Audio Version Of The Blog – 07.14.14

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Convention In Sochi “Day Two” – 07.14.14

Convention in Sochi, Day Two, Lesson 3

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Convention in Sochi, Day Two, Lesson 4

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Convention in Sochi, Day Two, Lesson 5

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Convention in Sochi, Day One, Workshop 1

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Convention in Sochi, Day One, Lesson 6

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The Course Of Events Is Not In Our Favor

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Israel is in a difficult position these days, under a missile attack. Every time we hope it will not happen again we find ourselves in the same position all over again. What is going on here?

Answer: The point is that we want to solve the problem by using force, by military action. But this will not work because our enemies are strong enough and have enough money and weapons to stand against us. We think that we are stronger since we have powerful rockets armed with nuclear warheads. But we cannot use the weapons that we have under these conditions. Every war has its own rules and the reaction has to be according to the threat.

In addition to that, we do not live in a vacuum. The world intervenes in our actions, and somehow the UN, Europe, the Arab countries, Russia, and other countries are beginning to treat us more and more negatively.

We should understand that the course of events is not in our favor and that time works against us: either we find a solution or not. We had hoped that our enemies would finally understand that they should live in peace with us and accept our existence, but we see that this isn’t happening. Islam is becoming tougher and stronger.

The fundamental Islamists are growing stronger in Syria, Iraq, Russia, Europe,  and America and they are now represented in the United Nations. Turkey is also becoming more and more Islamist. We used to think that with time, the attitude towards us would improve, but we see that it is quite the contrary.

The whole world is advancing towards liberalization, integration, and becoming more and more unified, and softer. At the same time, the Islamists are accumulating more and more power and are advancing towards greater extremism. What the Torah says about Ishmael has come: “His hand is in everything and everyone’s hand is in him.” Now we are in the time of the general correction.

We should understand that this state is irrational and cannot be explained logically. On one hand, there are the right conditions today for a good life, especially in the Arab countries, but they still insist on carrying on their war against the Jews all over the world and especially against the state of Israel. We have no choice but to turn to our sources in order to find out the reasons for that.

After all, Islam and Christianity stem from the same source and this is where they receive the force for anti -Semitism. It has been this way throughout history until today. We should understand that it is help against us, and is meant to push us towards correction.

There have always been conflicts between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism and today the situation is even worse. Our allies are leaving us and taking the other side. They are changing their attitude towards the Jews and towards the state of Israel. We are witnessing a clear inclination to place the Jews against all the religions and all the other nations, but this actually happens in order to bring us to correction.

All these religions are drawing their force from the Torah and we should also receive our power from it. The only solution is the connection between us in order to truly become the nation of Israel. If we unite as a nation, we can stand against the whole world and solve all its problems. But if we don’t, we will drown, lose our power, and find ourselves in the hands of the enemy. Our only weapon is unity.
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From KabTV’s “The Mission of the People of Israel,” 7/08/14

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A Science You Study On Yourself

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: When at the lesson, how do you renew your intention between the opposites that pull you in different directions?

Answer: It is a good thing to have disturbances. As soon as one renews his intention, it slips away once again, and other calculations start dragging him down.

And once again he is being reminded from the heavens that his thoughts do not relate to spiritual advancement. And once again he finds the strength to analyze his situation and ask to quickly come out of the quagmire towards unity.

He returns to the topic of the lesson with this point of unity, in order to cling to The Zohar as much as possible.

This is the “study of the Torah” – not “hitting the books” but studying oneself. Because in the end we reveal ourselves. It is written: “I will see the Creator from my own flesh.” This way we approach the truth.

Those who think that they need to know the material studied are mistaken. One must know who he is and  learn who he is through the written text. “Who am I, that the Torah teaches to pertain to the Light?” I discover all my contradictions, all the disturbances, and types of spiritual connection, all the “pros” and “cons.”

