New Life 501 – The Real Purpose Of The Bible

New Life 501 – The Real Purpose Of The Bible
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

The Bible is the book of life. It tells us how to ascend above our ordinary attitude to life and how to flow in one current, like a river in which a person connects to the water and flows in it.

We all know the stories of the Bible on one level or another, but few understand its uniqueness. The Bible isn’t a book that teaches us history or geography, and it isn’t a book of laws, either. The Bible is the book of life and it has the power to affect the reader so that by reading it he changes and discovers that it is about himself and that everything in the Bible is inside him.

The Bible is written in a code that must be deciphered, and in order to deeply understand it, we must learn a new language, the language of bestowal. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, bestowal means to bestow abundance.

Bestowal is a special, internal attribute of giving that is not easy to acquire. A person who acquires it is in a reality of love of others and is called a Kabbalist.

One may be confused and think that we also feel love of others now, but if we look at ourselves without embellishing things, we will discover that alongside the love we have of others, there is always a certain level of self-pleasure, a pleasant feeling, satisfaction, and so on. Our nature doesn’t allow us to love unilaterally without receiving anything in return. When a person ascends above his nature, a new channel of perception, thinking, and of feeling opens up for him, and he begins to live in an embrace with the Bible.

It is only through the attribute of love, through the connection between us, that we can open the Bible correctly. We are called the people of the Book, and we have the responsibility to open the Bible and learn its internality. This is the reason that we must ascend to a state of total bestowal, love of others, love of the world, and then we will understand what it says. This revelation is possible only through connection and love that are attained by studying the wisdom of Kabbalah. Therefore, there is no need for any special intelligence or sublime attributes. The only thing you need is a desire.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 501 — The Real Purpose Of The Bible,” 1/15/16

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 02.14.16

Preparation for the Lesson

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Lesson on the Topic: “Preparation for the Convention”

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The Book of Zohar – Selected Excerpts, “Ascents and Descents on the Path”

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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Gatehouse of Intentions,” Item 121

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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar” 

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Audio Version Of The Blog – 02.13.16

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Syria – Negotiate With Terrorists?

laitman_600_02Question: Delegates from more than twenty countries—including the Syrian opposition, delegates of President Assad, and of course delegates from Russia and the US—are taking part at the peace talks in Geneva about the situation in Syria.

The delegates of the Syrian opposition are members of different terrorist organizations who have changed their military uniforms and arrived in suits.

Is it possible to hold negotiations with terrorists, and is it possible to reach an agreement with them?

Answer: I don’t think it is possible. Maybe an agreement can be reached today, but we all know that such agreements are never kept and are not relevant for very long. They always dissolve and lead to new problems.

I think that because there are a lot of certain major powers, the most important thing is to establish some balance between them , to divide zones of influence. Bringing them to a common denominator is impossible, and there is actually no need to do so since you may reach an agreement today which may not be kept the next day.

Each party must be given its “piece” and told: “This is where you are in command, this is where you live, and don’t count on more than that.” It seems that this is the only way that we can bring the world to relative quiet state where we aren’t seeing dozens, hundreds, and even thousands killed anymore, or a multitude of refugees leaving their homeland, not knowing where they are headed and what to do.

We see cities destroyed, non-operational factories, and so forth. It will take decades to rebuild Syria and make it a normal country under rigid dictatorial control. Therefore, the security forces should engage in restoration, each in its own field. This is my advice.

Syria will be divided into regions that will receive different names. In the past, this region was part of the Ottoman Empire under British mandate. Syria is not an ancient country that has existed for ages; it is only a few decades old so it could be divided into new countries.

The Kurds are also in need of their own state. They are a huge nation and have no territory of their own, so they will require it.

Until each of the rivals has his own land and home, nothing will be resolved since it must be done according to the order that each party wants to have in its area. They need to divide and post international observers from Russia and the US in order to curb what is happening today. This is the reason they must begin rebuilding this region!

Question: Will such curbing suffice in the long run?

Answer: It depends on the agreement between the superpowers since they can calm things down and punish or pressure the local ego, but Syria will not be able to unite unless their people are reeducated. If they aren’t reeducated, it will be an endless struggle, and the world also is advancing toward a war that will soon break out.

Question: You always speak about the need to unite, which means that we must advance toward that in any case.

Answer: Of course, we must advance toward unity, but first we must at least bring some order to this small region.

I do not think the superpowers are interested in this arrangement because each pulls out chestnuts from the fire for itself. Each superpower is only after its own goals. The Americans are ruining the Middle East and the entire world in general, creating chaos. Russia wants to rebuild its military bases and establish regimes that are suitable for it.

It seems that both Russia and the US have lost big in the battle with Iran, but they still don’t understand what they have done there.

