Kabbalah is the method that talks about the need to unite with each other according to the plan of Nature, the single force which controls the entire universe, all of us, all of creation. Since the days of ancient Babylon, this science has been hidden from humanity. Kabbalah only states that this teaching would be passed through a tiny “stream” from teacher to disciple for thousands of years, from ancient Babylon to the present time, until our world becomes a modern Babylon, meaning the world turns into one whole with complete interconnection regardless of borders, countries, continents, nations, races, groups, and the religions that have emerged over the course of history. Our interdependence will become so strong that it will eliminate all these barriers.

On the other hand, our egoism will remain and continue to develop. Because of this, we will hate each other even more. We will repel each other automatically; we will think only of ourselves subconsciously and instinctively. We won’t consider the others and will only use them maximally for our own profit. This will be our nature for 3700 years, Kabbalistic sources said.

We will come to enormous egoism, and it will be natural for us. We will not even realize that it is special, but only that this is us and this the manner of our life. Nonetheless, this egoism, together with our extensive integral connection and the communication that we have developed between ourselves, will eventually turn us into Babylon again.

Besides that, during the last stage of development when this huge egoistic society becomes global, we will practically deplete all the natural resources and sources of: energy, oil, coal, gas, water, minerals, and metals. Everything is coming to an end. Even if we’d like to grow our egoistic potential, it won’t be possible.

The consumer society that developed during the 20th century has exhausted itself, emptying the Earth of all resources, and as a result, we cannot continue in this life even physically. We have reached such a confrontation with each other and the environment that it forces us to do something.

Our society will become different—uncontrollable. Recently we see revolutions taking place in different countries; we see how communication and connection between people urges them to demand social change. However, we still do not understand how or why this happens: Today it is there, tomorrow it may happen here or elsewhere. We do not see where any of this leads.

In this state of confusion, not being able to understand the next stage, we see the science of Kabbalah being revealed to the world again. I remember when I studied with my teacher, we used to travel to special, Kabbalistic places and sit there together, across from each other. During those evenings and nights, he tried to tell me that the time would come when Kabbalah would be revealed.

What does “revealed” mean? “Revealed” means that it is not you who starts talking about it, but people who want to hear start coming. It depends not on you, but on the ones who will listen.

We see that this time has come because there are plenty of people from different countries, on different continents, in various languages, who want to hear what nature, the Creator, demands from us. They want to know what we should resemble, how we should change ourselves, on what level to rise, how to enter an entirely different dimension, how to perceive the general level of nature, eternity, and perfection, and to feel this here and now in our world. It is said in the science of Kabbalah that such people would appear at the end of the 20th century.

I did not really believe it: I did not see these conditions. However, at the end of the last century, thousands of people became interested in Kabbalah, subconsciously and instinctively sensing this urge thanks to their desires which had developed and reached maturity. In the next stage, a new dimension is conceived in this finally ripened egoistic desire.
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From the 1st lesson at the Moscow Convention 6/10/11

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We do not have the slightest idea about the future world order because we have entered a system of forces which has never before manifested in our world. As nature, the Creator, approaches us, it becomes outlined more and more clearly. Thus, we must begin to reveal the upper world, meaning the system of governance by the upper force, the Light.

As this external force approaches us, as it shines on us, our society, and the world more perceptibly, more intensely, we sense our oppositeness to this force. We don’t feel the force itself, but sense our inability to settle down even a little bit.

The world has become unpredictable. People are engaged in fortune telling and even believe in miracles. How can it happen in our enlightened age? How can we suddenly begin to believe in it after the 20th century? Every year and sometimes a few times a year, we have all kinds of doomsday dates and other apocalyptic events.

In addition, we find ourselves in the rigid embrace of nature which unexpectedly generates crises of tsunami, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, fires, floods, and so on. Gradually, everything is going out of balance, out of that delicate equilibrium in which we were. That’s because we are going through a turning point. We crossed this turning point once before on a smaller social scale in ancient Babylon. The entirety of humankind was concentrated there, and even then, it discovered that it was a small, closed society.

