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Attaining Unity

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe only thing influencing us is the Light. It gives us energy and, on one hand, it can be a “perpetual motion” engine for us, or on the other hand, it can move away from us, in which case we fall and become weaker, even to a state where our animate, biological existence ends. All of this is the Light. All occurrences taking place inside us, both positive and negative, are the Light’s influence.

Therefore, we can’t our talk our way out of anything whether it’s physiological or any other types of problems. Aim everything only at the Light. If it is closer, things will be good, and if it is farther away – things will be bad. And it’s that way with regard to absolutely everything. Everything taking place inside of us, like in a vessel, happens only due to the Light’s influence.

The Light is one; it is simply the will to bestow, the will to fulfill, the will to love. And the more we discern and analyze what “one” means and how to become similar to it, the faster we will reach the goal.

Fine, I remember that it’s the Light doing this to me, that it is placing various obstacles before me. And what next? Next, we have to analyze that unity: How we can acquire it when we unite together despite all of our “rough angles”?

I study how the Creator plays with me, giving me thoughts, desires, opportunities, and chance occurrences. And when I try to find Him behind all of this, I begin to see how He influences me. This is already an analysis of the soul rather than personality. After all, everything that relates to the Creator’s influence on me and my influence on Him forms my soul within me, bringing it to the surface. And vice versa, everything that is simply connected with others but does not include the Creator’s Light, relates to the body on the spiritually still or animate level.
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From the 2nd lesson at the Kharkov Convention, 8/17/12

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The Method Leading To The Light

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe first man who revealed it, who attained the wisdom of Kabbalah 5773 years ago, was called Adam. We will be celebrating his birthday soon. After all, the biblical new year is the birthday of Adam as a Kabbalist, the day when he revealed the upper world, the upper force. He wrote a book about it, “The Secret Angel.” We count from this first revelation of the upper world.

In fact, humanity is given 6,000 years to understand itself and its highest level (the status equal to the Light). Since the days of Adam, the discoverer of the upper world, 5773 years have passed. Thus, 227 years remain before the end of the process.

But this process can be realized sooner. Why? Because until now we have evolved under the influence of the driving upper force, almost without using our knowledge to rise to the level of the upper Light, to reveal It, and to ascend to the next degree, to the next dimension.

So, today, the unfolding global crisis, which has long been written about by Kabbalists, is precisely in order to give us all an impulse towards our combined, common, global development. And so now, we can apply the wisdom of Kabbalah, which teaches us how to attract the upper Light. The entire method is in this; there is nothing else.

We are in the egoistic desire to be fulfilled to reveal ourselves. As a result, our desire to be fulfilled will be filled with the upper Light. Kabbalah is a guide that explains how each state can attract the upper Light to itself in its maximum intensity and develop.

We have been studying this methodology for a while. First, there was a long “latent period” when we learned, created all sorts of teaching aids, books, and everything else. And now, the global crisis is beginning to flare up, that is when our global egoism shows us its ending, the inability to continue to exist in the previous paradigm; it will have to start to change because in its current state, it will drive itself to death, to terrible conditions. And we are already seeing this.

In the great mass of people, there is a need to do something with themselves. So here, as the carriers of the method of attracting the Light, we have to think not only about ourselves, but also about all of mankind. For this we were given such “inspiration,” such a desire as to become attracted to Him, to discover the meaning of life.

And the meaning of life is to rise to the level of the Light, the level of eternity, infinity, the level of perfection and harmony. We need to attain this level in practice, on ourselves, and also to teach it to the whole world.

We are interconnected. It is only in our sensations that the desire created by the Light was split into seven billion pieces. Each of us is a little bit of that desire, and his relation to the other today is repulsion, egoistic. To attract the Light is possible to the extent to which we try to unite today.

This condition is called the law of similarity, the law of similarity of the desire to the Light. As far as the desire, in spite of its egoism, will make an effort and strive for unity, so it will rise to the Light, becoming more and more like It.

It is impossible to become similar to the Light just by trying to unite because this unity is false, superficial. However, the attempts, the efforts, that we put in order to unite, attract the awakening of the higher Light on us. It affects us, and Its influence begins to correct our egoistic desire from “for its own sake” (from its egoistic force) to “for the sake of bestowal” (to unity with others).

That Light will realize connection between us and our unity will actually lead us to the similarity with the Light, and will create a network of relationships of bestowal, up to a relationship of love, that is, to mutual inclusion into each other.

When I feel the desires of others like my own, want to fulfill them through myself, and live to do this, then I get out of my egoism and exist in fulfilling others. This existence is called the higher, above our egoism. And thus, we find the connection between us in this huge system.

