Audio Version Of The Blog – 10/6/18

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My Thoughts On Twitter 10/6/18

Dr Michael Laitman Twitter

The person who composed the melodies of the spiritual worlds did so in attainment of the upper worlds, the upper state, upper force. There, one feels only the enthralling, all-fulfilling joy of attainment, eternity, perfection and harmony!

Melodies of the upper worlds carry abundant information. We don’t understand it, but it starts to work inside us favorably, balancing and even healing (in the broad sense of the word) us of all physical, moral and spiritual ills. One should listen to this music as a remedy.

When we simply listen to the melodies of the spiritual worlds, not transferring them to any other images, they affect us very favorably: cleansing us, pushing us toward higher desires, and attuning us to good interactions with other people.

A Kabbalist feels forces that descend onto our world and perform certain actions in it (we call this evolution or history), but on a higher degree. It’s as if he rises above our world and starts to feel these forces prior to their descent into our world.
From Twitter, 10/6/18

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Sukkot

laitman_294.1It is important to see what spiritual action each holiday and “good day” indicates and how to perform it. When we speak about the symbols of the Sukkot holiday in the language of the branches: about the cover of the Sukkah made from the waste of barn and winery, the blessing of the Arba Minim (four plant species), we should always point to the upper root. From this, we will be able to better understand what to do with our desires and intentions, how to realize these actions in connection between us with the help of material work, building a spiritual form within the ten.

Sitting in the shade of the Sukkah means being under a screen. Together, we can build such a big screen that we can not only give, but even receive for the sake of bestowal—this is a real holiday. We will be able to receive “guests” in this Sukkah, that is, every time we will have the Light of Hassadim sufficient for some disclosure of the Light of Hochma.

On the Sukkot holiday, we leave our permanent home and enter the temporary one, the Sukkah. The temporary dwelling changes every time, but it is more valuable to us than a permanent home because by this we acquire a “shadow,” that is, the screen on the Sefira of Malchut, and we can receive for the sake of bestowal as a spiritual Partzuf.1

A holiday, a “good day” (Yom Tov) is receiving the Light that returns to the source, which gives us a screen for our desire to enjoy and makes us similar to the upper world, to the Creator, to bestowal. It is called a “day” because by means of this illumination, we can get the intention of bestowal, and the “good” is the reception of Light for the sake of bestowal.

The covering of the Sukkah must be sufficiently dense so that the shadow in it is larger than the sunlight penetrating the cover. It is a symbol of a constant concern for such a great Light of Hassadim that covers all our desires so as not to be afraid to receive the Light for our sake.2

The holiday of Sukkot symbolizes the construction of the anti-egoistic screen. We lived safely in our “permanent home,” in the desire to enjoy, and now we have to go out to a temporary dwelling, which is a symbol of going on a spiritual path. After all, there is nothing permanent in spirituality: we are constantly in a “temporary dwelling,” in constant changes, taking care of the cover, the screen, so as not to return to the “permanent home.”

The most permanent house is the grave; there will be no more changes there. And in the interval between the grave and eternity, we are given a material house.

If we are able to live all the time in a temporary dwelling, that is, in changes, caring for the screen, rising above our desires and striving to become similar to bestowal, to the Creator, then we live as if floating in the air on an air cushion. The main thing is to take care that the bestowal is on top, that the Sukkah covering is above one’s head because it is a symbol of the screen. Therefore, on Sukkot it is accepted to eat only in the Sukkah.3

Sukkot is the joy of overcoming one’s egoism and receiving the Light of the sun for the sake of bestowal through the cover of the Sukkah, through the screen that we have built over our heads. This is a return for love: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” First, “I am my beloved’s”: to the extent I am able to bestow to the Creator, I feel that He bestows to me. All the symbols of the holiday of Sukkot—an embrace on the right, an embrace on the left, a kiss, a merger—is the result of corrections made on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kipur, the Days of Repentance.

