Analysis Of The Declaration Of The G-20 Summit In Washington DC

RussiaBelow are excerpts from the “Declaration of the Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy.” My comments appear in italics:

From item 1. …cooperation… to restore global growth and achieve needed reforms in the world’s financial systems.
Cooperation is possible only when it is absolute, like in one family.

From item 2. …reform to help to ensure that a global crisis, such as this one, does not happen again.
It’s unclear what kind of reform they are thinking of, because they still haven’t pinpointed the real cause of the crisis – egoism.

From item 2. …market principles… and effectively regulated financial markets…
Forced regulation will only push the system deeper into crisis (as it happened under the Soviet regime). This measure is incomplete.

From item 5. …actions… to stimulate our economies, provide liquidity, strengthen the… financial institutions … unfreeze credit markets
This does not correct the mistakes – it doesn’t even attempt to correct the mistakes, since this kind of stimulation only further develops the causes that led to the crisis.

From items 6 and 7. …Economic momentum is slowing substantially in major economies… Many emerging market economies … are still experiencing good growth … a broader policy response is needed … to restore growth … and support emerging market economies and developing countries.
Sounds great, but who thinks of others!?

From item 7, bullet point 1. …stabilize the financial system…
Or in other words – keep pumping it with money, which will lead to inflation.

From item 7, bullet point 3. …Use fiscal measures to stimulate domestic demand…
But whatever benefits the people, hurts the state.

From items 7 and 8. Ensure that the IMF, World Bank and other MDBs have sufficient resources to continue playing their role in overcoming the crisis …strengthen financial markets and regulatory regimes… Regulation is first and foremost the responsibility of national regulators…
It’s a refusal to create a common financial regulator! They aren’t discussing the creation of a single financial institution, common financial instruments, market transparency, and a change in the management of IMF.

From items 8 and 12. …support market discipline … commitment to free market principles…
Stated simply – they’ve gone bankrupt!

From item 13. …within the next 12 months, we will refrain from raising new barriers to investment or to trade…
In other words, they won’t limit the outflow of capital. (in the month of October, $50 billion were taken out of Russia alone!)

From item 11. …we will meet again by April 30, 2009…

Additional Comment: Obviously, I’m not a banker, and these are my impressions. Regrettably, the declaration that was agreed on, lacks understanding of the true cause of the crisis, and hence it lacks the correct solution to it. Nevertheless, it reveals an underlying feeling of not understanding what is going on, of being interdependent, and of needing to search for the answers together. This feeling will continue to grow as the problems will keep increasing. The world really lacks knowledge of how global and integral it is, and of the law of absolute interaction!

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Is It Realistic For Politicians To Unite?

realisticA question I received: Listening to your latest lessons, I have come to the following conclusion:

According to Russia’s character and mentality, this country is a sensitive system, whereas the United States is the opposite – a logical system. Israel, according to its root, must regulate the balance between them. Then, with Israel as a connecting link, this system will bring harmony and prosperity to the world.

However, today we have the opposite situation: every country seeks to declare its exclusive superiority, pushing the world to the brink of war. If the two superpowers – with Israel’s participation – were to replace their mutual antagonism with mutual cooperation, they would bring the entire world to a new ascent.

Is this summary correct? If yes, then how can we aid this process? Is it realistic for politicians to unite on a higher level and avoid massive bloodshed?

Leonid Elizarov, PhD

My Answer: I agree with you. This is exactly the direction we are working in.

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The Third Temple Will Be Virtual!

thirdTwo questions I received about the future:

Question: I wish to pose a question in regard to technology and the construction of the Third Temple. Have you considered that the Third Temple could be considered the structure of the system in which the virtual connection could potentially provide a nullifying experience? Given the fractal technological benefits and endeavors such as the LHC provide, it is not difficult to recognize the wisdom of Kabbalah’s importance to our generation.

My Answer: Certainly, “The Temple” means the general union of all people’s aspirations for the Creator, for bestowal to the society and the Creator, and for love for one’s neighbor, rather than a physical building. In addition, it’s certain that one of the foundations for this will be a virtual connection of all the people in the world.

Question: Does every person have to study Kabbalah in order for a change to take place? And is it even possible that everyone will study Kabbalah?

My Answer: No, not everyone will have to study Kabbalah. Each person should study according to his desire.

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Try To Answer Your Own Questions

time1Two questions I received about Kabbalah study:

Question: Should I think about a question and about whether I should really ask it, before asking it for everyone to hear? My question can influence different people differently, both positively and negatively. Of course, the definitive point to any question is your answer, but still, can you explain this?

My Answer: You should try to answer your own questions. Even if your understanding is incorrect or you can’t find the answer, nonetheless your studies and the group will lead you forward. The attainment of the Upper Level does not depend on how much you know, but on how much you are influenced by the Upper Light.

Question: Is it possible for someone who’s been studying Kabbalah for five years not to have a point in the heart? Or does everyone studying Kabbalah have it?

