The Power Of The Right Side


In the News (from LiveScience):Most People Prefer Right Ear for Listening” Most people prefer to be addressed in their right ears in everyday settings and are more likely to do a favor when the request is received in their right ears rather than their left ones, new research suggests… we actually hear information better in our right ears, [Luca Tommasi of the University “Gabriele d’Annunzio” in Chieti, Italy] said…The brain’s left hemisphere is more involved in language processing, which justifies the preferential use of the right (contralateral) ear for listening in everyday situations, he said.

My Comment: Kabbalah states that one must always start from the right. The right part of Nature is bestowing, while the left is receiving. When you ask for something, talk into the person’s right ear!

After starting from the right side, you then turn to the left: upon gathering the power of the right, bestowing side, one can turn to the left side so as to correct the egoism of the left side.

Everything should be done right to left.

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The ‘Culture Of Irresponsibility’ Is A Result Of Our Egoism


In the news (from The MailOnline):Barack Obama announces sweeping changes to the US financial system in a bid to end ‘culture of irresponsibility’” President Obama has announced the biggest shake-up of regulation of the US financial system since the Great Depression… Mr. Obama claimed his new ‘rules of the road’ were desperately needed because ‘a culture of irresponsibility took root from Wall Street to Washington to Main Street.’..

My Comment: Irresponsibility stems from our natural egoism, which does not let us consider others over profit, power or fame. Boosting and enforcing government regulations is not a substitute for people’s sense of responsibility for the world they live in. The Soviet Union has already tried and failed to cure egoism through force. This will be President Obama’s great mistake, but it will then be followed by the realization and acceptance of Kabbalah as the method of correction of man’s egoistic nature. Unfortunately, humanity will have to suffer a great deal before that happens!

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An Inner Act Of Kindness Is Good For You

laitman_2009-03_8183In the News (from EurekAlert):‘Life force’ linked to body’s ability to withstand stress” – Our ability to withstand stress-related, inflammatory diseases may be associated, not just with our race and sex, but with our personality as well, according to a study published in the July issue of the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. An emerging area of medical science examines the mind-body connection, and how personality and stress contribute to disease in the aging body. Long-term exposure to hormones released by the brains of people under stress, for instance, takes a toll on organs. The current study found that extroverts, and in particular those high “dispositional activity” or engagement in life, have dramatically lower levels of the inflammatory chemical interleukin 6.

My Comment: An inner act of kindness “from self to others” allows the body to get rid of harmful (physical, nervous, emotional, spiritual) symptoms and let go of them. It is beneficial to give and love!

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The Best Education Is One That Forms A Student Into A Human


A question I received: What is the Light that Reforms in education for children?

My Answer: The Light that Reforms is an Upper force, the force of wisdom that comes from the teacher and influences the student who then asks, “What is it?”

The Light that reforms is an effect of the Upper degree on the lower, an influence with force and status, not knowledge. When the lower one equalizes his qualities with those of the Upper one, he reveals what is in the Upper one. Therefore, a true upbringing consists of constantly supplying the children with situations to tackle. Through discussion, problem solving, and overcoming obstacles in their own way to solutions, they eventually attain the knowledge on their own.

It turns out, that the truest form of teaching is through discussion. Ancient schools used precisely that method. Rabbi Akiva sat under a tree surrounded by his students where together they discussed various topics.

Other nations as well used to establish a special place where people would come to discuss various matters. They came and left freely, listened to others and expressed their opinions. Thanks to discussions and the free exchange of opinions, a person was included in the society. This form of education was characteristic of many cultures, even the word “school,” translated from the ancient Greek, means “leisure” – time well spent.

Herein lies the essence of a school: a person goes there to partake of the pleasant atmosphere, beneficial for his/her development. Instead, we stuff dry knowledge into the kids’ heads, clogging them to their detriment. They can’t stand such education. Firstly, a person doesn’t study his own self, rather he is like a robot being stuffed with data. Secondly, he’s not shaped into a ‘Human.’ That, according to Aristotle and Plato, brings great harm.

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It Is Impossible To Go Against Nature


In the News (from The Guardian):Germany passes law imposing limits on executive pay” – Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on Thursday approved a law, which will place restrictions on executive pay. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) hope the law will encourage firms to focus on long-term performance rather than short-term gain.

If management board members are held liable for damage to their firm, they can be made to pay for this out of their own pocket. The figure will total at least ten percent of the damage, but no more than 1.5 times their fixed annual salary.

My Comment: These measures will not help because until egoism is corrected, people will use all possible means to circumvent the laws which limit their egoistic fulfillment, even if this fulfillment is counter to common sense. It is impossible to go against Nature despite common sense, but it is evident that restrictions of personal maximum pay are beneficial for someone on a personal level!

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Is There Such A Thing As A Formula For Happiness?

 

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the news (from The Daily Mail): A psychologist has come up with a formula based on friendships, weather and holidays… Dr Cliff Arnall said the joys of spending time with friends and loved ones, appreciating nature in the sunshine and looking forward to the weekend and time off work combine to be at their strongest today… Dr Arnall said. “The most important things in our lives are our relationships – and no amount of money can buy that,” he added… According to his complicated algebraic formula, happiness equals O + (N x S) + Cpm/T + He.
O means being outdoors, N is nature and S stands for social interaction. Memories of childhood summers are represented by Cpm, temperature by T and excitement about holidays by He.

My Comment: This is only the case if I am an animal. But if I desire more, if my egoism grows at a faster rate than when I was a child, and I cannot satiate it no matter what I do – then the happiness formula won’t work. Both millionaires and paupers will remain miserable. The doctor’s prescription won’t work!

