Two questions I received about the upcoming G-20 summit:

Question: Should the G-20 leaders come to some kind of mutual agreement, which will help the world advance?

My Answer: Of course, the situation will push them to some kind of agreement, but what kind? The poor guys have no solution! None of them has anything to say! Obama didn’t even come to the last summit, excusing himself by saying that he has just started his term in office.

No one can offer any solution because no one has a plan! If they had a plan, then something would have been published by now, something would have been done. But, it hasn’t! They cannot do anything under the conditions of globalization because they do not have the “glue” – the force to connect with one another. Even Gordon Brown and other leading economists who understand that it’s necessary to unite, do not know how to do it.

This situation reminds me of children who want to build a house but do not know how to go about this task. They shout, “We want to build a beautiful house where everyone will be happy!” All are gathered on the playground, everyone is excited, but they do not know what to do and therefore they are all left helpless with this problem on their hands.

Question: What do they lack?

My Answer: They lack a connection with the unique Force that can create unification. However, as they gain an understanding of the world’s systems, they will at least realize that they do not have a connection or this Force.

They are literally like children who want to build a house. But what next? How should they build it? This they do not know. They know that a house has walls and a roof, but do not know how to assemble it, as there is no program, plan or strength. In order to solve this task, they need an understanding of the entire structure, but this is something they do not have either. No one envies them and no one would want to be in their shoes now.
(From the lesson on the Baal HaSulam ‘s article “One Precept,” on 3.08.2009)

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A question I received: Several years ago I revealed my predestination: to be a messenger. And there are many people like me – those who are waiting for the Hour of Command, and this Hour is close. I have much knowledge and I am ready to connect, but I don’t want to come out just yet. I found your TV channel, and it seems like the right place to make a heartfelt appeal: I am destined by the absolute kingdom to serve as a messenger of knowledge. It is in my power to change the order of the world. I need your guidance and advice.

My Answer: You are right: we are all messengers who came to this world from the Upper World, sent here in order to rise above the egoism of this world and return home, to the Upper world. As Ostap Bender, the hero from The Twelve Chairs, used to say, “Kabbalah (the international force) will help us!”

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A question I received: Soon another international summit of “the great twenty” (G20) will take place, where the heads of the most developed countries will be present. And each one of them is hiding a knife in his pocket…

My Answer: I don’t think they are hiding knives. Each of them is challenged with so many problems in their own countries that they have no time for confronting each other. They are afraid of their citizens and of being overthrown. The fear of internal upheaval is much greater than the fear of one’s neighbors. Therefore, this time they are coming to the summit with a different feeling.

Until now, each leader was busy coordinating life in his own country, but today, they are simply afraid for themselves. They literally sense this fear on the animate level, and are asking, “How can I save myself and solve this problem?”

Many countries are already experiencing public unrest, and they cannot do anything to stop it with their police or their armies, since they are dealing with their own citizens. In addition to all the other problems, they are now afraid for themselves and their own lives, and therefore, the participants of the summit are coming there in a completely different state. They are already thinking about how to correct the situation and solve the problem, even if it’s for their own sake.
(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept,” on 03.08.2009)

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Two questions I received on how religions emerged from Kabbalah:

Question: Where is the proof that all the religions developed from Kabbalah? Are there any sources confirming this, other than Kabbalistic ones?

My Answer: This is a historical fact – read any of the books comprising the Torah, The Book of Zohar, and so on. Religions emerged 2000 years ago, as a consequence of the Jews’ descent from the level of Kabbalah – the level of bestowal and love. Their fall from that level led to the destruction of the Temple and the emergence of the Jewish religion, which came to replace knowledge, attainment, a perception of the Creator and a connection with Him.

Instead, in religion, people believe in something without actually perceiving the things they believe in. Because of this, other interpretations of the same religion later emerged – since no one sees anything clearly and people just presume things! This is how the other religions came about, although they describe themselves as new religions or new revelations.

However, before all of this began, the Jews perceived the One Governing Force of Nature – the Creator. This is what they described in all their holy books, such as the Mishna, the Talmud, The Book of Zohar, the Tanakh, and others.

Question: In one of your articles, you wrote that after the Jews were exiled from Israel, Christianity, brought there by Greeks and Romans, became dominant in the whole world. You also emphasized that they are not religions. If they are not religions, what are they?

My Answer: I don’t think you understood my article correctly. The three main religions – Judaism, Christinity, and Islam – are, in fact, religions. However, Christianity did not emerge from Romans or Greeks. It emerged in Israel, among the Jews, after the destruction of the Temple, and was later dispersed throughout the world.

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News stories I received on the financial crisis:

We don’t know if disaster can be averted
US Congressman Paul Kanjorski, 11th District of Pennsylvania (from Daily Kos): “USA was 3 hrs away from Economic, Political Collapse in September 2008” More money has been thrown at the problem, but the problems have continued to mount in the meantime. I hope financial disaster can be averted, but judging by what I’ve witnessed so far that hope is muted at best. Somebody threw us into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean without a life raft and we’re trying to determine what’s the closest shore and whether there’s any chance in the world to swim that far. We. Don’t. Know.

