Audio Version Of The Blog – 03.09.17

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Haaretz: “The Dems Smear Campaign Can Put Us All In Trouble”

In my regular column in Haaretz, my new article: “The Dems Smear Campaign Can Put Us All in Trouble

We can neither abolish conservatism nor rid ourselves of liberalism. Instead, we only need to find our unity above them!

Donald Trump lashed out at the “so-called Judge”? Obama did this before. Donald Trump signed an immigration ban? Obama did this too, and for twice as long. Donald Trump wants to build a wall? Obama did this before, too. But none of the mainstream media outlets bring these parallels to our attention. In some cases, they have even classified such information as “fake news” in order to steer us away from the facts.

Why is all this happening? Because unlike any other time in US history, the defeated party in the presidential elections refuses to accept its loss and keeps trying to find some way back to the White House. Prominent media outlets that support Barack Obama and his party have launched such a preposterous smear campaign that it can only be described as “fake news,” with the aim to defame, delegitimize, and ultimately impeach the president. On the ground, Barack Obama’s “Organizing for Action” is using an expansive network of left-leaning organizations to build the progressives’ way back to the Oval Office much sooner than 2020.

But they are playing with fire. Half the country voted for Trump. That half does not want the progressive agenda, which robs it of its jobs, values, beliefs, and eventually, its country. The forefathers and foremothers of this conservative part of America made their country a world leader. They are tough, believe in their values and in their Lord, and they have seen enough of what New World Order pundits have to offer. They do not want this. Should Trump be forced to step down, chances are that his successor will make Democrats fondly reminisce at the sound of Trump’s name.

Back in Babylon

The reactionary response to the progressive movement is a natural phenomenon that happens toward the end of every stage in human development. The liberal era is ending. It is no longer liberal; it is the rule of a small elite group that is pitting the public against anyone who dares to challenge it. Using “political correctness,” seemingly in order not to offend minorities, the ruling elite is barring free speech and free thought, and shreds our society under the guise of individuality. As we succumb to isolation and alienation, to vulgar narcissism where pop stars’ on-stage pseudo-masturbation is regarded as art, we are losing our most precious asset—human connections. When we cannot care for others and others cannot care for us, we are losing the vital force that is necessary for our mental and physical health.

The media, which tells us that individuality and free thought are all that count, while at the same time stifling our ability to think for ourselves and realize our potential, makes us all confused and frustrated. In consequence, just like our ancestors in the land of bilbul (confusion), a.k.a., Babylon, whose mindset became its namesake, we are hopeless and lost, hateful and alone. Yet, many of us are still dangerously in denial of our situation.

The Midrash (Beresheet Rabah) tells us that at the time of Babylon, two forces struggled over preeminence. The trailblazer, if you will, of one force was Nimrod, king of Babylon, and the frontrunner of the other force was Abraham. To make a gross generalization for the purpose of this column (for more details, read Like a Bundle of Reeds), we could say that both Abraham and Nimrod understood nature, and particularly human nature. They knew that reality operates according to a balanced interaction between positive and negative—two opposite forces that complement one another to create a greater whole, which we call reality. Reality cannot consist of only a negative or only a positive force. It consists of both, requires both, and only when the two work in harmony can nature thrive.

The two leaders also knew that human nature is an exception to nature’s general rule. Even then, thousands of years ago, we were not in sync with nature. We weren’t as opposed to it as we are now, but the predominance of the negative force in the psyche of our ancestors was enough to gradually disintegrate the Babylonian society. The book Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer (Chapter of Rabbi Eliezer) describes the alienation among the Babylonians. In chapter 24, it describes how the builders of the Tower of Babylon would “push up the bricks [to build the tower] from the east, then descend from the west. If a man fell and died, they would not pay him any mind. But if a brick fell they would sit down and wail, ‘Woe unto us; when will another come in its place?’ Abraham, son of Terah, passed by and saw them building the city. He cursed them and said, ‘May the Lord swallow their tongue.’”

As the alienation of Abraham’s countryfolk deepened, his curse came true and the inevitable happened. Chapter 24 details how the Babylonians “wanted to speak to one another but did not know each other’s language. What did they do? Each took up his sword and they fought each other to the death. Indeed, half the world was slaughtered there, and from there they scattered all over the world.”

Dealing with the Law of Nature

Abraham’s curse symbolized his ideology. He maintained that the way to overcome alienation is to strive to connect above it. He understood that alienation and even hatred were natural manifestations of the negative force. Without them, there would be no way to activate the positive force of connection.

