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Newspaper Serbian Jewish Voice: “Who Are You, People Of Israel?”

The newspaper Serbian Jewish Voice in Serbian published my article “Who Are You, People of Israel?” that was published in newspaper The New York Times.

Newspaper Serbian Jewish Voice

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The Maccabees And The Greek Ideology, Part 3

Dr. Michael LaitmanTo date, we have exhausted all the possibilities of the egoistic approach in all areas, whether in education, culture, daily life, family, the relationships between people and nations, the ability to continue the exploration of the universe, and so forth. The limitation to the egoistic awareness of the world is already so close that we can feel it.

This is not just talking about the collapse of science, but about its end, about that line where its ability to learn and explore nature in an introverted manner, on the basis of our egoistic desire, ends. There are still a multitude of things and phenomena in the world, but we don’t have the power to reach them; we don’t have the ability to perceive and discover them. They remain “invisible” to our present senses.

On the other hand, when I rise above research according to the “Greek” model and want to go outside towards bestowal and love, I rise above my material, beastly, and human “self” and want to feel the reality of nature as it is, without “self-made” interference, without a “filter” oriented towards personal benefit.

A person first perceives reality and investigates it later. So I want to perceive reality without bias, without any “filter,” without any internal interference. I want to see it as it truly is.

And then, through working on myself, I discover that essentially it is entirely immense bestowal and love. There are a multitude of systems that work according to this power. They are found all around us and I can create a connection with them, thanks to which I can understand what is actually happening.

Because in addition to the conventional two percent, all the rest of the details of reality are specifically found there in the system of bestowal. Further, we call this a “higher” system because it is specifically it which directs, inspects, and determines everything that is happening.

Returning to the holiday of Chanukah: It was about this that the Maccabees were fighting; it was about a sense of reality and the Jewish attitude towards it. Either our own extroverted method would be at its foundation, which goes beyond the limitations of the materialistic and corporeal perception, or the opposite, we would be satisfied with a narrow perception of the body, which is to say the “Greek” version. The struggle was conducted between these two opposing perceptions in those days.

Question: What can we derive and learn from this day?

Answer: Today, after two thousand years of the “Greek” perception, we must leave it. So this entire perception, along with its science and culture, has sunken into a crisis. Now the Jews and those who understand that they are right should come out of human society, again acquire an objective perception of the world, and then bring everyone else out to this level.

And then, we will approach the study of true reality, where the entire infinite world is placed before us and we know how to adapt ourselves to it as unlimited creatures living happily within eternity and wholeness.

This is what is today called the “War of the Maccabees.”
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From Kab TV’s “A New Life” 12/14/14

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What Did The Maccabees Fight Against?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: We know that the Maccabees didn’t fight only against the Greeks but also against the Hellenists. What is this conflict about? Is it about two opposite ideologies?

Answer: The concept of Hellenism is a perception of reality, a paradigm, a worldview, a philosophy, and a perspective of the world. The world perceptions of the Greeks and the Romans were totally egoistic.

They claimed that man is in the center of the creation and that it isn’t bad and it isn’t a mistake. Man was considered a perfect creature, which means that his evolution has been completed and that he cannot change his nature. According to this perception evolution could only be:

  • Physical—sports and Olympic Games;
  • Rational—the fabrication of myths and fantasies, which were common in those days.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is the approach that allowed the Israeli nation to come out of the universal Babylon, which is the basis for all the other perceptions, including the Greek perception, and the natural evolution of the desire and the mind in order to attain a good life in this world. All the other perceptions regarding our nature refer to this world.

That method is based on absorption, on perceiving, and on receiving with the help of the raging ego that constantly develops in a person. This force is like a tight spring that is released inside us constantly pushing us to different pleasures.

Thus we cook inside our ego, each in his own pot, and all of us together in one giant pot. This process helps us advance scientifically, culturally, in sports, and in other aspects that make our life more comfortable. Thanks to the ego that constantly burns inside us as a part of our nature, we build fantastic things to satisfy ourselves.

But there is an opposite approach according to which our nature is basically evil. Why?—Because it isn’t for connection between people but leads to separation between them. After all, each one establishes relations with others only for one’s own benefit. Therefore, this approach is flawed and destructive.

