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The Independence Day Of The Entire World

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam honored Israel Independence day very much. He even had a special Shabbat silver knife with the writing “State of Israel” on it. He valued this day enormously. And indeed, Independence Day is a special day because it contains a root of the general correction of the world, of the soul of Adam HaRishon, which begins nowadays. We are inside this drop of semen that begins to develop and realize itself. Therefore this day is so special for us.

Let’s hope that from the birthday of the State of Israel we will come to the day of its real independence. That means we unite so that our connection will spread to the whole world and will oblige all other nations to be in the deep mutual connection as well. And then the entire world will reach independence.

The independence of Israel is a sign and beginning of the independence of the whole world. I hope that we will be worthy of our mission.

We celebrate not an independence day of some country but a beginning of the independence of the entire world from its egoistic nature. The Creator deliberately instilled egoism in us so that we could rise above it and, on top of it, build the image of man, Adam, similar to the Creator.

Therefore while building love for friends we must not forget that we are doing it in the name of the Creator. After all, through the love for friends we build our spiritual vessel. If we succeed to connect shattered parts together, by this we will create a place for the revelation of the Creator.

The Independence Day symbolizes a priceless gift from the Creator to humanity. After all, everything created by the Creator besides this day is produced by spreading of shattered desires from above downwards. Abraham, forefathers, the First and Second Temples that were destroyed, all of it was just a preparation.

The destruction followed by destruction until we reached the last, the longest exile. And finally this exile is over and now begins an ascent that starts precisely from the Independence Day. This is the very first date that was established by ourselves, what is called “from below upwards,” starting point of the correction.

Before that we were all the time just preparing for it by descending from above downwards. And Independence Day symbolizes beginning of the ascent from below upwards and this is why it is such a special day and Baal HaSulam was so happy about it. This is not an ordinary Zionism but a joy about correction of the entire world system.

So let’s wish ourselves not to stop in the middle of the way upwards and finish this ascent at the highest point.
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From a talk during a festive meal 5/11/2016

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Fighting Off The Shadow Of The Holocaust, Part 1

Laitman_006Question: What is the strength of the human spirit and where does it come from? Why in the most difficult times of the Holocaust, exactly when people were on the brink of survival, they showed the highest spirit and retained human dignity?

The Nazis tried to lower people to the level of animals, but even in the concentration camps and ghettos Jews managed to keep their spirit and a sense of mutual aid, organized education and theater groups, and did anything that allowed them to feel human and to rise above their state.

Answer: This is a known psychological phenomenon. When a person doesn’t feel any possibility of changing what is happening, he is forced to agree with the powerful and ruthless force that squeezes him in a very hard vise. And then he can only bow and accept everything as it is. But inside this lowliness awakens the point of truth, the human spirit.

Sending us such difficulties, the Creator, at the same time, supports our inner spirit. And therefore we see that even while submitting to the pressure of this enormous force, man in the depth of his soul feels that this is his destiny, the upper force. This blow falls upon him from above and he has to bow and tries to survive preserving human appearance as much as possible.

Therefore, during the Holocaust we saw such examples of courage and overcoming. However, it is indicative that people just resigned, accepted what was occurring, and simply waited for this blow to pass.

This is similar to what happened to Rabbi Akiva who was sailing on the ship and encountered a violent storm. The ship split and sank, but Rabbi Akiva managed to survive, the only one from the entire ship.

When he was asked later how he managed to stay afloat, he explained that he grasped a log and every time a big wave surged, he bent his head. This way these waves instead of drowning him carried him to the shore.

It turns out that in the state when, in our world, an evil force that was given permission to destroy us is already evident, it is too late to fight it. After all, we already lost this war if we permitted the evil force to appear. By our behavior in relations with each other we allowed the Nazis to rise, come to power, and begin to rule over all the nations in Europe.

And by lowering our heads, we allow this force to pass over us, and we can reach the promised shore.

The thing is that Jews could have prevented the Nazis from coming to power if they had listened to the appeals of Baal HaSulam and other Kabbalists and had commenced the correction of the world. But we didn’t do it and led a normal life in the exile. The great Kabbalist Ari in the 16th century urged starting the correction of the world. In his time, the period of exile had already ended and the period of redemption had begun.

