How Can You Help A Friend?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I help a friend acquire the right intention?

Answer: When a beginner first comes to Kabbalah, he does not see, hear, or feel what it is talking about. He is immersed in his own thoughts and desires. He sits down and studies together with everyone like a baby who was just born and does not perceive anything or understand what kind of world he is in. Or it can be compared to a sick person who has lost consciousness.

I remember myself after a car accident when I lay in bed unconscious. Sometimes I would slightly regain consciousness and hear voices on the outside. Sometimes I could even reply to them, but I did not see anything or react in any way. This is similar to a person who comes to study Kabbalah: He is present and not present. He needs time and care from others, the way people take care of someone who is seriously sick or a baby. This kind of care can help him to advance slightly.

If the assistance does not help, then the person has to be left alone and given time to gradually make order for himself. This may take him several months or years until he begins to hear Kabbalah rather than himself.

When does a person really start to hear for the first time? It’s when he feels that unity with others opens up spiritual sensations for him and that this is exactly where the entrance to the spiritual world lies.

Therefore, the bigger and stronger the environment, the more it accelerates a person’s development and influences him, forcing him to move faster on his own.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/31/10, The Zohar

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Two Birds Heard The Herald

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “VaYechi (And Jacob Lived),” Item136: “One bird comes out to the south, right—the one that comes from a spark of Hochma. Also, one bird comes out to the north, left—the one that comes from the spark of Bina. One comes out when the day rises, from Hochma, and one when the day sets, at evening time, after midday, from Bina. Each calls and declares what it heard from that herald… from the illumination of the midnight Zivug, called ‘a herald’.”

This is speaking of a person’s inner states when he analyzes the self and undergoes various processes of discerning the three lines within himself. He examines to what extent is he positioned in equilibrium in the right, left, or middle line.

“Day” and “night” don’t come from outside. We always remain in the Light and our Kelim are divided into multiple types in which we perceive the right, left, and middle lines, as well as upward and downward, as well as all directions and times. The division into internal and external Kelim gives us the sensation of distance and space, close and far, and the classification of desires into “root, soul, body, coverings, and abode.”

All these peculiarities, as well as day, night, morning, evening, and various hours, are processes taking place in our desire. In fact, desire is the only thing we possess. Through dividing into numerous types and constantly unfolding them for us, the desire gives us the sensation of the occurring changes in time and space in the emerging states.

We classify them as four types of perception, “World, year, soul, and existence of reality.” All these modifications take place within us as a result of our correction since everything except us remains in absolute rest. Only the Reshimot keep unwinding and unfolding either “in its time” (Beito) or “Ahishena,” which is when we start accelerating this process and hastening the time.

Therefore, the “birds” that flew in “night,” “day,” “morning,” “evening,” all the planes such as “root, soul, body, coverings, abode,” and the existence of reality are perceived within a person in his desire. However, I think that I am surrounded by a world full of people, that everything is spinning and life goes on. Yet, only one thing is within my reach: What steps will I take toward the correct perception of reality?

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/31/10, The Zohar

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Introductory Lecture “What Is Prayer” – 08.31.10

Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Lecture Series, “What is Prayer”
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

The Zohar Is The Remedy For Every Illness

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar is just like the Torah in that there is no need to read it in an orderly fashion. You can open up the book anywhere you want to! It’s similar to Psalms; you can open up any psalm and read it. You can even begin reading any psalm starting in the middle of it.

The most important thing when reading holy books (meaning books written by those who attain the Creator through the quality of holiness, bestowal, Bina) is not what you are reading or the things you read about, but the intention: What do you want to attain by reading?

One way or another you are reading about the Upper World, which you don’t feel or understand. The Zohar is the highest source of all the holy books. It is the most powerful source of Upper Light, the Light of Correction. It’s like an infusion to a sick person, or like a medicine that you take.

