Two questions I received about increased acts of violence:

Question: I am curious about the increase in violence against women. There seems to be a huge lack of respect, understanding or appreciation for women today compared to just a few years ago. Routine attacks and killing have become almost commonplace in the news, so much so that parts of the world turn a blind eye to these atrocities. Is there a spiritual connection behind this phenomena, and if so, what can be done about it?

My Answer: This, and  other manifestations of violence, are caused by people’s growing egoism. Hence, the correction of egoism is humanity’s only task.

Question: I read a story recently about yet another mass slaying that took place, this time in Germany.  A teenage gunman shot at least 15 people before police had to shoot him. Why is this happening with such increased frequency? Is there a spiritual explanation?

My Answer: The cause of this is, again, people’s egoism, which is growing exponentially.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: How to Stop the Violence Among Our Youth
Laitman.com Post: Baal HaSulam Describes the Law of Singularity
Kabbalah for Beginners: “The Ego’s Inevitable Death”
From Chaos to Harmony: Part 1 “From Chaos to Harmony – Prologue”

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Many scientists and philosophers, from Vernadsky, Kant and Hegel to modern-day philosophers, describe the world as one unified, closed system that’s completely interdependent on all levels. They explain that man cannot exit outside the laws of Nature, but always remains within them.

Today we too can see that Nature is completely integral. But how can this be revealed to and understood by the simplest person out there, who knows only his work place and his route to work and back home? It will become clear to him when he walks into the local grocery store and the salesperson will tell him, “We’re out of bread!”

Why are they out of bread? Because one supplier didn’t deliver flour, another – oil, another – water, and another yet – electricity. To make a long story short, they’re out of bread! So what am I to do? Go and reach an agreement with everybody – then you’ll have bread.

That person will then have to run around and negotiate with everybody, and thus he will learn that he is dependent on the entire world. This is the situation we are coming to. If we don’t repair the connection between us, we won’t have anything but empty shelves. And this great suffering will make us discover our dependency on everyone.

Some people think they’ll be able to run away. They think, “I’m going to buy myself a lot of land, plant some potatoes and tomatoes, and that will be enough for me. The rest of you can go to hell for all I care! I’ll be fine on my own.” But this is impossible! Life today is arranged in a way that won’t let anyone run away. This is why Baal HaSulam says that if we take measures toward separation, this will lead to Nazi regimes. After all, we will still be united, but from the opposite end: reception rather than bestowal.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: We Have to Reveal the Map of Our Connections
Laitman.com Post: We Are Like Whirls In a River
Laitman.com Post: We Must Become a Part of Nature’s System
A Guide to the Hidden Wisdom of Kabbalah: “Discovering the Unified Structure”

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The virtual lesson that was held on 04.05.09, from 4:00pm to 5:00pm Israel time, was the first of a series of lessons on Baal HaSulam’s article, “Peace In the World.” These lessons are translated from Russian into English, Spanish, French, German and Hebrew.

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A question I received: I still don’t understand what you think about the Darwinian theory. Does Kabbalah support it?

My Answer: The external processes described by Kabbalah and the Darwinian theory coincide, because evolution is obvious. However, according to Darwin, the mechanism of evolution is based on the struggle for survival, whereas according to Kabbalah, it’s based on the realization of the Reshimot.

You can say that it’s the same thing, because Reshimot also lead to evolution, as well as struggle or competition. However, according to Darwin, the process is chaotic and uncertain, whereas according to Kabbalah, everything moves by precise and defined stages of development, where nothing is uncertain. The beginning state, all the stages of development, and the objective (the final state) all exist from the beginning. The speed and the process of development are determined by man’s free, conscious participation in the process.

This is what Rav Kook, a Kabbalist who lived in the 20th century, meant in the following verse, where he says that the theory of evolution resembles Kabbalah more than any other theory:

“תורת ההתפתחות… היא מתאמת לרזי עולם של הקבלה יותר מכל התורות הפילוסופיות האחרות. הרב קוק. אורות הקודש. ח”ב, התגלות העולם סעיף יט ע’ תקל”ז

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Vatican Accepts Darwin’s Theory, But Kabbalah Does Not
Laitman.com Post: We Will Evolve to Acquire Power Over All of Nature
Laitman.com Post: All of Evolution Is Aimed at Making Us Attain the Upper Level of Consciousness
The Open Book: “View on Evolution from the Perspective of Kabbalah”

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Many people are writing about the possibility of war now. In the past, humanity often came out of difficult situations through wars. However, in today’s situation, if a war were to take place, it wouldn’t be a war between armies somewhere along the borders, but the war would affect all the nations in the world, and this is why people are so afraid of it.

