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A Man Of Feelings And A Man Of Faith

Dr. Michael LaitmanAll our work is inner concentration because the external reality does not change no matter how much we expect it to do. The reality is defined only by its perception within us and entirely depends on a person’s properties. A person changes, and through that reality which he felt in his five sense organs before, he sees other connections in our world, a new reality, the presence of the upper force. Gradually, this force becomes huge, controlling everything and supporting the entire reality.

But now we neither see nor notice it. This is the only thing that changes to the extent that this earthly reality disappears completely with the death of the body and only the spiritual reality remains. Everything depends on how we change from a “feeling” person to a “believing” person.

The difference between the two is determined by the instruments with which we work. If we perceive the reality in the desire to enjoy, this is called a person of feeling, and if in the desire to bestow, then this is called a person of faith. But they both imply sensations. Faith is also a sensation only in the Reflected Light, in the desire aimed at bestowal instead of reception.

The feeling of his distance from the Creator means that a person has received more sensitive instruments (Kli) for measuring his attitude to the Creator. Just a few days ago at the convention we felt more connected with each other to such an extent that a person disappeared within the feeling of our community. The general force and inspiration held him, allowing him to stop feeling himself.

But this can happen with any joyous enthusiasm when many people, united by one idea, one opinion, thought, purpose, and reason, get together and thus they feel their unity. How is our state different from others? It is in order to make it different from them that we are now given the sensation of descent, distancing from the light state. We feel that we miss something in this state so that it could remain.

We ourselves are not able to keep it; it requires the presence of some new force, a new reality, that is above us. This sense of alienation means the expansion of our desires, the tools of perception, to a new depth and width, an increase of their inner sensitivity, as well as the obtaining of a more powerful external force.

And thus we see that we cannot cope with this. We are seemingly immersed in a vast sea of feelings left from the convention, which is gradually cooling down and soon will freeze completely. We cannot stop this. The trend is clear, but it is not clear how to resist this.

First of all, you need to understand that this trend is natural and you should try to protect yourself from it, to stop, to fight with this cooling as much as possible, but only in order to sharpen your sensation of this distancing, trying to retain the previous warm feeling as much as possible!

And in spite of all our efforts, we can see that we are not capable of this. We will check our state, comparing how it is changing from day to day, and will understand that our inspiration is gradually fading. Sometimes the thoughts of unity come but immediately disappear. And today’s state is even further from what is was yesterday.

But feeling our separation from the great King, one must understand that it is not real alienation, but simply the Creator increasing one’s degree of sensitivity to the state, increases one’s desire quantitatively and qualitatively. And then a person feels that he lacks something in the same state.

In fact, we are still in the same state because nothing disappears in spirituality. But in every successive state, we lack our unity and the presence of the Creator to a greater extent.
[112637]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/13

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Why Do You Need This Trouble?

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “The Peace:” The angels asked of the Creator: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? Why do you need this trouble?”…

There is an allegory about a king who had a tower filled with good things, but no guests. What pleasure does a king have in his full tower?

“Angels” are the essence of the forces of nature, such as gravity, electrostatic, magnetic force, etc. And their question is clear, “If all of reality is Your forces, that is, Your manifestations before the matter of desire, then how does this matter benefit from everything that You do with it, moving it from state to state?”

The Creator replies, “I want to create a man—such a fusion of elements, such a combination of basics so that their connection produced something new that is not My direct consequence.”

The human degree (Adam) is above “angels”—above the laws of nature that leave no room for freedom of will. The human being stands over them; he is capable of free choice. “Angels” do not understand his creation because they are just the forces of Creator acting in creation. And yet in this, His derivative, subordinated immutable laws, a special point of freedom is revealed.

It stems from the Creator and comes to the created being. This means, that in this creation He creates something autonomous, independent—first of all from Himself…

So, how? Can a desire, independent, separated from Him, opposite to Him, and equal by power, confront the Creator? After all, this will lead to conflict, to clash, to “disaster.” “Angels” do not understand how the Good Who Does Good Creator can allow this.

And the Creator replied to them that indeed He had a tower full of good things, but only this humanity was invited to it.

In other words, only on condition that if people would go through problems and troubles, which will encourage them to think and obtain an independent desire, will they be able to partake of what He has prepared for them.
[112563]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/19/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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The Unbearable Fragility Of Life

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Peace in the World:” First, everyone must thoroughly understand and explain to his surroundings that the wellbeing of society, which is the wellbeing of the state and the wellbeing of the world, are completely interdependent. As long as the laws of society are not satisfactory to each and every individual in the state, and leave a minority that is unsatisfied with the government of the state, this minority conspires under the government of the state and seeks to overthrow it.

