Audio Version Of The Blog – 08.23.12

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There Are No Criminals In The King’s Castle, But Only Devoted Servants

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I tell that my prayer to the Creator is correct?

Answer: The right prayer is when you don’t ask for the obstacle to go away, but to see the goodness and usefulness in it. You have to rise above the disturbance and understand that it is leading us to ascent, progress, advancement toward the goal, and there are no accidental, irrelevant forces in it. “There are no criminals in the king’s castle”—everyone in this world are His devoted servants, whom He uses to lead you to correction.

If you ask for your attitude to what is happening to change and it doesn’t, that means your plea is still artificial and superficial, and is still egoistic inside. That is, you still haven’t completed this request to the full measure, which is necessary for the request to become valid and bring about your correction. There is still some dirt or egoistic benefit mixed up with it. Therefore, the Creator either replaces one obstacle after another in front of you, or He beats you with the same obstacles, and this can go on for years, until you finally understand.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/23/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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My Gratitude To All The Participants Of The Congress!

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe had a very powerful and high quality convention in Kharkov, making a big step forward. This has advanced all our groups around the world. We have felt universal participation: Everyone was with us from all around the world, all connected. Let us hope that this will raise us to a higher, stronger, and more internal level of connection in comparison to the previous level.

It is clear that this success would have been impossible without all the preliminary work and self-sacrifice that everyone expressed to attain the goal of creation. I think that we have managed to feel it and realize it better. I am very grateful to all the participants and am proud of you. I am referring to all the organizers and all the participants of the convention who felt how significant this step forward was for us. I am glad that everything happened the way it did.

Let us hope that from now on we will continue to delve deeper into our connection and that inside it we will reveal how everything is determined by our appeal to the Creator. Even though right now I am referring to you, we must still thank the Creator for directing us, accompanying and advancing us towards Him, for having an upper force that guides us, and for having merited to advance towards it.

The main thing I wanted to convey to you at this convention is the feeling that when you are in a group that discusses, listens, and dances inside the notion of a “group,” then it holds you up. But the moment you leave this notion, even if physically you are still in the group, you immediately fall into your thoughts.

You had to feel this ascent every time when you are with our friends who influence you and possess your mind and heart, and a descent when for some reason you break your connection with them.

We needed to get a feel for how necessary it is to constantly be under the influence of the environment. Otherwise you immediately return to an animalistic state. I am only human when the group rules over me.

These two levels needed to become very clear to every person, and this goal is what the entire convention schedule was directed towards. If somehow we managed to reach this realization, now we need to strengthen it: to understand the extreme importance of the influence of the environment, which Baal HaSulam speaks of. This is my entire freedom of choice: to keep strengthening this environment in any way I can by increasing my susceptibility.

The environment must keep getting stronger and have a more powerful influence over me. Our mutual guarantee must manifest here: mine according to my attitude towards them and theirs according to their attitude towards me, to always keep me above my corporeal calculations. And this will lead us to modesty and devotion of the soul—the states which lead to the attainment of the goal.
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Excerpt from a Conversation During a Meal After the Kharkov Convention 8/20/12

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From Internal To External

Dr. Michael LaitmanHumanity can be divided into circles that have a common center.

The internal circle, the source, is made of Abraham’s students who left ancient Babel and whom many other people from other nations and from different parts of the world joined. Today, after four exiles, on the verge of the fourth redemption, a circle of “those who left the current Babel” is formed of all of humanity. Such people want to fulfill the same goal and together according to their yearning they are called “Israel,” which means straight to the Creator.

Besides that, there is another part that belongs to the category of “Israel,” which is those in whom the same Reshimot (reminiscences), the same “signs” that were left from the past when they were in spiritual ascent, are rooted. The three lines are hidden in their basis; they have experienced ascents and descents going through a series of reincarnations, and they have to correct themselves in our world since they belong to the students of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So there are three types of people who belong the group of “Israel” these days:

  • Inside is Bnei Baruch (BB).
  • Around them, there are our friends from the nations of the world, from all over the world.
  • On the outside, there are those who are called Jews, who are divided into two parts: religious and nonreligious.

They all have to fulfill the correction whether they want to or not. Some of them are being awakened today; these are our friends, the world Kli (in red). But on the whole, everyone is obliged to do so.

On the outside the whole world, all of humanity, or the nations of the world surround us.

From Internal To External
 [86080]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/21/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Nation”

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If You Want To Make The World A Better Place, Make Yourself A Better Person

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, The Nation: The only hope is to establish a thoroughly new national education for ourselves, to discover and ignite once more the natural national love that have been dimmed within us. …

There is a precondition for any work and any act. Because in the beginning, the foundation must be built in a manner sufficiently healthy to carry the load it is meant to carry.

