Audio Version Of The Blog – 07.01.15

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Entering The Land Of Israel

laitman_749_02Pharaoh (egoism) exists in us constantly. When we exited Egypt, we thought we escaped it, but it continues to control us calmly from within.

For that very reason, we need to wander through the desert for forty years so that, gradually, step by step, we can correct that quality in us—at least neutralize the egoism, connect it to Bina, and bring ourselves to a small state, wishing not to use the ego in spite of any temptations. We achieve this when we pass through the desert.

Therefore, it is written in the Torah that the generation of the desert must die, and a new generation will be born instead, where egoism will be corrected and connected to the quality of bestowal, but in a neutral form. We don’t transform egoism to bestowal yet, but it already exists under the control of the intention to bestow.

Going through the desert is completed when we completely have neutralized our egoism (bestowal for the sake of bestowal), but have not yet corrected it to altruism (receiving for the sake of bestowal), and entering the land of Israel (Eretz Israel: Ratzon – Desire, and Yashar El –  straight to God) means that we begin to process the desire that we already have made neutral, and we go to it in order to conquer and transform it.

After all, seven nations who live in the land of Israel remain there, and we need to throw them out of this land and become their captors, which means to check our desire.

Seven nations represent seven desires, the seven final Sefirot of Malchut that we need to conquer, expel from within us—that is, to neutralize, stop using, and throw them out of the boundaries of Israel. This is called the correction of Malchut.

We need to conquer this land, populate it, and begin to correct it with the weekdays and Saturdays—that is, with a consistent ascent, six years and the seventh year, and so on—using all the methods of correcting our desire, which is called “the land of Israel” (Eretz Israel).

That is the initial egoistic desire that the Creator created in such a way that the serpent of egoism enters us, and we work long and hard to realize it until we begin to relate to it as a foreign object inside us. We begin to hate it like an external force that enslaves and pushes us away from the Creator.

Only then do we see it as Pharaoh, rise above it, and escape it with the help of the upper Light since we lack the strength to do so on our own. But when we accept the Torah and begin to correct ourselves, extracting ourselves from the egoism, it means we enter the land of Israel and turn the quality of receiving into the quality of bestowal.

Then, Pharaoh becomes the greatest Light because the correction of the greatest egoism that we have turns it into a directly opposite quality, as it is written, “the angel of death becomes the angel of life.”
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 1/28/15

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Ecological Dance

Laitman_702_01In the News (cherduk): “Earthquakes are capable of destroying cities within minutes; they move cities from their usual places, change the height of mountains, divert the axis of the Earth and slow its rotation.

“Earthquakes are caused for various reasons, but the most destructive are the tectonics, when two lithospheric plates move relative to each other. 14 plates cover the entire surface of the Earth. The plates are stuck onto each other, and when they move from their place, the energy released produces seismic waves and subterranean vibrations. That is how mountains and nations are moved.

“The latest earthquake (with a 7.5 magnitude) in Nepal, raised the height of Kathmandu by two meters. In Honshu, the earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.1, raised the island by 3 meters, and the entire area moved 20 meters to the East. There was an urgent need to change the navigational maps for ships.

“The movement of the lithospheric plates arouses the eruption of volcanoes. The force of gravity changes. Glaciers are destroyed. The skies tremble. Vertical oscillations on the surface of the Earth pass into the atmosphere, electrons are emitted from the molecules of gases, changing them into ions. The axis of the Earth is shifted; strong subterranean shocks influence the speed of the rotation of the Earth. The earthquake in Japan moved the axis of the Earth around which the mass of the Earth is balanced by17 centimeters. Due to the new and sudden distribution of the mass, the Earth began to ‘wobble’ more than usual during its rotation around itself like a turned head.

“The climate changes when the Earth’s crust cracks; methane, one of the strongest greenhouse gases, erupts from the cracks. Our planet is a very complex configuration (structure), whose many components are linked together by many reciprocal influences. They are so integrated and complex that it is impossible to create a plausible model, this would require a computer the size of the Earth. The Butterfly Effect, which is so much loved by science fiction, has been realized on the surface of our Earth every second for 4.5 billion years.”

My Comment: I suspect that this happens even throughout the entire universe, and only our shortsightedness doesn’t allow us to sense the full picture of this perfect system!
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World Conflicts And Their Solution, Part 2

laitman_272Question: Is there anyway out of the world’s conflicts?

Answer: There is no way out. The developed nations agree that people may kill each other, but not in their “garden,” somewhere further away, not in Europe, America, or Russia, but let’s say it is in the Middle East or in the Far East or Africa.

