New Life 170 – What Is A Funeral In Spirituality?
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz
When a man dies, a group of people accompany him on his last journey. Why is it important to accompany the dead, what is death in spirituality, and what does it mean to be buried in the dust?
If a person invested in the wholeness of society, he has an eternal part in it. Only the body dies. From KabTV’s “New Life 170 – What Is A Funeral In Spirituality?” 4/21/13
The Creator leads us to independence, which arises as a result of our transition from the quality of reception to the quality of bestowal. In other words, we use our desire to enjoy but in the action of bestowal, for the Creator’s contentment, and not for self-gratification.
As it develops, the creature appreciates the light for its care and wardship, just as a child gradually begins to appreciate the parents’ love and care.
To raise the creature to a new degree of bestowal, the Creator takes away direct pleasures, and grants the ability …. to be fulfilled by bestowal and not reception.
The desire’s direct reaction to light – pleasure is natural and known beforehand. That is why there’s no creation in it, since creation (Beria – bar) signifies an external, new quality.
The creature is born with an unnatural reaction for the desire to not be filled with the light
…. but rather to become like it. From Twitter, 3/14/19
Each progresses at his or her own speed and own style and passes through one’s own specific stages. There is no need to worry about it, one does not know why one’s soul is being corrected in such a way, rising from the opposite state. The higher the soul was before the shattering, the worse it is in the broken state and the higher it rises after the correction, returning to its place.
This is what a person is given. The Creator created him or her with a soul of a certain height, and He organizes appropriate conditions for the person: thoughts, feelings, and an environment. All conditions originate from the shattering of the soul. The Creator does not consider anyone personally, but looks at the general broken soul that needs to be corrected. The shattering should go down to the lowest limit in order to start the ascent.
Each one begins to climb up, like in the parable of the king who called upon his subjects to transfer his treasury to another place and gave each of them one coin. Each carries its part, with his or her internal properties, health conditions, environment, and various obstacles along the way. He either gets sick, goes to prison, gets a promotion, or wins a million dollars in a lottery. Everyone overcomes their own obstacles, everything is arranged in advance.1
There is no need to worry about the states we go through, as if I myself am responsible for them. I am only responsible for drawing the Light in this moment. All that was and will be, was and will be arranged by the Creator. All my steps are already known. It is only the quality of the steps that is unknown. I have to move from point A to point B, but I can ride in a horse-drawn carriage, in a train, walk, or barely crawl.
The speed depends on me, but I have to go through all the states that are already predefined. There are people who anticipate future events. So what? I do not ask them for predictions because I do not want to think about what will happen to me. All that matters to me is to what extent I adhere to the Creator at every given moment. Apart from this, nothing matters: I either rise or fall, or I am thrown in all directions; the Creator will take care of me.
All the obstacles have already been built into my path according to my soul, and I have to go through them; otherwise, I will not correct my soul and will not rise from them. Therefore, they should not be taken as misfortunes. These disturbances will be revealed, and above each disturbance I will have to adhere to the Creator. The only disturbance is separation from the Creator. In each state, I worry only about how to adhere to Him more strongly, attributing all the states and all the salvations to the Creator.
It is not the states themselves that are important to me, but my attitude toward them: to what extent I justify the Creator in them and am in solidarity with Him. The Creator scares me only so that I will cling to Him and justify Him even more.
Therefore, I do not fear the future, no matter what might happen. I fear only one thing: whether I will have the power to unite with the Creator and adhere to Him, like a baby who clings to his mother as if he wants to hide back in her belly.
I have to strengthen my faith, that is, to attribute everything happening in my world to the Creator. There is no other source. Everything happens only so that I can connect it with the Creator in my heart and mind. The evil inclination, Pharaoh, this is what wants to separate me from the Creator, from the sole cause of everything that happens.2
If it were obvious to me that everything comes from the Creator, then faith would be unnecessary because there would be clear knowledge. I have to be in touch with the Creator who pulls me by the strings like a puppet. This is how I become an angel, completely controlled, like a horse or any other animal. Therefore, on one hand, I want to remain separate from the Creator, and at the same time connect with Him by my own effort above the restriction, above the concealment, as if there is no concealment or restriction. This, I “as if” arouse by myself, and it is called the “reforming Light.”
