Audio Version Of The Blog – 08.15.12

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A Wasted Foundation

Dr. Michael LaitmanHumankind develops from small to large egoism. Sometime ago, a person naturally discovered that he needs a family; moreover, the bigger the family, the more secure he is. This way, he instinctively started to unite with others, as he came out of a barbarian state.

Families would grow and become tribes, and they expanded so much that people who used to be distant, became close. Villages and cities appeared, family ties gave way to more extended formations, a nation, living in their own country and connected by their belonging to their common destiny, a common mentality.

However, family ties also kept their power, remaining necessary for existence until recently. Only during the last decades, we have destroyed these boundaries, providing people with services, which allow him to no longer feel the need for a family. This led to the crisis in the family institution because marriage no longer promises the same benefits. At the same time, the feeling of belonging to a nation is very important for a person.

However, we continue to develop, and today, like it or not, a new feeling is growing inside us, which now encompasses the entire globe. This is because modern technologies and communications have made the world small and accessible. Today, it is charged with great interdependence, distances become smaller, systems become unified, and we are approaching the state of a single whole.

This way, if before the notion of a “family,” though weakened, still extended all the way to the borders of the country and was as wide as the nation itself, now it encompasses all of mankind. Migration is increasing, nations are mixing, borders are being erased; today, everything is moving in this direction.

What can we say about the people of Israel in this connection? Its foundation was laid by a group of Kabbalists, created by Abraham. These people were not connected in any way, except for a single thing: At a certain stage of their inner development, they felt that unity was the way to attain the Creator.

The other residents of Ancient Babylon also strived towards the Creator, but in another way, they were building the Tower of Babel egoistically, wishing to become like Him. These ambitions kept growing over the course of all of history: “We will control our own lives, we will play with trade and production, we will conquer the cosmos, we, we, we…”

However, even back then, certain Babylonians already wanted to attain the essence of life, and not just to keep pleasing themselves in every possible way. After all, the purpose of life is the attaining of its essence. And this is why, when the crisis arose and the Tower of Babel was destroyed, these people heard Abraham and understood that there is a method that allows penetrating the essence and revealing the upper force.

And today we are in a similar situation. Individuals, among the modern “Babylonians” of the world, gather into the group of Bnei Baruch in order to reveal the Creator. They are called the “people of Israel.”

In addition, there are the “corporeal” people of Israel, the descendants of those who once came out of Babylon with Abraham in the first global crisis. The Reshimot, the “footprints” of the path they have traveled, remained in them, and we must take care of them. This is because every one of them has “marks” from the previous ascent and the breaking that followed.

This is the reason people hate them: On one hand, by breaking, they have passed sparks of bestowal to the entire world, and on the other hand, everyone feels that they are unique and that a certain darkness comes from them—unique as a consequence of the sparks, and darkness as a consequence of the current situation.

We will still reveal a lot along the way, but one way or another, today the time has come to turn to the nation, the descendants of the students of Abraham, the descendants of the Ancient Babylon. As Baal HaSulam writes in his newspaper The Nation, they themselves must awaken a national connection in their environment. And this connection can only be based on a single thing: the principle of loving one’s neighbor as themselves. The Jewish people were initially founded this way, and could they structure themselves any other way today? All the attempts only demonstrate that without their foundation, this nation is like a sack of nuts, ready to fall apart and spread around the world at the first opportunity.

And this is why Baal haSulam writes: “This is why I stated that we need to arrange for ourselves a special education through widespread circulation, instill in each of us a sense of national love, both from one person to another, and from the individuals to the whole, and rediscover the national love that was instilled within us since the time we were on our land, a nation among the nations.”

If the nation fails to acquire their foundation, it will not manage to stay within the borders of the country and lay its roots there. This is why the entire world does not agree with the return of the Jews to their land; it does not yet feel like they have the consciousness of a nation, which must live in the land of Israel. Jews are able to live anywhere, and many do not yet feel like they pertain to and are interconnected with their nation. This vice is felt in them and the entire world, which reacts accordingly.
[85427]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/13/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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A Nation That Does Not Exist

Dr. Michael LaitmanLet’s speak about the Jewish people in first person.