Everything is advancing toward the big battle.  Or things can be different, and they may sober up and realize that if they don’t, everything will come to an end and get out of hand. Then there will be nothing to figure out, who is right and who is to blame, since no one on either side will be left to do so. Therefore, it is reaching such a critical condition, they will come to their senses and begin to reorganize things and shape the world.

Question: Is it possible to avoid this critical revolution?

Answer: According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, there is always the option of a third nuclear world war and even a fourth one, and there are about twenty countries in the world that have nuclear weapons.

Question: Will we need to reveal that in practice?

Answer: No, they may understand that they are starting something that will bring the end of the world, or they may use such weapons in the short-run and in a limited manner. And then they will be convinced that it is impossible to continue, because the next volley will have on each other. If they bomb a third country, it is a different matter, but I doubt that they will want to bomb each other. A war is conducted in order to win or in order to defend one’s self, but if they destroy each other, there will be nothing to defend and no winner left on either side.

Our egoism must feel this reality. It must cry out so that the world will come to its senses and discover the rules that it follows, how nature pushes us to the recognition of evil, to the recognition of egoism! But when we will do so is not clear. It depends on our connection to one another.

We are those who engage in the method of unity, the Kabbalists. If we are strongly connected to each other and turn ourselves into the right conductor of the Upper Light into our world, the world gradually will feel that. We indeed are trying to do so, and I believe that there are many signs in the world of our influence, but it is not enough. Let’s hope for the best.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 2/2/16

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New Life 562 – The Root Of Racism

New Life 562 – The Root of Racism
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

The differences in skin color are deeply rooted in nature: black, white, yellow, and red. The problem of racism cannot be resolved because it is deeply rooted in human consciousness.

All we can do is a thorough treatment and to educate to “love thy friend as thyself” with the power of the Light that Reforms, because our ego naturally wants to be above others and to feel that it is unique and exalted.

There are four phases in the evolution of matter, and therefore there are four colors of mankind: white, black, yellow, and red. This division into four parts exists in every detail and is the general formula of the creation, י-ה-ו-ה (Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey). Therefore, it is impossible to relate to everyone equally but only to ascend to our one common root. It is like a mother who has four children, white, black, yellow, and red, all hers and all of whom were generated from her.

A person looks at someone who is different from him and feels a distinction. No ordinary education or legislation can solve that. Modern development occurred first among the white people and then the yellow, red, and finally black. This doesn’t mean that one is better than the other; it is simply the order of development.

So in egoistic human history, white man has always dominated others and was aloof. They tried to correct the negative attitude toward blacks in the US and have invested a lot, but eventually we all see that it explodes in our face. The only solution is to raise man above his body, above his heart and mind, above earthliness and materialism. Then man acquires a new spiritual perception and sees others according to their spiritual attributes.

The only solution is to raise man to our common root, to the level on which there are no differences or distinctions. The wisdom of Kabbalah provides a person with values of bestowal and new attributes that can pull a person out of himself and toward others. “Love thy friend as thyself” is the only thing that totally eliminates racism. There is no other solution!
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From KabTV’s “New Life 562 – The Root of Racism,” 5/5/15

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New Life #639 – Natural Disasters

New Life #639 – Natural Disasters
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Summary

Why does nature go wild sometimes? It isn’t that nature goes wild but that we disrupt the balance of the system.

Until the middle of the 20th century, we more or less kept the balance, but since then we have destroyed our planet. Everything contains poisonous materials that contaminate and destroy everything only in order to make a greater profit.

Nature is totally round and connected and we humans also have to be harmoniously connected to one another. Our planet can feed even tens of billions of people if the relations between us are good. In order to do so, we have to make sure that everyone feels good and agrees to give up everything that is excessive.

Israel is about to undergo more qualitative blows in the form of hatred and pressure from all over, which will bring us closer to connection.

Human thoughts are also part of nature, and good thoughts about others balance the system. We can learn to spur the force that balances nature by studying the principles of “Don’t do unto others what is hateful to you” and “Love thy friend as thyself.”

Farmers in the Negev say that the Negev can become a greenhouse that can feed all of Europe.
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From KabTV’s “New Life #639 – Natural Disasters,” 10/27/16

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Audio Version Of The Blog – 02.12.16

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Municipal Expenses

laitman_568_01Question: Statistics were recently published about the services provided by the local authorities in Israel for their residents. The numbers are astounding.

A resident of Tel Aviv gets a variety of services and activities totaling 6,700 NIS, while a resident of Kiryat Yam receives municipal services totaling 360 NIS, 20 times less, and respectively, in Ra’anana it is 6,158 NIS, and in Ofakim it is 537 NIS. I understand that, in Ra’anana, the residents earn more and pay more in city taxes, but 20 times is unreasonable. This is absurd.

