time. So another system of study and understanding appeared that was opposed to the ego. But this is not the right way!
Christianity says: “If they slap you on one cheek, give them the other cheek also.” This is not right. We must go another way. The wisdom of Kabbalah [2] explains everything in a very simple way. The Creator [3] created life and death, so choose life. With all our might we must yearn for good, for love, for ease, and not burrow into suffering. We have no need for it. To go willingly into exile, suffer there, and this will be better for all people is absolutely the wrong way! The ego intentionally attracts us there and this is not the Kabbalistic approach towards the world, our history, our mission.
The Creator blesses us with peace, happiness, Light, and warmth, but in no way with suffering. For in suffering, the person is not prepared to bless the Creator. He cannot cry and say: “How good it is for me to be with you!” After all, this is a lie. So it is forbidden for us to develop our own suffering. Christianity is based upon this. But from the point of view of the wisdom of Kabbalah, this is absolutely incorrect.
Question: So what does “Rejoice when the wicked are revealed to you” mean?
Answer: It means to rejoice when your defects are discovered within you. You are happy about this and don’t suffer. This is happiness because your personal characteristics are now being revealed, and you see that you can correct them. If they are revealed to you from above, it means that you will surely correct them.
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From KabTV’s “Conversations with Michael Laitman” 8/5/15
Related Material:
The Creator Does Not Need Our Suffering [4]
Unnecessary Sufferings [5]
Pain As A Lever For Ascending [6]