Once, it was different, but today, as a result of liberalism, the arms race, and the special structure of society, even a tiny group of people is able to undermine the foundation of entire countries. The world is fragile as never before: The least distortion, any disorder, any disagreement, even in some small thing, eventually turns into a big problem that could destroy the entire building. Technology and means of destruction have gone too far, politics is too hypocritical, social order is too vulnerable.

The same happens in the family: A trivial quarrel can scatter its parts away from each other. The Internet, in general, provides unimaginable possibilities: several “brats,” sitting in front of the screen, can make millions out “virtual space,” but they can also undermine the foundations of companies, banks, countries, anything.

It turns out that nowadays a handful of people can cause considerable damage to the whole country. Moreover, the more developed that country is, the more vulnerable and sensitive it is to the strike of single groups.

The world has become very sensitive to the slightest frictions and differences. This tension between its parts will only grow until it will lead us to the understanding that whether we like it or not, we need to find some common ground for everyone, the common denominator, free of any kind of disagreement, imbued with integrity and unanimity. It seems to be something absolutely unreal, and yet, the law of the global, perfect, integral unity is manifested before us more clearly.

That is why the world needs complete, total wellbeing. It will not be able to live fragmented into parties, sectors, and power factions; it will no longer be able to struggle in its own disagreement. Be that as it may, but we already see that nature pushes us towards wholeness. What is not unified has no right to exist.
[112401]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Gathering In One Desire

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: At the convention in Krasnoyarsk I experienced feelings that cannot be conveyed. For the first time in life an opportunity appeared to be freed from all doubts, to leap beyond myself, to go out to the friends, to connect with them, and freely share unlimited excitement with them. Then everything was obliterated. And now when I hear your words, a taste of this appears again. Can we use this now, or must we do something else?

Answer: We need to create unity. It is not necessary to remember anything, not at all! We simply need to begin to create this now, to feel and to desire this with all of our longing, concern, and effort. We must fear that this will disappear, that we will lose our attention.

This is the main thing: establishing the intention. The Surrounding Light acts on us now. It changes us, strengthens what we create; in this way our characteristics are changed. The world, the world of emotion depends upon our characteristics. It follows then, that our intentions change reality.

We learn this by comprehending reality; ontology, the science of reality, of creation, speaks about this. So there is nothing supernatural here. Both physics and the other sciences confirm and establish that our consciousness establishes how our world is felt and that this is itself changed by our intention. Therefore it is truly possible to feel the world absolutely differently. It is specifically this with which we are occupied.

Come let us converge with a single desire. I think that we will succeed in this; I feel this according to the people who are already gathered here and those who are yet to arrive. We have done great work. I thank you very much for this; I am grateful.

The men and the women all have done their best and continue trying. There are new ones and there are those with experience, but nevertheless, truly there is a good point and good contact for everyone. The rest is up to us. This is a cumulative process.

Specifically within this shared sphere, this common passion, this common concern, this mutual inclusion, by going out of ourselves with a feeling that connects everyone in the network of forces created between us, we gradually begin to feel the level of consciousness, the substance, the energy, the program, what is to come.

We must begin to feel this patently, to pass from the simple feeling of unity to a more fundamental feeling of this schema, the force that is acting among us, as we begin to act in unison with this force.
[112129]
From the Convention in St. Petersburg 7/11/13, “Preparatory Lesson”

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The US Works Part-Time

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from Washington Examiner): “Behind Wal-Mart, the second-largest employer in America is Kelly Services, a temporary work provider.

“Friday’s disappointing jobs report showed that part-time jobs are at an all-time high, with 28 million Americans now working part-time. The report also showed another disturbing fact: There are now a record number of Americans with temporary jobs. Approximately 2.7 million, in fact. And the trend has been growing. …

“It’s a sad state of affairs for our country. While part-time and temp jobs reached highs last month, full-time jobs decreased by another 240,000. The recovery, or lack thereof, is being fueled by a shift from full-time to part-time work.”

My Comment: They lie—downsizing occurs everywhere, and the numbers are inflated to calm down the markets. Society is gradually transformed into a society that produces nothing; hidden unemployment is ubiquitous. People must be somehow occupied and countries are thinking about how to engage them. But this will not lead to appeasement because nature leads us to the realization of the need for a new level of development.
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The Oath Of Allegiance

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How in practice can we form a union within the group to stay in the same feeling of belonging to the general unity?

Answer: But we all want to advance! We have reached a new sensation at the convention; it’s not for nothing we prepared so much for it and gathered so many loyal friends. There were almost no people who came by chance and if someone showed up, he disappeared in the general atmosphere.

And now we are all interested in this union to continue what we have achieved. If everyone wants to maintain the same feeling of belonging to one whole in which we aspire to find the mutual property of bestowal, then the upper force is present within. It’s hidden for the time being, but it will be manifested gradually, clearly, and it will shine. It will happen! We are already discovering the area in which it should occur.