This system is revealed gradually. All that we learn with you in Kabbalah: the Sefirot, Partzufim, worlds, and all kinds of relationships between them are the relationships between us and this system. It all happens between us up to the extent that the system of our relationship becomes the world of Infinity, that is, a system of absolute interconnectedness, analog, integrated, and interdependent. And then in it, in accordance with this, the upper Light or the Creator is revealed in it without any interference, in its absolute form.
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From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/17/12, Lesson 1

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Don’t Be Ashamed To Play

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe first spiritual degree is the most difficult. What labor a small child goes through to take his first steps. How much work it is for him to grasp something, to say the first word. How much internal effort nature makes him apply. Why? Why can’t we develop peacefully, freely?

Look how young children work non-stop, seven days a week. A child may have a high fever, and he still plays, still wants something. No disturbances, nothing stops him; he is so stubborn and persistent. And we need to follow his example. We must do the same thing to enter the upper world, to become grown-ups.

Well, after all this is known and understood, even if not fully, yet. The same child who already knows how to walk and talk, at the age of four, five, six years, starts a completely different process of acquiring knowledge, with more awareness. Here in the process of attaining the upper state, we obtain more conscious tools. We have already passed the first stage, already know how to connect, with whom to “play,” like a child who at the age of three acquires a sense of those around him and starts to understand a little that it is better to play with others than on his own.

Thus, we develop relationships with others: how we can interact with them, how it is possible to develop really wisely, mutually, by building our “games.”

That’s why we play around a lot. It seems to be nonsense, but in fact, they are very serious games. We do not want this, we feel ridiculous. After all, we are adults, serious people! What do we do? Is it worth spending time on?

In fact, yes, if we understand that the development of new properties at each stage of the process occurs in the same way as in children; in play, in workshops, in all kinds of joint actions, we have the opportunity to come closer to each other and thus to attract the upper Light to us.

Although our egoistic mind sees these actions as irrational, non-serious, and childish, in fact, they are the highest exercises because we want to go against our nature.

Then, having ascended to the first level, we get a substantial recharge of the mind, understanding of the initial scheme, like a small child who is already versed in our world and to some extent understands what is good and bad, how to move further, where to take toys and how to use them, how to develop, learning something new, etc. The child begins to understand how to use the adult world for his further advancement. Similarly, are we in relation to the upper world.

Thus, the important thing for us is to climb to the first degree. After that, everything will be clear to us, understood. After that, no one will run away from our groups and return to that life again because in this life he did not have the patience to discover the top layer.

We have to hurry to reach that level, so we can help everyone else. For this purpose, we received an awakening to the next level. Our task is to reveal it, to achieve it. To the extent that we strive to make this effort for the sake of everyone else, it will be a manifestation of our attraction to bestowal. Thus, we will receive an even greater portion of the upper Light.
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From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/17/12, Lesson 1 

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Ego, I Am Not Yours

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can we check what our intention is while reading The Zohar?

Answer: The Book of Zohar is the source of Light that comes to us if we want to use it correctly. Thus, while studying Kabbalistic books, I always summon some illumination upon me, but it comes according to the intensity of my efforts and my readiness. If I study in order to gain something corporeal or to gain the next world as a personal privilege, then the Light, by its influence, creates in me even greater darkness. I grow further away from the understanding of what this system was given to me for, what I have to do with myself, and how I should treat others. Even when I read wonderful words about love and connection, I don’t feel a sense of belonging anymore, I don’t see the connection and I don’t know how to perceive the text: Whether to let it enter my heart or not, this means that I study like a bat that is nourished by the night and doesn’t expect the dawn.

But if I try to connect with others and this is the reason I learn the method, by keeping and observing the condition for accepting it at Mt. Sinai, yearning together with everyone else to be “as one man in one heart,” to enter mutual guarantee, to attain brotherly love and through it the love of the Creator, then the Light begins to advance me. This isn’t the ordinary path that is overcome in stages anymore, but I gradually begin to discover the bad shattered state in it.

The egoistic study conceals my ego from me, and I see myself as righteous. On the other hand, by the right study, I discover that I am immersed in evil. The first thing that the Light reveals to me is my evil attributes, and I have to work accordingly. By discovering the evil, I feel even worse feelings than before. So what can I do? After all, according to my nature I want to escape when I feel bad.

Perhaps I should stop studying and withdraw from the group? Perhaps I should feel despair? Or perhaps I should be happy that I was allowed to discover the recognition of evil? It should be a law for me, an invitation: If I can rise above this unpleasant feeling, I will yearn for bestowal above receiving.

I prefer to receive a blow, since the sufferings that are revealed in my ego show me that I don’t work for it. Although I experience unpleasant feelings, I overcome them and aim at unity. I don’t escape in order to sweeten the bitterness; I don’t close myself, I don’t descend, and I don’t stop studying. On the contrary, I accept all the troubles that come from every direction on the way to unite with the friends, as being sent by the Creator and that there is nothing besides Him.