Obama has just four years to save the planet
Prof. James McCarthy (from BBC News): The planet will be in “huge trouble” unless Barack Obama makes strides in tackling climate change, says the leading scientist. The US president has just four years to save the planet, said Prof McCarthy, President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Without US leadership, which has been sorely lacking, we will not get to where we need to be … now is a moment of opportunity to draw up [global] policies that would be effective in combating climate change.

The world was given a picture of “the day after tomorrow”
PwC Analysis: Financial transformation of this kind is unprecedented and as the financial crisis has developed it has become clear that the only thing you can expect is the unexpected. Consequently, old ways of working may no longer apply.

Global economy top threat to U.S.
New York Times: “Global Economy Top Threat to U.S., spy chief says” The new director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, told Congress on Thursday that global economic turmoil and the instability it could ignite had outpaced terrorism as the most urgent threat facing the United States.

My Comment: The cause of the crisis is our egoistic nature. The crisis is a revelation of our opposition to Nature, to the quality of bestowal and love. Our dissimilarity with Nature becomes expressed in the form of suffering in order to influence us and make us realize that we have to attain equivalence with Nature, the quality of love for our neighbor. Nature will force us to do this one way or another. The fact is that the world has already become a small global village where every person depends on everyone.

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In the News (from DailyMail): “The headset that will mimic all five senses and make the virtual world as convincing as real life” A virtual reality helmet called Virtual Cocoon that recreates the sights, smells, sounds and even tastes of far-flung destinations has been devised by British scientists. It stimulates the senses so convincingly they have called the experience “Real Virtuality.”

The virtual reality helmet titillates all five body senses while viewers sit at home on their sofas. The device will allow users a life-like experience of places such as Kenya’s Masai Mara while sitting on their sofa. They can also enjoy the smell of flowers in an Alpine meadow or feel the heat of the Caribbean sun on their face.

My Comment: According to Kabbalah, the only thing that exists outside of us is just the simple, direct Upper Light. This Light is what influences our five senses: it passes through our qualities and thus creates a picture that depicts the difference between us and the Light. We perceive this picture as “myself” and “the world.”

However, we are capable of developing the quality of bestowal and love which will be similar to the Surrounding Light. Then, instead of being opposite to the Light, we will start feeling our equivalence to it. That picture is called “the Upper World.” Kabbalah is the method that enables us to attain a quality similar to the Light. And to the degree one attains this quality, one becomes like the Light.

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A question I received: In his book, Mystery of the Mind, the great American neurosurgeon, Wilder Penfield, concludes that the mind is absolutely independent from the brain. The mind is higher even than our consciousness, and it is, in fact, an absolutely independent entity. The mind gives orders, the brain executes them like a computer, and sends them to the consciousness. What does Kabbalah say about this?

My Comment: This is already close to truth. He’s right in that our brain is like a computer. However, our mind is also material because it exists within the quality of reception for self and not for bestowal.

Physical researchers believe that the mind exists “outside of the body” because they aren’t yet capable of discovering its material form. However, in Kabbalah, “outside of the body” means something different: beyond the egoistic desire. Since the only thing that was created is the desire, everything is either a desire to fulfill oneself or a desire to fulfill others.

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In the News: (translated from RUMetrika): Pop-up ads are the most annoying type of Internet advertising. They irritate 78% of users, while banners irritate only 7.6%.

My Comment: Pop-up windows are perceived as a barrier to something desired. This is why they instigate hatred. It is a clear case of anti-advertising.

We need to know and understand egoism! If we want to get in egoism’s way, then we have to offer it something that it will find more attractive at the present moment – and it’s very difficult to guess what that is!

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In the News (from globalissues.org): “Development: New Africa Commission Report Reiterates Basic Goals” Africa’s arduous path to development could be eased if governments took elementary measures to improve infrastructure, coordinate regional trade policies, and speed up the regional exchange of goods and services.

My Comment: The reason is, once again, people’s egoism, which is the same in Africa too.

In the News (from Haaretz): “Keeping your joint account from separating you” Israel’s 2007 divorce rate, at 17.5%, was 15th worldwide. “Although most couples say they marry for love, 72% divorce due to a breakdown in communication, usually over money,” says Yosy Esh, chairman of the Israeli Union of Home Economy Advisors and Coaches.

My Comment: “Love and hunger rule the world,” but hunger is stronger!

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A letter I received: After the Congress, we went on the Kabbalistic tour. One of the places we went to was the city of Tzfat. I felt that it truly is a holy place; I don’t even know how to express my feelings. I just could not leave there! I felt that I finally found my home. Even now, after the Congress, I feel as if I’m still there. That place draws me like a magnet! It was very hard to return to New York, the “stone jungle.” But at least I am still there in my thoughts. I just want to once again thank everyone who participated in organizing the tour and spreading the Light.

My Comment: I’m glad you enjoyed the tour so much. We provide these Kabbalistic tours on a regular basis for anyone who’s interested and for tourists from all over the world, and we offer them in different languages. You can recommend it to anyone.

For information (in all languages):
Tel: +972-544-971-500 (this is a phone number in Israel)
Contact: [email protected]

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