Today we know that atoms exist through the balance of these two forces, which maintain the electrons at a relatively steady distance from the nucleus. If either of these forces were absent, there would be no atoms and our universe would not exist. This same balance exists between the atoms that make up molecules, the organs that make up organisms, and so on throughout the chain of existence through its final link—man.

The human psyche is different from the rest of nature in that “the inclination in the heart of man is evil from his youth” (Gen 8:21). We lack the natural balance and conduct ourselves by limping along only on the negative force, as though we only have one leg. Is it any wonder that human society is lame?

Abraham maintained that if what we are missing is the positive force then we should activate it by ourselves. He realized that negative feelings in and of themselves are not a curse, but a necessary basis on which to add the positive force and thus create the same balance that exists in all of nature. Abraham cursed the builders of the tower not because they did not like each other, but because they made no effort to connect above their alienation. When he saw this, he knew that there was no hope for Babylon.

Nimrod refused to go by Abraham’s way. He chose the easy way, seemingly saying, “If we can’t get along, let’s go our separate ways.” Nimrod was the king and his ideology prevailed. Over time, Babylon indeed dispersed and the great civilization sank.

Nowhere to Go

Today, we are once again in Babylon: confused and alienated. But unlike ancient Babylon, we have nowhere to go. We have surrounded the world with billions of people who cannot understand each other and cannot stand each other. We have tried to build a modern Tower of Babylon, thinking that science and technology can make us happy. But science cannot change human nature—the cause of our misery. As a result, our two choices now are the same as those of the builders of the tower: We can each take our sword and fight to the death, or “hammer our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4), and work together to build a new, united humanity.

Should we choose to take the path of unity, then as with Abraham, the swords and spears—our hatred of each other—will be our tools for building our cohesion. We cannot abolish conservatism nor rid ourselves of liberalism. On the contrary, our individualism will only grow and make society even more diverse and splintered. However, if we take Abraham’s way, these new perspectives will only strengthen our society and enrich it, making everyone’s view of life more complete.

The Difference between Self-Entitlement and Ego

Last week, we saw what happens when a healthy ego turns into the monster known as self-entitlement. This NYU professor thought that she was justified in hurling profanities and abusive language, and nearly physically attack NYPD officers whose only “crime” was guarding peaceful Republican demonstrators from the psychoses of “progressive liberals” like her. When a person feels that only his way is the right way, his ego wishes to annihilate all other ways. This is how a healthy ego becomes self-entitled and narcissistic.

A view, any view, is not meant to be the only view. It is intended to be a building block in the structure that creates what we call “humanity.” We are all parts of it. If any of us were missing, it would not be the same; it would not be whole. We become humanity only when we unite our different viewpoints into a complementary whole. When we do not, we are merely a collection of egos vying for control and power. This is why when we unite above our egos we feel whole and happy, and when we fight each other we feel insecure and depressed.

My teacher, RABASH (Rav Baruch Ashlag), wrote in a special notebook titled Shamati (I Heard) what he had heard from his father, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, the great commentator on The Book of Zohar. Article (or perhaps it should be called excerpt) no. 82 described Abraham’s pondering how he would reveal the positive force. The Rav Ashlag explained that Abraham realized that it would happen through revealing his own egoism, above which he would rise, and that only when Abraham realized that he would have an ego above which to rise he was satisfied and confident about his success.

This is the essence of Abraham’s teaching. This is why King Solomon said, “Love covers all crimes” (Prov 10:12). The book Shem Mi Shmuel writes that “The correction of the hatred began in the generation of Babylon, when there was separation in humanity. That is, the correction of gathering people together began by Abraham and his disciples… and the end of the correction will be when everyone becomes one bundle.” In that regard, the great Rav Kook wrote (Letters of the Raiah), “The great rule about the war of views, when each view comes to contradict another, is that we need not contradict it, but rather build above it, and thereby ascend.”

Time to Act

The “trick” of rising above differences to create a higher whole is unique to Abraham’s descendants. It is also the key to our happiness today. In order to untie the entanglement within American society, Americans must take action and unite above their differences! There is no point in throwing dirt at the other side or trying to prove your righteousness and the other side’s wickedness. Anything that promotes separation is inherently evil. So right now, all sides are wrong.

Now it is up to the entire American nation to take up the common ancestor’s legacy, the method of uniting above differences, and implement it among all of Abraham’s descendants—Jews, Christians, and Muslims. If America wants to be great again, this is the only way to do this. The road to turning self-entitlement back into a healthy ego that contributes to a healthy society is not by separation, but by union above our unique individualities, just as Abraham’s students did back in the days of Babylon.
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Free Self-Expression Through Altruism

Dr. Michael LaitmanSince all of nature except man fulfills its predestination, and only man is created opposite to nature, man is given freedom of will in just one thing—in everyone’s free self-expression by means of making altruistic acts.

