In the News (from Daily Telegraph): “Marriage not regarded as ‘best relationship’ by young adults” Marriage is no longer regarded as the best form of a relationship by younger generations, the largest survey of public attitudes in Britain shows. Married couples will be in the minority by next year, as increasing numbers of people choose to live together out of wedlock.

My Comment: This is happening because the global egoism is now being revealed, and it shows us how interconnected we all are and how much we don’t desire this connection. Therefore, in our time, if we don’t start correcting ourselves, transforming our quality of “using everyone” to the quality of “serving everyone,” we will end up with a complete breakdown of the family unit, which is the basic building block of society.

Such a breakdown of the family unit, the basis of life, is only happening to humans. It does not happen to animals because they don’t have the same egoistic bond between spouses as people do, who must attain the unity where “all are as one,” according to the law of the Mutual Guarantee (Arvut).

Related Material:
Laitman.com: Humanity Is One Integral, Interconnected Organism
From Chaos to Harmony: Chapter 5 – “Obeying Nature’s Law. Life’s Purpose”
Article: “One Law”

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In the News (from The New York Times): The point may soon come when there are more people who want to write books than there are people who want to read them. …companies that charge writers and photographers to publish are growing rapidly at a time when many mainstream publishers are losing ground. Experts state that for every thousand titles that get self-published, maybe there’s two that should have been published.

My Comment: Baal HaSulam, article “Time to Act”:
Prior to the development of the printing industry, there were no false books as there were no writers who were irresponsible, for the simple reason that an irresponsible person is not famous. Therefore, even if one dared to write such a book, no scribe would copy it, as he would not be paid for his labor, which was quite expensive.

But ever since the printing of books has become popular, and writers no longer need scribes to manually copy their books, the price of books has been reduced. This has paved the way for irresponsible writers to publish whatever books they please, for money or for glory.

Therefore, the knowledge of the public has been greatly corrupted. In addition, there is an atmosphere of disregard for books: people think that a quick scan of a serious book in their leisure time is sufficient to master the wisdom.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: A Computer Screen Will Never Replace a Book
Laitman.com Post: Shamati – The Most Valuable Book In the World

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In the News (from A Fistful of Euros): “The Ruble Fall Continues As Unemployment Soars” The Central Bank does not rule out the possibility of a new wave of the crisis erupting in the banking sector, the bank’s Chairman Sergei Ignatyev told the Russian State Duma on Friday. …First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told the State Duma today, “The crisis will continue for three years, of which 2009 will be the most difficult… We must be prepared for further economic decline.”

My Comment: Neither the government nor the experts have any plan for coping with the crisis. And they can’t have a plan, because the plan must be based on the knowledge of the final state and of the path to get there, and no government in the world has either of these!

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Who Will Be Most Affected by the Economic Crisis?
Laitman.com Post: The Media Must Help Turn Our World Into a Giant Classroom

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In the News (from The Guardian): “Shaken survivors of economic blast ask: what went wrong?” The mood in Davos, Switzerland [the site of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum] has been broken as badly as the banks. Few people here will admit to have done anything personally wrong. The failures have gone into hiding, and the biggest absentees are the Americans. There is no real sense of collective guilt, or serious consideration of what to do next, other than rebuild the world that has just been lost. What no one wants to admit is that perhaps there is no solution – only decline.

My Comment: The only way we will be able come out of the crisis is through the recognition of evil and the true reason for the crisis. We will not be able to come out of the crisis by restoring the past, but rather by collectively building the future – a future that’s global and integral. When we realize that we are absolutely interdependent, we will be able to understand how to accomplish this. Until we come to this realization, we will have to learn from the blows that are driving us towards happiness.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Two Scenarios of Life After the Crisis
Laitman.com Post: Making the Transition to a New, Global Civilization

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Two questions I received on what conditions are necessary for one’s spiritual advancement:

Question: I am 18 years old. I live in Brazil, far away from any group, so I am studying online and my only contact with the group is through the Internet. Since my point in the heart woke up, I keep on the path as much as I can, but sometimes I feel alone here, not being able to attend the Congress or to be part of a physical group. What’s your advice: is it enough for me to be connected with others through the Internet? What else can I do to accelerate my correction?