My Answer: If a person studies because he desires to find the answer to the question about the meaning and purpose of life, then this question comes from the desire to attain the Creator – “the point in the heart.”

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The Internet In A Time Of Global Crisis

International Blog ContestTwo questions I received on what will happen to the Internet during the crisis:

Question: In this great international crisis, plus everything that is apparently still in store for us, it is reasonable to assume that many different infrastructures will be affected, including the Internet. How do you think this will affect the role of the virtual group and our dissemination in the entire world, which happens primarily through the Internet?

My Answer: If we use the Internet correctly in order to correct the world, then it will remain, or be replaced by something even more suitable for this goal.

Question: Are you still working on materials to submit to the Google 10^100 project? At first everyone was excited about it and there was a lot of talk about it, but now it seems like everyone forgot about it. Will Bnei Baruch participate in it or not?

My Answer: We did what we could, and the rest does not depend on us. In the midst of it, the crisis struck. It looks like Google has forgotten about it, or perhaps something is still happening there, but since no one is contacting us, we are keeping quiet as well.

To be frank, I don’t believe that such undertakings have good intentions or integrity from the start, but I’m obligated to participate if there is an opportunity. In addition, working together on these projects helps us unite!

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Our Entire World Is Like A Narrow Bridge, So Don’t Be Scared Of Anything!

Is the Bermuda Triangle Myth or Reality?A question I received: In considering the first commandment of fear of the Creator, do you know why the Kabbalists wrote the Niggun (melody) “Gesher Tzar Meod” (A Very Narrow Bridge) which suggests that the main thing is “not to fear”?

My Answer: The lyrics of this song are as follows: “Our entire world is like a narrow bridge, and the most important thing is not to be scared of anything!” It means that all the disturbances on one’s path come from the Creator, and one attains Him only by overcoming them.

As for fear, there are different kinds of fear:

1. Fear of this world, when one desires everything for himself, and the more the better, and so he won’t have to pay or be punished for it.”
2. Fear of the world to come, when one thinks, “I don’t want to go to hell, but to heaven, and to the best possible heaven.”
3. Fear of “Will I will be able to reach similarity to the Creator?” – for my own benefit.
4. Fear of “Will I will be able to attain bestowal to the Creator, without any thought of myself?” This is the real fear of the Creator. Everything else is fear for yourself.

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Women Must Also Attain Adhesion With The Creator

womenQuestions I received on women’s spirituality:

Question: Does the word “man” used in Kabbalistic books also apply to women? For example, “if a man feels a Reshimo, then he’s worthy of attaining spirituality, of feeling the Upper World, and comprehending the reality” (this is a quote from the book Kabbalah for the Student, Introduction to Pticha).

My Answer: Without a doubt, all people – both men and women – must attain adhesion with the Creator. The only difference is that men must perform more corrections than women, according to the structure of their souls.

Question: I heard that you don’t approve of women studying at night. Is this true?

My Answer: Anyone can study whenever it’s convenient for him or her. However, since it’s necessary for the men to unite, the best and most effective time for them to study is together with us.

Question: A man’s egoism and difficulties are revealed in relation to the group. How, and in relation to whom, does a woman’s egoism become revealed?

My Answer: Her ego is revealed in relation to a man, or the men’s part of the group, in the sense that the men are the source of a woman’s spiritual advancement. By making efforts to advance spiritually, a woman realizes that she can only do so through the men’s part of the common group.

Question: You say that spirituality has no connection to our bodies. Then why is it important for us to dress modestly when we come to the Kabbalah center? Shouldn’t the men overcome their ego and stop looking at women as sexual objects, but as their equals in correcting the world?

My Answer: You have to help the men disseminate Kabbalah to the world, instead of showcasing yourself to them. This is why you’re permitted to come to the center! Do you want to be a person who’s of benefit to the world, or a “woman”? When you have to do work together with the men, it’s important that there be no difference among the participants.

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Find The Answers Inside The Texts!

textsTwo questions I received on Kabbalistic texts:

Question: On your website you published a quote about the Segula (special quality) of studying The Book of Zohar, and that studying The Book of Zohar is necessary in our times in order to defend and save ourselves from all evil.

You took this quote from the “Introduction to the Tree of Lifeby Rav Yaakov Tzemah, but I wasn’t able to find there one of the parts you quoted, that the revelation of this wisdom will happen during the time of the worst generations, so we would have protection to hold onto in our hearts.

My Answer: Read Baal HaSulam, I was quoting him.

Question: Why do the books of Baal HaSulam and books of Rabash say so little about the process people go through beneath the Machsom? If I am wrong, then please direct me to the appropriate materials.

My Answer: Everything besides Talmud Eser Sefirot and Pticha is written for people who are beneath the Machsom! Talmud Eser Sefirot and Pticha are also for them, in order to study and thereby draw the Light of correction.

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