Kabbalah News Around the World

ARI onlineThe ARI Online Learning Center
The ARI Online Learning Center reports that several thousand people from many different countries have already signed up for the new semester, “Fall 2008.” Presently the top ten participating countries are: America, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Romania, Canada, England, South America, Australia, and various countries in Europe.

FrankfurtInternational Book Fair in Frankfurt
The world’s largest international book fair was held in Frankfurt on October 15-19. This year marked the 60th anniversary of this famous book fair, and visitors had an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the book industries from one hundred countries.

A book stand with Kabbalah books was organized by our friends Daniel Lange, Martin Wieczorek, Urlik Hammer, Mark Daniels, Eddie Yusupov, and Uri Laitman. It elicited great interest from the visitors of the exhibit. Over thirty publishers from the most diverse countries have already started negotiations about translating and publishing Kabbalah books.

Among them are publishers from Brazil, Switzerland, Israel, Hungary, Italy, Germany, China, Croatia, Korea, Holland, Turkey, Sweden, and even Saudi Arabia.

MexicoNew Publications in Mexico
The editorial staff of the Mexican magazine “Medicable,” with a circulation of 70,000, has decided to start printing our Kabbalah articles. The magazine comes out once every two months and is distributed in cities such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.

FinlandKabbalah in Finnish
Finland isn’t lagging behind either. The first issue of the newspaper Kabala Tanaan, (Kabbalah Today in Finnish) has been published. The newspaper’s publication was timed to coincide with two large annual exhibits held in in Helsinki in October of 2008. Our newspapers, brochures, and books in seven languages will be presented at the stands of both exhibits.

MosdowOnline Education in Moscow
An international conference dedicated to online education was held in the “President Hotel.” Representatives of the Moscow branch of the Kabbalah Academy were in attendance. They gave a presentation on the online learning classes that the International Kabbalah Academy has been successfully teaching for several years. To date over 20,000 students have taken part in the classes.

This presentation was of great interest to the conference participants. During the discussion, the participants exchanged opinions on methods of increasing the efficiency of online learning, and the role of online education in the conditions of modern globalization.

ZaporozhieBook Fair in Zaporozhye
A book fair was held in Zaporozhye, Ukraine, called Khortotzki Djerela – 2008. Visitors showed a lot of interest in the books, brochures, CDs, and newspapers about the wisdom of Kabbalah that were on display. The book Kabbalah – It’s Very Simple sold out on the first day of the fair. Many visitors became acquainted with Kabbalah during last year’s fair and came back to learn more this year.

When Will Hunger Start Affecting Us?

Using the Sixth Sense, One Perceives Like the CreatorTwo questions I received on worldwide calamities:

Question: I would like to hear a specific forecast of when and how soon will the worldwide hunger begin affecting us? How many days, weeks, or months do we have left?

My Answer: Unfortunately, the upcoming winter in Eastern Europe will already be difficult. Correspondingly, we have to explain to people that positive forces can only be evoked by our equivalence to nature. These forces’ influence will be felt as a quick improvement of the situation.

Question: In a practical sense, what would Kabbalah have advised Jews to do during the Holocaust?

My Answer: As early as 1920 Baal HaSulam organized 300 families to move to Palestine. However, his plans to evacuate all the Jews of Poland were resented by the Orthodox and they exiled him from Warsaw. Hence he left for Palestine alone, and all those who remained were later burned by the Nazis.

All the Kabbalists of that time called on the Jews to flee Europe. But it’s the same as today: No one listens to us! You don’t think that you are in mortal danger today, do you?

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Health and Kabbalah

Immerse Into the Waters of Bestowal, and You Will Become PureThree questions I received on Kabbalah’s attitude to health and healing:

Question: During one of your classes you mentioned that when you weren’t feeling well, your teacher would ask you to study with him. I have a heart problem. Can I come to the Creator and ask for the Light that Reforms to heal my heart during the lesson or during my dissemination activities? And does this work for women?

My Answer: Yes, if it is done along with and in order to achieve the goal of creation.

Question: When I try to unite with other souls and add the intention, my blood pressure drastically raises. Why?

My Answer: Instead of getting tense, you should relax. After all, this action should bring you pleasure, shouldn’t it?

Question: I heard that Baal HaSulam once said to his students, “I don’t care where the sack with my bones will be buried.” I have never visited my parents’ graves since the day they died, about 50 years ago. However, I had a stomach pain that lasted for 10 months, and medicine did not help. I went to an alternative medicine practitioner and he advised me to visit my parents’ graves and ask them for forgiveness. How does this connect with Kabbalah, which says that the physical body is “ashes and dust?”

My Answer: There is no connection, but it may have a good psychological effect and may even heal you, since there is also a psychological aspect to your pain.

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The Society of the Future

Why Do We See Such a Diverse World?A question I received: I have a question regarding the society of the future. I came from a state that was a part of former Yugoslavia, which was an artificially established “communist” state. I can still remember the good feelings that everybody had in that society. However, it fell apart and all sorts of nationalistic, ethnic and religious hatred emerged, escalating in a terrible war.

Now, after reading a portion of the material on your website, I find it difficult to understand one of the principles stated in the text of “Building the Future Society,” which contradicts some things from other texts. In “Building the Future Society” it is clearly stated that it is the Jews who should be members of the future altruistic-communistic government, because they suffered most in history and thus are the most experienced and knowledgeable about the best ways of ruling.

