Good Environment – 02.15.11

My Good Environment – Daily Lesson Summary 

It Won’t Help Us To Play Love

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why do we have to study to attract the upper Light? Why can’t the Light influence us while working in the group the way it influences a child while he’s playing? Why isn’t it enough for us to play the game of “love for friends” in order to attain that love?

Answer: During the study we try to unite together and we definitely need the Light to develop us. This Light does not come by us just trying to unite together. It has to come to us from the upper world, from the higher state or level.

We do not grow like animals, meaning, we do not grow on the same level. A small child that wants to get older only grows inside his ego, without transforming it “for the sake of bestowal.” He just becomes a more grown-up animal.

But in our spiritual work, at every level we turn our ego to bestowal and that is why we need the Light that Reforms. Therefore, it’s not enough for us to “play” in the group in order to attain love for friends because this love is opposite to our nature. I play love, but by doing that I won’t reach it.

If people wish to unite in order to attain the egoistic goal that our ego understands, such as to win or earn, then they don’t have any problem uniting. But if we have to change our nature, then our ego doesn’t understand why it’s necessary to unite with others, and that’s why we are unable to do so. I hear many complaints. People come to us and perplexedly ask, “These are the relationships that you, Kabbalists have?! But there has to be infinite love here! And instead, look at what’s happening here!” People from outside don’t get it.

If you enter any external society that has a clear egoistic goal, you will see that they are united together because they understand that together they can attain the goal, such as succeeding at some business or building a house. But we cannot unite because unity between us is possible only by breaking the ego, while in the external society it happens by increasing the ego.

That is why we have to additionally evoke the Light that Reforms. Only the Light’s influence can unite us. We can only reveal hatred among us. In the external society, which is united by the egoistic goal, people reveal love among them, whereas we reveal hatred. This is called “Mount Sinai”—the mountain of hatred. Then we will need the Torah—the Light that Reforms because we can only unite with its help.

That is why only hatred becomes revealed in a real group of Kabbalists, and then they have to study in order to attract the Light that will unite them. But the Light unites them only for a moment, and then they reveal hatred once again in order for them to advance further by attracting the Light to them. And that is how they constantly have to attract the Light since otherwise they become immersed in hatred. Hatred is their ego, “help against them,” helping them to advance in this way.

That is why we need the group and we have to try to unite together even though it is clear to us that we won’t attain it on our own. Yet we must try not to hang our heads in the face of this game. And we have to study together in order to attract the Light that Reforms because it has to perform this revolution inside us, since we won’t unite without acquiring the quality of bestowal.

External societies unite egoistically, whereas we unite only by virtue of mutual spiritual bestowal. If the Light influences us and unites us with one another, then in the common Kli between us, we will immediately reveal the Creator. The common force that will become revealed among us is the Creator. Then our desire to enjoy will turn into the desire to bestow.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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The Future Is Up To The Virtual Group

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Is it possible to reach the realization of evil in the relationships between us through the virtual group and the computer screen?

Answer: Of course it is. We are in a common desire, so it makes no difference whether we are sitting next to each other. I might be sitting next to you without knowing what your name is or looking at your face. It doesn’t matter whether we are in one building or in different places.

Unity happens through feeling and does not require physical contact. Our world is becoming entirely connected through virtual connections. And that is exactly how our desire will be.

I do not have to sit together with everyone in one room. The sensation of unity is not connected to physical distance, and someone close is not someone who is close physically, but spiritually. Physical distance does not affect desires and sensations. This is true even in our world, in the relationships between people, and moreover in spiritual connection. It is not related to physical distance at all.

Try working in a virtual group and you will see that it makes no difference whether you are sitting together around one table or by your screens.
[35422]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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The Science About The Nature Of Bestowal

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: I understand the explanation that the world is becoming global and we all need to unite. This is a very scientific conclusion. But I don’t understand where the force that actualizes the unity comes from, what is the surrounding Light? This already sounds like mysticism.

Answer: Books explaining the structure of the upper world (Talmud Eser Sefirot) are not mysticism, but a strict science in which there are two operating forces: Light and desire, or bestowal and reception. All the formulas are derived from these two forces, just like in math which has a dual conception: from 0 and 1, or like in physics which always examines two forces and their interaction.

The science of Kabbalah is the same and it provides a foundation for the entire attainment of reality and for all other sciences that describe this reality. I do not see anything mystical about it.

I agree that it is written in a language that is not very customary or clear to the modern person, yet its conclusions are clear, scientific, and logical. We are confused by the text because we do not know how to interpret it correctly. But in essence it is talking only about the will to enjoy which takes on the form of bestowal, and then it is called a spiritual “body,” Partzuf.

Desire is matter. For example, in our world there are different kinds of matter: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking. All of them are also the desire to enjoy, which takes on different external forms depending on its type, and as a result we see many kinds of plants and animals.

The same desire to enjoy operates in the spiritual world. However, in our world it takes on all sorts of egoistic forms, whereas in the spiritual world it assumes the forms of bestowal rather than reception. That is why we cannot recognize them right now since we do not have the kind of vision to see in the Light of bestowal. Thus, we do not discern these images.

You now attain yourself and others through the desire to absorb inside of yourself, to receive. All of your vision is based on this. That is why you see precisely this kind of world around you—all sorts of forms of reception in the desire to enjoy. We reveal all of these forms, study them, and based on that we build science.

However, there exists a different form of desire—bestowal, when you radiate outside of yourself. When the desire begins working this way, it also takes on different forms: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking, which are all the possible levels of bestowal, the combination of different forces of bestowal operating on it.

