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The World Has Become Noah’s Ark

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In what way can each of us invest effort in the common Kli; what do we need to do?

Answer: Every one simply needs to think about what he would want to have happen to him, to the group, and to the entire world: men, women, children, the old, all the peoples, all of humanity. Today, we are all in the same boat, a real Noah’s Ark.

It is said about Noah’s Ark that all were stowed in it and nobody ate anyone else, rather all lived in peace. For this ark is the characteristic of Bina, which encompasses and holds everything within itself. And therefore they were saved from the deluge, from the great ego, that erupted outside the walls of the ark and appeared in all its terrible forms: volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tsunamis, blizzards, and burning fire.

The ark protected all who were found within it, for they wanted to save it. The more we protect the ark, the more the ark will protect us. For the ark is the characteristic of Bina. Entering the characteristic of Bina is like entering a womb, into an ark that will protect you from all bad and harmful external influences; nothing can harm you anymore.

This is what specifically needs to be explained to the world—that all the problems of humanity are derived from its raging ego. But if we all build an ark for ourselves and do not eat each other, instead, all of us will dwell together within it, in our small closed world; if we make an ark from our small closed world, then we will be saved. Otherwise, what happened to all those who remained outside of the walls of Noah’s Ark will happen to us, all of us will sink into the waters of the deluge.
[103932]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/28/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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“Marx’s Revenge”

Dr. Michael LaitmanOpinion (Michael Schuman, correspondent for TIME, author of The Miracle: The Epic Story of Asia’s Quest for Wealth): “With the global economy in a protracted crisis, and workers around the world burdened by joblessness, debt and stagnant incomes, Marx’s biting critique of capitalism — that the system is inherently unjust and self-destructive — cannot be so easily dismissed. Marx theorized that the capitalist system would inevitably impoverish the masses as the world’s wealth became concentrated in the hands of a greedy few, causing economic crises and heightened conflict between the rich and working classes. …

“Workers may have common problems, but they aren’t banding together to resolve them. … Protesters, says Jacques Rancière, an expert in Marxism at the University of Paris, aren’t aiming to replace capitalism, as Marx had forecast, but merely to reform it.

“That leaves open a scary possibility: that Marx not only diagnosed capitalism’s flaws but also the outcome of those flaws. If policymakers don’t discover new methods of ensuring fair economic opportunity, the workers of the world may just unite. Marx may yet have his revenge.”

My Comment: And there will be the Spanish, Greek, and then the EU and then the U.S. “spring” … if the method of correction of people and society is not accepted.
[103889]

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Our Number One Killer Is Our Laziness

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, Shamati, Article 35, “Concerning the Vitality of Kedusha“: Hence, it is a correction that each time one extends something and has a descent, he must begin anew, meaning new scrutinies. And what one had from the past has fallen into the Sitra Achra, and she holds it in her authority as a deposit. Afterwards one receives everything that she had received from him this whole time.

Thus we can see that everything that happens is in our favor. Thanks to the desires that the Creator has shattered and thrown into the sea of the impure forces (Sitra Achra), to the other side, into egoistic desire to enjoy, we have a chance to advance towards Holiness, towards desires to bestow. These desires to receive force us to draw more and more Light.

At the moment we draw a little Light and the desires of the Sitra Achra immediately swallow it. This happens over and over again until the measure is filled, and then the ego “vomits” everything it has swallowed, and we get back all the Light that we have managed to draw for a while but were unable to keep. Thus the Sitra Achra helps a person accumulate his exertion, collect all the tiny Lights, and then give it back to him as one full measure that enables him to attain the spiritual level.

This is why we create the “holy animals” from the descents, from the states we usually don’t want and don’t like. But we have to understand how grateful we have to be for all the mechanisms in the system of the upper Providence and especially for the system of the forces of impurity, which rules over us during the whole period of preparation, until we enter the authority of Holiness, of the desire to bestow.