Therefore, going to war is not a wise decision. This will only increase our suffering and make us ask, “Why? What is happening? How do we come out of this state?” We will then be forced to find an answer about what to do next.

It would be great if people would ask themselves these questions now, before a war starts, while feeling the same sense of suffering as they would experience after a war. However, this is something people are not able to do. Kabbalah suggests, “Let’s look at the process through Kabbalah’s perspective!” But people respond, “We don’t want to.” They don’t want to come close to this science, because it makes people feel the suffering of their present state.

However, the suffering that’s awakened in people by Kabbalah can replace war! Instead of going through the suffering in reality, you will feel it in the system of forces: you will feel how far you are from the perfect state, how lowly and stubborn you are. We can put our efforts toward reaching a greater recognition, toward learning, instead of hiding from bombs and spilling blood!

If people could understand this, then they would shift from the path of suffering to the path of Light. After all, in any case, we have to attain the recognition of evil, and this recognition can happen either through the path of war or the path of learning. Let us hope that humanity will see that it has these two possible paths of development, and that one of these paths is better than the other. People still believe that there is a way to come out of crisis other than through war, because everyone is scared by the progress and production in the arms industry.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Game of Life Has New Rules
Laitman.com Post: War Will Erase Everything
Kabbalah Today Article: “Puppet on a String”
Brochure: “Lecture in Arosa”
Baal HaSulam Article: “Peace in the World”

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A question I received: Right now there are local Kabbalah courses taught by Bnei Baruch starting all over Israel. Who  would you recommend take these classes?

My Answer: There are no restrictions here. Egoism has grown to such a great level that the whole world has to study Kabbalah. Baal HaSulam writes in the newspaper, “The Nation,” that we must all take our seats at the school desks and study.

Ignorance of the new system of our interrelationships (the “Mutual Guarantee“) in today’s world puts us in great danger. And we’re the ones causing this, because we don’t know how to behave properly. We must study the rules and laws of the new, global world, lest we cause tremendous harm to ourselves.

This is why we must all educate ourselves. The Kabbalah courses taught by Bnei Baruch focus on articles and other materials that will help any person to find his place in this life, to understand the world and his own place in it, to uncover what is required of him and how he can best realize himself in the new conditions.

Even if the material appears theoretical and detached from our lives, in reality the material is special, containing the Light that returns one to the Source. In other words, the materials contain the force that corrects us. Everything studied in these courses is necessary for understanding the world and for performing inner corrections.

Therefore, I highly recommend these courses to everyone. And if there are a few dozen people living in a particular place that want to study there, we are willing to go there in order to conduct a course. We really hope that these efforts will help the world to move in the right direction.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Science of Kabbalah Is Closer to You Than Ever
Laitman.com Post: Advice for Those Searching for the True Path
Interview With the Future: Part 3 “The Creation of the Reshimot – Return to the Root”

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The world is swiftly progressing to the understanding that the source of the crisis is our egoism. People are beginning to realize that the world is integral and everyone is interconnected. No one wants this, but we’re beginning to accept this fact!

Look at what’s happening in America: President Obama is speaking out against AIG handing out bonuses to their employees. It was not long ago that this was considered perfectly normal, but today, this is not acceptable: “People are suffering, and you’re getting bonuses?!”

The general American approach used to be, “What do we care about all these people?! Let them burn!” But today everything’s different. And it’s not Obama that’s leading the revolution – it’s the changing times! Today he can say things he wasn’t able to say before, and this testifies to the fact that this is a new era and a very different situation.

So why is it that we can now tell the people with money that they can’t take more than what others have? It’s because there’s a general realization that we’re all interconnected and that we’re all in the same boat! The fact that this is happening is no accident. It is the revelation of the connection between all the segments of the universe.