First and foremost we need education. In our time, it is of course in a broader sense: The Jewish people should be told what the human ego is and how it develops, how a nation is formed, and what it is since it isn’t about nationality but about belonging to the upper force. We have to explain what is happening in the world today, why we have reached the general crisis and how we should correct it.

Education is the precondition for any correction. If we already have an overall idea of the broad picture, then today we all must look at its basic strokes order to start the correction.

We have to show people that by correcting ourselves we rise to the level of resembling the Creator. The corruption is not somewhere on the outside, It is inside us. We should not fix something outside, but ourselves. The natural environment is not spoiled, not the economy, but we are the ones who are corrupt. After all, the external picture is an illusory projection of our internal attributes.

We need to bring people closer to this perception so that instead of correcting the world, they will start correcting themselves. Then they will finally be happy, individually and as a whole.
[86077]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/21/12, Baal HaSulam, The Nation

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“Can A Computer Replace A Teacher?”

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from BBC News): “Professor Sugata Mitra, from Newcastle University, wanted to know what happens when the adults stand back and allow children to use a PC unsupervised.

“This year, Professor Mitra is conducting a series of experiments in locations around the world including Brazil and India, in which children are given access to computers without a teacher to guide them.

“One location is a ‘suitcase school’ classroom, in Kiddapore in Calcutta, India. The school which is run by an ngo to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds more access to education.

“In Kiddapore, Professor Mitra asked teachers are asked to stand back and let the mouse teach. Teachers observed impact on behaviour.

“In particular, a pupil who had misbehaved was helping younger children use the PC, and acting as their teacher.

“This is not the first time that Professor Mitra has asked academics and educators to think twice about a teachers role.

“In 1999, he launched a set of experiments known as ‘Hole in the wall’ in a slum wall in Delhi, India.

“Given access to computers, Mitra observed that children started to learn English and naturally fell into organised learning groups.”

My Comment: This is the ancient tradition of studying the Torah and Kabbalah: Students must first hear the teacher and then discuss the studied material together. The Talmud is studied by several students in a group discussing it without a teacher.

Our workshops (sadna) is arranged in the same way: The teacher or moderator sets a theme or question, which is then discussed by the group of two to ten students. If there are more than ten students, another group is created.
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The Space Where All The Answers Lie

Dr. Michael LaitmanFirst of all, we need to determine exactly how we actually move on the spiritual path.

Trying to figure out where we are, where we should go, and how to find meaning in existence, we see that everything is closely connected, intertwined, and confused. Turning to human society, we see that everything is messy, unclear; everyone does what he wants, everyone has his own theory, his own philosophy of life. Overall, this is the mess in which we live. On the other hand, studying nature, we see that everything is logical, everything happens according to laws.

The question is why?

Because human society is not subject to the laws of nature. Our body obeys nature. In life, we also carry out the instructions of nature, but partially. And all that is human in us—not animal but namely human—we are absolutely on our own and do whatever we want.

How are we to organize this human in all of us? If humankind were capable of it, if it understood how to do it, then everything would be clear and correct.

Maybe too clear? Boring? Perhaps, in this case the illusion of freewill would disappear? Maybe we would have felt less flavor in the search, in life, in daring? Or not? Here is the problem that is hidden in humanity.

When I come to Kabbalah, when I finally try to use it to discover the meaning of life, when I, not only in theory but in practice, seek to understand the depth, the foundations of the world, to understand what drives it, how to participate in this and become as the whole world in my mind: perfect, eternal, infinite, then I find that I am confused.

This confusion happens because we need to constantly connect the two opposite ends of the universe: us who are at the bottom and just start asking questions and the most perfect, highest point: the Creator, that is, the fundamental force of this world that has created everything.

Between these two points there is a space that we know nothing about. If we find this link, if we fill it with the correct understanding of what is happening in this space, we will know everything.
[86065]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/17/12, Workshop 3

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How Can I Dissuade Myself That I Am White and Fluffy?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: My question is regarding the qualities of reception and bestowal. Within these two properties, their symbiotic fusion, I feel like a complete altruist. How can I come to understand that this is not what I am?

Answer: There is no need for this! Not at all! You are a complete altruist. Continue to act this way in the group with all your heart, and you will gradually understand that you are a complete egoist.

Question: What is the difference between spiritual bestowal and bestowal in the corporeal world?

Answer: There is no bestowal in the corporeal world: It is a disguised egoistic desire to receive, to use another person. I do a favor for another because it is good for me, he will also do something good for me.

In fact, we are not able to perform any actions of bestowal. When have you ever given anything to anyone? Has this ever happened?

Comment: Always all the time.

