Comment: Dr. Emma Seppala, Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, presents a world view that is opposite from your views. When asked whether human nature is egoistic or whether it is kind, she replied that there are those who believe that people are naturally egoistic and that tough competition is the key to their success, but the principle of the survival of the fittest is incorrect and that it is possible to advance without underestimating or humiliating others. It makes no difference what a person engages in as long as he works for the well being of others. From her perspective man is basically good hearted and merciful and not egoistic.

Answer: Does this mean that people were given a mind in order to behave nicely to one another and to understand each other. Is this what determines the relations between states and nations? Do we see that this is what guides and motivates us today and throughout human history?

Our relations are based solely on the individual’s desire to rise higher than others, to be better off at the expense of others, and to use them. We should study and get to know how the animate level of nature operates. We are no different from animals. Only we are given also the mind that we use for the same egoistic development in all directions, wherever possible. Therefore, people are the greatest evil in nature. That is what we see.This is the reason that man is the worst creature in nature and this is actually what we see. If Dr. Emma Seppalla wears rose-colored glasses there is nothing we can do about it.

Nature is basically absolute egoism and this is also what the Torah says: “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice.” Therefore, as long as man doesn’t use the Torah correctly, which means that he doesn’t draw the Light that Reforms in order to correct the ego, while he studies, he is a complete egoist. We are trapped in a vicious cycle that we cannot escape any other way except through the influence of the Upper Light that can pull us out. Otherwise, all our aspirations and our impulses, which may seem good, are totally egoistic.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/7/16

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New Life 547 – The Covenant Between God And The Jewish People In The Mirror Of The Holocaust
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

How is it possible to understand and accept what happened in the Holocaust, what kind of covenant exists between us and God, how can we go back and establish it, and thus bring all of our troubles to an end?

The history of our people is full of terrible events, pogroms, murders, and the like. The Holocaust divided people into two, some became more devout and some generally moved away from religion.

Religion doesn’t look for answers about what happened in the Holocaust because there really are no answers for it. The Holocaust, and in general all of our troubles, are derived from our not understanding how God behaves with us. God is the law of nature. His program is this: we were created with an evil inclination and our goal is to transform it into a good inclination. It is up to us to transcend the ego and love others. If we do this, we get help. If we don’t, we suffer.

The covenant is an obligation to be a light to the nations. This means that we must provide the world with an example of connection and love. We did this at a particular time in the past. Today we must take the entire world out of the crisis that it is experiencing. The wisdom of Kabbalah is the method that will save the world from general destruction and ruin, from the eruption of egoism.

The part of God in this eternal covenant is to help us reach connection for better or for worse. Before the Holocaust, Baal HaSulam called for all Jews in Eastern Europe to emigrate to Israel, to build a society here, to connect as a single person. After two thousand years we got the opportunity to return to Israel, and we disregarded this and the connection of hearts. The covenant is eternal; we must realize this program of creation and connect above egoism.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 547 – The Covenant Between God And The Jewish People In The Mirror Of The Holocaust,” 4/7/15

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New Life 718 – The Exodus From Egypt Is True Freedom
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

What can be learned from the relationships between Moses and Pharaoh in the story of the Exodus from Egypt about the relationship we must develop with the ego, what do the plagues in Egypt affirm, and how do we become free people?

A person who wants to transcend his ego begins to identify how much he is totally controlled by his ego; he sees how the reality of his self-interest encloses him within a “bubble” that doesn’t allow him to feel the complete reality.

“Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1) means the search for how to be freed from the dominance of my own ego. Moses wants to break through the limitations of the narrow perception of the ego and see the illumined world.

The reason for this served to convince the public that his power, that it is up to the good forces under the control of Pharaoh, and show them how weak pharaoh, sod and not really in control.

Moses needed to convince everyone that the power was in his hands to show the good forces under the control of Pharaoh how weak and despicable Pharaoh was and that Pharaoh really had no control in order to elevate the good forces. With every plague Egypt receives, Pharaoh frees additional characteristics that are found under the control of the ego, which awakens more difficult plagues.

The ten plagues correspond to our ten inner characteristics called Ten Sefirot. Each plague represents a blow to the egoistic perception of reality. For example, the plague of blood (Dam) is from the word “Domem” (Still); it symbolizes Malchut, which is the lowest desire to receive and represents stillness.

The goal is to transcend the ego, to stop thinking only about myself and to think about everyone together. That is how we reach the complete perception of reality, unlimited spiritual life, and adhesion with the Creator.