The joy of Sukkot comes from the fact that we managed to overcome our desire to enjoy and build a screen, a cover over it.4

The first correction is the restriction of one’s egoism. As if I leave the house and close the door behind me, ensuring that I will no longer return to egoistic reception.5

If we reach a connection in the ten, then the Creator is surely revealed between us. He shows whether there is a connection between us or not. If we can only bestow for the sake of bestowal, then the Light of Hassadim is revealed, that is, the Creator is revealed from afar, like an adult, a teacher among children. If we can already receive for the sake of bestowal, that is, in love, and not just supporting each other, then the Creator is revealed as our partner, filling and embracing everyone.6
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/23/18, Lesson on the Topic “Sukkot
1 Minute 3:56
2 Minute 9:43
3 Minute 15:10
4 Minute 26:25
5 Minute 38:40
6 Minute 53:30

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The Times Of Israel: “The UN 73rd General Assembly, Simchat Torah and How to Repair the World”

The Times of Israel published my article “The UN 73rd General Assembly, Simchat Torah and How to Repair the World

During this year’s 73rd General Assembly, each member of the UN state had an opportunity to address the international community. Coincidentally, this year, the UN gathering took place during Sukkot, and the last day will align with Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah). Instead of a warm environment under one Sukkah, sealed with a joyful atmosphere, it has been a gathering to air grievances and present a gloomy state of the world.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, opened his speech by warning that the world is suffering from “trust deficit disorder,” referring to divisive global relations. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron discussed “seeing a crisis of the very foundations of today’s world.”

The issue of living under global governance versus respecting the independent, sovereign rites of nations surfaced as President Trump openly disagreed with the idea of globalism and promoted national independence, using America’s achievements during his presidency as an example of the latter’s success.

Why Unity of Nations Can’t Work Just Yet

Any form of unity that doesn’t focus on correcting egoistic relations is bound to explode. The classic example can be seen in what happened to the Soviet Union. Today’s so-called “European Union” is repeating the same mistake as the Soviet Union, which is, in the name of “unity among nations,” to exploit the nationalistic force of each nation until it is completely sucked dry. EU leaders think that this setup is possible, but it will eventually collapse.

For many years, the United States was treated as a cash cow in this game, and Trump clearly shows that he wants the US out. He sees that there is no future in artificial unity among nations, and he rattles the political atmosphere with a cold, pragmatic and business-like approach to this issue at every opportunity he gets.

Yet, the ideological tug-of-war between economic nationalism and global governance, which has become ever more prominent during Trump’s presidency, has definitely further sparked the questions about what it would take to effectively unite peoples and nations, and reach a feasible integrated global system of trade, financial, economic or social issues. Any shift to a better world would need to successfully address these questions.

Addressing the Questions

On one hand, we are globally interdependent. A basic tenet of interdependence is that if any piece fails, the entire mechanism either stops working or works poorly. Along with the evolution of human society, we have come to realize an interdependent connection is indispensable in order to enable individuals and nations to thrive.

On the other hand, the interfering element in today’s interdependent world is our egoistic attitude: where we each aim to self-benefit at the expense of others. Therefore, in order to impact a transition to happier, safer and more comfortable lives in our interdependent reality, we would need to solve how to mend our egoistic relations.

Moreover, as our further development entails increasingly tightening interdependent conditions, if we fail to realize a shift to positive mutual relationships, then we can expect increasing pressures and crises. Simply put, we need to feel that our life depends on others.

How Does This Relate to Simchat Torah?

The wisdom of Kabbalah explains that we are born with an evil inclination, as it is written, “I have created the evil inclination, I have created for it the Torah as a spice, for the light in it reforms it,” Babylonian Talmud, Kidushin, 30b.

However, we do not know what the evil inclination means or moreover, how to correct it. We need a special method through which we can determine what is evil within me and then transform it into good.

We reach the state of Simcha or joy, an exalted spiritual state, from having received the possibility of revealing the Torah, i.e. the wisdom of Kabbalah, the mechanism that gives us the tools for correction. It is also called “the hidden Torah” because it makes visible what is hidden in the person.

Throughout the years, the wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed, waiting for the time of humanity’s ripening to receive it. It is in our generation, when the world needs to be corrected the most, that it is accessible to be studied. And this is what we need to fix our problems, on a personal or global scale.

We cannot expect magical solutions from world leaders. We can only correct the world by correcting ourselves. What we call “evil” is indeed our egoistic attributes which are the opposite to those of bestowal and love that prevail in nature. Our goal should be to attain those characteristics for a joyful life and prosperous future for all.
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