Answer: You simply fail to see that all your actions are driven by egoism. Continue doing it, but in the group. Because outside the group none of it matters.

Start doing it seriously in the group, together with studying, together with dissemination, together with learning, bestow to your friends, involve them in something. But to bestow does not mean to boss them around. Give yourself! Start doing it, and you will suddenly see that everyone is bad, they do not want anything, you will see where you are, etc.

Comment: I am trying to do this, but this does not help me stop seeing myself as an altruist.

Answer: Lack of connection with the group: I have nothing more to say. This is the only thing that leads to the realization of the real evil. It does not happen on its own; so I am an egoist, so what. But evil directed against the Creator only manifests through the group.
[86047]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/17/12, Lesson 3 

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In The Spiritual World There Is No Fatigue!

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: You said that there is no such thing as “lethargy.” How can we focus ourselves on the goal in order to become an eternal engine?

Answer: It only depends on the importance of the goal. In fact, there is no tiredness. Suppose you have a small child and you are busy with him 24 hours a day with feeding, diapers, and all the rest. This, of course, is very hard work, but it is the physical fatigue in our world.

In the spiritual world, if a person advances, he is nourished by the Light and doesn’t get tired. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t sleep or eat, and so on. He needs to do all that, but the detachment, the mental fatigue, doesn’t exist. Of course, he sleeps physiologically, but only because it is essential for his body.

That is, if we are charged by the upper Light, constantly looking for a way to be fully focused straight on it, then we always fulfill our normal physiological needs: the basic amount of calories, sleep, and so forth. It will always be on a normal level, and this will be no problem. But it must be observed! Kabbalists say that a person needs 60 breaths while he sleeps.

We are in a field of forces. You may think that it is mysticism, but actually it is a science, physics, and vectors. How do I focus myself on that field, in the inverse square of the distance between us, that is, direction, the direction of the angle so that I catch the energy from it? Everything follows the same laws operating in our world with some form of energy like radiation, for example.

However, once again, we encounter the problem of mutual guarantee: Will you support your friends? Because a person in an instant may lose the direction, and then nothing works. In an instant, he may find himself in some incomprehensible space! And then any external, silly, narrow-minded, external interruptions begin to influence him.

So, the most important thing is to create the need in the group to constantly support each of its members. Afterward, there is nothing to worry about. You will always succeed.
[85963]
From the Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 8/17/12, Lesson 2

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The End Of The Familiar World

Dr. Michael LaitmanA very important period is starting now; I would say a crucial one. The world is in great turmoil; it is becoming increasingly clearer that we are helpless before the blows of nature: human or environmental. People have no way of understanding their real reason or how to cope with them. The upper force generates all of these events, but we cannot tell people that.

So the convention in Kharkov should show us the level of unity we need to reach in order to overcome the crisis.  The world, in any case, should understand how to move forward.

After all, we are on the verge of difficult, critical states, and they will be disclosed at an accelerating pace. Each day we will face a new world, opposite from the one we knew the day before, and that requires a new understanding, and a new approach.

The familiar feeling will disappear, and I will feel that we are living in an unknown world that reveals a new, unexpected face to me each time. I try to hold on, to bring things back to the way they used to be, but those are futile attempts. It evades me and comes to me in an unfamiliar angle, in different relationships, in strange news that I cannot understand or digest. People’s behavior changes and so does their reaction to what is happening. I begin to sense a feeling of uncertainty.

What can we say about the experts in economics, politics, education, etc.? They will encounter even greater helplessness and confusion in their fields.

So we are the only system versed in all of humanity, which is in the forefront and can lead everyone in the right direction. Actually, this direction is not less logical than different speculations that stem from the crisis, confusion, and the total lack of understanding of the problem. We already understand the spiritual logic here; we’ve already felt the changes ourselves.

How can we present the message to the world? How can we make it common knowledge? It is a problem. But the moment our message is spread among the masses, their desire will become much softer and more flexible, and we will feel a greater responsibility that will be conveyed by those around us. Then we will raise “the prayer of many” together with them.

So, we need to disseminate, but in order to fulfill our dissemination we have to unite and to be strongly connected. In order to take care of people, we have to be strong in quality, not in quantity like they are. We have to acquire the same qualitative intensity as their quantitative intensity. This is the whole problem.

Question: How can we explain to people the essence of today’s changing chaotic states?

Answer: Everyone already feels it but cannot digest it. After all, people are living their daily lives; they are “putting out fires,” spinning in a wheel hoping for the better. This is their life, and the future depends on us to the extent that we disseminate the method of correction.

My concern is not whether they will receive it, but whether I will be ready. What’s more, we have to act very quickly.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/16/12, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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