If we don’t move together with the forces of redemption that have started to act in the world and we stay in exile as before, not wanting and even opposing the redemption, then we invite upon ourselves a reaction of very evil and dangerous forces of destruction. In this case they are revealed in the world and act against the people of Israel.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 4/28/16

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How Can We Prevent Another Holocaust?
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Avoiding Mistakes

laitman_629_3Question: Does engaging in spirituality mean that a person doesn’t make mistakes, that he is rational and everything he does is wise and sensible?

Answer: A spiritual person is one who develops the spiritual attribute in him and thus advances.

There are no mistakes in the motion of a spiritual person because he receives constant guidance, instructions, and assistance along the way and advances accordingly, but the pace of his advancement depends on him.

If a person seriously aims at accelerating his spiritual development, his path becomes simple, easy, pleasant, and shorter. If he cannot do so, he will wander and undergo many troubles, but he will still advance slowly.

Even ordinary people constantly advance in the right direction in our world, not consciously but under the influence of nature’s blows, and this is what makes it different from developing independently.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 2/21/16

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The War Of The Sexes, Part 3

Laitman_095Battle In The Kitchen

Question: Why do men and women always argue with each other?

Answer: Because we don’t understand that we are created differently precisely in order to complete one another. Instead of solving this problem, we run away from it like kids. As a result, the problem grows and pressures us so much that family starts to fall apart.

We are moving away from each other and don’t want to marry and have children. We hide from solving the problem because we don’t know how to solve it and don’t realize that this is the main thing we need to do. If we would reach a solution and complete each other, we would come to eternal and perfect life. These are not just nice words. At least we would feel perfection in our earthy existence in this world, heaven right here and now.

But now, instead of completing each other, we are at war, wishing to take control the opposite sex. Our egoism doesn’t allow us anything else even if we love our partner.

Perhaps I am ready to bow and accept the authority of my spouse but only on condition that she understands how to be in charge of me. It has a special joy like a child basking in its mother’s hands.

Question: What do a man and woman want to win in this war of the sexes?

Answer: They are both egoists and wish by all means to take authority over the opposite side. A woman wants a man to serve her and a man wants the same from a woman. Only each of them expresses it in a different form. A man demands to have all necessary things at home because woman is home. And a woman demands a man to think about her all the time, to be completely devoted to her as if she is the queen of the world.

This is a simple earthly egoistic psychology that every couple follows, from the most loving to the most unsuccessful. In fact, in every case, they are two egoists that find themselves on the same territory, and so they fight with each other.

They must be connected with each other; they are bound by common children, property, and social status, and therefore each of them constantly fights for his independence in the family only in a different form. A woman likes to be dependent on a man, but she also expects that he will be endlessly devoted to her and be around her all the time.

This desire is impossible to fulfill. A woman wants a man to constantly fill her, meaning to think and take care of her, her children, the house, and for all his life to be devoted only to taking care of the family nest. And a man is ready to take care of it to some extent, but, at the same time, he wants to feel independent and not so bound, as the woman demands. And here naturally the conflict arises.

A man wants a woman to be devoted to the children and the house, and to take care of her husband as much as possible, without restricting his freedom.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 3/31/16

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The War Of The Sexes, Part 1
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New Life #651 – When It Is Bad In The World, It Is Bad For Israel

New Life #651 – When It Is Bad In The World, It Is Bad For Israel
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

Why does hatred toward the Jews increase when something bad happens in the world? What don’t the wise people in the world understand, and what crucial force of bestowal do the Jews have?

Summary

We can see that when everything is fine in the world and things are going well, Israel is left in peace. This was the situation in the restoration years after WWII. But since the 1960’s existential questions arose. For the first time people have felt that a home and a job were not enough and they began to look for a meaning in life. They began to feel that there should be a revolution, but it wasn’t really clear what type of revolution.

The internal reason for that is that the world is advancing toward a state of perfect mutual connection between people. We can see that throughout history when things are going well for the world, it is good for Israel, but when the world feels lost, it is bad for Israel.

Today, there are those who say that Israel is the operating force behind ISIS and behind the terror attacks in Paris. “The Jews have the money and they create crises, wars, and acts of terror wherever they find it necessary.”

This says that the nation of Israel is responsible for everything that happens in the world for better or for worse and that everything depends on the connection between people. The hatred toward us will not cease unless we connect as one man in one heart, according to “love thy friend as thyself.”
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From KabTV’s “New Life #651 – When It Is Bad In The World, It Is Bad For Israel,” 11/17/15

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 05.13.16

Preparation for the Lesson

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Topic of the Lesson: “Preparation for the Congress”

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Writings of Baal HaSulam “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 56

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Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Acting Mind”

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