My Answer: Staying virtually connected suffices in order to advance. Watching the lessons, keeping a virtual connection with the entire worldwide group of students, and participating in Kabbalah dissemination are the sufficient conditions for revealing the Creator!

Question: It seems to me some people live in conditions (socially, financially, physically, mentally, etc.) that are simply not conducive to entering spirituality, even though they may have a point in the heart and even though they may want to study Kabbalah. Can they cross the Machsom?

My Answer: If a person has received knowledge about this opportunity, it means that the Creator has given him a freedom of will, and after that everything depends on the person. Every Reshimo that emerges in a person contains all the data about his inner and outer Kli (that is, about him and his surroundings). This gives him the feeling that there is “him” and “the world,” including everything necessary for his advancement and free choice (including the group, whether virtual or physical). This is why it is written, “A person should always say, ‘The world was created for me’ (for him to realize his inner Reshimo at every given moment). If one sways oneself to the scale of merit, he sways the whole world to the scale of merit. And if one sways oneself to the scale of evil, he sways the whole world to the scale of evil.”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Regardless of the Internet, The Real Connection Happens “Soul to Soul”
Laitman.com Post: How Do We Connect Our Points in the Heart?
Kabbalah Today Article: Are You Connected?
“The Purpose of Creation”
Kabbalah, Science and the Meaning of Life – “Part IV Realizing the Spiritual Gene”

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Three questions I received on women’s spiritual development:

Question: Can the men of Bnei Baruch who are above this world “carry” a woman over the Machsom if she is ready for it? Or do we women have to wait for a certain number of corrected male souls, and if so, then what is this number?

My Answer: Maybe in our world there are men who carry women around, but there’s no such thing in the spiritual world! If a woman is ready for it, she absorbs the force of the men’s group and participates in the crossing of the Machsom together with everyone.

Question: How important is it for a woman to study in a group? My egoism doesn’t let me get over my dislike of the group members in my city. Is it possible to grow spiritually in a group of people who are still so alien to me that I feel repelled by them?

My Answer: There is no such thing as a women’s group. A woman and a group are incompatible.

Question: If my essence as a woman is to provide the lack, then wouldn’t developing the quality of bestowal (instead of the desire to receive) make me similar to a man? And then whom will the men give to?

My Answer: Within each one of us there are male and female parts: the Kli (our desires) and the Light (our intentions to bestow). You should look for the right combination between the two.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Machsom Can Be Crossed Individually and As a Group
Laitman.com Post: Men, Women, and the Soul’s Correction
Kabbalah & Women

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Questions I received on Kabbalah’s relation to various things in this world:

Question: During the talk about men and women, you answered the question of what can make a man happy when he’s with a woman. But you did not answer the question of what can make a man happy in general?

My Answer: Being with the Creator.

Question: How does Kabbalah explain deja vu?

My Answer: It’s psychological.

Question: Can the deaf, dumb and blind study Kabbalah? What kind of an effect does lacking one of the five senses have in general?

My Answer: It doesn’t affect studying. They should study.

Question: What does the World Wisdom Council that you are a part of do?

My Answer: They chitchat. This is why I am no longer with them.

Question cont’d: But don’t they control the world through different institutions?

My Answer: Only the Creator controls the world.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Eyes Can Hear (and Smell)
Laitman.com Post: Man, Woman and Divinity Between Them
Laitman.com Post: Where Do Thoughts, Ideas, and Dreams Come From?
The Kabbalah Experience: Chapter 7 – “Beliefs, Mysticism and The Supernatural”
Lecture in Arosa

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A question I received: My husband and I are both students of Kabbalah. We have created a family together; my husband has a practical profession that affords us a “normal” position in this world. We are happy! However, our extended family (parents and siblings) that desire to remain inside their egoism, insist that we must make greater efforts to gather excess. How should we respond to them and restrain their aim to disconnect us?

My Answer: Gently but firmly, tell them that you and your husband are a separate family and they have no right to tell you how to live your life. Let them see who’s right and who’s wrong in the developing conditions of crisis.

However, you also have to understand them, as they were raised with the principle, “you have to work hard in order to provide a good future for you and your children.”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Influence of the Environment
Laitman.com Post: How Do You Explain Kabbalah to Others?
Interview with the Future: Part 4 “Contact with the Upper One – The Social Implications of Kabbbalah”

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