Karma Or Spiritual Development

laitman_760_5Question: Is there a law of fate, called Karma, that depends on the actions of a person in this world?

Answer: A person indeed can influence his fate, but not on the level of Karma, but only through his own aspiration along with those like him for greater unity. Then his influence will be positive. However, if he does not act according to those opportunities that are given to him for unity, his influence will be negative.

In this world, we are very limited by our philosophies and inventions. We have only one possibility: to unite and create a connection between us or not. Accordingly, we are either cut off from the higher forces and discover negative influences, losses, and suffering on all levels, or we make it possible for them to pass through us and create a positive influence.

Question: Is the attainment of wholeness and transition to a higher level a common inheritance, or will some of us not merit reaching this?

Answer: We are involved in everything that is required to hasten the spiritual development of the whole so that each one will take his place within spirituality and all of us will reach the final state through the good and rapid way, not the slow way of suffering.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 11/8/15

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Two Spiritual Actions

laitman_545Torah, “Numbers,” 22:18 – 22:19: Balaam answered and said to Balak’s servants, “… Now, you too, please remain here overnight, and I will know what the Lord will continue to speak with me.”

What this is talking about is that not only does the ego not refuse to participate in the process of correction and restrict itself, but it also includes itself in this process and begins to work with bestowal. It means that the desire to receive now works like the desire to bestow, receiving for the purpose of bestowal.

Question: But why did Balaam say, “Now, you too, please remain here overnight, and I will know what the Lord will continue to speak with me.”

Answer: It is because this is not a direct action by the ego. Rather, the ego is beginning to act against itself. There is a state of bestowal for the sake of bestowal, which is the characteristic of Bina that is built above egoism, and there is a state of reception for the sake of bestowal, which is the next level that is built in cooperation with the ego.

Question: It follows that the first reaction of the ego is a full Tzimtzum (restriction), when it says, “I won’t have anything.”

Answer: Everything begins with the Tzimtzum, and this state is called the state of Katnut (smallness). Then Baalam said, “Now, you too, please remain here overnight, and I will know what the Lord will continue to speak with me.” This means that the work with the ego has begun.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 8/12/15

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Don’t Fight With Yourself

Laitman_524_01Question: What does it mean to strive for a higher nature? It is possible to understand this with the intellect, but what does one do with the ego?

Answer: It is not necessary to do anything with the ego. We should not fight with the ego, but should develop altruism. This is achieved by attracting the higher, positive force to us, and it will correct everything.

It is up to us only to make an effort to be connected with other friends and call the positive force to us that will balance the negative force, our ego.

We aspire to the higher force by doing this, as it is written, “I created the evil inclination, I have created for it the Torah as a spice” (Kiddushin 30b). I cannot pull myself up by my hair and take myself out of the egoistic swamp I’m in. After all, I am a complete egoist. How can I fight with myself?!

All I need is to leave my ego at rest and only be involved with the method that teaches me how to draw the Upper Light toward me. As a result, I will see myself, but that is not what should concern me. Most importantly I think only about inviting the force of correction upon myself.

Question: Then why did the Creator create our lower level?

Answer: In order to rise above it to higher levels. At the same time, we ascend from our world completely independently.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 11/8/15

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Regarding Life, Death And Spiritual Correction

Laitman_632_1Question: From the point of view of the wisdom of Kabbalah, are there sins for which it is necessary to give a death sentence?

Answer: There are sins for which it is worthwhile to end the life of the sinner and not allow him the possibility of moving from our world to the upper world because, in any case, it won’t help.

In the ego of the sinner, there are such transgressions done against humanity that he cannot cover over in this life and go out to a higher dimension. If a verdict of death is obtained correctly, then according to the wisdom of Kabbalah, it is not a death sentence, but a correction for the person.

Question: Does visiting graves help spiritual development?

Answer: No, Kabbalists relate to this with great indifference and perform this more as a ritual. A yearly visit to the grave of a family member or a teacher is nothing more than a tradition.

I was convinced about this according to the conduct of my teacher, Rabash, and according to my feeling that there is no meaning or reason for visiting graves. Meeting with the spirit of my teacher while studying his writings has had a much closer meaning for me than when I have stood before cold stones.

Question: Is a tragic death a punishment for sins?

Answer: For the most part, this is so.

Question: Is it possible to compare crossing the Machsom (Barrier) with death?

Answer: Crossing the Machsom is the birth of the soul! This transformation of a person in which he begins to work for the sake of bestowal and love.

Question: Are you afraid of death?

Answer: No, I think that there are many people who don’t fear death. On the contrary, many would want it.

Question: Do you know when your death will happen?