A union is different from simple efforts that we commit to each other. Now that I feel I belong to the collective unity, I pledge to keep it, as if swearing allegiance to my people, my homeland. We feel that we belong to our country and this requires us to be loyal. The same thing happens here.

Actually, we have already formed this union, and now we just need to strengthen it, to sign it. The signature means that you cannot retreat from your obligations even for a moment. You promise that regardless of any new situations and disturbances you will keep loyalty to the collective unity. This is called signing a covenant.

You will be thrown from state to state, but you will keep your agreement thanks to the power of the Creator. Although we are not revealing Him yet and that is why we do not feel that everything depends on Him, meanwhile, we should be supported by the fear of losing what we achieved; this is the rope that binds us together. Then, we will be able to get closer to bestowal and will understand that the Creator is the guarantor of our union.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/13, Writings of Rabash

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How To Bridge The Gap

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: There are times when you feel strongly impressed and elated; you need to pass this on to others. But there are times when it doesn’t work: Someone is in a state of descent, another is active and leaves, and the gap just keeps on growing.

Answer: This is actually a good thing! When everyone is in a state of ascent it’s bad. Yet we will be given such states. If we could see everyone around us from the inside instead of the bodies, to see some other parameters, you would see that everyone is jumping up and down. But these jumps are totally different and they are all mutually connected.

Question: But how can we support one another so as not to increase the gap and not to make the states of descent any worse?

Answer: Smile at one another, support one another by your desires. Do your best to invest all your efforts in that. There is nothing else I can wish for you or suggest in this case. You have to show the others that your heart is open to them. This is how you will convince them and thus beat them.
[112346]
From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day One” 7/12/13, Lesson 1

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The Depth Of The Laws Of The Torah

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen we examine the laws of the Torah, it is impossible to clarify their full spiritual essence at one time. We can touch a certain law a little but only from one angle out of many ways, revelations, and connections.

There lies a special great depth concealed in each law since they all belong to an integral system. So, it doesn’t matter which law we take as we draw the end of the string and begin to talk about it. Then we draw another end, and everything advances differently according to a totally different point of view.

Question: How is their integrality expressed?

Answer: It is impossible to express integrality since it is not reflected in our consciousness in a flat, linear form or in a language that we can picture in our mind at all. As Kozma Prutkov said, “It is impossible to surround infinity.”

There are no words for that. It is impossible to explain the term Ein Sof (Infinity) or wholeness, for example. How? Compared to what attributes? If you begin to take all this apart, it is merely differentiation and not integration. The moment you begin to cut different words and put them into sentences, you cannot put them into an integral afterward.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 4/29/13

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An Intentional Mistake Arranged From Above

Dr. Michael LaitmanBefore the shattering, there was a vessel that wanted to receive the Light in order to bestow (Adam and Eve). But there was a place in this vessel called the heart of stone which was impossible to correct. The Upper Light couldn’t enter it. The Surrounding Light couldn’t enter it either. So how was it possible to correct it? After all, it is the whole essence of the created being.

It turns out that I have a desire to receive that is opposite from the Creator, the Upper Light, which cannot enter it. It would contradict the law of equivalence of form, and after all, it says: “He gave a law that cannot be broken”; the Creator himself doesn’t break His own laws. The laws were determined, and all of reality, all of creation, exists according to these laws.

So what can we do? How can the created being still be corrected and become similar to the Creator? How can the created being take on the form of the Creator if the Upper Light cannot even touch the stony heart according to the laws of restriction and a lack of equivalence of form? It can never do that since the stony heart is the essence of the created being.

The shattering was necessary; it was necessary to confuse the created being so that he’d want to receive in order to bestow as if that were even possible in the stony heart. This is how the Creator arranges the created being and the created being accepts this action in absolute devotion. The Upper Light gives him this feeling by the Partzuf that it has created in which the head of the Partzuf belongs to Bina and the body belongs to Malchut. He intends to use all his desires in order to bestow in his head; this is pure Bina, pure bestowal. So he doesn’t feel that there is a chance for it to go wrong or fail, but still he fails.

It wasn’t a mistake or a failure at all; it did not depend on the created being, but was intentionally arranged so from Above. But mutual incorporation of the vessels of Bina and the vessels of Malchut take place as a result of the shattering. The main thing is that it allows continuity by the clarification of all the vessels except for the stony heart.

This is a very delicate point that we have to think about, “the advantage of Light from darkness.” We clarify the first nine Sefirot, all their discernments, except for the stony heart, which is “in reason,” in the ego, which we don’t clarify. But by clarifying everything around it, I get to know the stony heart, and by that I get to know the Creator Himself from inside it.

Thus, we perform correction without correcting our own desire. But we do differentiate and take from it everything that we can, leaving only the actual stony heart in which there is nothing else that we can correct. As a result of this clarification, we discover the form of the stony heart in contrast to the form of the Creator and reach the end of correction.
[111958]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/02/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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