In other texts it is also clearly stated that the Creator invites all nations to unite, that the word Israel means “directly to God” rather than current Israeli citizens or Jews. I wonder if there is a sound explanation to this. Can you please clarify this for me as well as for others who are firm believers in the so called “Jewish conspiracy”?

My Answer: Historically it happened that a part of the people from Ancient Babylon have already gone through correction, reached the level of the Temple, and then fell from the spiritual level of “Love thy neighbor as thyself” into our world of “Unfounded hatred.” These people are the carriers of the inner spiritual potential – and you are admitting this very fact with your prejudice to them! They are heading the dissemination of the method of correcting all humanity. This is why they have already gone through this path.

Everyone who joins them are also Israel (IsraEl – those who aspire toward the Creator), and later everyone else will also gradually join the process of correction. This is how the full correction of the common soul of Adam is attained. For more on this, see items 61-71 of the “Introduction to the Book of Zohar.”

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What Caused the Current Financial Crisis?

Psychiatry and KabbalahNews Report (translated from gazeta.ru): The United States government is trying to put the blame for the financial crisis on the rating agencies, who knew about the great risk that was coming but kept giving high reliability ratings to companies that didn’t deserve them.

However, the impending financial crisis could not have been unnoticed by the investment companies, or by officials in the United States and other countries. If the institutions that can see all the risks will continue to keep silent about it in order to avoid sowing panic among the population, then they will harm the population even more. The chief economist of ITinvest, S. Yegishantz, predicts that the lessons will be learned three to five years later, when the world economy will be in ruins and humanity’s objective will be just to survive.

My Comment: What difference does it make “Who’s to blame?” (supposedly!) or who is trying to hush up the financial crisis? The crisis keeps progressing regardless. We have to find its true cause – the quality of egoism inherent in man’s nature, and an effective way to overcome it. It can only be overcome by the force that can correct egoism – the force of the Light that created egoism in the first place. This force is evoked when we study it – by studying Kabbalah. This is what we should do instead of looking for for a scapegoat – “who hushed it up” or “who is trying to hush it up now.”

If the remedy for the disease hasn’t been found, then maybe it’s better to silence it in order to avoid sowing panic and unnecessary depression. This is what the governments are doing for now. Since Kabbalah talks not only about the nature of the crisis, but also about the remedy, it is very important to disseminate Kabbalah’s view on the crisis, its nature and the method of healing it. Let’s work together to help the world learn about the solution to the problem!

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Joy Brings You Closer to the Creator

A question I received: Why do I despair that I am so far from the Creator? And why do I feel deep down, that this feeling of isolation is false? I’m scared for my sanity, and it makes me cry.

My Answer: You lack the support of the environment. Or perhaps you have an environment but you are not ready to absorb the force of the society from them. Everything depends on you. Even a virtual connection can hold a person in the correct state.

Despair pushes you away from the Creator, whereas joy draws you closer. Read Shamati article #58, “Joy is a Reflection of Good Deeds.” If a person isn’t happy, then by feeling this way he blames the Creator for creating the world incorrectly and does not justify His actions. He is saying that Creator is bad, and hence he is called a sinner – not for his actions, but for his mood!

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The Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting Brings No Good News

MeetingNews Report (translated from MK.ru): “The World’s Financial System Is Outdated.” This was the conclusion reached by the participants of the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting summit that was held on October 24 and 25 in Beijing, China. The meeting was attended by leaders and representatives from 45 Asian and European nations, who admitted that the global economic crisis has made it imperative to begin a wide reaching reform of international finance, to be done through joint efforts.

Suggestions will be considered at the G20 summit in Washington on November 15. “It is absolutely clear to all of us that it is no longer acceptable to gather together just to talk,” stated the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.

My Comment: The best that can happen is that they will just talk and go their separate ways. If all members of the G20 will agree and make a decision, it will only favor the egoistic development, and hence it will bring the world to even greater opposition to Nature and to greater calamities.

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How Long Will the Crisis Last?

A question I received: How long will the crisis last?

My Answer: The crisis will continue until people recognize its causes and purposes, and start correcting themselves and the society, bringing it to the correct form as the united, global system that we have become today. There is no way back. We have risen above the level of individual development and have become connected globally. Hence we are obliged to obey the laws of the global system. Today nature is treating us as a single organism, all of whose parts are connected together – and that’s what we have to become. In fact, this is necessary for our survival. However, in the meantime, people do not recognize the true cause of the crisis.

For example:

The Secretary of State of the Vatican: “The cause of financial crisis is the godless economy.”

The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko: “The cause of the global credit crisis is the corruption that has infiltrated the highest echelons of government in the Western countries. The global financial crisis will give the ruble a chance to become a worldwide currency.”

World Bank: “The cause of the food crisis lies in the production of biological fuel, which has raised food prices by 75%.”

Bloomberg: “The cause of crisis is the rising oil prices.”

The human rights organization “Freedom House”: “The cause of crisis is the lack of human rights.”

There is no way back. If we try to “split up” – to avoid being so globally dependent, then we will push ourselves toward the emergence of Nazi regimes in the developed countries, and as a result, a nuclear world war!