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Convention In The Arava 2017 “Day Two” – 12.01.17

Convention in the Arava 2017, “Entering Into the State of Ibur (Conception),” Preparation for the Lesson 2

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Convention in the Arava 2017, “Entering Into the State of Ibur (Conception),” “There Is None Else Besides Him,” Lesson 2  

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Convention in the Arava 2017, “Entering Into the State of Ibur (Conception),” Preparation for the Lesson 3

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Convention in the Arava 2017, “Entering Into the State of Ibur (Conception),” “Entering Into the State of Ibur (Conception),” Lesson 3  

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Is There Love Without A Cause?

627.2Question: Can the word “love” be replaced with “balance between opposing forces” or “harmony between bestowal and reception”?

Answer: There are two types of love: love of self and love of the other or internal love and external.

If love is directed toward oneself, then this is that same egoism. I love to eat well, drink good wine, fulfill myself with sexual pleasure, travel, play with my child, and so on. All of this is nothing but manifestations of egoism. I love the child because he is mine; since I love myself, I also love him.

Why should this be called a certain type of love? They are simply manifestations of egoism. Naturally, for the person it is very nice and pleasant, well, there are even many so called demonstrations of self-sacrifice. But, the individual, of course, pays for it.

Question: Can it be said then, from a Kabbalistic point of view, that just as there is hatred without cause, there is love without cause?

Answer: Love cannot be without a cause. It is simply necessary to identify where the cause lies. Even if it is called love without a cause, it just means that we did not make the effort or are unable to identify its cause, or the cause lies above our egoism and that’s why we call it that.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 8/6/17

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Kabbalah Lessons, Part 4

laitman_939.02The main thing in the study of Kabbalah is not the acquisition of knowledge but the use of the wonderful property of learning (Segula), about which Baal HaSulam writes in the Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot.

Through the study, we are influenced by the force that develops altruistic qualities and love of one’s neighbor in us. And with the help of these qualities, we attain the upper world, the system that controls us.

It does not depend on the volume of material studied but only on the true intention in the heart, on the effort to become bestowing and loving, which the Kabbalah sages speak about.

Question: Where in the Kabbalistic books is the force that makes such qualitative changes in a person that he reveals a new reality?

Answer: The Kabbalistic books were written by Kabbalists who reached high degrees of bestowal and love for their neighbor and describe all these spiritual actions. When we read, we want to attain what they attained, to become bestowing like them, and to reveal the Creator. We try not to be deceived by imagining the Creator somehow differently but only as the general force of bestowal and love that we want to become similar to.

We begin to change in the direction of bestowal to our neighbor, we get closer and do everything for each other because only in this way will we be able to reveal the Creator. We try to convince ourselves that in this way we are advancing and want changes to take place in us.

Every day I check: have I started treating my friends better? I look for how I can reach love of the neighbor as myself in order to come from the love of the creatures to the love of the Creator.

Question: What is the role of a teacher in studying Kabbalah?

Answer: The role of a teacher is to awaken the ability to hear what the wisdom of Kabbalah says in a person. After all, a person listens to what is said about love for the neighbor, but what is said as if falls on deaf ears. Yet, if he does not fulfill this condition, he will not reveal the Creator and all his studies will be in vain.

Question: What is the difference between a regular teacher and a Kabbalah teacher?

Answer: The Kabbalah teacher is a guide who leads a person through all of his internal and external states so that the student will eventually understand that the main thing is love for the other.

Without a teacher, it is impossible to study Kabbalah because a person in this life is guided by his egoism. Therefore, he will never be able to direct himself to correct actions, that is, to bestowal to the friend that leads to bestowal to the Creator.

Question: How does one select a Kabbalah teacher and check that he is a real one?

Answer: First of all, this is determined according to the feeling in the heart. Besides, you need to check where this person has studied—this is very important. It is not for nothing that Kabbalah has its name “Reception,” because it is transferred as a spiritual legacy from the teacher to the disciple.

It was always this way in the past and only recently we see that the mass study of Kabbalah in big groups has begun. Therefore, a teacher passes his knowledge not to one disciple, but to the entire group.

Kabbalah can be taught by someone who has received it from a recognized Kabbalist, has been engaged in it for many years, and can explain what is written in the original sources.

Question: Are there any preliminary requirements for a person to start studying Kabbalah?

Answer: It is necessary to be in a normal state in the physical, psychological, and mental sense. No other conditions and no exceptional abilities are required. All people should eventually become Kabbalists and reveal the Creator in this world.

Question: What if a person does not like to study and is not inclined to science?

Answer: It is written: “It is not the wise who learns,” but the one who, according to the inclination of the heart, aspires to know what he is living for, what the meaning of his life is. If a person cares about these questions, this indicates his readiness for spiritual development.

Question: Children always look forward to holidays. Does a Kabbalah student also perceive learning as something burdensome?

Answer: There are no awards or degrees given for the study of Kabbalah. Therefore, a person who wants to study will have to pay for it with his time and efforts. In return, he will receive spiritual satisfaction from the fact that he is engaged in the most exalted thing that can exist, not only in our world, but in all of reality in general.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 7/20/17

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Dispersion Of The Jews Among Other Nations

Laitman_419Question: What is the spiritual meaning of the dispersion of the Jews among other nations following the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans?

Answer: The spiritual meaning of the Jews’ dispersion is for them to dissolve in the other nations, as written in The Book of Zohar. This refers to the spiritual and mental penetration, rather than the physical one—it refers to culture and one’s approach to everything.

The Jews are not a nation, but parts of all the nations living in Ancient Babylon. Those that Abraham gathered comprised only 5% of the people of Babylon. The other 95% of the residents of Ancient Babylon dispersed across the whole world.

Now, after the Jews have gone through great suffering in the Egyptian and Babylonian bondage, the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and 2,000 years of exile, their mixing with the nations of the world is complete. In the process, their Reshimot (spiritual informational data) have completely dissolved in the other nations. This is why the wisdom of Kabbalah is already being revealed as the method of correction of all humanity.

It is open to any person who asks the question about the meaning of life. And there is no difference between people of different nationalities.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian on 7/16/17

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“And Moses Alone Shall Approach The Lord”

laitman_740.03The Torah, Exodus 24:01 – 24:02: And to Moses He said, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and prostrate yourselves from afar. And Moses alone shall approach the Lord but they shall not approach, and the people shall not ascend with him.”

These are steps of development.  There are different levels of desires within a person. The people are the egoistic desire corrected for bestowal, but corrected at a small height.

Then come the Levites, the Cohens, the children of Aaron (Nadav and Avhiu), Aaron, and finally Moses. This whole hierarchy personifies one person. That is, the people and all the righteous are all in one person. And Moses is at the top of the pyramid, so only he can approach the Creator, and all the rest, not.

The Torah, Exodus 24:03 – 24:04: So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances, and
all the people answered in unison and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and he arose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and twelve monuments for the twelve tribes of Israel.

The people are all the egoistic desires of man. They are under Moses. He pulls them up like a fisherman who throws a net into the sea and now is gradually pulling fish out of the water.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/1/13

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New Life #418 – What Is A Good Connection Between People?

New Life #418 – What Is A Good Connection Between People?
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Summary

We need mutual connection in order to feel whole in this life. We live in an integral system so when we care for others, we also benefit ourselves. The best way to care for others is to feel what they are lacking and fill these desires. Like a baby in his mother’s arms, we could all feel this perfect connection if we learned the proper way to give and receive.
From KabTV’s “New Life #418 – What Is A Good Connection Between People,” 7/8/14

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