What do you want to attain by taking this medicine? What does "being healthy" mean to you? Depending on this, the force of The Book of Zohar can be the elixir of life for you, or a deadly poison!

Therefore, before opening up this book, you must think and feel, attune yourself, prepare and discern: What are you hoping to receive from it now? You are hoping to receive medicine, which is symbolized by a snake. A snake’s venom can be truly poisonous, or it can be the remedy for every illness.

Therefore, before opening up The Book of Zohar, we must have the right intention so instead of attracting deadly poison, we will attract the elixir of life that saves us. When people study the Torah without the right intention, it becomes dry and lifeless. This is even more dangerous when we are reading The Book of Zohar, the greatest source of power.

It wasn’t an accident that for so long The Zohar was concealed from regular people and revealed to Kabbalists. A Kabbalist, meaning a person who attained the right desire, was sure to find this book in some way. It was sent to him through someone or in some other way. He was brought to the place where he could find it.

However, it was not revealed to other people because in the past we were unable to arm ourselves with the right intention. That’s why The Zohar would only have brought harm upon us. Today, however, we open up The Book of Zohar with the intention that it will bring us goodness, that it will become the source of life for us instead of turning into deadly poison.

The Zohar contains such enormous force that we must be careful to open it only together and with the right intention. That is why it has become revealed in our time and offers us incredible opportunities. We want to offer it to everyone.

However, every person must know that only the right intention while studying The Zohar can turn it into the elixir of life.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/31/10, The Zohar

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What Have You Ever Done On Your Own?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why does the Creator allow some people to commit brutal crimes?

Answer: The science of Kabbalah illuminates the questions of perception of reality, free will, and human nature, showing that a person who lives in this world does not possess freedom of choice. Therefore, he doesn’t commit any conscious acts.

A person can attain the freedom of choice only in a Kabbalistic group, which is a group of people connected in order to attain the spiritual goal. In this case a person receives or earns some degree of acting freely. However, those who have not reached spiritual attainment and have not reconciled two opposite forces, action and intention, do not act at all!

They arrive at the end of this life as if they have never lived. In other words, they haven’t lived as “humans.” It is their biological body that lived, just like any other type of animal. It is a life dictated by instinctive nature only. A person can only rise above it by way of “faith above reason,” when he desires to attain a different nature.

The unity of these two natures, Upper and lower, is regarded as the human in him. Only a person who achieves this can be said to have performed independent actions that are worth punishing or rewarding. In other words, only a Kabbalist can be judged for his own actions. An ordinary person cannot be judged since he acts in accordance with Nature’s orders. He follows one route and does nothing using his own free will.

Nevertheless, in our world punishing measures are necessary. However, we don’t administer them at will but under orders from Above, although it happens through the government legislature, courts, and law enforcement devices. All of this exists in order to hasten our development!

This is the Upper Governance over all people, who are like puppets, with the purpose of bringing them closer to the point of freedom of choice.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/31/10, “What Are the Two Actions During the Time of Descent?”

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The Perception Of A Sin Is Repentance In Itself

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the article “When a Person Knows What the Fear of God Is,” Rabash writes that a sin takes place particularly during an ascent when a person, throwing away faith, merits the Creator’s love and decides to use it as a foundation for his work. A person thinks that he will never descend again since he will advance according to his common sense. However, he descends again into self-love, into punishment, for the fact that he has lost faith.

And this punishment is correction that helps him return to the direct path of ascending the spiritual ladder.

This is precisely how we should interpret our states. A state where it seems to us that we are in a descent and that we have received a punishment is actually given for our correction. Feeling one’s sin means not sinning anymore. A sin is what we have done prior to this! And the feeling of a committed sin is already correction.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/30/10, “When A Person Knows What the Fear of God Is”

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Try To Perform The Work Yourself!

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Is it possible to proceed by “faith above reason” all the time?

Answer: Of course not. However, Kabbalists do not discuss whether we can or cannot proceed in that manner; we simply must! And when we can’t, we ask for help, and the Creator does this work for us. The entire work is done by the Creator, not a person. But we need to ask Him to perform it.