Answer: What for? If a person is found beyond his physical state, he accepts the death of the body calmly. He knows how to plan his way in the world, his way with his students, and this helps him. If not, then knowledge of the time of death would pressure and overwhelm him. Therefore, it is preferable not to know.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 11/1/15

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 01.05.16

Preparation for the Lesson

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Writings of Rabash, “Rungs of the Ladder,” Article 27

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Writings of Baal HaSulam,The Gatehouse of Intentions,” Item 36

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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Mutual Guarantee,” Item 22  

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Audio Version Of The Blog – 01.04.16

Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
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How To Evaluate A Person?

laitman_628_2Question: In the wisdom of Kabbalah, is there meaning to the manner in which a person lives his life? Does he harm society or develop it?

Answer: As long as the person hasn’t moved to a state of leaving our world for the spiritual world, from an egoistic feeling to an altruistic feeling, he is considered to be uncorrected.

So, from the point of view of the wisdom of Kabbalah, we don’t evaluate his bad or good actions because he is within his ego and does everything only for his own sake.

A person can seem to be very beautiful in his behavior toward society, wishing and wanting the best for it, but in fact, he is an egoist. And so we do not have any connection with him, he did not put anything in the next world.

Kabbalah evaluates a person only according to his intention, whether it is for his own sake or for the sake of others. So, it is necessary to clearly define the measurement by which we evaluate a person: Kabbalistic or public.  We cannot see his intentions with the naked eye.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 11/1/15

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Why Do Kids Become Terrorists?

laitman_627_2Question: How do you explain the fact that two Arab girls ages 14 and 16 suddenly turn into terrorists and kill people?

Answer: This is due to the influence of the ISIS ideology, the Islamic State, that can attract great masses of people. This is what the Russian revolutionaries did not manage to do in 1917. They failed to attract the whole nation, only a few small circles.

The problem is that the power of the radical Islamists is in their unity and connection. They want to build a big state that is based on one single goal, on one ideal, in which all the citizens feel united, sharing the goal to conquer the whole world together.

This revolutionary idea has always attracted young people, students, and youth and so we have to fear and to be very careful of their connecting into a group. I don’t see any force in the world today that can counter this ideology and offer a meaningful alternative.

There is no meaningful ideology left in our world that can be a more attractive alternative. Terrorist attacks and ostentatious public murders further ignite the interest of those who are attracted to extremism. We will soon see millions join the Islamic state.

Question: How can we counter that?

Answer: There is only one ideology that can counter ISIS and that is the wisdom of Kabbalah. Kabbalah speaks about the connection and unity between people. If Kabbalists succeed in explaining the intensive connection and unity the wisdom of Kabbalah speaks about, we will discover a wonderful world from which we will ascend to a new level of existence and draw all of humanity, which is now suffering and has reached a dead end, to this level. This is the only way we will undoubtedly be able to defeat ISIS.

The only way to fight this war is ideologically. No military operations or bombing will help here, but will actually reinforce and increase the effect of our enemies even more.

This is the reason that Muslim terrorists like to perform extravagant acts of terror, as every such act of terror leads to thousands of additional followers and supporters. It is actually the fear that they have spread all over Europe and the hatred they spread around the world that attracts thousands of additional followers and supporters.

This is the reason that no army will ever be able to defeat or to scare them. It is impossible to fight ISIS with hate but only by love, which we have to establish among us. The Islamic radicals publicize the love, unity, connection between them. They speak about ideals of loyalty to one another and people find this attractive. If we confront them with our ideals and our loyalty, we will succeed and defeat them.
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From the Israeli Radio Program 103FM 11/29/15

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The Life Of The Soul

laitman_603Question: What happens if a Kabbalist acquires a soul and begins to work on the correction of his desires, but his corporeal body dies at a certain point?

Answer: Everything happens for a reason; everything happens according to the system in which nothing is accidental. Everything happens at a certain moment according to the general predetermined plan that includes all the souls, all the bodies, all of time, the whole system of correction according to which the body of a certain person dies.

Question: Does he continue his correction from where it stopped or does he have to start everything from the beginning?

Answer: His correction is already included in the general system and therefore continues, not from the moment he stopped; he doesn’t start everything from the beginning, but from the next level, which is certainly higher than the previous level. The system continues its motion and he is included in it.

Question: But the soul still needs a corporeal body, or is it possible to correct yourself without the corporeal world?

Answer: There are cases in which the soul needs to be intentionally dressed in a body both for its sake but mostly for the sake of others. These people come into our world not because they need it but because others need them. On the whole, the soul rises from one level to the next in the next world not in the corporeal body.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 11/01/15

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 01.04.16

Preparation for the Lesson

[media 1] [media 2]

Writings of Rabash, “Rungs of the Ladder,” Article 27

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam,The Gatehouse of Intentions,” Item 31

[media 5] [media 6]

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Mutual Guarantee,” Item 21  

[media 7] [media 8]