Happiness is when a desire is being fulfilled. But if my desire grows and demands fulfillment which is greater than the sum of the formula, then what am I to do, doc?

In fact, man’s desire does outgrow this world – and it can only be fulfilled with the sensation of the purpose of life, its eternal harmony. This desire is being revealed in us as we speak! We were programmed this way! While the true remedy lies in revealing eternal life, all that doctors can do is hand out sedatives and anti-depressants.

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Don’t Mess With Nature’s Balance!


A question I received: It is known that we only use 2% of our brain. Could we say that spiritual development will allow us to develop the existing but unused potential of our brain?

My answer: 2% is more than enough for this world. What’s the purpose of the remaining 98%? The function of this “excess” volume is spiritual advancement, meaning the development of the soul and the perception of the Upper World. This same principle is now being revealed in humanity.

Only 2% of the population is necessary to provide for all of humanity’s needs. What should the remaining 98% do? Why were they created by Nature?

This is a very alarming indicator. After all, Nature functions under the influence of the law of balance. If certain animals are left without any possibilities for survival, either because they have multiplied excessively or they are simply “extras,” they become extinct. Thereby, Nature continues to maintain balance. We are also a part of Nature and we are nearing such a situation.

Nevertheless, we do exist on the human level and we need that 98% of humanity to carry out our spiritual correction, just as the larger part of a person’s brain is necessary for spiritual development. The problem is that those 2% of the people (who can provide for themselves and all of us materially) are not in a position to correct themselves spiritually.

This is because the greatest evil is concentrated in a small number of people. The portion of evil in each person is huge and its correction therefore is impossible. This is why all the evil created by the Upper force is divided among 7 billion people and each is responsible for correcting his small part. This is the only way that correction can be realized.

We are currently faced with an enormous threat. It is imperative for humanity to start correcting its egoism, not for the sake of spiritual development, but for self-preservation. Only then will the existence of such a large quantity of people be justified.

Massive calamities are ahead if we do not begin the work of correcting ourselves. Human egoism has grown throughout history, but now we find ourselves locked within the general system of Nature. We have become an integral part of it and have no way to avoid carrying out its laws of balance through bestowal and love within our “excess” egoism. In its own role, Nature knows no other way of balancing itself other than through the elimination of the “excess” parts within it (those that do not fulfill its laws).

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Finding Freedom And Balance Through The Creator


Questions I received concerning freedom, balance and the meaning of the Egyptian plagues.

Question: What does a free person feel?

Answer: Man’s freedom lies in being able to maintain the equilibrium in all of creation, to sustain it and balance it “standing on one foot.” On the right side of the scale is the Creator’s force of bestowal. On the left side of the scale is the Creator’s force of reception. These are direct and opposite sides; the holy and evil forces. And if a person can balance himself in between them, he is given the freedom of will from the influence of both and can thereby express his free choice.

Question: How is it possible to balance on the tip of a needle?

Answer: You have to glue yourself to the Creator, draw Him to yourself with all your might and get close to Him, as a baby to his mother. The baby loves to feel himself under her protection, and from there can boldly look onto the whole world. Or, while sitting in her arms, he can point his finger  to where he wants to go – thereby expressing his will!

This is the correct way in which a baby develops. He knows that with his mother he is safe, and that she will use all her strength and every opportunity to fulfill his desires.  This is the correct way for us to work with the Creator!

Question: What do the Egyptian plagues refer to?

Answer: This is how the Creator teaches a person to battle with his nature, while hardening it and warning man against it. He provides examples of how we can fight our egoism.

This is the Creator, saying: “Go to Pharaoh! This is what you have to do. Take Me by the hand and hold onto Me. I will also hold you, but you have to learn how to cling to Me, so that you can resist the monster, which is revealed within you through his 10 primary unclean forces. All that is required of you is to sit in My arms and desire for this monster to be vanquished. I will appease the monster according to your instructions only if you glue yourself to Me.”

If a person performs this work, it means that he has freedom of will, since in this state, he has all the conditions needed.

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How to Prevent A Mutual Disaster


In the News (from UN News Centre):Desertification poses security risks, Ban warns on World Day” – With 200 million people projected to become environmentally-induced migrants by 2050, land degradation threatens national and regional stability, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, marking the World Day to Combat Desertification. One-third of the Earth’s surface is affected by desertification, endangering the livelihoods and development of up to 1 billion people, Mr. Ban said in a message to commemorate the Day, which has been observed since 1995.

My Comment: For the sake of the Earth and humanity, all people on Earth should unite and establish a global mutual food supply chain of necessary products. In this way, all people may stay where they are, not worrying about the future and not overpopulating areas of the world that have optimal agricultural conditions. Prevention of this mutual disaster lies in unity and mutual guarantee.

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Our Happiness Blesses The Creator


Two questions I received about happiness and Kabbalah as a science:

Question: As Kabbalists, should we always be happy?

My Answer: If a person feels miserable, he thereby curses the Creator. This has to do only with the feeling in one’s heart, and not the words that he utters. If a person is happy, he thereby blesses the Creator, without any words and without even addressing Him.

Question: You claim that Kabbalah is a science. Personally, I love science; it is one of my favorite subjects. I am also fascinated with the wisdom of Kabbalah. I know that there are requirements for a study to pass in order for it to be considered a science, and not a pseudoscience. One such requirement is that the study can be falsified (proven false). So, for honesty’s sake, is there any way for Kabbalah to be falsified?

My Answer: If Kabbalah is studied through the original sources such as The Book of Zohar, and teachers such as the ARI, Ramchal, Baal HaSulam or from a teacher who received his knowledge from a great Kabbalist of the previous generation, the rest depends only on the student.

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