If the king wants to check to what extent the slave is devoted to him, he pretends that his life is in danger. This is how it is possible to check whether the slave is ready to sacrifice his life in order to save the king. Therefore, first of all, we need to acquire the Light of faith in which adhesion with the Creator, the Light of Hochma, the Light of knowledge, is reached.
Knowledge cannot be above faith because it is not the faith that is known to us in our world. Faith above knowledge is the willingness to bestow everything without any reason. What is required of us is devotion, in exchange for what? In exchange for nothing. First, we reach the Light of faith, of devotion, and only then can we connect with the Creator.3
Adhesion with the Creator lasts one moment, but a person wants to adhere to this moment forever as if nothing else exists. He attributes all the past, present, and future to the Creator, seeing in Him the cause and effect of all his actions and achievements. And he himself remains only one point that states all this.
The Creator created the evil inclination, and He also created the good inclination. A person only decides that “There is no one else but the Creator.”4 From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/26/19, Writings of Baal HaSulam, Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot, item 17 1 Minute 0:8:40 2 Minute 0:14:11 3 Minute 0:24:30 4 Minute 0:32:20
Question: I have repeatedly asked what spiritual bestowal is and never received a clear answer. You give an example of a mother and child, which is not spiritual, but material bestowal. So what is spiritual bestowal?
Answer: Spiritual bestowal is bestowal above my egoism, when, relying on and starting from it, I produce altruistic actions inverse to my desire.
I can only do them if I rely on a group that supports me in this, and through it, I receive the upper light—the light of bestowal. Then I can act.
This is an absolutely real action that ultimately turns out to be the opposite of my egoistic desire. [241034] From the Kabbalah lesson in Russian, 11/11/18
New Life 169 – Brit Milah And Bar Mitzvah
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz
All Jewish customs symbolize connection. The Brit Milah ceremony symbolizes the cutting of the “foreskin of the heart” and a person’s willingness to correct his inner relationship to others. The Bar Mitzvah ceremony symbolizes the beginning of the process of overcoming the ego, connecting with others, and influencing others in practice. From birth through to adulthood, we must educate our children to correct their hearts and open up love for others. [139696] From KabTV’s “New Life 169 – Brit Milah And Bar Mitzvah,” 4/21/13
Writings of Rabash, Vol. 2,Article 11 “What Does the Rule “What It Means that the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination Guard a Person in the Work” (1991)
Simple humility does not require solidarity with the upper governance, but only subjugation to it. Spiritual conception (Ibur) is also built upon humility, but upon a harsher one, when I completely annul myself before the upper one in everything not taking my feelings and opinion into consideration.
If we in the ten enter the state of the sons of Jacob, not wishing to unite, the lack of spiritual fulfillment will compel us to start working against the ego, to descend to Pharaoh. The realization of ego as disturbances against unity prepares us to agree to take on the “Mutual Guarantee.”
If I have ceased to feel that the Creator rules in everything, it means I have departed from sanctity and no longer belong to the spiritual system. I must therefore immediately return to the state of, “There’s none else besides the Creator” and strengthen myself by incorporating my inclusion in the group into my effort.
All mistakes and crimes turn into commandments when I establish that “There’s none else besides the Creator” and He is the cause of everything. A crime is to be influenced by the disturbance, and see nothing outside of it. For, undoubtedly, the disturbance is sent by the Creator
… out of His love to advance me spiritually.
I seek ways to surrender myself “I awaken the dawn, the dawn doesn’t awaken me.” Preparing to subjugate means to accept everything by “faith above reason” as coming from the Creator. And all that is happening is a game of hide and seek of the Creator with me of “There’s none else besides Him.”
Subjugation is the main spiritual action to the very end of correction, the basis of all spiritual work. The more we look for ways to humble ourselves before the Creator, the faster we advance spiritually. We must seek ways to change the power of ego for the power of the Creator.
