We 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.
[85448]
From a “Talk on New Life” 8/12/12

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Question: 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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When 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….
[85404]
From “A New Life,” Conversation #34, 7/12/12

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Question: 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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Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend,” Day Three, Lesson 6

Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend,” Day Three, Workshop 7

Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend,” Day Three, Lesson 7

Kharkov Convention “Yeshivat Haverim”

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Question: Have there ever been people who listened to Kabbalists and followed their advice?

Answer: In ancient times, it was not about one Kabbalist or another, but about a whole period of development: the era of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Joshua…Those are periods, rather than people as such. The spirit of the person was active in that time and made what it did. For example, Moses built the nation and contributed the methodology of correction to the desires that were unveiling at that time. As a result, he brought the nation to the Land of Israel, that is, to the revelation of the Creator.

Everything is carried out by the Kabbalists, although we cannot see it during the exile. Kabbalists are the ones by whom the world is being “charged,” which allows it to exist. Without a sparkle of Light, this world would never have appeared in the first place and matter could not have existed. There always are the Kabbalists who, according to their Kelim, belong to the generality of humanity as well as to a spiritual degree.

It is said that “the tail of the lion,” the nine lower Sefirot of the world of Atzilut, together with the Light of Hochma descend to the worlds of BYA and become “the head of the fox” (shualim), in other words, those who ask questions (shoalim). After all, that’s where the broken vessels are located, and so, the question arises: How do we correct them?

We need this connection as well as a permanent opportunity to transition between the levels. In this world, it is ensured by the Kabbalists. On one hand, they are dressed the same as others so that they can teach us. On the other hand, they are a part of a higher degree. There is no other way to achieve this because we are a part of the general system that lives in accordance with rigid laws.

Returning to the question:. After a long exile, Jewish people listened to the advice of the great Kabbalists during the time of Baal Shem Tov and his disciples. They led the nation, guided it forward, and gave birth to generations who lived in accordance with spiritual attainment—to people who connected “the ground” of this world with the height of Ein Sof (Infinity). It was a period of great Kabbalists who were operating in both worlds at the same time.

As to the severe detachment (interruption) of the spiritual connection that was created within the last one hundred years, it is probably something that was supposed to happen. The situation is really critical at this time. And yet, it is said: “I have not forsaken Israel.” Even today, there are Kabbalists who convey illumination from the spiritual world to ours.

Our world is a tiny dark spot in the center of spiritual universe. It is essential to bring the Light into it, otherwise it won’t be able to endure. Throughout all the worlds, the Light descends directly to this plane, to our corrupt desires, and Kabbalists are the ones who safeguard this ray of Light.

You call them “people,” although it has nothing to do with a body, but rather it is about certain desires or states (Kelim). They act deliberately, so that they can descend even lower and be closer to us. For example, Baal HaSulam asked to be lowered in order to be able to write and help those living below.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/12/12, “The Nation” 

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In the News (from Kurzweil): “To Peter Turchin, who studies population dynamics at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, the appearance of three peaks of political instability at roughly 50-year intervals starting with the U.S. Civil War is not a coincidence. For the past 15 years, Turchin has been taking the mathematical techniques that once allowed him to track predator-prey cycles in forest ecosystems, and applying them to human history.

“He has analyzed historical records on economic activity, demographic trends and outbursts of violence in the United States, and has come to the conclusion that a new wave of internal strife is already on its way. The peak should occur in about 2020, he says, and will probably be at least as high as the one in around 1970. …

“If Turchin’s prediction of unrest in the United States around 2020 is correct, the next few years should see an increase in tightly knit US groups whose rituals have a threatening quality but promise great rewards.

“Previous bouts of turbulence were not dominated by any one issue, Turchin says. But he already sees the warning signs of social strife, including a surplus of graduates and increasing inequality. ‘Inequality is almost always a bad thing for societies,’ he says.”

My Comment: An integral society, which we have to accept and which obliges us through the evolutionary development of society, assumes a uniform level of prosperity for everyone, that is, to achieve relative equality for everyone, like in one family. Only in this case will we obtain stability in our new development.
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Those who are going through integral studies need to know that they aren’t assembling together as a regular group for pleasant communication that might not lead to anything: to talk and flee. They gather together in order to connect with each other, and in this connection to realize the next level of their perception, of the communication between them, of their state.

The matter is that everything we are based on in our everyday life comes to us at the level of inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature. Thus, psychologists deal with psychology on the animate level of humans, and we deal with human psychology, the psychology of “turning” people into human beings. Therefore, at the beginning of the studies one needs to explain the task to people so that they’ll understand how serious and special it is, and that it requires a certain inner tension from them.

In our regular life, we are directed through instincts that come to us from our ancestors, from the tribal feeling that existed long before the appearance of cultures, the development of civilization, and long before the technological and social progress. We use these instincts unconsciously, but they constantly direct us, and we can’t rid ourselves of them.

This is the failure of all psychological treatments, since we try to treat human society, the communication between people and of man himself, as part of the society at the same level he is on today. It’s as if we try to change the instincts, the communication between us, and that’s practically impossible.

We place the person in certain narrow limits where there is some kind of correction, and as a result of that it’s more convenient for him to do it this way or that way. He somehow combines within him his instincts, manipulates them a little, and it seems to us that he behaves correctly, according to the desires of society, the family, etc.

But it is not enough to attain the correct behavior from a person today. Thus, lately, psychology has developed in order to realize, to some extent, the way to change a person, the society, a person in society. But the important thing is to discover its initial failure, and rise to the next level.
[85084]
From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 2/29/12

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The current state of the world is much worse than we feel, see and know. It is true that we do not talk about it because politicians and economists are not interested in creating a panic. They have no answer to the question about the crisis. They have no answer, and there is nothing you can do. Why should one panic in vain? And they’re right.

But we need to provide to people who are in a state of fear of hunger, drought, cold, shock, and the unpredictable approaching from all sides now. We should try to absorb all the animal fears of the world, fears of survival. They help us to gather and reveal that force, the surrounding Light (Ohr Makif), which will pass through us to the world, and everything will calm down. All the countries, societies, and people will begin to interact because they will understand that this is the only way to bring the world to balance, that not the still, not the vegetative, not the animate nature, but only the human being disturbs harmony, and everything else is disturbed by his egoistic actions.

We lack anxiety; we lack internal hysteria. If it were there, it would be easier.

Our problem is that we are disconnected from this world and try to find a quiet corner somewhere in our higher place. This is not good. On the contrary, we should find, on one hand, the state of the greatness of the goal, and on the other hand, inner fears, because our egoism is fed only by these. Fear and the greatness of the goal are two great forces that are pushing us from behind (fear) and drawing us forward (the greatness of the goal). They will help us to unite.

We should put pressure on ourselves to try to absorb from the world all of its negative feelings that arise in connection with the crisis and to turn them into the force of our development. Indeed, development occurs under the law of “negation of negation.” Until we feel more or less normal, we will not come to the next state. Only suffering or the greatness of the goal, when I suffer because I don’t have it, makes us go.

There are two types of suffering: suffering from a lack of feeling and suffering from unfulfilled love.
[85805]
From the Preliminary Lesson 8/16/12, Kharkov Convention “Uniting to Ascend” 

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