The challenge of Europe is to move the disputes and conflicts, their exacerbation and their so-called “solution” as far away from themselves as possible. The Americans feel and are trying to do the same thing; that is why they are heating up the military conflicts in Iraq, Yemen and other nations, so that instead of one world war, they arouse ten regional wars; that is how the world exists in the meantime.

Humanity constantly evolves, as it develops. It doesn’t build any long-term plans for itself, but designs everything so that tomorrow won’t be worse and that’s all. Those who manage the world understand how limited they are, and so what is important to them is not to get involved anywhere.

Ultimately, humanity will reach a situation where it will discover its absolute failure and will understand that it is inside the evolution of some forces of nature, that it doesn’t know how it is managed, and doesn’t know towards what they are heading.

In the past we agreed with this, and every day we tried to get along as well as we could. Whereas lately, we see how we have less and less influence on what is happening. There was a time when we thought that the Americans would run the world, but now they are coming down from the stage following the Europeans, the Russians, etc. This means that economic power doesn’t provide much in this case.

To be continued….
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From KabTV’s “Conversations with Michael Laitman” 6/3/15

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Secret Of Eternal Youth

laitman_751_1Question: Nowadays, everybody tries to look younger. This issue became so popular that a new industry that slows down the process of aging was launched: medicine, cosmetics, health and beauty centers. Why do we have this burning desire to stay young forever?

Answer: The thing is that we are confused and live a dual life. We live in our soul that is not developed yet and consists of a tiny “point.” We also live in our animal bodies and are not yet human.

“A man” is not about our body (a form of protein matter); rather, it is a desire similar to the upper force, nature. A man (Adam) means “similar (Domeh) to the Creator, i.e., the one who possesses an altruistic property of love and bestowal directed to one’s neighbor.

This type of man exits from his egoism and lives in a desire that he builds in his “neighbors.”

It makes “a man” similar to the upper force of nature that secretly exists in this world and is called “the Creator.” The Creator is a power of absolute bestowal and love without any intention for Its own sake, as the sun that constantly emanates warmth, light, love, and benevolence on everyone without exceptions.

We float in the benevolent illumination of the upper force as in tender rays of the sun. But our structure is opposite to the upper force’s. Our egoistic structure is oriented towards the will to receive. This is why we always try to get as much as possible; this fact makes us dissimilar with the upper force.

We constantly consume. That’s why our life is limited. It is so because first of all we depend on Him, He fulfills us and gives us vital energy. We stay alive for as long as we consume His vital energy and take advantage of it. With time, the energy weakens, we age and then die.

In order to live eternally, we have to become similar to the power of bestowal and love and get outside ourselves. If we manage to do so, we’ll be able to receive unlimited vital energy. It will happen because we won’t consume it for our own sake but because we will strive to repay the Creator all His benevolence that He extends to us. He gives it to us, we give it back to Him.

This form of existence allows us to live endlessly. Not only will we prolong our lives for hundreds and even millions of years, but we will be able to completely get rid of the boundaries of time. When we become similar to the upper force of nature that constantly pours love on us and acquire its properties of bestowal and love, we will become as eternal as the force itself.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 6/2/15

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Wine Is The Light Of The Upper Wisdom

laitman_276_01The Torah “Numbers” 6:1 – 6:3: Do not drink wine or any other intoxicating (alcoholic) vinegar or grape infusions; do not eat fresh or dry grapes.

Question: Why are grapes mentioned alongside with alcoholic beverages in the Torah?

Answer: At that time, grapes were never used as food. People tried to stock food for a day, a week, and even years ahead.

This explains why wine as well as olive oil, flour, and other products that can be stored for a long time were especially precious and why grapes were used only to make wine.

Grapes belong to a very high level—the level of Hochma. Why is there a special ceremony of tasting wine and saying blessings for wine? The reason is that according to Kabbalah, wine represents the Upper Light, the Light of Wisdom, the Light of Hochma, not just because it is a useful product as they think nowadays.

Wine kills bacteria that live in it because the Upper Light treats, corrects, and fulfills all our desires completely. No matter how much dirt there is on the grapes, during the process of fermentation all dirt turns into sediment and the wine stays clean.

Collecting grapes and making wine is not an easy process. Kabbalah describes each nuance of this procedure: the type of grapes, the diameter of each grape is pro-rata to its external surface, the month the grape is collected, and on which side of the mountain relative to Jerusalem of where it grows, etc.

Usually, Kabbalists collect grapes before sunrise because the formidable force (Amtakat a-Dinim) that is present in wine “sleeps” at sunrise. It’s as if grapes sleep and wake up at the same time.