My nature forces me to take advantage of everything that goes on around me, everyone that is around me. It is all for my benefit. This is a natural desire, my innate attribute. At any given moment I weigh my moves in order to use the world egoistically.

This leads to detachment because we are in a continuous struggle between us, in competition, which is the basis of the ancient Greek culture. The Olympic Games are a clear example of that. Eventually the Greek approach requires the use of others for our own benefit.

On the other hand, our nation believes in totally different values. Abraham gathered his students and explained to them that they were to establish a society that should live on the principles of mutuality, unity, and love. The essence of the Jewish approach means that the other is more important than me.

This perception that Abraham initiated was carried on through Egypt, Mount Sinai, and the land of Israel and was accepted until two thousand years ago. The principle remained unchanged—to constantly develop for the benefit of others so that they will be more important to me than myself.

But what do I gain from that? After all, this approach is also based on the ego because we have nothing else but that.

Such an attitude towards others allows me to exit my nature, to ascend above my limitations, above my body, and to feel the world through the others who are dearer to me than myself.

This is exactly how a mother sees the wellbeing of the world through the wellbeing of her own child. It is as if she dresses in him and then she doesn’t operate according to her own desires but in his benefit.

If I dress that way in all of humanity, I will see a totally different perfect world regardless of my attributes, my desires, and my limitations.

The Greek approach is based on absorption, while the Jewish approach is based in bestowal, on exiting myself, which allows me to discover the force of nature that operates on the outside. In addition to that, I acquire the force of love and bestowal by which I explore all of reality.

The main thing is that I discover the upper force, which created all of the spiritual reality that operates in bestowal and also the corporeal, egoistic reality that operates in receiving. I know the general force and ascend to its level. When I detach myself from the egoistic desire of my body, I ascend above it to an eternal dimension of love and bestowal. Why is it eternal? Because it is whole and lacks nothing.

On the other hand, Greek perception can eventually contribute to a person during his short corporeal life and that’s all. Since all its goals don’t exceed the framework of the physical existence and the body isn’t eternal.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 12/14/14

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The First Generation Of A Mature Humanity

Dr. Michael LaitmanKabbalah books are written in the language of branches, which means in terms of this world and how it relates to its spiritual roots. Therefore they are full of words and stories that may bring a layman to imagine different fairy tales. Many nations have used certain information from the wisdom of Kabbalah and based whole philosophies and sciences on it.

Even today, there are people who believe that they know what the wisdom of Kabbalah is about based solely on movies they have seen or books they have read about it. But, in fact, this confuses a person even more.

Not long ago for example, there was a documentary series about Kabbalah on TV [in Israel]. The only thing that was clear after watching this series is that people have no idea what Kabbalah actually is. Apparently it has nothing to do with women’s dancing, dieting, ritual clothing, cards etc. as was presented in that series. People use the name “Kabbalah” to refer to things that have nothing to do with Kabbalah at all.

Thus there is much confusion today as to what the wisdom of Kabbalah is. Our generation is the first generation that has been allowed to be exposed to the books of Kabbalah so that everyone can be taught from them.

No longer does a Kabbalist have to look for a student in order to convey all the information to him so that he will pass it on to others. Today you can go out to the streets, invite everyone to study the wisdom of Kabbalah in order to pass on this information to anyone who wishes to learn it and also pass it on. Our whole generation has grown to a state in which it can use the wisdom of Kabbalah correctly in order to ascend to the next level, to the upper world.
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From the program “A New Life” 12/18/14

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Brochure: “Who Are You, People Of Israel” In German

The Jewish magazine NU with the brochure “Who Are You, People of Israel?” was sent to 4,300 recipients in Austria.

Brochure In German

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How To Play Hide And Seek Correctly

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: The “Song of Songs” isn’t just a universal masterpiece but a book that enables us to understand how to establish a new mutual relationship between us and become a society that resembles one family.

The actual story develops quite dramatically. There are sudden concealments, drawing apart and getting closer: she looks for him and he hides, etc. What is going on?

Answer: Love must constantly be cultivated. It cannot exist without a need, without the revelation of separation: “love will cover all transgressions.” We must reveal these transgressions: each one has to allow his partner to further develop love.

Therefore, all of human society, all of nature, and accordingly people are made so that every time the evil inclination is increasingly revealed in us, exposing the flaws in our relationships. Then we can be in the constant dynamic of the filling of love: every time sins appear and then a more reliable concealment.