Today, even though there are seven billion of us, we are a closed society. We suddenly “short-circuited” together; we found ourselves dependent on each other. On the other hand, we are like spouses before a divorce. We hate each other although we are still in one apartment. We should move out, we cannot be together, but common ties hold us together. This is the “shared apartment” that we find ourselves in today on Earth.

Once before, this became evident in a small territory, in Mesopotamia 3700 years ago. Then, for the first time, people began to seek out what they could do about it. On one hand, they were in the same place and in complete, total interdependence. On the other, they hated each other and strove to be as far away as possible from each other. Two opposite forces, two of the hardest tendencies were tearing the society apart. Then, in fact, two methods were suggested.

The first method was the correction of their nature. “Let us correct the egoism that separates, distances, and alienates us from each other. Then, we would win. We would become a single entity in mutual support. We would have enormous power, and we really would erect a “tower up to heaven,” the tower of mutual love, cooperation, and unity, the positive force.

Thus, they would become equal to nature because everything in nature is interconnected. All its levels—the inanimate, vegetative, and animate—always act in mutual harmony, and only a human with his egoism feels himself above nature, believing that he can do whatever he pleases. However, if he understands the laws of nature and looks for correspondence with it, for a harmonious relationship, then he would sense all of its capacity and power. He would understand and realize its purpose, its essence.

This is what was suggested by the adepts of human correction, but, unfortunately, humanity (around three million people living between the Tigris and Euphrates) chose a different path. Like spouses after a failed marriage, they decided that it would be better for them to “move out,” divide their shared apartment, and break the contract. Thus, people dispersed around the world.

Many ancient sources narrated this story. From those times we have the book on Kabbalah called The Book of Creation. We have it in our free archive, in the Russian language as well.

The book called The Great Commentary appeared after that. It also describes the events that happened in ancient Babylon and how people could not solve the problem of unity. To do this, they had to work on their egoism, to rise above it by means of a special method, and that required much more internal, moral effort than simply to physically separate from each other and do whatever everybody wanted, each in his own corner.

Josephus Flavius describes where people went, to which places. Later, all the beliefs and religions were originated by them, everything based on egoism, everything that egoism supports.
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From the 1st lesson at the Moscow Convention 6/10/11

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Question: What has to happen so that the all of humanity will start embracing the method of correction?

Answer: Most people don’t yet understand where all the problems are coming from. It’s not about the government, unemployment, political and economic manipulations, or “backroom” intrigues. America’s pressure and cheap labor in China are merely the external side of the game, but people think that somebody in this world still has power over them, as though political leaders like Ahmadinejad, Obama, or Merkel can indeed determine anything.

What is the point in going into the streets to loudly claim something if it’s not working anyway? How many governments need to change to show us some use? We have to understand once and for all that changes may come only from Above, by the power of nature, and not by some ruler’s will. He is just the same as his people. What does he know? What can he possibly do in the global world where the well-being of every country depends on all the rest?

There is simple logic in it. There are more than 250 countries in the world. What can one prime minister do with a given country under the conditions of total interdependence? What options do they have in the common market? The global economy is governed by cruel laws, and it’s impossible to take a step to the right or left since everyone is tied to their own zone of influence. Is each nation’s leader entitled to a magic wand along with his office?

People hope for a change of power when, in fact, it’s only going to get worse, not because of certain leaders, but because they are looking in the wrong direction. People are yet to understand who is really in charge of the situation. If we don’t spread the wisdom of Kabbalah in the world, they will never know, while they will feel that it’s our fault. They are not aware of Kabbalah which we hide in our hands, but they will be pointing fingers only at us.

Then, as the era of Gog and Magog is described, the entire world will be making claims of us. First, there will be wars between the nations followed by their turning against Israel. It’s only natural since they are in conflict and have no idea what to do about it.

