Question: How should the nation of Israel living on the material level of this world participate in the general correction?

Answer: Together with correcting the spiritual Israel, we have to correct its material “hypostasis.” It is the result of the reincarnation of the souls of Israel, whereas the spiritual Israel is all those who have a point in the heart, a spiritual aspiration by which they join the process.

The difference between them lies in what they are drawn to: a person with a point in the heart is drawn to spirituality, whereas a person who does not have this point is not. Still, if a person without a point in the heart belongs to the nation of Israel (Yashar Kel, meaning those aimed straight to the Creator), then he is obligated to work on correction.

True, there is a principle stating that there is no coercion on the spiritual path. But nevertheless, this obligation is incumbent on Israel. The Torah says, “You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for Me.” And the time has come.

Of course, the responsibility of those members of Israel who have a point in the heart is different from the responsibility of those who do not have this point, who have not been awakened yet. However, this obligation is incumbent on everyone, and the external pressure of AHP, the nations of the world, is aimed precisely at making Galgalta ve Eynaim correct themselves. This pressure will only keep growing. The more we fall behind, the more AHP wants because egoism constantly grows and becomes more and more empty. That is why the pressure on Galgalta ve Eynaim will become stronger. That is how the nations indirectly incite Israel to accelerate its correction.

Therefore, people with a point in the heart, meaning the spiritual Israel, and just the Jews, the material Israel, have to actualize the correction upon themselves and attract the Light for AHP. You can’t do anything to change this fact because we are talking about a single vessel whose parts are interconnected in this way.

Question: Does this mean that two processes have to occur simultaneously?

Answer: I don’t see two processes occurring here. At the end of the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Baal HaSulam writes about two parts of Israel: the internal and the external. The inner part are “the workers of the Creator,” those who desire to serve Him. They also divide into two parts: the inner part, those who wish to attain the intention for the sake of bestowal, and the external part, which makes material actions. Besides them, Israel also includes people who don’t know anything and aren’t interested in anything.

Similarly, the nations of the world also include two parts. The inner part wants to join us and belongs to Israel, even though it is called “Israel in the nations of the world.” And the external part is indifferent to this and feels only the troubles of this world. But we also have to awaken these people, so they will at least avoid making great mistakes in the future and will save themselves from annihilation and grave problems. That is how they join us.

In the end, correction is intended precisely for this external part—AHP. They are the goal of creation. The top priority is the will to enjoy, while Israel is not the goal of creation, but just its correction.

This is what our entire work has to be aimed at: correcting ourselves in order to bring correction to the world. This is the meaning of “a kingdom of priests.” We are servants, we serve the world.
From the lesson on 5/13/11, “A Discourse On Wisdom” by Ramchal

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My interview with the EFE News Agency in Moscow was published on a number of international portals worldwide. EFE is the leading Spanish language news agency and the fourth largest news agency in the world.

Moscow, June 16 (EFE). Dr. Michael Laitman, scientist and teacher of the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah, today brought some 2,000 people to the Russian capital.

“We have about 70,000 Russian-speaking students in our International Academy of Kabbalah, including those living in China, Japan, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe,” Laitman told EFE.

Born in Vitebsk (Belarus), the founder of the International Academy of Kabbalah “Bnei Baruch” maintains a strong link with Russian culture, present throughout the former Soviet Union.

Professor of ontology and epistemology, with a Master’s degree in bio-cybernetics, and author of more than 40 books, Laitman promotes a major change in the consciousness of humanity.

The Academy founded by Laitman, with 2 million students around the world, treats the current crisis as an economic and financial phenomenon, but above all, as a moral collapse with cultural and social repercussions on all of humanity.

“This crisis is not a negative phenomenon, but a turning point for us to reach a higher level in our development as a civilization,” he explains.

In a globalized world and a global crisis, Laitman insists that humanity should “aspire to unity and harmony to meet the challenges of the historic moment” and find a “global and comprehensive solution.”

“Instead of demonstrating in the streets, as in Spain,” Laitman says, people should “begin to study, prepare for the new integrated world.” Meanwhile, the political and economic powers “should provide people with a minimum wage.”

Laitman describes himself as a scientist, “a realist,” not a mystic. He is convinced that his ideas are not utopian and can become a reality. EFE

International portals that published the interview include: Yahoo USA/International, Univision (the largest Spanish-language television network in the US), Terra International Portal, a number of sites in Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, and others.
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Question: We speak a lot about Lights and vessels but rarely examine the point of one’s own “I” that lies between them. What does it represent?