Pharaoh symbolizes the general desire to receive, which includes unique desires called the children of Israel. These desires can leave the control of Pharaoh and the ten plagues help them detach from him. The Creator is the power of bestowal and love that is found outside of the desire to receive. When we depart from the desire to receive, we feel free; this is the future of the human species, this is the correction of the world.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 718 – The Exodus From Egypt Is True Freedom,” 4/19/16

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Preparation for the Lesson

Writings of Rabash “Rungs of the Ladder,” “According to What Is Explained About Love Thy Friend as Thyself”

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 50

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Inheritance of the Land”

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Question: According to the results of a poll that was arranged by the ICN company, more than a third of the adherents of Islam in Britain believe that the Jews have acquired too much control in Britain and influence over the communications media, financial institutions, and the economy. In addition, more than one-fourth of them are convinced that the Jews are responsible for most of the wars on Earth.

Unlike the other citizens in Britain, 27% of the Muslims who were questioned, acknowledge that they hate the Jews simply because of their behavior. So has anti-Semitism been more pronounced among Muslims than anyone else historically?

Answer: Throughout many generations Jews and Muslims existed together more or less normally because they never had any religious opponents, there weren’t special contrasts between them.

The crisis in relationships began from geographic and political opposition, when England didn’t want to leave the land of Israel and began to incite hatred among the Arabs toward the Jews. This was the usual policy of “divide and rule.”

Islam in its essence is not at all opposed to Judaism; on the contrary, these have been two religions that have been close as a counterweight to Christianity.

Question: Why does the current radical Islam bear such intense aggressiveness toward the Jews?

Answer: Modern Islam is radical Islam, yet the foundation of true Islam is Sufism (Islamic Wisdom of Kabbalah). Arab Kabbalists (Sufis) have lived in all times, from which are great literary works.

Today a major clash of egoism is happening in the world. So it is natural and necessary for Israel to go out first and present the method of unity to the whole world. This exists only with us, and we don’t want to reveal it in us and begin to work with it. This method of unification is called the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is not mysticism, Tarot cards, or red strings, but specifically the true wisdom of Kabbalah.

If we begin to be involved with the wisdom of Kabbalah, all of humanity will immediately feel how serious our intention is to introduce corrections of the egoistic nature of humanity into the world and bring everyone to unity, establishing peace and tranquility. Then all the streams that are directed against us will disappear.

Question: What is the first current that will accept the wisdom of Kabbalah?

Answer: First everyone will be against the Kabbalists, including Judaism. After that, awareness and understanding will begin to happen partly among Christians and partly among Jews.

In the meantime, the matter is much more complicated among the Muslims even though inside they are closer to understanding. But there is a very big internal problem among them regarding their identity.

The best thing will be if we Jews unite and show the peoples of the world how to achieve global unity in our world.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/14/16

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Question: We say that everything is opposite. Does that mean that the worse I am in the corporeal world, the better I am in the spiritual world?

Answer: One thing has nothing to do with the other. We have to create the spiritual world since it doesn’t exist. To the extent that we create the attribute of love and bestowal inside us, we begin to feel a new dimension that is created inside us called the upper world.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 2/21/16

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Question: What is the difference between the path of Torah and the path of suffering if they both lead to suffering?

Answer: Everything is determined by the presence of the goal. A terrorist who cuts a person’s belly, for example, does so in order to kill him, while a surgeon who also cuts a person’s belly does it in order to save him. A person who is ill agrees to be operated on of his own freewill, and even pays for the operation and is ready to suffer the pain as long as he can get well.

A person who is about to undergo an operation is ready for any kind of suffering because he knows that he is gaining his life, while a person who was killed by a terrorist has lost his life. Therefore, everything depends on the way you assess the suffering and whether it gives you life or takes your life.

Question: The terrorist, himself, also is facing suffering and death because he thinks that this is the way to reach heaven. So, what is the path of the Light here?

Answer: For the terrorist, this is also the path of the light. This is what he believes. There are many theories according to which people are prepared to suffer in order to receive future pleasure.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, you should try to get closer to other people, but not for a reward in the next world after death. The corporeal body has nothing to do with that. The state you live in and identify with the corporeal body is a totally wrong state.

You must reach a totally different state in which you exist in the world of upper forces. In that world, you feel the effect of the upper forces and don’t identify with your body anymore. It is as if you shed the corporeal body off yourself, like a snake sheds its skin. Then, only the soul is left, which is in adhesion with the upper forces.

This state is called the Garden of Eden, heaven, and this is the state we should reach here and now, not in the next world. You need not kill anyone in order to reach it.