They will blame others until they will start to understand that everyone is in danger, everybody is desperate, but there is no salvation in anything. Where does this misfortune come from? Whose fault is it? No, it isn’t Obama’s, Ahmadinejad’s, Merkel’s or Sarcozy’s. They are not to blame; it’s only the Jews. How so? That’s how they feel.

It is a natural reaction of an anti-Semite: “It’s all your fault!” Frankly, are they that wrong? No, they aren’t. That is how it’s going to be if we don’t spread the method of correction at the right time and show the willingness to share it with the world.

We must act ahead of all their claims and be ready to respond to the world’s desire. We must apply the medicine before the illness becomes acute. Mind you, it’s not because we fear them, but because such is the will of the Creator who doesn’t want to see any people suffer.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/30/2011, “The Peace”

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The crisis that has enveloped the world was very obvious at the recent conventions we held, including the one in Italy three weeks ago and especially  the one in Madrid, Spain a week ago. There the crisis is very apparent. The masses are in disarray, and the rate of unemployment among young people is 40%. And things only get worse every day. There are demonstrations and protestors holding sit-ins on the streets, and more.

I deliberately walked around the streets there and talked to people. They don’t know what to do and are holding protests in front of government buildings. But the government also doesn’t know what to do. Everyone is confused and no one is guilty. And it’s all because we are finding ourselves facing nature’s challenge.

Work places cannot be created out of empty space. And what for? By doing that we would only exhaust the remaining natural resources even faster, ruin the soil, and pollute the environment even more. Our water and air resources will dwindle even faster. So why should we stimulate the deteriorating economy? Just to give people work? With these kinds of consequences, it’s better not to give it to them!

In Spain I appeared on the most popular TV channel during prime time. Instead of speaking for just a few minutes, which was planned according to the program, the interview lasted thirteen minutes. Can you imagine—thirteen minutes on the morning news, among reports about the most important current events! They just couldn’t put an end to the interview.

My suggestion was simple and came down to one piece of practical advice: We have to sit people down to study. They should be paid unemployment benefits (which will also be the most effective money-saving strategy) and they should be taught about what kind of world we are living in, what exists in front of us, and what kind of challenge nature is throwing at us.

This is not someone’s whim or the interests of a certain party or government leaders. This is none other than nature, which is challenging us. And the challenge is for us to change. We do not have to change anything besides ourselves.

We have to become integral and global, in conformity to the current crisis. After all, the crisis is the sensation of one’s lack of conformity with the surrounding nature. Therefore, if we correct ourselves this way, everything will become balanced out and will reach harmony. This is what people should be taught.

The interview received a widespread positive response throughout all of Spain, as well as Latin American and North America, and that’s because it really is the only sensible way to come out of the situation that has formed. And Spain is not alone. Greece, Iceland, Italy and others are in a similar situation, and there are many other countries gradually entering this crisis. And in other places the crisis is coming in different ways.

That is how nature places a clear task before us: We have to change. We have to be integral with nature just like everything else it contains—the still, vegetative, and animate levels. Man should not think that he is above nature and that he can do anything he wishes. His most important task is to consciously become an integral part of the whole.

By becoming an integral part of nature, he begins to understand what it is, and suddenly discovers new depths in it: the worlds of Assiya, Beria, Yetzira, Atzilut, Adam Kadmon, and the world of Infinity. He no longer obstructs himself from nature with his egoism, but starts to feel nature as transparent. He finally understands and becomes aware of the forces that control everything, including himself.

This is the task we are facing today. Therefore, if we desire it and use the force of aspiration forward, which exists in many people in the world, then we really will aspire to self-correction, to the world’s revelation, to exiting from the state of dreaming, from unconsciousness. Then we will attain total equality with nature, the Creator’s level.
From the 1st lesson at the Moscow Convention 6/10/11

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Shamati #5 “Lishma Is an Awakening From Above, And Why Do We Need an Awakening From Below“
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My Good Environment – Dr. Laitman’s Principles for the Week

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Human society is divided into two parts. People whose point in the heart has awakened comprise a small part of humanity; this is us. The rest of the people do not have the point in the heart, yet a powerful egoistic desire is concentrated namely in them.