Answer: The “I” merely exists as my point of choice and no more than that. Everything else connects to it when it receives the desires of the others and fulfillment from the Creator. This point is like a pointer on a scale, the moment of choice, the section, the middle third of Tifferet. It doesn’t pertain to anything: neither reception nor bestowal.

The upper third of Tifferet pertains to the upper one, the qualities of the Creator, and the lower third pertains to the receiving desire, the creature. And there is literally nothing in the middle; it is a no man’s land.

Question: So what is there? After all, isn’t the choice realized according to certain criteria?

Answer: Once you get there, you will understand that this point is literally “hanging in the air.” You grow into a spiritual person out of this point; it is the initial point which exists in the middle, between the Light (existence from existence) and the desire (existence from absence). It is the miracle of creation.

We reach this point when we begin to connect to it all the desires and the Lights. Then as I act above these Lights and desires, I attain the point from which I act. It does not come from the Light or the vessel, but from the Creator’s essence.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/27/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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By becoming a giver I become like Zeir Anpin who fills Malchut and receive double from the upper one, from Bina: for myself and for the others. I become filled above the desires of others that are being revealed; I receive everyone’s needs, an infinite spiritual desire. This is my vessel.

But I myself am like Zeir Anpin, just a point that connects Bina and this desire. I am the section between them. However, I only see it as a section now. This is because the lower ones have the desire and the upper one has the Lights. Thus the “section” is my intention. I expand my point through their desires and His Lights, by “consuming” all Lights and desires.

This gives birth to a new vessel which did not exist before. And all I had was a point, a preliminary foundation, a needle’s eye which we use to enter the new world, the vessel of infinity.

On its own, the receiving desire is not a vessel, and the Light is just the Light. When I discover the world of Infinity, which supposedly has also existed before, or return to the third (also the initial) state, I reveal a new vessel that is 620 times greater than the previous one. This is because I have acquired both the Lights and desires myself. Now my vessel is 620 times greater. It’s me.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/27/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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

The Superiority of Man to the Beast

Man’s advantage over animals is that he can aim at a remote goal, meaning to agree to a certain amount of current pain, out of choice of future benefit or pleasure, to be attained after some time.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Freedom”

And man’s pre-eminence over all animals is that our minds are developed to such an extent that all the body’s events are depicted in our brains as images that we experience as concepts and rationalities. Thus, the mind and all its deductions are but products that extend from the events of the body.
– Baal HaSulam, “Body and Soul”
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Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 1, “Table of Questions and Answers on the Meaning of the Words“: Question 17. What is Darkness.

Behina Dalet (the fourth phase) in the Ratzon (desire), which does not receive the Ohr Elyon (the upper Light) inside her due to the Tzimtzum (restriction), is regarded as the Shoresh (root) of the darkness.

This is in spite of the fact that the Tzimtzum (restriction) in the fourth phase occurred at its own will. The fourth phase overcame its own desire to receive and began to want to be like the Creator, according to its free choice.

Of course, it cannot be said that it was completely free if it felt such horrible suffering. This wasn’t because it didn’t have the Light; it had all the Light of Infinity. But even so, it felt bad because of the reception.

Then it decided that filling itself with the Light in the fourth phase meant complete darkness. From this moment onward, this is what “darkness” means. That is, if I receive for myself from the Host, the Creator, and feel that I am the receiver; if I am enjoying not only what I’m receiving, but also the fact that I’m receiving from Him because of His love and good attitude towards me, meaning that I get both His attitude and the pleasure itself (otherwise, it would be the first phase), then I decide that it is complete darkness to me.

In reality, nothing changes. It is said that the Light is leaving, but the Light isn’t going in or out at any point. It only depends on how I treat my state, thinking that I’m in darkness.

One second ago, I was in my best state and happy about everything: the Host and the refreshments. I was getting pleasure from closeness to the Creator and could receive pleasure from everything He has. Suddenly, in the very same state, I begin to discover the contrast between us, meaning that I understand that there is another condition, equivalence of form between my qualities and His. Then, I decide that my state is complete darkness and nothing is worse than this.