Question: It turns out that religions made up by man enable religious people to avoid suffering by holding on to an idol, such as God or Allah.

Answer: Of course, man made religion in order to sweeten his life and enable him to exist as if for a certain goal.

Judaism, Christianity, and then Islam emerged after the Jews fell from the spiritual level to an egoistic level, a state called the destruction of the Temple. Religion is the corporeal, egoistic reflection of the spiritual path.

It gradually brings humanity to the recognition that we must ascend spiritually. This is the reason that religions reach a peak and then disappear from the world, and a person begins to look for the true meaning of life.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 1/3/16

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Question: The Management Committee of UNESCO passed a decision regarding Jerusalem which did not mention the connection of the Jews and Israel to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

The Temple Mount is mentioned solely and only as a place in which the Al-Aqsa Mosque is found and the area of the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall, Kotel) is called Al-Buraq Square, the square from which the prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven. In the same document they state that Israel is “occupying” that area.

The resolution formulates a demand for the Israeli government not to limit the access of Muslims to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and likewise condemns the Israeli government for “illegal actions against religious freedom.”

From your acquaintance with the Chairperson of UNESCO Irina Bokova, how would you explain their attitude toward us?

Answer: This is a completely legal attitude. Subconsciously, the world is demanding the method for the correction of its nature from us. Since we are not acting on this, they blame us for everything that is happening in the world.

We had to gather in the land of Israel to carry out our mission to become one people, as one person with one heart, and live according to the general rule, “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), thereby serving as an example to everyone. Throughout the 70 years of the existence of the nation we have not reached the realization of our destiny, so we have no right to this land.

Comment: When you met personally with the representatives of UNESCO, there was a good mutual understanding between you and warm meetings that were supposed to lead to changes in the attitude toward our nation.

Answer: The attitudes have only changed in a negative direction.

They heard from me what the wisdom of Kabbalah says and what our organization is about, yet reality shows them that the trend is completely the opposite!

Question: And where is their support?

Answer: About what?! Everything depends on us. We are the Jewish people; it is up to us to reach mutual agreement, a mutual link, friendship, love, connection, and unity, mutual support!

But with each passing day, more and more political parties arise in our nation; separation and division happens because we have not implemented the function for which we exist here.

We have received an opportunity from above to establish a nation here that will show humanity the future of the world, but if we don’t carry this out, we have nothing to do here! We have no possibility of claiming a right to this land because we don’t strive for friendship and love between us, the creation of the right society, and we are not an example for the future of humanity.

So it is natural that the representatives of UNESCO have stopped taking all of our claims to the land of Israel into account. They accept the Palestinians because they have no obligation toward them, but that is not so for us. The Palestinians want to live here, this is their land. They feel that they belong to it more than we do, and in fact, this is so.

Unfortunately the people of Israel are not carrying out their destiny and so there is no place for them here.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/18/16

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New Life 546 – The Threat Of Extermination From The Holocaust To Now
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

Jews the world over fear another Holocaust. How can the right understanding and perception of what happened in the Holocaust be implanted in people? What can we do as a people to prevent history from repeating itself?

We are in a process where we need to recognize our egoistic nature as bad and want to correct it. The people of Israel are unique in that they were created on the basis of “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).

According to the program of creation, we will be compelled to return to brotherly love and lead the entire world toward this. The inner Torah, the wisdom of Kabbalah, teaches how to stitch together the rifts and splits between the people and the world.

Despite all the pain, we should investigate the reason for this: we are in the system of nature that operates with permanent lawfulness. Abraham discovered it. The Holocaust was part of a continuing destruction that was caused by unfounded hatred, a lack of connection and love among the people. The people in general are not maintaining the general rule of reality, “Love your friend as yourself.”

“There is none else beside Him” (Deuteronomy 4:35). “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). There is no other power that is operating, not even during the time of the Holocaust. Until we want to connect with each other through love, we will absorb more and more difficult blows. This is a predetermined law. We are not required to rise above our egoistic nature, but only to develop a desire for it. In each and every generation they have stood against us to destroy us to bring us closer to this correction so that we would want to connect with each other.

If we want to be connected with each other as brothers, a new reality will be opened before us, heaven. The Jewish people will be compelled to lead the world to connection, even if most will become extinct. We have no choice. It is possible to stop the waves of anti-Semitism only if we establish a system of explanation and education about love for others. In the connection between us we expect a happy life, for us and for the whole world. That is the way we will gain the sympathy of the world.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 546 – The Threat Of Extermination From The Holocaust To Now,” 4/5/15

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