The science of Kabbalah studies precisely these forms. Kabbalists who have attained the quality of bestowal, each according to his level, write to us about their observations just like other scientists write about the forms of reception in this world. So there are the sciences of this world, which are about our earthly nature, and there is the science about the nature of bestowal called “Kabbalah.”
[35419]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: If it is impossible to attract the Light that Reforms without studying the science of Kabbalah, does that mean everyone is obligated to study?

Answer: Of course! That is why Baal HaSulam says that everyone has to “sit at the desks.” But what does it mean “to study”? Studying does not happen through the mind. You don’t have to know anything. You have to study only for the sake of the intention to attract the Light so it would influence you and transform your ego to love, unity.

What’s important isn’t the study, but the result. This is called “the Torah,” as it is written, “I created the ego and I gave the Torah for its correction because the Light contained in it returns one to the Source.” The Light transforms your ego, your hatred for the friends, into bestowal, love, and unity.

This is the entire essence of the Torah. You don’t have to understand anything, but only to change hatred to love.

Question: And the whole world has to do this?

Answer: That’s right. But what does “studying” mean for them? It can even mean watching our broadcasts absentmindedly for half an hour a day. That’s enough. They don’t have to understand anything. Of course, it is necessary to give them a general explanation about freedom of choice and unification since they can understand that. But they do not need real study.

Besides, since the souls are connected with one another, our study will influence them. But they will have to make efforts too.
[35404]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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The Elevating Force Of Desire

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why is it impossible to attain spirituality naturally, just by doing my work? Why is it that we definitely have to reach despair first, crying and asking the Creator?

Answer: You don’t have to cry artificially. You just reach this state naturally. You reveal it and then your inner affliction is called prayer. You don’t have to say any words out-loud or make any artificial actions. With your work you will simply achieve a state that you will no longer be able to tolerate. And that means that you will burst with prayer.

You shouldn’t try to reach it artificially or simply scream. You should concentrate on your work, and then the request will come naturally, the way thirst does. You don’t think about the fact that at sometime in the future you will want to drink. But the time will come when you definitely will want it. Thus, if you study and advance together with the group, then at some point you will reach the state of spiritual thirst. You will definitely want it!

This is talking about strictly determined qualities and set laws that develop by a clear chain of cause and effect. You advance according to the root of your soul from your initial state to the final correction along a clear line that has already extended to you from the world of Infinity. Now you are going back along the same line. The only thing up for discussion is the acceleration of time and development.

In order to speed up this movement we have to participate in it ourselves, get organized into a group, and start attracting the Light with our study. If you have been given this desire, then realize it! You want to shift to the next level faster, so imagine it and start building it artificially as if you already are on that level. Attract it to you in order to ascend to it faster.

In essence we are building a certain image of the upper level, our next state, which is defined by the fact that 1) I am more connected with others, and 2) that our connection is filled by Light which unites us. To do this I have to connect with others the way I am able to today, and by studying to attract the Light that will connect us. What I study are the kinds of connections between us on a higher level, in a more corrected form.

I read about the world to come, about the corrected, wonderful state, and from there I attract Light to myself, and I also aspire to it. This is the simplest physics. There is nothing artificial or imaginary about it.

However, in it, what operates is desires, and desires are force. If I aspire to some state with my own forces, then I thereby evoke its illumination upon myself, receiving an influence to the degree that I aspire.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/15/11, Writings of Rabash

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The Distance Between Life And Death

Dr. Michael Laitman“Introduction of The Book of Zohar,” Article “The Fourth Commandment,” Item 212: It is written, “And let them be Me’orot [lights],” with the letters of Ohr [light] Mavet [death], since the Klipa follows the brain. The brain is light, and the other side is death….

When this light departs from there, the letters of separation, Mavet, unite. When not making the unification in the place of AVI, but in the place of ZON below, the light departs from there because AVI are promptly separated from their Zivug and the light stops. Then the word Ohr comes out of the word Me’orot and the letters of Mavet join. This is so because after the elicitation of the light from the word Me’orot, the word death remains there because the letters of Ohr have already departed from the word and they no longer separate the letters of Mavet.

This implies to the sin of that primordial serpent, which connected below in the place of ZON, and hence separated above for AVI because their Zivug stopped because of it and has brought death to the world.

From this we see how short the distance between life and death is, how instantly it turns life into death. Everything depends on whether or not a person discerns within himself the presence of the Creator. If the Creator is present and He is above, it is life, and if not, death.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/14/2011, “Introduction of The Book of Zohar”

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Introductory Lecture “The Importance Of Learning” – 02.15.11

Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Lecture Series, “The Importance of Learning”
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Talking To The Deaf

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: If it is impossible to comprehend what Kabbalists talk about until one enters the spiritual world and sees the roots, then why are you trying to explain everything "more clearly" to us?

Answer: I attempt to awaken in you the desire to reach spiritual attainment, and then you will understand what I was relating. Baal HaSulam writes about it in the article "The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah":

And once he has thoroughly attained the upper roots with his own mind, he may examine the tangible branches in this world and know how each branch relates to its root in the upper world, in all its orders, in quantity and quality.

When one knows and thoroughly comprehends all that, there is a common language between him and his teacher, namely the Language of the Branches. Using it, the Kabbalist sage may convey the studies in the wisdom, conducted in the upper, spiritual worlds….

However, when a disciple is not wise and comprehends the language on his own, meaning how the branches indicate to their roots, naturally, the teacher cannot convey even a single word of this spiritual wisdom, much less negotiate with him in the scrutiny of the wisdom. This is so because they have no common language they can use, and they become like mute.

In Kabbalah, "forbidden" means "impossible." In our world certain actions are prohibited because if one wants to, he can nonetheless do even what’s forbidden. But such behavior can only occur "in the fall of man" and below it. In the spiritual world, if something is forbidden, it means that it’s absolutely impossible to do it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/14/2011, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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