A person has to come to an end in trying to perform the work himself. Even if he knows from the start that he is doomed to fail in trying to achieve the goal using his own strength, he should still do it. Thereby he discovers that the work will be done by the Creator, and he knows how to ask Him.

I always exist in a process where I move along a straight line from the initial (current) point to the final goal, which I must reach by any means. The final point is bestowal, love for the Creator and for the created beings, faith above reason, and bestowal above/over reception. I need to leave the initial point and come to the final point, and on the path we have the following:

1st part: Doing everything that is in your power! This is first and foremost.
2nd part: Reaching complete disappointment in my own strength.
3rd part: Understanding that only the Creator can save me.
4th part: Beginning to work together with Him in bestowal (Hafetz Hesed) and love.

But while I am still at the very beginning, I should rely on my own strength and know that I will undoubtedly reach the end. I cannot fold my arms across my chest and wait for action from Above. If I do not exert as much as I can during the first stage, if I don’t do everything that is possible, then I will never reach despair and understanding of my powerlessness. This means that I will never realize that I require the Creator’s help. If so, how can I rouse the Light that Reforms?

Stages unfold one after the other, and the current state determines and builds the next one. A person doesn’t know exactly where he is and what awaits him at the next stage during the next moment. However, the whole advancement is carried out due to his pressure.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/30/10, “When A Person Knows What the Fear of God Is”

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The Point Of Salvation

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe same question arises over and over again: Why couldn’t the Light create a perfect being similar to the Creator from the start? But it can’t be done! It is impossible to pass the property of bestowal from the Creator to the creature directly.

This is why we have to experience the breaking of the worlds (in the World of Nekudim) and the collective soul (the fall into sin with the Tree of Knowledge). There is no other way to connect and bring the qualities of bestowal and reception (Bina and Malchut) into one another except through the sin (the breaking) of Adam and the destruction of the Temple.

But what forced man to taste the fruit (apple) of the Tree of Knowledge? It’s similar to the predicament when you see a pleasure and clearly recognize that it brings harm; you feel shame, yet you are willing to override it because the temptation is too strong. You can’t resist it, even if it’s deadly. Moreover, the pleasure doesn’t cancel shame but forces you to continue!

This is when it’s necessary to arrive at conclusions and learn, since at this exact point you experience Adam’s sin founded on the collective egoism (the Tree of Knowledge), which is described as: “I ate and will eat again!” He can’t resist; this pleasure is greater than him although he knows it is forbidden.

This is the point where the difference between the Light and desire is revealed. And if you are able to sense and wish to correct it, you will realize that you need the Light that Reforms. There is no option; this is the only way to feel that you are doomed and can be saved solely by the miracle from Above. That is when you ask for the Light and receive salvation.

Salvation comes only from this point in a human. As for the “animals,” the Creator doesn’t call on them to come out of Egypt. It is the “human” who exits Egypt and leads the “cattle” out as well.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/29/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot

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A Guide To The Book Of Zohar: "We Were Like In A Dream"

Dr. Michael LaitmanExcerpts from my upcoming book, A Guide to The Book of Zohar

The most complex and, at the same time, the most fascinating subject related to The Book of Zohar and life in general is the perception of reality. There are many waves around us that we presently do not perceive, such as radio waves. There is also an all-inclusive field of information. The field of higher information is called the higher nature or the Creator.

This field fills the entire space around us. We are capable of establishing contact with this field and receiving everything from it: feelings, understanding, knowledge, love, and also the sensation of eternal life and wholeness that’s inherent to it.

The whole purpose of the wisdom of Kabbalah is to teach us how to develop within ourselves the instruments to perceive this field of higher information. This is possible only via an inner transformation, and as we attain it, we become similar to this field: the Creator.

We exist in this field even now, but we are incapable of perceiving it.

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