The right reaction shortens time in thousands. A person receives a challenge in the form of emptiness, he immediately moves forward, despite his state. The main thing is to punch the ego, Pharaoh, in the teeth without a pause. You get rejected from unity—you have to fight back!
When a state of heaviness comes, distance from the friends in the group, it is necessary to annul your “I,” i.e., not to demand more—let it be so. The main thing is not to think about anything bad between us. And strive for connection, rising above any circumstances.
You remove the obstacles by raising above them and building love above hatred. It is impossible to achieve anything without obstacles. They are what gives power to connection, just as all sorts of obstacles and failures give taste to love, otherwise it is a plain tasteless feeling.
The complete measure of exertion, quota, after which a qualitative change occurs in us (new spiritual sensations) is made up of the quantity and quality of our actions, years, cumulative invested efforts and experiences.
These are the quantitative indicators that result in new revelations.
“Signals” from #Ilhan #Omar and the entire West not only focus public attention on the #Jews, but also awaken them from sleep.
We need to re-implement the principle “love others as ourselves.”
Everyone needs specifically the working method of connection. #Israeli
Coming out into the light is like a chicken hatching from an egg, or a worm from a bitter radish. It takes a lot of effort and help of friends because of the wall between us.
As it’s written, “Each one should help his friend.” My friend and I keep knocking from each side toward each other.
The Creator covertly controls everything, but when evil appears, it conceals Him and separates Him from a person who is filled with doubts in the upper government. But when he returns to the realization of the Creator, he receives a reward and can adhere with the Creator again.
(#Zohar, “Night of the Bride, 138”)
After LO-LISHMA, one advances further, with no calculations about oneself, but only about how to annul to the true reality, feel the work for the Creator by feeling His greatness. One forgets about himself, annuls before the sensation of the Creator, stays in LI-SHMA caring about the Creator, and is then in bestowal for the sake of bestowal.
It is still very difficult for American Jews to believe that calm and peaceful life has passed and will not return. The sense of security and incredible success, which have shown signs of hope over the years, are being destroyed. #Jews #AntiSemitism
The Creator is revealed only above our #egoism, for while everything is well—we will not turn to Him. It is necessary to understand once and for all that all advancement happens only due to bad feelings. If a man is comfortable, he is unable to make a move, such is our nature.
“Faith above knowledge” is a complete departure from all our calculations. When this force is revealed in us as a result of internal efforts, inside our desires, once we change, we realize that we can complete knowledge with faith, and this faith is bestowal instead of reception.
Major General M. Bergman: “In my opinion, it is a terrible mistake for #military to go into #politics. We are taught differently, and our mentality is dissimilar. A military person should not be a #politician.”
The whole story teaches us that politicians and military think and make decisions differently. Changing them is dangerous!
Everything in reality, good and evil, has a right to exist, is forbidden to be destroyed, and is intended only for its correction for good and for manifestation of the Creator’s perfection. #Wisdomofkabbalah #quotesoftheday
Crisis of the world civilization. There is no clarity on how to live in the #future. The #EU and the #US are headed into decay. Without a connection between countries and nations, selfish provocations lead to war. This can only be confronted together.
But the people of #Israel carry the method of #connection, which they don’t even suspect, but it is the reason why they are hated. #AntiSemitism
The new Prime Minister of Palestinian Authority Mohammad Shtayyeh: “Jews are not a nation. It is a religious denomination. When talking about dialogue with the #Jewish people, you need to understand—there is no such nation, just like there are no #Muslim or #Christian nations.”
According to the #Torah: Jews originate from 70 nations of Babylon, striving toward the Creator.
Everything done within #egoism is doomed to failure. Since the single Euro currency (the #Euro) links egoists, it can’t exit the crisis for a while now, despite the support of all #EU countries and the #ECB.
Salvation lies in an urgent departure from the single currency or in the rise above egoism. #Euronews #BREAKING From Twitter, 3/13/19
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