As long as the force of impurity dominates us, it fulfills its role with utmost dedication, which is even greater than the dedication of the system of Holiness. After all, the Sitra Achra must work in the opposite manner from the Creator, in a form opposite to Him. It’s a special “angel,” a unique system, which follows the Creator’s command, His desire, and performs actions that are opposite to Holiness according to a decree from Above.

A similar story is told in one of Baal HaSulam’s letters: A king appoints different villains to rule over his subject whom he has decided to raise to the rank of the first minister. In order to do so, the king sends his servants to him dressed as criminals and murderers, and thanks to the struggle with them the loyal slave grows more and more.

All the “villains” who had to fight him are fulfilling their job with all the viciousness and the creative cunningness only because it is the king’s order and not because it’s their own will. The force of impurity, our internal systems that seem so horrible to us, works in the exact same way.

All the crimes that take place in the world, the murders and the falls, seem to contradict the Creator’s desire and we have to hate them. However, we should understand that there is no evil—there are no criminals in the King’s palace and it’s all His systems that operate from two directions: from the good side and from the bad side. We should only hate our own laziness because we cannot fulfill our free will in choosing our environment, the group, the only place where we are free.

We shouldn’t complain about any event in our life, except for one: our inability to hurry at the right time, to use the environment and with its help to advance and to hasten (sanctify) time.
[103832]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/29/13

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The Direction Of Thought

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Sometimes when we are working in the group, the Creator gives us an ascent, advanced states. How can we use them to advance the 99% of humanity?

Answer: We need to think about it constantly because everything is resolved in thoughts. Our thoughts are the greatest forces of the world. If the thought is in the right direction, it enters the vector, in connection with the Light, and that is something that can change the world.

The Surrounding Light affects us, and by our vector we make it directed Light. If we light a flashlight or spotlight, it shines directly. Imagine that we can do the same with our thoughts.

If you think about someone being in the correct state, in good thoughts, you will see how you will cure, correct, improve by this. Everything will be successful.
[104034]
From the European Convention in Germany 3/23/13, Lesson 5

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Removing The Screen Of Satiation

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: There are periods when everything progresses in an excellent manner: at work, in life, in the group. But nonetheless, one must constantly yearn for the next level. What can be done with this feeling of satiation, with our feeling of being satisfied all the time?

Answer: That’s a problem. The feeling of satiation from this world closes the upper world for you. The “Bourgeois life” is killing you so much that you don’t feel any need for it. Only the group can develop the feeling of the lack of value from this existence in you. You need to get this from the group.

You need to discuss the upper world: What it is, the attainment of it, the feeling of the upper reality, how much broader and richer it is compared to our world, as it opens the meaning of life for you. You also need to discuss your corporeal existence, which will one day end, since all of us exist in a body that has a life of its own.

Generally, a person needs to think about this and stimulate himself in every way possible, to pull himself out of the static state. The group exists for this reason. Thus you need external influence. Come and visit us.
[104037]
From the European Convention in Germany 3/23/13, Lesson 5

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Becoming The Light For The Nations

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Can the system of relationships that currently exists among the people of Israel prevent the entire world from liberating from egoism?

Answer: By all means it is so. If we are not connected to each other, we cause malevolence not only to ourselves, but to the entire world.

The general process impacts us the same way as it does the rest of the world, but our task is to react to it differently. There is no sense in waiting for the entire world’s reaction since all they have is a desire to receive, whereas we also have a spark of bestowal. This explains why our reactions have to be correct and thoughtful. Our mission is to unite and become “the Light for the nations,” a “Kingdom of Priests.”

The lack of unity among Jews in the land of Israel influences not only the Jewish Diaspora, but the entire world that hates us and despises the State of Israel. Today we see that it’s not anti-Semitism that is popular, but “anti-Israel.”  It’s not an accident, since Israel is a very special place where we have to unite, but we don’t do that. If we start taking care of the relationships among us, we will eliminate all hindrances and will see that the rest of the world happily follows us. The nations of the world don’t have such a level of egoism as we do. So, if we apply enough efforts, they will join us on our path.

