Audio Version Of The Blog – 07.07.13

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For This It Is Possible To Give Everything

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Ten years ago each person had his own ideal of some kind, and it was possible for all kinds of collectives (communities) to work in a beneficial way. Whereas today all the ideals that gave them energy have suddenly disappeared. Can it be said that some kind of new single ideal will appear in their place?

Answer: Yes, it is kind of an ideal that through an agreement between us with the right communication between each other, we will begin to fill ourselves with a feeling of a higher existence, much higher than anyone would feel alone. And people will be ready to give everything for this! Otherwise what kind of a life would this be? It would be frightening to look down. A desire will exist all the time to float in the air.

Within our unity we need to find a common collective power that gives us vitality, unites, supports, and nourishes us mutually, a power that exists not in each of us, but is created between us only through integrating correctly through the right mutual cooperation.

Question: If a stranger were to arrive in a collective like this and were successfully integrated into it and reached a common goal, what would he feel?

Answer: The person would reach the level of a completely different life. Suddenly he would understand that in this life it is possible to have such sensations, such stimuli, that don’t exist anywhere: not at home, not in the family, not on the street, and not in big stores anywhere. It is impossible to see this on television, it cannot be found on the Internet, so we become depressed, we are found in a “burned out” state.

Whereas here a person suddenly begins to understand that he has “entered and penetrated” into some kind of other world! Not just that he is full of happiness but also “inner light,” completely disconnected from any physical phenomena.

He is ready to work for nothing, as they say, for the sake of an idea, only to feel the embodiment of light giving him life.
[108991]
From KabTV’s “Through Time” 3/20/13

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Seeing The Creator And Getting Acquainted With Him

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 42: Indeed, you should know the reason for our great distance from the Creator, and that we are so prone to transgress His will is for but one reason, which became the source of all the torment and the suffering that we suffer, and for all the sins and the mistakes that we fail in. Clearly, by removing that reason, we will instantly be rid of any sorrow and pain. We will immediately be granted adhesion with Him in heart, soul, and might. And I tell you that, that preliminary reason is none other than the lack of our understanding in His Providence over His creations, that we do not understand Him properly.

We don’t understand the Creator at all. We are simply in the dark imagining whatever we feel like, creating different beliefs and methods in our imaginings of the soul and the next world, etc.

We cannot even imagine the corporeal world properly, since this whole reality is also concealed from us. We are in a state of absolute numbness, and it’s as if we are dreaming totally detached not only from the upper world but also from the current reality.

The problem is that we don’t know the Creator, which means the upper Light that operates on all of reality. We don’t see that He is good and benevolent. What’s more, we don’t perceive, understand, feel, or identify His actions and their essence in any way.

This is why we need the wisdom of Kabbalah in order to get to know these actions and to fulfill the principle of “we will know You from Your actions.” Then we get to know the Creator and His nature and that He is good and benevolent. We also get to know the goal of creation which is to do good to His created beings. We are also included in this by the Light that Reforms.

The revelation of the Creator to the created being is vital so we will justify Him and adhere to Him, which means to do whatever we have to do. Thus the wisdom of Kabbalah is the only tool that can help a person rise from the imaginary, fictitious reality to the only true reality there is.
[111463]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/13, “There Is None Else Besides Him”

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Creating A Resemblance To The Light

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Matan Torah,” (The Giving of the Torah), Item 11: “This exaltedness and Dvekut, which is guaranteed to come to us through our work in Torah and Mitzvot, is no more and no less than the equivalence of the branches with their root.”

  • All the gentleness, pleasure, and sublimity become a natural extension here, as we have said above, pleasure is only the equivalence of form with one’s Maker. And when we equalize in every conduct with our root, we sense delight.
  • Also, everything we encounter that is not in our root becomes intolerable, disgusting, or considerably painful to us, as is necessitated by that concept. And we naturally find that our very hope depends on the extent of our equivalence of form with our root.