In the wisdom of Kabbalah altruistic act is called “the screen and the Reflected Light,” while in everyday life altruism simply means bestowal to others. Man’s freedom of choice is to fulfill himself in bestowal in regard to all others.

All of nature is based on bestowal, and only man is opposite to it because he is an egoist who always wants to receive and makes a calculation only for his own benefit. Therefore, he is given the only freedom of choice: to turn reception into bestowal. There are no limits to this and everyone can do it. A person is limited in reception but bestowal is infinite.

Reception and bestowal are the only two actions man is capable of. Either he receives according to his nature, obeying selfish instincts, or he rises above his egoism and becomes independent of it, making his own calculation. That is why it’s called free will, free action or free existence.

To be “free people” means to become a group of people who are interconnected by mutual bestowal. The only way to escape from troubles and get closer to the good are altruistic actions by which we use the power of unity and achieve correction.

It is absolutely essential to the modern world that is gradually slipping into chaos. Soon we will see that such hatred and disputes will break out in every Parliament, that it would be impossible to govern countries. By the end of the year, the world will look very different.

Question: According to statistics, world’s eight richest people are as wealthy as half of the world’s population. In terms of worldly altruism it turns out that these eight rich people should donate their wealth to the poor?

Answer: It is not about that. After all, rich people earned their fortune according to the laws established by human society? If the poor were in the shoes of the rich, they would not think that it is necessary to share this wealth.

But the world needs to understand that if they want to move in the right direction, it is possible only through unification and we need integral education to achieve that. Within such integral groups, a person will receive good force, confidence, and support.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/19/17, Lesson on the Topic: “Mismah Arosa (Arosa Document)

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Walking Through The Wall

Walking through the WallIn the past, Kabbalists had to put their bodies through physical torments in order to reveal spirituality, as it is said: “Eat bread with salt, drink plain water, sleep on bare ground, and study the Torah, and then you will succeed!” Nowadays you can sleep on a featherbed mattress, like a princess on a pea, eat whatever you want and as much as you want.

The question is, where do our intentions lie? We have reached a state where we shouldn’t focus on our actions but rather on our intentions. After all, actions are easy, whereas correcting the intention is the most dreadful, difficult act. This is the fate of our generation, it’s the final degree of correction.

Right now we are standing before a wall. We must change our attitude toward the Creator, the single force of Nature. This wall will collapse only when we decide, in at least one of the tens, to walk through it. The corporeal world will then begin disappearing from our perception.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 9/19/2016

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The World Kabbalah Convention

laitman_938_03Question from Facebook: What do you hope for in the coming convention?

Answer: I believe that my students are ready to organize themselves into one system that will resemble the general system of nature in the relationships between people.

Thus, they will be able to feel the connections between them what is felt in all of nature: a perfect, infinite, eternal created being, or in other words, the Creator.

The Creator is a force field that fills the whole universe. He is not affected by our feelings and it is only if people create a big, deep, mutual sensory area between them that they can feel Him.

I hope that this will happen in the coming convention and that we will feel the concealed upper force of nature. The wisdom of Kabbalah is called the concealed wisdom because it reveals this force to us.  This is the revelation of the Creator to man in our world.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 2/15/16

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No Authorization

laitman_281_01Question: People are attracted to what they see with their eyes. How would they be able to come to the wisdom of Kabbalah if they don’t see what a Kabbalist is? You had a teacher who was authorized. Can you reveal something about yourself?

Answer: No. And it was even impossible to see anything about my teacher. There was no authorization!

And regarding all the questions: “How can I learn the wisdom of Kabbalah, what will it give me, and what need do I have for it at all? Maybe it would be better if I went somewhere else….” I can give only one answer: “Go.”

Only those who come to the wisdom of Kabbalah and feel through their “sense of smell” that there is something unique in the wisdom of Kabbalah for them that is not found in any other place.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 1/1/17

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What Is Unity?

laitman_934Question: What does it mean to unite? What is this state?

Answer: To unite means to identify with the friends who have the same goal as I do, the desire to discover the meaning of life.

Baal HaSulam tells us in The Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot that the search for the meaning of life is the main factor that brings us to the wisdom of Kabbalah.

I organize a group with the friends and we unite because without them I cannot ascend above my ego and begin to feel the upper world.

We understand that we cannot manage without each other because we have to establish a system of mutual actions between us that will have the attributes of the upper world. Then like in a magic mirror, we will see a new world, and it will gradually be revealed in the connection between us.