Moreover, Jews who live abroad will also relate to us appropriately. Today, they hate Israel. A majority of them vote against Israel. They would be happy if this state never existed. That’s what official surveys reflect. We can do nothing about it. It’s triggered by our non-performance in pursuing our mission. Nobody wants us the way we are now. We are egoists, protectionists, literally a “splinter” in the body of the world. All world problems are connected with Israel. Nobody notices our achievements; on the contrary, our accomplishments only irritate them. We have to bring a methodology of correction to the world rather than teach them how to use egoism in a better and more successful way.

Question: The nations of the world don’t realize what the Israeli mission is, do they?

Answer: Subconsciously they do. Why do they say that we are the reason for the overall evil? It’s because they feel that they depend on us. This sensation is not accidental. When Arab leaders claim that Jews are the cause of the world’s wickedness, they really feel it. It’s not just politics, but rather the voice of their hearts, their internal sensation. Jews in various countries realize that contemporary Israel doesn’t contribute much to this world. That’s why today there is a tendency to abolish Israel.

Unfortunately, nobody in Israel listens to the world’s predispositions. We behave as if we don’t care; we continue doing business, making money, raising our wellbeing, arguing in the Parliament…

We live as if nothing is going on. That’s why we can’t exclude a chance that very soon we will be overwhelmed with new immense troubles. External forces that come both from Jews and from the nations of the world might seed a disagreement among the people of Israel which will cause riots and protests, a new round of an “Israeli spring.”

It means that the experiment to create a State of Israel was not a success; how long can the world tolerate it? Why currently are all Jews in the world against Israel? If at this time, on the eve of Passover we won’t unite, then in 2-3 months we will end up in a very dangerous situation. Let’s hope that we will find correct words to address the people of Israel and that they will understand us.

Our salvation is in unity and in spreading unity to the entire world. We have to tell the world openly what our mission is and that unity is exactly what the nations of the world are entitled to receive from us. Then, they will understand how much they need us. Our previous internal relationships only caused them troubles; at this time, let our unity bring everybody benevolence. People will understand and feel it. If we change, then our internal state will change too; otherwise, we won’t live up to a good future.

Question: What can we do on the eve of Passover to halt this negative development?

Answer: Aspire to exit from Egypt, meaning to rise above the hatred, disagreement, and separation among us for the sake of unity. The entire nation, which is now split into multiple groups and parties, as well as each particular individual have to realize that it’s our unity that will define our future, nothing but that!
[103816]
From KabTV’s “Kabbalists write: Exodus from Egypt.” 3/4/13

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Between Plus And Minus

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: There are two forces in creation: the plus and minus, the desire to receive and desire to bestow, the male force and the female force. Perhaps the connection between the male and the female forces is missing in order to discover the one force that is called “One?” If that is true, then how can we connect?

Answer: Only by including the Creator, there is no other way! Only He can create harmony between the plus and the minus. It says “a man and a woman, Shechina (Divinity) is between them.” A man and a woman, plus and minus, these two opposite forces will never be able to connect without the revelation of the Creator.

In nature there must always be a resistance between the plus and the minus in which the mutual energy between them becomes prominent, and it’s the Creator who plays that role. First He reveals Himself in the form of the ego, the resistance between the plus and the minus, then He connects everything into one system, and then on top of this resistance, His revelation becomes disclosed and we begin to feel Him.

We can’t actually feel Him. He is felt in our desires, in our vessels, in the resistance that we create between the plus and the minus.

Suppose that this is our resistor, plus or minus, our ego (Ego). If there is a “current” flowing through it, which means that we are connecting despite the ego, then on top of the resistor (R) we begin to reveal the Creator.