Two forces, positive and negative, act in us. We move forward by creating a connection between our ego and the desire to attain the spiritual world, which we develop through the study and forces received from the environment. The connection built by combining these two forces is called the middle line.

The rest of the people, as the science of Kabbalah explains, gradually join us, feeling that there is no alternative: Their egoism, demanding fulfillment all the time, will suffer. Over the course of human development man’s egoism was constantly growing and striving to fill itself as much as possible. Today, when the human ego has lost hope to obtain fulfillment, it faces a crisis.

This encourages people to draw closer to us, although they do not know to whom and how. To make their path easier, we have to circulate the wisdom of Kabbalah and explain that there is a method of correcting the crisis. When they join us, together we will start working in the middle line and thus reach the world of Infinity.

What will we win as a result? We will reach eternity and perfection. We will rise above our reality, above the point of the creation of our Universe and our entire world—to the upper reality.

Nowadays, the point in the heart awakens in many people: There are millions of them already. And the people whose point in the heart has not been revealed yet feel the crisis in addition to egoism. They sense that they lack the positive force without which they cannot live. They know that they have to correct the crisis, they feel that the solution is hidden in unity, but do not understand how to realize it.

In a global and integral world, everything has to be unified; nature demonstrates this to us. Today, it shows that we have to reach the world of Infinity, that we are one whole. This is precisely what the crisis covertly points and directs us to.

In people who should lead humanity to this goal, the crisis reveals the point in the heart, a positive force, which they can obtain from the group and studying. With its help, they can move towards the world of Infinity independently. And those whom the crisis does not give the force of unification but who feel that they lack this force will gradually get explanations from those in whom the point in the heart has awakened, will join them, and together with them will aim for the goal.
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From Lesson 2, Convention in Spain, 6/4/2011

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The only creation is the desire that appears “from absence” by virtue of the Light and gradually reaches its condition. At the beginning it simply wants to enjoy, but later it starts to understand that it is completely under the rule of this desire.

This is how desire grows gradually until it realizes its full opposition to the Light. The first time, it happens during the 4th phase of the expansion of the Direct Light, in the state called Malchut of the world of Infinity.

The creature cannot sustain this condition and restricts itself. This forces it to establish a new relationship with the Creator. It feels obliged to become like Him and strives to do this, until all its attempts bring to their mutual penetration into each other, which is called “the breaking of the desires.”

It seems to us that the breaking is something negative. But in reality it is the other way around. Because of this, the creature understands its full inability to be like the Creator.

In order to become a giver and be similar to the Creator in the state of breaking, it lacks only efforts. Later, it will be able to reach bestowal and rise from a much worse state. However, firstly, it has to experience the realization of evil, prayer, work, good deeds, and until it has all these, it will not be able to become equal to the Creator and to be like Him.

Until the creature has obtained the spiritual vessel, that is, has obtained the understanding and sensation,feeling its own effort and the realization of desire, it is impossible to say that the creature is similar to the Creator. The little one cannot be a giver. He can do something small, play with his toys. But if he really wants to become like an adult, he has to develop a variety of sensations in himself.

Thus, after all the spiritual and historical development given to us as a preparation from Above, we discover that two desires are co-existing within us: our own and an additional desire. A human within us starts with this. One’s own, natural desire pulls a person towards the pleasures that he sees in front in him. The additional desire pulls him to special, spiritual kinds of pleasure; however, he cannot feel anything besides pleasure.

We see in a person of our world his material, physical body. It is not about it, but about the desire drawing him in two directions. One is directed to what is revealed to a person in his or her five sense organs. The other is called “the point in the heart,” and it’s still unclear to a person to where this desire is drawing him and whether it is worth using it.