This is what I must learn. The Torah gives lessons to my evil inclination, by putting it before the Light. It is written: “I created the evil inclination and the Torah to accompany it.” When both of these factors manifest before man, and he begins to verify one through the other, this is the studying of the Torah.

I do not study the text; I study myself. When I strive towards the truth, the text brings me the sensation of the extent of my separation from it. People are like machines; they study the text, but there is Torah that you study on yourself. It is written: “We will see the Light in Your Light.”

This is a different kind of study where you work together with the disturbances, resisting them; this is a practical self-study. “Who am I in comparison to the Creator?” This is the essence of this study.

All the disturbances and problems that prevent me from immersing myself into the reality that I am reading about are the differences between me and the Creator. And when I rise above all the faces of my egoism, I demonstrate readiness to move ahead, towards Him.
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From the lesson 11/29/10, Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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A Generator

Dr. Michael LaitmanUnlike all the different religions, mysticisms, and beliefs, the method of Kabbalah changes human nature with the help of the Upper Light. We have a method, but we are very limited: We work without a social desire and consent, against all of mankind. Our egoism constantly awakens and interferes: the further we advance, the worse it gets.

We become wiser, we know, understand, and feel more, but, at the same time, we experience serious obstacles in the form of repulsion from one another. This means that we are really working on changing our nature.

In this process we do not have power over anything; the Creator controls everything. And the only way to establish a connection with Him is by wanting to acquire the Kelim (vessels) of bestowal, like His. We can get in touch with Him through these Kelim, like through a phone line.

But the phone does not work automatically; it must be pre-started, as it was before. How do you do it? By working through the group. You need to wind the group up, and if the group gives you the energy, you will “talk” with the Creator; otherwise it will not happen.

Many obstacles await us on this path. I need to involve my friends and receive inspiration from them by canceling myself. Once I become inspired by the importance of the Creator and the group, I must begin to desire to give them pleasure and ask Him to give me the strength to do this. Clearly, this is not real. So what do we do?

One needs one thing in order to advance: the importance of the environment. It is even worth assigning responsibilities, and take turns taking care of it. This work needs to be clear and we need to be able to understand it; we don’t stand a chance of attaining anything without it.
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From a lesson 11/26/10, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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Egoism: A Halfpenny Opera

Dr. Michael LaitmanRabash, Dargot HaSulam, article 798, “The Worth of the Small One”: When man receives anything he is given, the Creator becomes his debtor.

Example: a father gives his small son a penny a day. And then love for the son awakens in the father, and he gives him five pennies.

As the small son sees that today he has received a bigger present from the father, he becomes inspired to thank his father for this. But later, when the father gives him one penny as usual, the son becomes filled with anger towards the father because of the loss he has suffered.

It turns out that instead of bringing the son closer to the father, the addition he received yesterday only pushed him away. This is because now the father is his debtor, and the small son wants the father to keep adding every day. And if the father does not do this, then all his gifts are worth nothing.

Man dies when he receives, without having attained even half of what he desires.

It is not easy to properly combine the desire for pleasure and the intention to bestow. From this example we see that we do not understand the Creator. Egoism does not tolerate one-time additions. He perceives any addition as the new norm, and he becomes angry when he does not continue to receive it.

We do not understand that when the Creator subtracts, He gives us more, not less! It is not for the desire to receive pleasure, but for us to acquire the intention to bestow. However, egoism sees the loss: one penny instead of the five it had yesterday.

The son does not understand that he himself must complete the remaining four pennies with his faith, intention, and awareness of the Giver’s greatness. Then, instead of a loss, he will acquire a wonderful gain: similarity to the Creator.

The initial, basic desire was created by the Creator in the form of a black point in the middle of the Upper Light. And it will remain a black point. We carry out everything else, including the highest degree of Infinity, on our own through the use of only one method: elevating the Giver in his eyes.

The point in my heart will not grow on its own. It will only grow when connected to a friend, only through bestowal, with which I will manage to permeate my point. It has nothing else to grow on.