Thus we advance by pleasures and sufferings. On the whole we should establish the equivalence of form from both parts. I have to create of myself a form that is similar to the Light.

But the upper Light has no form; it is total bestowal and absolute love. So how can I create the form of the Light in my desire to receive that has a form?

I “undress” from all the egoistic relationships that I have and establish connections of love above them. So internally I am totally made of a desire to receive and its external expression becomes a desire to bestow.

As a result I find myself in front of the Surrounding Light, in front of the Light of Ein Sof (Infinity), and I make the image of the Creator for myself, by myself. This is why this level is called Adam (a human being) which means to resemble the Creator (Domeh in Hebrew).

The Creator himself has no form, but we discover Him by getting closer to Him and by that we “create” Him.

Baal HaSulam, “The Secret of Gestation and Birth”: It is similar to a Rav and his student, when the Rav’s only inclination is to empower his student to be like him and to teach other students like himself. In the same manner the Creator is content when the created beings create and renew His image. Our force of renewal and development is not really new, but a kind of imitation. And our level of development is measured according to the level that the imitation matches the work of nature.

We fulfill all that in the mutual connection between us. We were given a chance to overcome the ego between us if we use the means that we have correctly: the lessons, the workshops, the conventions, etc. The most important thing should be to reach connection, so that the connection will resemble the Light and mutual bestowal to some extent.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/13, “There Is None Else Besides Him”

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All We Need Is Love

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: You said that we shouldn’t pin our hopes on the convention, that we shouldn’t expect any pleasure, but that we should only work above it and set an example for others.

Answer: The goal of creation is to do good to the created beings! Therefore, we should expect to receive pleasure but pleasure from bestowing upon the friends and through them upon the Creator.

Pleasure is the goal of creation, I should enjoy. If I don’t enjoy but cry, I am opposite from the goal of creation and far from the Creator.

The closer we get to the Creator, the more we enjoy. All the levels of the spiritual ladder are the ascent to the feeling of increasingly greater and more wonderful pleasures! It seems that you have reached the top and then such sensations are suddenly felt that you can simply go mad. But you cannot go mad since you have a Masach (screen). If you didn’t have a Masach, the smallest spiritual pleasure would burn all your fuses.

The pleasure you feel is the pleasure of bestowal, the pleasure of loving and filling your beloved friend.

I see that you have a sad face. Can’t you imagine that you fill someone that you love? Do you love anyone in this world, your son at least? Can you imagine enjoying giving him a present and that it brings you pleasure when you see his pleasure, as you actually feel the joy inside him? Do you feel the pleasure that he feels when he tastes something good or enjoys a certain game, as if you are right there inside him?

We have such corporeal examples that you can also use in spirituality. But in spirituality this love doesn’t appear naturally, since you have to ask for help, to build it up inside you by the Light that Reforms. But you should already understand that you can enjoy the fact that the one you love enjoys.

This means that all you need is love of the Creator! When He enjoys your actions, you will enjoy His pleasure from you to the same extent. By bringing the Creator your minor good mood, you multiply it by 620 times because the Creator is a bit greater than you and includes everything there is.

You multiply your efforts and your pleasure by transferring them to Him, since He enjoys you 620 times more and you receive from Him a pleasure that is 620 times greater. Thus we advance up the spiritual ladder and this is all our work: to fill the Light with 613 desires and 7 additional ones, Malchut itself, and on the whole 620 desires.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/03/13, Writings of Rabash

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The Banking System In Short

Dr. Michael LaitmanOpinion (from War and Peace): “Because so few people know how the system works, nearly nobody sees how – in an almost mechanical way – banking with thin air parasites society like a cancer tumor and reduces people to cogs to appease its financial hunger. …

“The solution of all these problems is as simple as its cause. We have to create a bank that is of all of us, a state bank with the exclusive right to create money. There must be a prohibition on creating balances out of thin air and on lending out balances. A state bank does not need capital and does not need profits. The interest can stay very low, or be compensated by fiscal measures.