We have to rise to the common basis that connects us; we cannot keep the mutual connection among us like other nations; we need the connecting force, which means the upper Light. The people of Israel cannot exist without the Creator that is revealed among them. In the past, the moment the upper force disappeared, we were shattered and dispersed all over the world and ceased to be a nation, since a “nation” is a collective vessel.

As for nations in general, the evolution period “shuffled all the cards.” There is no longer an accurate division; there are no clear roots. So any person who wants to join and to participate in the fulfillment of the principle of “Love thy friend as thyself” belongs to the category of “Israel,” which means that he yearns for the Creator (Yashar—El, straight to the Creator). All the others belong to humanity in general.

Today after this general mix when the world has become a “salad,” only the upper Light differentiates between us. Like a magnet, it draws upwards individuals who belong to Galgata ve Eynaim from the masses. The others remain below, in AHP. It is the Light that reveals the vessels and then we have to work in these parts.

So in order to fix among us the connection that is typical of a nation, we have to be on a spiritual height. Otherwise, without the Light, this connection will simply be impossible. It isn’t by chance that Baal HaSulam speaks about the special education that we need, in the newspaper HaUma (The Nation). Other nations don’t need such a thing.

So we have to connect into a group that works in order to become one whole “as one man in one heart.” This is the condition for the existence of the people of Israel. We cannot keep this connection on the corporeal level, on the basis of our common history and geography. On the contrary, it’s been ages that the history and geography no longer connect us. The only thing that can unite us and bring us to mutual love and connection is the Light that Reforms. It isn’t just any connection but a spiritual connection.

We are simply not made for corporeal connection, since we don’t belong to AHP but to Galgalta ve Eynaim. We cannot be like other nations; we don’t have the forces needed for that, we don’t have the matching inner attribute. We cannot take an example from them. The only option is to correct ourselves.

This is because we live by opposite laws: When the shattering is among us, we fall into unfounded hatred instead of brotherly love. There is no such thing among the nations of the world. We, however, feel repulsion towards one another. If it weren’t for the hatred that we feel from our neighbors and from the whole world, we would keep ourselves as far apart as possible from one another. We wouldn’t get married and we wouldn’t want any colleagues. The shattering force would operate among us

Only the general hatred towards us brings us together, like nuts in a sack, like a herd that still has hope to be saved. Otherwise we would be ready to dissolve, to assimilate in a distant place where we could live a good and comfortable life.

So we cannot compare ourselves to other nations. After all, they were not on a spiritual level; they were not shattered two thousand years ago and did not fall to the corporeal level. It is a false hope that we will unite like all the others and become a nation. What we call the “State of Israel” exists only temporarily, in order to enable us to reach true connection. Otherwise, there is no reason for its existence.

Everything that seemingly connects us today comes from the outside and will easily fall apart. Give people a chance and they will easily settle somewhere else. They may have some sentiments, but there is no connection. This is because we have not corrected the shattering, so there is no way we can connect. We need a special education, but instead we are descending lower and lower…
[85424]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/13/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Soaring Above Earthly Desires

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Is it worthwhile for a husband and a wife to live separately during the Convention?

Answer: I think it is better to live separately to completely disconnect yourself from any earthly connections. You should leave in a way that no strings are left attached to become included into this spiritual action and that’s it! So men and women should, perhaps, stay in different rooms the way it is usually done in the army, in a boarding school, or any other similar facilities.

Question: And what about the animal desires?

Answer: There will be no animal desires as they will be neutralized by the enormous power that will rule over everyone. You will get disconnected from all earthly desires.

If the convention is good, you won’t feel the need in anything besides the feeling of connection. You will feel disgusted by everything else. You will repel everything that distracts you. If the convention is serious and strong, it will happen this way.
[85500]
From the Virtual lesson 7/29/12

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The Teachers Of The World

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: During the breaks at the convention, there will be a presentation of books, the Internet, and so forth. Won’t this distract from the internal flow of the convention?