Question: The author hints: “Follow me, seek me.” What is this game?

Answer: The beauty is the revelation of needs that I cannot fulfill. What is the essence of flirting? I show the one I love what he or she can complement in his or her attitude towards me.

When we play with children we sometimes look at them strictly. Why? So that they will think why this is so and what they should do, whether to get closer or to draw away, to feel pity or to laugh, etc.

By changing our state, we allow our partner to develop and to be incorporated in a tighter mutual cooperation with us. This refers both to children and to adults. By flirting, I allow my beloved to complement our relationship since I discover different states inside me where the relationship of love is lacking.

Question: But they constantly play hide and seek! What should we learn from that?

Answer: We can increase the love by such actions. We can increase it to such an extent that you will see your beloved everywhere! At the end of the story she sees that he fills the whole world!

Question: But in the flirting process they sometimes feel unpleasant states: “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not.” I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned away, and was gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.”

Answer: That’s great! Imagine that you experience such feelings and then you reach an embrace and connection! What great need have you accumulated and how you fill yourself now.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 5/28/14

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Where Is The Plan Of Creation Leading Us?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the revelation of the upper force that controls all of creation?

Answer: Kabbalists are people who are the sons of Adam. The first Kabbalist who discovered the upper reality is called Adam. He was the first who felt the desire to reveal the meaning of life and so he began to ask “What am I living for?” and to study it. Thus he advanced in his research and even wrote the book The Angel Raziel.

Then there were other Kabbalists who followed his research from one generation to the next: his sons and then the next generations until Noah and then Noah’s sons. The Torah tells us about the inner process a person goes through and how he develops in attaining the Creator.

We cannot simply ascend to some special force called the fore of bestowal if the only thing we know in our life is the force of the egoistic reception. The force of bestowal is the initial force, which included all of nature including the upper reality that is still concealed from us, and the lower reality, our small world.

Being the force of bestowal, it is totally unlimited. Because it is aimed at bringing delight to the creation, this force develops the whole world: the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking levels of nature. Because of the nature of bestowal, this force wants to bring all of creation to its level.

The nature of bestowal makes this force unlimited by time or place. It has no limits since it has no deficiency or a desire to receive but rather a surplus of positivity, a desire to give others the maximum. It is like a cow full of milk wanting to feed its offspring.

It is a great pain when you want to give someone something but there is no one you can give to. This is the need concealed in the attribute of bestowal. The creation stemmed from this desire to bestow and also the desire to receive so that there would be someone who would want to receive. This is how we begin to study about the creation, which stems from the Hebrew word “Bar” meaning external to bestowal.

We discover the relations between the force of bestowal, the Creator, the upper force, and the entire creation, which develops from small desire to receive that He created externally to Himself. With this begins the wisdom of Kabbalah, which explains how there is a desire and all its development from the beginning of creation until its ultimate state in which this desire has to fully resemble the upper force and to attain the same height of wholeness as the upper force.

Humanity has to go through this whole process. So far we have been through the first, second, and third levels that correspond to the evolution of the levels of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, which we see in the world around us. But we are talking about the inner desire of each level: of the still nature, the vegetative, and the animate.

Now, however, we have reached a state at which we have to begin to develop on the human level, the level of man (Adam), stemming from the Hebrew word “Domeh,” meaning to resemble the Creator

This is a very special level. On the levels of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, we developed unconsciously, being forced to without understanding and feeling who makes us advance, how we do it, and for what purpose. This is how all the previous generations lived: simply existing without knowing what is going on. The evolutionary process didn’t concern us and we didn’t care what it was for and where it was leading us, since who knows that?

But today we have reached the end of our evolution on the animate level and the current general global crisis is an indication of that. Every level ends with a crisis from which, thanks to the shattering, it is possible to ascend to the next level.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/12/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 12.25.14

Writings of Rabash, “Shlavei HaSulam,” Article 43 

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The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts, “Ascents and Descents,” Item 121

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Talmud Eser Sefirot Vol. 6, Part 16, Item 81

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Talmud Eser Sefirot Vol. 2, Part 6, Item 2 

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Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” “Conveyance from a Wise Kabbalist to an Understanding Receiver”  

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