“The interest flows back to the community. A money system with such a state bank does not need money growth, profitability growth, inflation, productivity growth, competition, exploitation and unemployment. When decided democratically, the government can take over the collective services again and execute them in the interest of the citizens.

“Also, investments can be directed to where such is desirable for society and not where the safest and fastest financial gains can be obtained. The government won’t depend on the bankers anymore. The public debt will be of the past. Collectively we can turn to sustainability and wellbeing, instead of devouring, wasting and pressing out employees to please money-lenders.

My Comment: It is impossible to do without correcting people; otherwise people will still find a way to cash in on each other.
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Charging The Air Of The Convention

Dr. Michael LaitmanRabash “Shlavei HaSulam,” Article 17, “The Order of the Assembly”: In the multitude of people is the king’s glory, it follows that the greater the number of the collective, the more effective is the power of the collective. In other words, they produce a stronger atmosphere of the greatness and importance of the Creator. At that time, each person’s body feels that he regards anything that he wishes to do for holiness—meaning to bestow upon the Creator—as a great fortune, that he has been privileged with being among people who have been rewarded with serving the king. At that time, every little thing he does fills him with joy and pleasure that now he has something with which to serve the king.

This should be the atmosphere of the convention in St. Petersburg. And we need to prepare for it. No “mechanism” will work for us. It is the people who gather at the convention that must form, generate the desired state, “warm up the air,” and feel that it is “charged” with our intentions. The realization of the greatness and importance of the work, the focus of joint efforts depend on us.

We are special; we are doing a special action of establishing contact, even the smallest with the upper force. It structures us, helps us, brings us closer by obstacles, and eventually propels us to the goal.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/3/13, “There Is None Else Besides Him”

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An Altar Made Of Desires

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Torah “Exodus,” “Jethro,” 20:19-20:20: And the Lord said unto Moses, “Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.” Gold is the left line, the attribute of receiving. Silver is the right line, the attribute of bestowal. This means that gold is what draws.

The Torah “Exodus,” “Jethro,” 20:21: “An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me…” Earth (Eretz in Hebrew) is a desire, which means, make an altar of your desires.

The Torah “Exodus,” “Jethro,” 20:21: “…And shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record My name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.” First there is an altar made of earth, of the desires on the level of the still nature, and then one sacrifices desires on the level of the vegetative, which is symbolized by different branches, plants, etc. Then the highest level is the level of the animate. A person does all this on the level of the “speaking.” Here all the levels of desire in a person are included, all the levels of nature.

Question: There were tribes that had human sacrifices.

Answer: It is because they believed that their idols needed such sacrifices. It is a whole system of different human aspects, of a person’s natural form, and of his inner attitude towards himself and the world.

We are all egoists and if I have a chance to take everything for myself, I do so. If I cannot do so because some people are against me and object to this, I contact them and have to pay them. This is not a desirable payment on my part, but I have no choice, I have to give in order to get something in return.

A person has the same attitude towards nature. If I want to receive something from nature and to feel comfortable, but then suddenly I am bombarded by storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, locust, wild animals, plagues, and death, what can I give as ransom so that it won’t happen? Who should I pay and for what? This is what all the religions are based on. So in some of them, people sacrificed what was dearest to them, other human beings.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 3/4/13

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About Sacrifices, Tithe And Unite The Nation

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe term “sacrifices” in Judaism refers to the desire to give of oneself to society. From the meat of the animals that were sacrificed at the Temple, the poor, the Levites, and the people held meals, and this was called “the work of the Temple.”

The desire to give of oneself to society was expressed in the form of a commandment a person should perform, in the form of tithe, which was used for educating the people.