Answer: The fact is that we still must think about what we are coming out with to the world. A person leaves the convention, goes home, and what is next?

As our ascent depends on the dissemination breadth-wise, we must give everyone some knowledge about what it is in general that we do: the Internet, books, lectures, workshops, roundtables, and so forth. We must show all this to everyone. That is why there should be short fifteen-minute presentations during the breaks.

With what do we leave the convention? We leave with that which we need to take further into the world. Each of us should try to be a lecturer, an organizer of workshops, a distributor, and so on. I am addressing you, personally, everyone! The world will need the integral method; even now, it needs it, but it is not yet aware of this. And you will see in a couple of months that they will run after you; you will be in demand because no one except you will feel what should be done in any case to get the correct result, because you will think integrally.

You will be the teachers of the world, advisers to prime ministers and bankers and to ordinary workers because you will be able to see why this should happen, and not otherwise. This is what is called, “Come for a blessing.” You will be required and in demand. Thus, you still should be included in dissemination.
[85409]
From a Virtual Lesson 7/29/12

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The Secret To A Happy Life

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from the Daily Mail): “Having close relationships with friends and family as a child makes people happier in later life, a new study has found.

“New research has shown how positive social relationships in childhood and adolescence are key to adult well-being, while academic achievement has little effect.

“Scientists do not know much about how aspects of childhood and adolescent development – such as academic and social-emotional function – affect adult well-being.

“They define well-being as a mixture of sense of coherence, positive coping strategies, social engagement and self-perceived strengths.

“Researchers analysed data for 804 people, followed up for 32 years, who participated in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (DMHDS) in New Zealand.

“They measured the relationship between levels of family disadvantage in childhood, social connectedness in childhood, language development in childhood, social connectedness in adolescence, academic achievement in adolescence and well-being in adulthood. …

“Results showed there is a strong pathway from child and teen social connectedness to adult well-being – showing the significance of positive social relationships over the lifespan to adulthood.

“Also, the Journal of Happiness Studies research revealed the pathway from early language development – through adolescent academic achievement – to adult happiness was weak.”

Tip: Lead by example and teach a child how to build relationships with others.
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The End Of Childhood

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can it be explained that the crisis is a consequence of our corrupt relations in the group?

Answer: There are two systems: the outer and the inner one. For simplicity we can define the outer system as the “Creator” and the inner, meaning us, as “creation.” The Creator is acting upon us and we are developing under the pressure of various factors. However, afterwards comes the time when we have to react with responses showing the Creator that we want to advance.

And here is where the problem occurs. Today we have to demonstrate our maturity and desire to join the Creator. Our “childhood” has ended. In reality the childhood ended back in the 15th century, at the time of Ari. Since then we are required to react to the influencing factors as adults, in a special way. We have to start growing independently until the inner sphere expands in its scale and properties to the size of the outer sphere. However, we are behind the schedule.

The End Of Childhood

[85241]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/6/12, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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I Feel Fine, What Else Do I Need?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Do we have to be humiliated before we reach connection?

Answer: We are low with regards to our ego, but not with regards to the goal and the Creator.

Question: But still, why do we develop by suffering?

Answer: How else? If we feel good, we won’t move forward. On the contrary, such feelings block our way. This is because “goodness” is pleasure and fulfillment, and if I am content, I don’t move. This is the natural reaction of my egoistic desire. On the other hand, when I feel bad and it hurts, I immediately look for a way out.

A person is a feeling element. Pleasure prevents him from any action; it prevents movement for an unlimited time. If a person feels good, he won’t move, if you “prick” him by sufferings or even by lack of fulfillment, he will immediately begin to look around searching for a new source of pleasure. If the dissatisfaction exceeds the threshold, a person begins to move.

On the development level of the still nature, by being motionless, he doesn’t fill himself and only develops new desires, until the sufferings grow and oblige him to move to the level of the animate. The plant knows how to open up to the sun and to absorb nutrients, to breathe, and it seems to be calm, but once again there is something missing and even more than before. This obliges him to move and to exhibit greater activity in order to enjoy.