Suddenly America has begun to care about the residents of a tent city! Of course, more could be done – a lot more. Nevertheless, this is a brand new phenomenon in its own right. Would anyone have cared about them before? The old approach was, “If you don’t have a house – that’s your problem! No one cares!” But today, this has become a national problem. The world is undergoing colossal changes.

But man can’t change on his own. It is the Light that is changing the people’s perceptions and worldviews.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Bankers’ Greed Will Wreck the World Unless We Take the Needed Measures
Laitman.com Post: The Crisis Will Continue Until We Cry Out, “Enough Egoism!”
Laitman.com Post: Thinking of Others Is the Key to Ending the Crisis
Kabbbalah Today article: The Little Prince Explains the Financial Crisis

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A question I received: Can a person who isn’t Jewish acquire a soul? According to Kabbalists like Rabbi Hiya, the soul (Neshama) can only be acquired by a person who observes the Torah.

My Answer: Of course, Rabbi Hiya is right. Every person who aspires to the Creator is called Israel. Every person who corrects his egoism according to the condition, “I created egoism and the Torah for its correction,” is considered a person who observes the Torah and the 613 commandments (he corrects the 613 desires of the soul). He then receives the Upper Light, the revelation of the Creator, inside his corrected desires, called the soul.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Everyone Is Jewish
Laitman.com Post: Anyone Who Aspires to the Creator Can Become Israel
Lesson on Article: “One Law”
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”

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Questions I received on the names of God, clairvoyants, “Jewish healing,” and Islam:

Question: If the names of God are His qualities, then does the phrase, “His names are upon one person” mean that God bestows His qualities upon that person?

My Answer: If people call you an elephant, does that make you one?

Question: Are there any genuine mediums or clairvoyants? If so, how do they attain the Upper Worlds without the study of Kabbalah?

My Answer: Yes, there are mediums and clairvoyants. But their abilities are confined to the forces of our world and our egoistic subconscious. These people do not attain the Upper World, which is the quality of bestowal, and they do not have a perception of the Upper Force.

Question: Thank you for making authentic Kabbalah accessible. I find your comments on medicine very interesting. I practice a vital, holistic model and I have always had the conviction that everyone is entitled to benefit from it regardless of their ability to pay. I have found one website that claims to teach people to use Kabbalistic wisdom, including contact with the Tzaddikim, to guide decision making. It is connected to “Jewish Healing.” Since they are selling lectures and other such things on the subject, I wanted to consult you as “neutral” source. Do you see this as true Kabbalah?

My Answer: I don’t think it’s Kabbalah because they sell these things. However, it can be a healing practice similar to other methods.

Question: Is it true that Islam’s goal is to dominate the world?

My Answer: Yes, this is a generally known fact.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Kabbalah On Astrology, Death, Homosexuality and More
Laitman.com Post: Moses Decreed That Kabbalah Must Be Taught for Free
Laitman.com Post: The UN’s “Anti-Defamation” Plan Is In Line With the Book of Zohar
Kabbalah Today Article: What’s In a Name?
From Chaos to Harmony: “The Rise of the Islam”
Lesson: “One Law”

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A question I received: You are saying that if we don’t reach correction, there will be a famine. This is clear on the global level. However, what can a regular person do? What can he implement in practice, if he lacks any special opportunities to influence the world?

My Answer: Most of all, he affects the world with his thoughts, since “everything is clarified in the thought.” Our connection does not happen though the electric wires of the Internet, the sound waves of our voices, the picture on the computer screen or even in live contact. The entire connection between us takes place in our desires.

The Creator did not create anything besides the desire. We perceive different levels of the development of the desire as the matter of this world – the inanimate, vegetative, and animate matter, in the form of gases, liquids, solids, and plasma. But all of this is only in our imagination. We imagine that we exist in time, motion, and space.

However, these things are not real – it is only the way reality is depicted in our uncorrected qualities. However, beyond the visible picture of reality, the operating force is the desire. Therefore, every person, no matter how far he is from others, exists in this system and influences everyone in it through his desire.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Entire Universe Is One Material (or One Blanket, According to Dustin Hoffman)
Laitman.com Post: The Reality We Feel Is Like a Dream
Laitman.com Post: Scientists Find New Use for the Power of Thought
Kabbalah Today Article: Floating in a Sea of Information

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