The Upper Light keeps influencing us more strongly, but we do not yet understand that development is not limited with the fulfillment of desire. We develop in an increasing Light as we go back through the steps of HaVaYaH.

On this journey, stages gradually replace one another. However, we just keep waiting for new portions of Light without understanding that the time to replace reception with bestowal has come. And even though the Light increases, we perceive it as something negative, as darkness.

In reality Light is good, but in order to receive it as good, we need to become a vessel like it. In the end it pressures us, until we at least somehow agree with the order of the day and take another step towards bestowal.

This is why, instead of working directly with the desire, we need to work on the change of attitude towards the Giver. Development is not a quantitative process, but a qualitative one. We will move ahead quickly if we remember this.
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From a lesson12/03/10, Writings of Rabash

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The Essential Secret Of The Jews, Part 1

Excerpts from the soon-to-be-published book, The Essential Secret of the Jews, by Michael Brushtein.

Close to 4,000 years ago the Jewish people did what was absolutely impossible. In an incomprehensible way they suddenly decided that it must, and was capable of implementing the idea, “And you shall love your friend as yourself.”

Why are we mentioning this today, in the 21st century? Because every day we are more convinced that without good mutual relationships between people we simply will not survive.

What must we do when human values depreciate before our eyes and turn to dust, when what was considered taboo in the past, has become a norm, when someone who was previously a brother has become the cruelest enemy, when nobody can be sure of anything?

The time has finally come to scrutinize how and from where this absolutely unattainable ideal of the Jewish people, “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” appeared. Then, perhaps, we will succeed in understanding how to stop the incessant deterioration of our civilization everywhere. …
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Playing In Love

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: A series of family training, which we finished not long ago, ended for one of the married couples in such a big clash that they are actually separating now.

Answer: This means that they did not find the pleasant, secure, and perfect warmth of the mutual support that they were supposed to find in their mutual concessions.

Meaning, they made concessions against their will and under pressure because this is what was recommended. They did not make efforts to get used to them, and didn’t try playing with them and tuning them so that these actions could turn into a habit, second nature.

This stage of adjustment is quite long. Since we were not taught to make mutual concessions in school, in the University, or when we got married, we missed this approach for most of our life and now we have to make up for it.

Everything should be voluntarily, easily, in the form of a game. I aim myself not at making concessions, but at playing in them: in the proper relationship, in the correct family, in love.

We participate consciously in this game, and gradually it becomes our life. There is no lie in this, because by this we re-educate ourselves. We are set up like a computer; all kinds of programs were installed in us without asking us whether we agree or not, and now we live under their influence.

Usually people say: “Look at the parents of the bride or the groom, at their way of life, and you will understand who the bride or the groom is.” Usually it is this way. Therefore, we have to change ourselves, to bring ourselves to completely different mutual relationships, and this is possible only with the help of constant training, playing, that will become a habit.

For example, you can suggest the following exercise to married couples: “Think back to your last fight, when you threatened your wife with a fist, while she was ready to strike you with a frying pan. And now play it the other way around.” They, like in a movie, rotate the film back, approach each other, and try to solve the problem by rising above themselves. By this they create completely new characteristics within themselves, giving birth to a new nature: of bestowal, love, and mutual integration with each other.

We set ourselves up for what we want to see: only positive qualities in each other, as if there are no negative. Of course, they exist in everyone, but we do not see them. This means love. Love is when you look at you spouse and feel pleasure. Someone else looks and does not understand what you enjoy.

Such mutual common feeling, which the spouses reach, is their next spiritual degree, where they unite into one whole and begin to attain the highest state of nature. This is an active meditation, during which they do give birth to a new property, a new level of knowledge, feeling.

At the same time, they rise to such dimensions, where they begin to feel as they are managed by nature, and how they can now control it.
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From KabTV’s: “A Talk about the Family” 5/28/14

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