Audio Version Of The Blog – 03.15.14

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Why Should I Hate Myself?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why does it say that a person should hate himself and love others? Why should I hate myself?

Answer: Hatred refers to the inclination to be separated, to drawing away from the hated object. It is about our egoistic attributes that disturb us from reaching the Creator and from resembling Him; attributes that disturb us from attaining love and bestowal and which disturb us from attaining connection between everyone.

These attributes disturb me from surrendering, from annulling myself, from losing myself, which means from leaving my corporeal heart and mind and from trying to acquire a heart and mind of bestowal and to live outside myself.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/13/14

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Climbing To The Top Of The Mountain Together

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt doesn’t matter whether I read The Zohar or whether I am on duty in the kitchen; what’s important is that I constantly yearn for the Light that Reforms and to connect with the friends. I cannot yearn for the Light without unity or connection. It is an essential pre-condition, which we don’t even speak about since it is obvious.

If there is no connection, my yearning for the Light is egoistic and false and is only for my own benefit. Without it we cannot climb Mt. Sinai because from that point onwards we begin to think only together.

This doesn’t happen automatically, of course, and we have to constantly remind one another about it, and this is the reason for mutual guarantee. This is why it was agreed to accept mutual guarantee at Mt. Sinai, since no one can yearn for a real vessel unless all the other parts of this vessel agree to it, the 600,000 souls that make up a whole vessel.

600,000 souls is a symbol of your yearning for reaching the goal by planning it first. The ultimate goal is to reach the level called 60 Ribo, Arich Anpin, and so we have to collect 600,000 souls, which means that we have to yearn to climb to the top of the mountain together.

Question: How do we strengthen the mutual guarantee between us by yearning for the Light while reading The Zohar?

Answer: One simply doesn’t work without the other. This is the principle. Therefore, “love thy friend as thyself” is the general rule and the only way by which we can receive the Torah. Without it the Light will not come, or may come only in a very weak form.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/11/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Hitting The Ego In The Teeth

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What does it mean to hit the ego in the teeth?

Answer: Every word a Kabbalist says stems from his spiritual attainment,

Thirty-two teeth symbolize thirty-two elements which correlate to the thirty-two currents of the Light of Hochma that descend from the mind, from the head of the spiritual Partzuf, go through the hairs and the inner parts of the head, and create the inner part of the mouth and the teeth, including the teeth for grinding food.

The spiritual filling includes water and food: Water is the Light of Hassadim and food is the Light of Hochma. There are thirty-two attributes called teeth that are used to grind the Light of Hochma, which isn’t easy since we have to receive in order to bestow.

It is a whole system by which we understand why we were created the way we are and why the forces of nature integrate in such a way in order to create the ultimate forms, which on our level are fulfilled in the form of a mind, brain, head, and all the other forms of the face. What is more, these forms differ in different peoples and different civilizations.

All this is necessary! And we will discover all this on the way to our correction. There is no point studying the wisdom of Kabbalah artificially since we will not be able to correct ourselves that way.

Thirty-two teeth are thirty-two systems of correction of the upper current of wisdom before it can enter the body in which there are many systems: the trachea, the larynx, the esophagus, etc.

A person should perceive information according to his feeling, not mentally but by his feelings. A small child doesn’t always understand what he is told, but when he grows up he can already perceive and understand this information.

A “blow in the teeth” means that a person doesn’t chew properly, which means that he doesn’t digest the information and he clarifies it in an opposite manner, clarifying everything for his own sake.

There are very clever people, but they turn everything for their own sake, since this is how their mind works. In the end, after many years, this turns out to be a mistake, but in the meantime, they avoid this fact and so nothing can be done with them. Five to ten years may go by before they gradually realize how to clarify things correctly.

So “hitting the teeth” means to annul the option of the wrong clarification of the Light of Hochma in us.
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There Are No Enemies, Only Partners

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book The Tree of Life,” Item 3: When the generations have lessened and their sages themselves had started to crave both tables, meaning a good life for their corporeality, too, their views drew near to the masses.

The desire to enjoy was constantly growing, a meter was continuously turning inside, increasing its temperature more and more, until the desire to enjoy flamed up completely. Greater and greater Reshimot were becoming revealed. And that’s why scientists, who used to be idealists and only wanted pure science, as it was until the end of the Middle Ages, suddenly reached out for wealth and praise; they wanted Nobel prizes. This is how they started to sell their science.

And besides, research demanded so much material resources, such great investment, that scientists didn’t have so much money and were forced to sell themselves to the ruling circles, the mighty of this world. It became possible to approach a chemist and order a new drug, stronger than any existing ones.

And the scientists had no choice but to fulfill the orders–this is something that didn’t happen before. First of all, a scientist didn’t need money and was drawn to pure science. Secondly, the clients weren’t that corrupt, ready to destroy the entire world for their profit. That’s how the world has changed and the generations have lessened.

We see today that people need science to get control over others and earn money. Science is not used for the sake of pure science; no one takes interest in this any longer. Nobody would give a penny for pure science, and no one is engaged in it any more.

Scientists are engaged in applied disciplines that can bring real financial profit and as soon as possible. Therefore, thanks to science we reveal that we are slaves of the evil inclination. But for now, only Kabbalists realize this, while those who control scientists pay those whom it’s worthwhile to pay and utilize science only for the sake of profit.

Egoistic desire develops not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. And now we starting to realize that the entire problem is our egoism that rules over us. Some 50 years ago we didn’t think so. We conquered space, dreamed of trips to other planets and stars, and were proud of humanity’s great achievements.

Then disappointment came, and in our days all the programs in general fell to the ground. The example of today’s conflict in Ukraine, that Russia and Europe found themselves involved into, shows how everyone is dependent on each other. It’s unclear what to do, how to influence each other, since all systems begin to stall.

How can one apply any sanctions if everyone is connected to each other? One state would like to cut itself down from the other, but cannot. Everyone is tied by mutual responsibility, bad connections, and can’t do anything about it. Ultimately, complete chaos and mess begin. They start to realize that it’s impossible to do anything against each other.

If Europe refuses to receive oil and gas from Russia, how will it subsist? And if Ukraine ceases to supply foodstuffs to Russia, who will lose more? The connection is so strong that it’s impossible to cut it off. One depends on the other because it receives from it, and vice versa. Is it possible to fight under such conditions? Only wag a finger and go home?

That’s the result of the development of science thanks to which we acquired dreadful weapons and tied ourselves through international trade.

Question: So it follows that we have rolled back to the cold war?

Answer: This is not the cold war—it’s no longer possible. The cold war means applying all sanctions but firing at each other. But now it’s also impossible. Even sending a spy and exposing an enemy is pointless because if we are so interconnected, we won’t be able to do anything anyway. It’s the same as to install a video camera and spy and listen to yourself.

We we are tied together, you are not an enemy any more, but a partner. I receive foodstuffs from you, while you oil and gas from me, and we can’t make it without each other. What difference it will make if we denounce one another? If I depend on you, then on the contrary, it’s in my own interest that you strengthen your weak spots. Say, Russia will reveal some weak spots in European industry, but it’s not interested at all in harming, rather in fixing these shortcomings.

Indeed, if European industry stops, to whom will Russia sell its oil and gas? And without these sales, it won’t have money itself. Do you see where our mutual dependency leads us to? This is why so many different alliances are made, for everybody depends on each other. Only the exploding egoism prevents them from understanding this entire dependency till the end. And all of it is the consequence of modern science.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/2014, “Introduction to the Book The Tree of Life”

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