From this moment onward, this decision made at a higher degree spreads over all the lower degrees, being the root of darkness in our world as well. Darkness is a feeling that I’m opposite to the Creator, that I’m the receiver, and He is the Giver.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/20/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 1, “Table of Questions and Answers for the Meaning of the Words”: Question 14. What is Hitpashtut (the spreading of the Light).

Ohr (Light) that stems from the Maatzil (the Emanator) to the Ne’etzal (the emanated being) is called Hitpashtut of Ohr. In fact, the Ohr Elyon (the upper Light) is not affected in any way by that. It is like lighting one candle from another, when the first is not lessened by it. The name only indicates the reception of the Ne’etzal.

There are no different Lights in the Creator or the creature. The Light does not exist on its own. The Light is the impressions of the creature on the fulfillment that existed in it previously.

When the creature suddenly feels this fulfillment in some particular way, it is considered that the Light enters it. The Light “shines” to us in so far as we react to it, to the degree of our ability to sense It. And if we are not capable of this, it is considered that we have no Light, and the Light goes out, departs.

We talk about the Light as if it goes in and out, about Lights that “swing” the vessels, perform some actions. In reality, the Light does not alter its effect on a desire. Desires are organized in such a way that they continually update informational genes (Reshimot) against the background of the constant Light. And therefore, the desire (vessel) reacts differently and feels as if the Light flows through it, changes, excites it, or goes out.

All of that is a consequence of our incorrect perception of reality that will accompany us until the end of correction (Gmar Tikkun). We will always feel that changes take place somewhere outside. Similarly, this is how we imagine this world existing somewhere outside us, although it is all inside.

Relative to the Light, we also say that the Light acts on us from outside, rather than saying that informational genes are constantly working in us, taking turns one after the other. And through these new genes, I sense the Light, meaning that I react to it in new ways.

The Light itself does not change at all: It is completely invariable. There is no division into five or ten Lights, or that the Light is entering or exiting the desire; everything exists only in the perception of the vessel to the degree of its impression on what fills it. The creature’s sensation of its fulfillment is called the Light.

We talk only about matter and form clothed in matter. Matter is the desire to enjoy. And as to the form clothed in matter, we call it “Lights,” “properties.” We talk about nothing else except these two concepts, neither an abstract form nor the essence. That is, the Light is the impression of the vessel on some unknown fulfillment. How does the vessel know that there is something inside it? It knows according to the results….

Similarly in our world, if I suddenly come down with a fever, I go to a doctor, and he says that I have a virus. But how does he know what happened to me? He checks external symptoms that point to some internal processes.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/20/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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Question: Is it possible to define in two sentences the concept of unity to which people can aspire?

Answer: Unity is an action that turns all of humanity into an integral part of nature. Thus, we reassure nature—inside and outside us—and all together abide in peace and balance with all the forces.

Everything becomes calm in a psychological sense, in mechanical, biological, zoological, and other interactions. At every level, all the forces come to equilibrium. There is nothing better than the state of equilibrium. It is a harmony between all the parts which finally feel a real life instead of a struggle between them.

There are plenty of such examples in nature. It is a fact accepted by nearly all natural scientists, as well as sociologists and psychologists. We do not need to try too hard because today, many people are already thinking in that direction.

However, because of everyone’s individual egoism, they cannot unite to make it public, to confirm their vision in front of everyone. Even if they tried, their words would be completely powerless due to the lack of spirit in them.

The public explanation is entrusted solely to us, and no one can intercept this prerogative. They do understand, but are not able to organize and reach people. This task is assigned to us.

Question: Exactly what allows us to explain what is happening to humanity?

Answer: It is the internal connection with the source of good, with the source that performs correction. This is what no one but us has.

We cannot pass this task to anybody else. We do not hold it to ourselves; it’s simply that no one else can realize it. The explanation has to come from the connection with the upper one.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/26/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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My Good Environment – Dr. Laitman’s Advice for the Week

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Question: What should be my role in the group: Zeir Anpin or Malchut? Or both of them?

Answer: You need to fulfill your friends with all your strength. This is the main commandment of the Torah: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” I am not Malchut, I am Zeir Anpin. My only wish is to receive desires from everyone and fulfill them.

Then who represents Malchut? I play the role of Malchut before my friends in order to receive from them the strength for bestowal. This is a different channel of interconnection. I receive from them the strength to be the giver, and then I rise above them to bestow to them. The cells in the body interact the same way: Every cell receives from others and bestows to them.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/27/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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