Answer: This is the way of our government. It has no plan to bring equal conditions to people, so accordingly the mayors also don’t plan to bring equal distribution of services to their residents.

If you investigate the various strata of the population within a city—in the center of the city, on the periphery, and in the rest of its areas—you will see an immense difference between them according to the same principle as exists between the center of the country and the periphery. The matter indicates that, as of today, our government still requires changes.

The people must demand that the periphery be at least like the center of the country. It must be even better because the conditions there allow for it, such as large areas and extensive possibilities. The problem is the lack of attention devoted to this.

Question: The emphasis placed is placed on the fact that every industrial area, i.e., all of the work, is found in the center.

Answer: That is not important. The entire periphery is a sleeping area. Under today’s conditions, the residents of the entire periphery can reach every central office or factory by train within an hour to an hour and a half. The problem is that it is necessary to dedicate more attention to this, and the peripheral areas need to be good residential areas.

Where have you seen an American who wants to live in the center of a city? He needs a good house with a garden in nature and will even commute an hour to work, while at home, there are wonderful conditions for the family.

All of my relatives live in Canada and travel an entire hour to work. But along with this, they have a house and a plot of land near a lake, woods, and clean air, i.e., all the conditions for a good life.

Our periphery is advancing very slowly toward a good level. Government programs should take this into account.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 1/27/16

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A Kabbalist Is A Person Who Lives In Two Worlds

Laitman_109Question: What does it mean that Kabbalists live in two worlds, in this world and the spiritual world?

Answer: A Kabbalist is a very interesting person. According to our standards, he cannot be called a saint. He is a normal person with five normal senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch).

A Kabbalist exists in a physical body with all of the instincts that are maintained in it, along with a variety of habits and hobbies. This means that a Kabbalist sees, feels, and evaluates the world through his beastly body like every other person.

However, at the same time, he is included in a group of like-minded people who yearn to attain the spiritual world. So, he advances upward according to that yearning. That is the second feature of being considered a Kabbalist.

But people with whom he is connected may no longer exist in our world as bodies; it does not matter. He feels the forces that are behind all objects and is connected with them, meaning with the souls, because our upward yearning is by way of the soul.

On the one hand, he sees this world, feels all of its suffering, and wants to take people out of this world, and on the other hand, he ascends and draws them along after him.

Question: Is there some kind of connection between the physical body and the spiritual ascent of the person?

Answer: There is actually no connection. A person exists in this physical body until he discovers what is called the “point in the heart.” Then, it is as if he leaves his body. He stops being involved with only it. He begins to be involved with the development of the point in the heart.

But this doesn’t mean that he no longer sees the beauty of this world, doesn’t love the people who are close to him, doesn’t want to eat something tasty, and so forth. Everything that is typical of a person in this world exists in him. In other words, people before the spiritual ascent need not fear that they will lose something. On the contrary, they will only expand their circle of communication.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 12/13/15

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Bacteria Communicate

laitman_571_01Research (from sci-news.com): “’Bacteria living in communities communicate with one another electrically through proteins called ‘ion channels,’ explained Dr Gürol Süel of the University of California San Diego, lead author on the study…

“Dr Süel and co-authors discovered that when a biofilm composed of Bacillus subtilis bacterial cells grows to a certain size, the protective outer edge of cells, with unrestricted access to nutrients, periodically stopped growing to allow nutrients – specifically glutamate, to flow to the sheltered center of the biofilm.

“The researchers observed oscillations in membrane potential that matched the oscillations in biofilm growth and found that ion channels were responsible for these changes in membrane potential…

“’Just like the neurons in our brain, we found that bacteria use ion channels to communicate with each other through electrical signals. In this way, the community of bacteria within biofilms appears to function much like a microbial brain,’ Dr Süel said.”

My Comment: All parts of nature (still, vegetative, and animate) are mutually and integrally linked. Only human desires and thoughts are absolutely egoistic. As it is written: “I created the evil inclination” (Kiddushin 30b), meaning there is nothing more we need to do!

To counterbalance the evil inclination, egoism, a man needs to desire the lack for the desire to bestow to others. Mutual bestowal exists instinctively in nature. It does not exist in human society.

However, a person can summon the power of bestowal according to the law of equivalence of form: if a group of people decides to relate to each other as a single whole (this is described in the articles of Rabash about the group) and examines the proper relationship between the system (which is the whole issue of Kabbalistic sources), they cause to themselves, through their actions, the manifestation of the positive force of love and bestowal (the Creator).

Everything that occurs in our world happens only for the purpose of forcing people, or rather the Jews, having been committed in the past, to reveal the Creator between them, and then transfer this methodology to all mankind. The delay in revealing this technique is the reason for hatred of the Jews. This is the cause of anti-Semitism. Let us be like the bacteria!
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