Everyone had to bring a sacrifice according to the sin he had committed or something that he did wrong. The people were on a spiritual level at that time, and everyone determined his egoistic sins by himself since the others didn’t see them. A person felt where he had gone wrong and where he had sinned, and then according to Rabash, he had to have a feast, invite friends, sit together, and connect with them. This is called “God’s work.”

This is how people connect. At the same time they did very intensive, internal, spiritual work as to why they were doing all that. When a person has a feast, he raises and awakens others so that they will impress him more next time and help him not to fall again.

Everything is done in a very peaceful way as we also do today. Why do we need a corporeal Temple? We have a place where we meet with the group and there you bring your “sacrifices.” But everyone has to first clarify things in an anti-egoistic manner since otherwise all this is meaningless.

The sacrifices, the work in the Temple, and all the other activities are totally different from what we were brought up to believe. It is all aimed only at the connection between people.

The Temple is a place where all the desires and all the corrections gather. It is the place from where people went out to every region to teach the people, and there wasn’t anyone who did not know how to read and how to count. Everyone knew how to do everything; they all knew the spiritual work thanks to the tithe they gave to support the Temple.

No one followed anyone! Everyone had to do this, otherwise you were not considered one who bestows, who gives. What’s more, if a person gave unwillingly and only because he was forced to, it wasn’t considered a tithe. As it says on the two tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved:”Everyone should give as his heart wills.” If it doesn’t come from the heart, it is not considered bestowal.

The Torah, “Exodus,” “Jethro,” 20:22: And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

An altar must always be higher than you, above your head, “above reason,” above your knowledge and your attainment. This means that bestowal should always be higher than all your calculations.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 3/4/13

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The Last Bit

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, Letter 38: ..hurry up and spend the majority of your time preparing your body to muster strength and courage “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” Do not lose a minute, “for the way is long and supplies are scarce. (…) But the most important is the labor, meaning to crave how to labor in His work, since the ordinary work does not count at all, only the bits that are more than the ordinary, which is called “labor.” It is like a person who needs to eat a pound of bread a day to be full. All his eating does not merit the title, “satisfying meal,” but only the last bit from the pound. That bit, for all its smallness, is what defines the meal as satisfying. Similarly, out of every service, the Creator draws out only the bits beyond the ordinary, and they will be the letters and the Kelim (vessels) in which to receive the Light of His face.

The problem is where to get the strength to constantly multiply efforts. How can we imagine the importance of the spiritual goal, that is, bestowal, every time so that it outweighs all the burdening of the heart? The heart becomes hardened; the egoistic desire of all kinds is growing, so that we can hardly see that it comes as “help against.” But every time we think that these are real obstacles, and even not obstacles—but this is our life and we need to deal with these difficulties, focusing all our attention and effort on them.

Common sense suggests that you need to behave; it’s not some philosophical debate like in Kabbalah; it’s not the hidden spiritual world, but the real earthly life. We are not able to accept these problems as obstacles on the spiritual path and to rise above all of them without exception and attach them to spiritual advancement.

We are overcome by the burdening of the heart, confused by all sorts of life problems. It seems that our life is in them, and first of all we need to deal with them and only after that engage in spiritual advancement. And even having entered the spiritual world, we find it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the goal, to aim ourselves at the true goal, that is, bestowal and love for the other and through it to love for the Creator. It is getting harder to turn to the environment and ask for support.

Obstacles come from two sides—besides this world, as well as from the Creator, the group, the teacher—from all the material and spiritual factors. In earthly life, we are overwhelmed by common concerns about: food, family, money, power, knowledge. And the teacher, the group, the Creator act in the spiritual life. But we do not want to see in all them the means for advancement, sent to us from above. We forget that we are only against the upper Light and begin to make various material calculations, slowing ourselves on the path.

Only the total effort of the group is able to create the general force that at least will keep us in the right understanding from which we can begin to start correcting our individual states. Only then will we be able to make an effort that is above human power, with the help of the environment and the Light that Reforms.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/2/13

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