From the moment these two desires are manifested in a person, he is called a human. Because of these two states, he can become similar to the Creator (Edome), that is, to be called a human (Adam from the Hebrew word “Domeh” or similar). One needs only to find out about the means, to learn how to use these two desires awakened in him or her.

One desire is old and is called an “old and foolish king,” the other one is new and growing like a “smart child.” If one wants to deal with them correctly, this is possible only with the help of the upper force. Thus, he cannot advance on his own and needs a mentor.

Everything is given from Above: People are led to the right place to study; all the necessary conditions are created for them so that they can accept this guidance and use it. Everything is given from Above except for the effort that we have to add ourselves! These efforts build a human.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/7/2011, Shamati #161

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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

A Prayer of Many

It is as our sages [a sage is the one who has attained the Creator] said: “Anyone who is saddened for the public [as for himself and before himself, exactly for this reason] is rewarded and sees the comfort of the public.” The public is called “The Holy Shechina (Divinity)” since public means a collective, meaning the assembly of Israel, since Malchut is the collection of all the souls. [That is, the one who exerts himself for the correction of the collective soul merits the comfort of seeing it].
– Baal HaSulam. Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 35, “Concerning the Vitality of Kedusha”
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Question: Can people who don’t feel any desire for spirituality associate themselves with our message of unity?

Answer: Yes, they can. There is plenty of serious content that talks about the necessity to unite. Thinking people do understand that egoism is destroying the human race, while humanity is selfishly destroying the Earth, and that is why we must switch from egoism to unity and rise to altruism. Only then will we learn to get along with each other and save our planet, the only home we have. After all, we can’t move to another “apartment.” Many world authors describe this picture with clarity and precision.

The issue is how to make this transition. It’s evident that humanity is on the verge of war and faces a gloomy future the insatiable ego is pushing it to. The solution is also obvious: be “good children,” “befriend one another,” restrict consumption, and learn to distribute resources properly. But how do we make it from point A to point B if human nature is the desire to enjoy? How do we reform it? How do we turn it into bestowal?

It is one thing when we talk about basic instincts such as maternal love. But people don’t usually feel this way; love rises only when trouble comes, out of necessity. Hence, we need to try to open their eyes so they may see how serious the situation is and to show them one specific condition: The world will escape demise only by way of unity and mutual participation. Then, left without a choice, they will agree to it.

However, carrying out this transition requires that every moment, in every detail, every tiny particle, each crumb of bread and droplet of water, a person will clearly feel: If I don’t share it with others, I am dead. It should permeate every feeling, action, and choice. This is the way it ought to be.

And the reason for it is one: In his or her egoistic desire that is constantly looking to be pleased, a person feels that he will drop dead if he succumbs to egoism. If the situation is a bit different and death is not instant, he’ll steal. Such is the nature of man. We can’t ask of man what is beyond his power, above his nature.

So it seems that everyone should fear this? It is impossible. In “Introduction to TES” Baal HaSulam writes that in the ancient times, Kabbalists resorted to asceticism, as it is written: “Live on bread and water, sleep on the ground, and labor in the Torah. If you do so, you will be a lucky man.” It follows that even on the path of such sufferings you need the power of the Torah. Otherwise, you must constantly feel misfortunes hanging over you: Either unite or perish.

This is why Kabbalists explain that while undergoing such painful states, a person should “labor in the Torah.” After all, you still have to draw the Light that Reforms. If not, there is no life, and there is no choice. Any hero in this world can be easily fooled. We live by egoistic sensations, and anyone can be made to respond in any way you wish them to. After all, man is the will to receive, not a hero.

Therefore, it is up to us to provide the solution for them. People will think they found it on their own, while in reality, it will be coming from us. And the faster we advance, the easier it will be for us to prevent them from being fooled.

We have to rely on logic and explain that we employ the inner force of nature, the power of unity, the life-giving force that breathes life into everything there is. All our definitions must be brought a bit closer to people so that they don’t start thinking that we are talking about some supernatural force working beyond the nature of things. No, it underlies nature itself and stands by to assist us.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/26/2011, “Preface of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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