Between Plus And Minus
The Creator is opposite from our ego, since He created the darkness from the Light. So it’s on top of this “instrument” that we discover the Creator. This “instrument” is our Masach (screen).
[103808]
From the European Convention in Germany 3/23/13, Lesson 3

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“Thirteen Years” Among The Unclean Klipot

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” p. 29: For if we didn’t have this damaged will to receive within us, we could not correct it at all, for nobody can correct something that isn’t in him. And therefore that amount of will to receive that is embedded in the body from its birth into the air of the world is not enough. Rather, it is further compelled to be a vehicle for unclean Klipot for no less than 13 years.

It follows that even if I possess a great will to receive, this is still not enough. From the start the Creator says to us, “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart.” He will inundate you with blows, so you will want to flee from him. It’s impossible to take me out of the evil inclination until it has reached a level where I can no longer endure it. But first it’s necessary to become completely aware of this evil.

In our world, we educate children to be careful, “Don’t go there, don’t do this…” But in the spiritual world, there is nothing like this. There it’s the opposite; they send me to “criminals” and “thieves,” “alcoholics” and “drug addicts,” into the arms of Haman, Balaam, Balak, Esau, and so forth. Otherwise, how can I correct these characteristics? In fact, these are uncorrected parts of my soul. Therefore, I must own them, feel them as mine, recognize the evil hidden within them, and be released from them, to rise above them.

Question: Does it follow that I must be evil in order to advance spiritually?

Answer: How should I answer you? Yes. It’s possible to correct only what is within you. And in spite of it all, this doesn’t say that I must just become evil. It’s one thing if, like a terrorist, I want to kill someone. It’s another thing if I want to love, and at the same time I discover within me a readiness to kill. These are two absolutely different approaches. And the difference here is that I discover the evil in opposition to it, I see that in myself I am evil, but I don’t kill someone who seems evil to me.

“13 years” among the unclean Klipot is not time according to the calendar, rather this is a level, and the stage is very high. I aspire to love, to bestow, so I discover my evil inclination. This is the condition; otherwise, I wouldn’t advance at all on my spiritual way towards correction, towards the Creator.

I want to be close to Him, to embrace Him, to kiss Him, to give Him pleasure according to the principle: “Don’t do to your friend what is hateful to you,” and love the other as thyself. And likewise, for 13 years, I discover the opposite of bestowal within me. In other words, I discover within myself characteristics, desires, and inclinations, which I didn’t even know existed because they are spiritual and come from the four impure worlds of ABYA. They dwell above the “beastly” comprehension of our world, and therefore, this is already an ascent.

Here the principle: “One against the other” acts. Aspiring to the good, I discover the evil, again and again. And so it goes for some time!

If I don’t maintain the position and stop, everything disappears. And if I don’t want to stop, then I turn to a group, to studies, to the Creator, resorting to all the means that will help me to hold on to the way, to tilt it favorably.

And only then are the “malicious” and “erroneous” things discovered in me, defects that seemed not to exist before then. I never felt what the 613 broken desires were and now they are apparent. If I hadn’t advanced, I would have remained on a level that in a spiritual sense is neither good nor bad. Conversely, if a person advances properly, he becomes worse.

But he works on himself; he understands what is happening with him; he is found in an inner struggle; he helps others, and they help him. It’s as if he “crushes” his ego with millstones, chews and grinds it, so that it will be possible to “swallow,” to “digest” it. During these difficult times we must help and support each other.

Imagine a car show, where the new car sparkles and glimmers, all shiny, clean, and beautiful—a real pleasure. And now look at a car repair shop: the stench, the garbage, the mess….It all depends on where and what they sell to you.

So at this stage, we do most of the “dirty work.” To correct the Human in me: What can be worse? And on the other hand, what can be higher?
[103435]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/20/13, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 04.04.13

Preparation to the Lesson

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Shamati #36 What Are the Three Bodies in a Man

[media 3] [media 4]

The Book of ZoharSelected Excerpt, “Va’Etchanan

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Writings of Rabash “Article 23″

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