In this world, there are no objects or events that do not have a root in the upper world. Everything is governed by one force. Each person on Earth performs his or her work unconsciously and involuntarily. This is how the world moves on.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 1/21/15

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Peace Between Husband And Wife

Laitman_632_1The Torah “Numbers” 5:18 – 5:19, 5:23 – 5:24: Then the Cohen shall stand the woman up before the Lord and expose the [hair on the] head of the woman; he shall place into her hands the remembrance meal offering, which is a meal offering of jealousies, while the bitter curse bearing waters are in the Cohen’s hand. The Cohen shall then place her under oath, and say to the woman, “if no man has lain with you and you have not gone astray to become defiled [to another] in place of your husband, then [you will] be absolved through these bitter waters which cause the curse. Then the Cohen shall write these curses on a scroll and erase it in the bitter water. He shall then give the bitter, curse bearing waters to the woman to drink, and the curse bearing waters shall enter her to become bitter.

If a woman (the creation) is a part of the correct desire, she rises and her relationship with her husband (the Creator) strengthens. However, if her desire is selfish then “letters will immediately appear on a scroll” as a result of the shattering. In this case, the Partzuf must be corrected all over again.

Question: Can you explain the work that the Cohen (priest) performs on Nukva? What does “expose [the hair on the head] of a woman” and “place into her hands the remembrance meal offering” mean?

Answer: There are no analogies in this world because in spirituality all actions descend from the upper level.

The highest level (Cohen) works on an inferior state (Malchut). Cohen is GAR de Bina, Keter. This is why the Cohen’s influence on Malchut is so intense. The Cohen is the only one who can reveal the depth of Malchut’s corrected or uncorrected desires. Nobody from the level of “Israel” or “the Levites” is capable of doing so. It can be done solely from Cohen’s level.

In other words, the Light that comes from the highest level of Keter scans Malchut to the very bottom of her intentions.

When a husband and wife (first nine Sefirot) and Malchut ascend, they can rise only through the Cohen who grants them the Light. If this connection is interrupted, it is essential to examine what goes on in Malchut.

Therefore, it is as if Cohen programs the Partzuf’s state. The latter is supposed to form it together with his wife by merging together. And when the Cohen gives the “scroll” to a woman (Malchut), it clarifies if her properties are adequate to the structure that she is about to attain together with her husband, i.e., if she is ready for it or not.

All men with whom she allegedly “cheated” on her husband are selfish desires that distract Malchut.

Comment: The Book of Zohar states that “Cohen’s judgment contradicts his high level of Hesed—the step of Mercy and Grace. It’s not so because the Cohen exerts to increase peace in the world. If a woman is “not guilty” (pure) the Cohen multiplies peace between her and her husband. ”

Answer: In this case, they form the next higher Partzuf, thus revealing additional evil and a stronger connection among them that makes it possible for them to attain the next level.

Therefore, at some stages “adultery” is absolutely necessary because it allows them to make further corrections. Everything in life happens exactly for the sake of our ascent. There is nothing in the Torah that harms people.

Question: Later, it is said in The Zohar: “… she impregnates with a son from the property Zachar (male). Applied to our material world, this phrase means that arguments between a husband and wife trigger even stronger love between them, isn’t it so?

Answer: If they correctly relate to the upper force and if they understand that all they go through is given to them only for the sake of their further convergence and uplifting, then there won’t be any mutual offense; rather, they will reconcile with each other and continue working on their further elevation. Otherwise, everything that happens between them will lead to a divorce.

Remark: It further states: “If she is ‘impure,’ then it is not the Cohen who judges her, but the Holy name to Whom she was unfaithful.”

Answer: The Holy Name (Kadosh) is a quality of bestowal, the level that they aspire to.

Together, they are supposed to reach the next, higher level of the property of bestowal, but her “unfaithfulness” made them degrade (fall) from the high level to the “will to receive.”

If she happens to be “guilty,” the property that she was supposed to attain is the one that tosses her down. At this point, she has to be corrected.

Something was missing in her aspiration to reach a new level. This “something” reveals through her “unfaithfulness.” At the same time, her husband also undergoes changes. He must find the Cohen, bring her to him, and raise his own desires to this level.

Comment: An immediate parallel with this world appears in our minds when we see a husband taking his wife to the court and the legal process starts…

Answer: In spirituality everything happens in one body: the Creator, a husband and wife, all properties and conditions—everything is within a man.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 1/21/15

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 07.01.15

Lesson on the Topic: “Preparation for the Congress”

[media 1] [media 2]

The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts, “Good and Evil,” “When Nukva Is Joined with the Male, All the Abundance Flows from Her” 

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose,” “Conscious Development and Unconscious Development”

[media 5] [media 6]