This is how our desire to receive is created: It is enough to feel pleasure or pain and by balancing them it undoubtedly reaches the goal. Nothing else is required from it. This process depends on the size of the desire and on its uniqueness and its diversity. Suppose, I am a great egoist; the egoistic fulfillment overcomes me and conceals me under a load that weighs thousands of tons. I can’t do anything other than to enjoy. In order to come out of this situation, I need to receive thousands of tons of sufferings and one kilo more, which means to totally empty my vessel and add some more negativity to it. Only then will I move from my place.

Thus two opposites meet: The more advanced I am the greater my desire. It hangs over me thus demanding greater work and curbing the process, so we have no choice. The desire responds only to pleasure or to pain and so we have to go through them.

But what is the use of these falls? Give me pleasure, and I will immediately freeze in my place, give me some deficiency, and I begin to move. It can be compared to an engine that runs on AC power: if you connect a constant current to it, it will stop. This is because the consistency doesn’t fill the deficiencies and the fulfillment in an alternating order of being emptied of your fillings. So what is required of me if the response of my desire was given to me from the start? How can I break out of this closed circuit?

This is why the mind develops by the desire as a separate parallel system. It accumulates information in its archive, identifies the causes and the goals, and evaluates the phases that it has been through and weighs the future states. Today, in the last the spiritual phase of our development, the cognitive element is the important one. Until now we have been pushed forward by our feelings and now the time has come to develop in our awareness.So our connection brings everyone wisdom by enabling us to exchange data and by providing great experience and a deep understanding. Thus we can avoid many troubles since the current state demands that we develop very quickly, and in several decades, if not before attaining the end of correction. So just imagine what afflictions we will have to go through.

So, the key to our development is education, understanding and recognition, and in activities that make a person feel and understand that feeling. A qualitative development is required here. On the whole, it’s very important for us to disseminate this wisdom; this is the uniqueness of our generation.
[85098]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/9/12, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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The Perception Of A Single Field

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How should we imagine this single field that exists outside of us? What do people need to do when training in groups of integral learning?

Answer: Let us imagine that we are connecting to the desire of another person. In other words, we do a regular psychological practicum. I try to determine the desires, intentions, and thoughts of a person.

What are the stages that people and groups experience while they gradually enter these states? Primarily, people need to feel each other, like during regular psychological training. How do I feel the person with whom I am speaking? How do I connect to him? How do I determine what his desire is, to become involved with him, and reach a good attitude toward him, to learn to love him and communicate with him?

In other words, his desires, which are referred to as his heart, and his mind that leads these desires, must become critical to me, the way a mother feels regarding her infant when she desires to fully serve him with both her desires and her mind. The heart and the mind is what a person has. This way, it is as if I were taking a step toward all the participants of the group, radiating kindness at each one of them, and everyone does this in relation to everyone else.

This common attitude in the group, which we are constantly developing, must create such a level of reciprocity in it that begins to create a certain field between us. This field of mutually good attitude must acquire a certain foundation.

Why do we do this? We are not just doing this to have a good relationship between us. We now want to lift them to the next level so that we could exist in this mutual field of kindness, a field of mutual attitude toward one another and so that we would maintain it.

This common, good field between us—let us refer to it by its mutual quality of bestowal—needs to be created through our mutual guarantee when I think about you and you think about me. We must develop ourselves constantly this way through a good attitude. We must perceive this mutual warmth from everyone toward everyone in order to create something mutual, even independent from us, like a mutual child of ours.

We can refer to this common image of us, already independent from us, one we already are beginning to work for, a group. Life in this image, this group, must be the main thing for us. This group is what we actually assume a society to be.
[85174]
From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 02/29/12

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 08.15.12

Preparation to the Lesson

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Shamati #69 First Will Be the Correction of the World 

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The Book of ZoharSelected Excerpts “Beresheet Bet (Genesis 2),” Lesson 155

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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Volume 1, Part 3, Chapter 8, Item 8, Lesson 20

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Writings of Baal HaSulamThe Nation,” (Starting with: “There is a pre-condition”), Lesson 6 

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