I accept every state as beneficial for my advancement. I don’t want to annul them and I continue to study in order to neutralize the bad feeling. I actually want it; I want it to stay since it focuses me exactly on how to rise above it, to be above reason. I gladly accept all the problems and interruptions, the pressure of the circumstances, the external mockery, the different sufferings, since they all help me focus on the goal correctly, creating such limitations, such frameworks, that by working within them I undoubtedly advance forward.

Thus build inside me the vessels of bestowal above the vessels of receiving. They continue to grow and to suffer, while I, being one level above them, want to hold on to the connection with the Creator until I attain full faith, the attribute of Bina, and begin using my vessels of receiving in order to bestow.

But then too I don’t intend to calm myself, since I have risen to such a degree that there should be no thought of complacency. On the contrary, I yearn more and more upwards and am even ready to receive pleasure, but not in order to fill myself, but in order to fulfill the Creator’s desire.

This is all our work. Along this path I need a real source, an egoistic desire that provides me with the force of bestowal thanks to my overcoming the problems and the sufferings that are revealed in it, and it’s clear to me that it all comes from the Creator.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/16/12, The Book of Zohar

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Greece: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Or Anarchy?

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from Euronews): “The Greek government have been looking to the Gods for inspiration as they carry out plans to deport thousands of illegal immigrants.

“Bestowing a touch of irony to the proceedings, officials have named the operation ‘Xenius Zeus,’ the same name given to the ancient Greek God of hospitality.

“Six thousand people, suspected of having entered the country illegally, were detained in Athens, nearly a third now face deportation.

“Thousands of police took part in the operation, rounding up suspected illegal immigrants in Athens and at the Turkish border. …

“Greek police said they were deporting hundreds of illegal immigrants, after a major crackdown in Athens. Dozens of people were sent back to Pakistan at the weekend.

“Golden Dawn, described by opponents as neo-Nazis, won enough votes in a recent election to enter parliament.”

My Comment: The same will be repeated in all countries as the economic problems worsen. Thus, we will come to fascism, Nazism, and a third world war if we don’t change society by implementing integral education and upbringing.
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Neutralizing The Threat

 Dr. Michael LaitmanWe see from our history that it was only by our fall from the level of “love thy neighbor as thyself” to self-love, the transition to unfounded hatred, that we caused the collapse of the nation of Israel and its exile. However, it is specifically now that we have the opportunity to take a step in the opposite direction, from separation, from the breakage between us, to attain connection. Then, we will restore and return the complete nation of Israel, the perfect state of Israel, and finally attain the state where no enemy will rise up against us, and not because it makes us stronger in that it psychologically prepares us for war, but we simply will be able to reject it, neutralize it, and cancel that possibility thanks to our unity.

There is a force in our hands that is unusual in its intensity, and we must try to use it. We only need to begin, and then, after several short activities aimed at connection, the attempts to become one man with one heart with one goal, to feel ourselves as one, and to want to advance toward unity, after a few days, we already will feel some unusual force awakening in us.

It’s like when all the organs of a person’s body begin to work in harmony with each other, and even though each one operates in its own direction, nevertheless, all of them work together for the sake of a shared goal in one system, and then the body becomes healthier and healthier so that nothing damaging will threaten it. We also are like that, in that when we attain balance in our systems through connection, we create a society where no one can cause any damage to it from the outside, and then, afterward, we also can solve all the inner problems, if any are left. From the moment that we approach each problem from the standpoint of connection and unity, we easily will be able to organize our lives at all levels.
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From a “Talk on New Life” 8/12/12

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A Nation’s Fate Is Determined At The Roundtable

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: You say that it is possible to see a quick result by simple actions and to actually feel a new, powerful force evoked among us within a couple of days that will become our strongest defense and weapon. What actions are necessary in order to attain that?

Answer: I recommend that we begin to hold what we call workshops, discussions in circles or roundtables. There, we will discuss the most important questions that determine our fate.

We will try to rise above all the individual egos in such roundtable discussions in order to find answers that stem from love, connection, and mutual guarantee. First, we have to find out what love is, what connection and incorporation in each other’s desires means, what mutual guarantee is, and the common point so that from it, I can solve all the problems.

We must clarify how we can connect more strongly and thus solve economic problems, problems in education, culture, with drugs, theft, and, actually all the problems we are facing in society. It doesn’t matter what we speak about. What’s important is that every deficiency that is revealed is only a cause that helps us better clarify the concept of mutual guarantee.