This is the reason that I am looking for people who share the same views as mine; together we establish a connection that is similar to spiritual connection, and in this connection, we gradually feel the upper world, which means our complete interaction up to the revelation of the Creator in it.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 10/30/16

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We Are Witnessing The Birth Of A New Era

Dr. Michael LaitmanSince man’s development occurs in accordance with the program of nature’s governance, more and more people feel unhappy, empty, and depressed. They aspire to extinguish this sensation with drugs and terrorism.

The crisis in the family, education, sciences, arts, and the threat of destruction from an ecological or nuclear catastrophe are also consequences of this state.

As long as man follows the egoistic development and use of his desires, nature itself creates a threatening atmosphere around him. As a result, man is obliged to realize his place in nature’s system and perceive his egoism as the only evil. By subjecting us to suffering, egoism pushes us to search for the method of its correction and the correct unity with nature.

It is evident from history that the process of development happens gradually, steadily, and smoothly, but sometimes a leap occurs that transforms us into a new quality. As a result, one era replaces another; different periods of the development of the universe are known:  geological eras, and periods of development of flora and fauna, as well as humanity.

Apparently evolution has a specific purpose, and everything develops according to a given program. Sometimes an abrupt transition to the next level happens in this process as a result of some extraordinary events. Today we are in one of these revolutionary states.

This state is caused by the natural course of development of desires; it comes from nature, the Creator. However, this development is fundamentally different from the one to which we are accustomed, and it requires a new form of participation from us. Humanity doesn’t understand what exactly is happening, and everybody is quite confused. After all, there is a change in absolutely all areas at the same time.

It’s unlike anything that happened before. Previously, a revolutionary breakthrough occurred in one particular area. For example, the development of mankind was greatly influenced by the invention of a steam engine, then electricity, then the radio. So step by step, these inventions entered our world and our lives.

But today changes occur absolutely everywhere at the same time. Most importantly, we can’t control anything in our lives, in the family, country, world, financial system, industry, culture, education, and trade. We don’t understand the changes that occur. So it is not surprising that in many countries large numbers of people get up and protest against the changes. They feel as if the old world is collapsing and disappearing, and instead of it, a new, worse world is coming. Everywhere, especially in Europe and America, those forces, meaning those segments of the population that provided the previous state of the world, rise to protest because they don’t understand what is happening, what will happen next, or what to do.

This indeed is a very big problem. After all, we have come to such a state in the process of natural evolution when a person has an opportunity to develop as he pleases. However, each has his own desires and each does what he sees fit.

It seems like there is a country, a government, and various committees that are obliged to take care of people, but nothing helps. Some all-pervading force, called media rises and begins to shape public opinion, judge everyone, and execute its sentence.

This shows to what extent our society is broken, disorganized, and collapsing. We must seek to build new relationships between all the parts of society, at all levels, from the most private and intimate in a person’s relationship with himself, within the family, to at work, and everywhere. None of the laws that worked before, even just a few years ago works now.

The first thing we need is to accept this as the natural evolution we have come to. Naturally, no one wished for it. Everyone thought that liberalism and democracy were wonderful. But now it turns out that democracy causes harm to us. It doesn’t suit us anymore, at least in its current form.

Apparently, all this has to change, and it is part of the natural course of evolution. Therefore, we need to figure out the next state. The wisdom of Kabbalah tells us about it because it explains the entire process of development that we are destined to undergo from the beginning of creation until the end.

This is why the wisdom of Kabbalah is so necessary for people today; without it, all of humanity would be totally confused, not knowing what to do. If we don’t start learning from the wisdom of Kabbalah what state we are and what lies ahead, it will bring us all a lot of suffering and misery.

The laws of nature are constant and defined. They don’t change their course and society should develop only in this direction. If we don’t agree with the direction in which nature pushes us, it won’t bring us any good. We must understand that we can’t argue with nature because it is stronger than we are.

It is therefore necessary to study the law of development and try to implement it. Then we will see that we really advance and don’t go backward.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/22/17, “Mismah Arosa” (Arosa Document), “Altruists and Egoists in Society”

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New Life 308 – The Evolution Of The Universe

New Life 308 – The Evolution Of The Universe
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

What is the force we lack so that we can go beyond the limitations of nature, feel and explore it with new tools, and apply these insights to improve the system of relationships between us?

From KabTV’s “New Life 308 – The Evolution Of The Universe,” 3/2/14

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 03.09.17

Preparation for the Lesson

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Lesson on Topic: “Purim”

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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 6, Part 15, Item 200

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Writings of Rabash, Vol. 3, Article 913

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