Then, we will see that all the problems, including the threat of attack by Iran [in Israel], come only so that we will reinforce mutual guarantee among us. It is as if we look at everything from the other side. We don’t yearn for mutual guarantee in order to get rid of all our internal and external problems, rather, all our internal and external problems are revealed by nature in order to bring us to mutual guarantee, to the completion of our mission, and to unite the people of Israel in the land of Israel.

In order to begin the process of connection and unity, we all must sit at the roundtable. It can be a family or a single person sitting at home in front of the TV screen watching a discussion that takes place at the roundtable. The goal of the discussion is to clarify the question: What do connection, mutual guarantee, and love mean to us, and what state should we reach?

We should speak less about the problems; otherwise we would simply drown in them. Instead, we should rise above them and speak more positively about connection, love, and mutual cooperation, about what builds and not about what destroys. So, we should speak as much as possible about positive factors and as little as possible about the negative ones.

I suggest that we have such debates everywhere: at home and at work. Today, everyone is speaking about the current threat, but a person is where his thoughts are. I don’t want to sink into the threat; I want to rise above it, use the positive forces that raise us above the danger, and to annul it. They operate in such a way that all the threats to our security and the security of our society simply vanish.

It isn’t some kind of psychotherapy and sedative for the people. In this manner, our people will evoke a new force that is above our lives. This is the force of connection, which acts against the ego, against the ordinary human nature.

We can clarify and find this force that is born out of our unity and connection, and doesn’t just exist in nature. This is why there was a condition at the gathering before Mt. Sinai. As it is written, ” If you accept the law, good. If not, then it will be your burial place.”
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From a “Talk on New Life” 8/12/12

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Moment, Stand Still!

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen discussing marital problems with your spouse, it’s important to speak honestly, without keeping anything secret or quietly suffering. We don’t “close” our ears; on the contrary, we remain open for dialog and open ourselves up before our partner.

However at the same time, we don’t make a list of faults or wish to remember the bad. It’s written regarding these faults: “Love will cover all transgressions.” We only bring them out during a conversation when both speak about themselves and their partner. As a consequence, a “pile of garbage” grows between us, and then we need to rise above it. If we were to look at each other while being on the opposite sides of this garbage, we’d only see the garbage, not our partner. So what do we do?

Our only chance is to rise above this dirt. At the same time, we don’t make lifelong promises. Moreover, we know for a fact that this pile will become even bigger next time we speak. Naturally, it grows from one day to another; this is life. And this is why we’ll need this critical evaluation more than once.

And still, once we put everything out on the table, we move on to an opposite exercise, rising above the “dirty laundry.” I want to love my partner the way he appears above this pile, when I look at him with clear eyes, free of criticism. To do this, it’s as if we leave the table where all the garbage is piled up. Now, I see my wife in a different way, the way I saw her the moment I decided to tie my destiny with hers. I now want to stop at our best moment when she was my absolute perfection, and this exercise helps us move forward.

However, we do not simply rise above the dirt. As this approach makes us stronger, we tell one another how perfect she is and how perfect I am. It’s as if we were covering our garbage with a chocolate glaze, sweet pastry with layers of custard, ice cream roses, etc. All the bitterness remains inside, but there is unity on the outside: we give each other complements; tell one another about our partner’s wonderful qualities, the unique virtues of their personality. Here we can speak about the most sacred things, making them look perfect. This will affect both of us for the better and will absolutely change the entire spectrum of our relationship, including our sexual relationship.

So, we do work on the level of psychology and reasoning; we have a praising competition, without joking, make it deep and sincere. We praise the things in one another that we want to reveal to be opposite to the criticism we had in the beginning. This is no longer a discussion of criticism, but a positive analysis. It’s in this way we become stronger in our good intentions in relation to one another.

And then the next stage begins, which is the practical one. Actions support intentions and somewhat validate them. This is why we move on to the next stage of the discussion: “What would my wife want from me and what would I want from her?” Here, each partner reveals all their aspirations to the other: beginning with basic, essential things, and ending with personal and intimate things. At the same time, we try to feel the desires of our partner, their wishes and expectations.

And then the time to act comes, and we become one whole. And this leads to the next exercise that we’ll talk about a bit later which is developing the same kind of attitude towards every person in the world….
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From “A New Life,” Conversation #34, 7/12/12

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With The Thought About The Creator

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In what state and with what thoughts is it better to go to bed?

Answer: We have talked about this many times. A person should go to bed with such thoughts so that in the morning he will wake up with the idea that all the time he was in adhesion with the Creator, not so much with the group, but with the Creator.

There is a little “but”: If you think simultaneously about the group and the Creator, everything will become blurred for you. Before going to bed at night, it is necessary to try to find a personal contact with Him and fall asleep with this in order to wake up with this.
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From the Preliminary Lesson 8/16/12, Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend”

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