Audio Version Of The Blog – 7/3/19

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My Thoughts On Twitter 7/3/19

Dr Michael Laitman Twitter

Yearning for the goal fulfills us more than its attainment: the desire is fulfilled, and without desire, the pleasure disappears. Hence pleasure is possible only out of yearning, rather than satisfaction of the desire.
Desire was created to be filled by fulfilling the beloved

A person receives fulfillment not so much from love in and of itself, but from the craving of love, the yearning for the one you love.
Hence a spiritual action is performed by faith above reason, “for the sake of bestowal.”
It is the yearning that fulfills a person—it is most important and must be cultivated.
From Twitter, 7/3/19

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“Guns At The Synagogue? Unleashing The True Weapon” (The Times Of Israel)

The Times of Israel published my new article “Guns at the Synagogue? Unleashing the True Weapon

The spike in hate crimes has opened the debate over the use of guns for self-defense among the American Jewish community. “We live in a time of danger,” stated the US official for combating anti-Semitism, Elan Carr, in a recent conference in Jerusalem. He suggested to post security guards at every Jewish temple, community center and school in America. A rabbi in Boston backs this view and proposes that his members carry guns to the synagogue for protection. Others are already taking firearms training. It is better to be safe than sorry, but these are band-aid solutions to a problem that can only be solved from another level: through Jewish unity.

The deadly attacks in Pittsburgh and Poway, California prompted to reinforce security measures at Jewish facilities in the US. Incidents against the Jewish community increased 57 percent from 2016 to 2017, the highest in 20 years and the largest single-year rise in history, according to the Anti-Defamation League. And even though white supremacists are responsible for recent attacks and threats to synagogues, terrorism and violence inspired by Islamist extremism “continues to pose a serious threat to Americans,” says a recent report by the anti-Semitism watchdog group. It states that as June, three people have been arrested for plotting Islamist terrorist attacks including Jewish targets.

The uneasy feeling and menace facing Jews in America are, in fact, a wake up call to reflect on our state as a nation and follow what the Torah mandates to us: to connect by the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself,” and radiate that positive force to the rest of the world. If we fail to do that, non-Jews perceive our disunity as the cause of their problems, putting pressure on us through violent acts. Therefore, until we unite above our differences, anti-Semitism only will get worse. Arming ourselves will simply give us a false and empty sense of security.

We currently do not realize how humanity’s unity depends on Jewish unity. Both are deeply interrelated, as Jews have a central role in the world’s wellbeing. As it is written in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” “Israel refers to the inner part of the world, whereas other nations are considered its outer part.” That central role of Jews is also explained in that seminal text as “a man of Israel elevates his outer material part over the inner, spiritual one, the outer part (the coarse and harmful elements in the nations of the world) accordingly rises over the inner part (the righteous among the nations of the world) and calamities and wars befall the world.”

Therefore, unity should be our priority. By getting closer to each other, narrowing the huge gap that currently separates us, we will become an example to humanity. The power of unity will make any form of hatred against Jews vanish. It is not only the strongest weapon—it is the only weapon that can guarantee peace and safety.
[248731]

Striking Of The Inner And The Surrounding Light

laitman_962.1The inner light (Ohr Pnimi) is what I receive from the host, enjoying in all my desires the taste of fulfillment and the attitude of the Creator who with all His greatness invites me to connect and bestows upon me. I feel all these corporeal, human, and spiritual pleasures on all levels and I am obliged to extract all possible pleasure from them.

However, all this is clothed in my intention to bestow to the host. I subjugate myself to Him and want to give Him contentment. There is no pleasure here that I feel outside of my relationship with the host. First of all, I connect with Him in the Rosh, become included in His intention, in His attitude toward me. I absorb His attitude toward me and I build a reciprocal attitude toward Him from it. Our relationship, His and mine, becomes clothed on each other and the inner light appears.

The surrounding light (Ohr Makif) shows how much I am not ready to do this. The surrounding light emerges out of my regret that I have to stop receiving pleasure from the host, rejecting His appeal to me due to my inability to respond to Him in the same way because of my lack of His greatness. The surrounding light is a consequence of my awareness of how small my love for the host is compared to His love for me.

The surrounding light is the clothing of the spiritual Partzuf, which reflects the reaction of the created being to the revelation of the Creator in it. Therefore, it presses on the Partzuf and asks it to receive fulfillment, like a mother standing in front of a baby with a spoonful of food and trying to persuade him to open his mouth.1

My attitude toward the group and my care for it instead of caring for myself is an exact reflection of the work of the Partzuf with the upper light (Ohr Elyon). Even if I am not yet at such a degree that I can work directly with the light, it is already a close relationship. The Guf of the Partzuf is a measure of my connection with the group, and the Rosh is a calculation of how much I am able to connect with my friends according to my discernments, thoughts, and emotions.

Coupling by striking (Zivug de Haka’a) is striking at my egoism and adhesion through my decision above my mind and feelings to connect with friends like one man with one heart.

I strike my will to receive, push it away, and rise above it because I want to follow the mind and the emotion of the group and the Creator in it. Desire is my nature and the thought is something peripheral; therefore, it can be received from above or through the group, giving me the ability to understand, feel, and make decisions above my own thoughts.

My own thoughts and desires are the animate level. The desires and thoughts of the group can be above them only if I try to work with them.2

Restriction and Striking

Restriction is when I shut my desire, disallowing myself to receive pleasure, like a baby who tightly clenches its mouth and refuses to eat. The striking, however, already implies a condition: if I have the ability to eat for the sake of bringing contentment to mother, I will gladly open my mouth. But I do not have such an ability, so what do I do?! Help me, give me the desire to bring You contentment and I will be happy to open myself for the reception.

Restriction is an unconditional act and striking occurs on the condition that I am ready to accept the pleasure if there will be adhesion between us. In striking, my goal is connection. During the restriction, the purpose is not to connect but only to prevent me from receiving. I do not want any contact because I have no strength for anything but to restrict; otherwise, I will burn from shame.

Coupling by striking is already above shame. I do not take shame into account, but think only about love and connection between us, rising above egoism. By striking, I demonstrate that I am ready to receive the meal, not for myself but only to give contentment to the host. First, we check our relationship with the host and only when this heartfelt spiritual connection is established can we implement it in action and it descends into matter, into the will to receive.

This is why the decision is made first of all in the head of the Partzuf, in the pure thoughts and emotions not associated with the clothing of the light in the desires, in the matter. Only then can we perform this action, step by step, from light to heavy: the light of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, and Yechida.3
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/17/19, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Items 30 – 38
1 Minute 29:10
2 Minute 36:08
3 Minute 1:06:05

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“Arming Ourselves Gives False, Empty Sense of Security” (Newsmax)

My article in Newsmax: “Arming Ourselves Gives False, Empty Sense of Security

The spike in hate crimes has opened the debate over the use of guns for self-defense among the American Jewish community. “We live in a time of danger,” stated the U.S. official for combating anti-Semitism, Elan Carr, in a recent conference in Jerusalem.

Carr suggested to post security guards at every Jewish temple, community center, and school in America. A rabbi in Boston backs this view, proposing that his members carry guns to the synagogue for protection. Others are already taking firearms training. It is better to be safe than sorry, but these are band-aid solutions to a problem that can only be solved from another level.

Through Jewish unity.

The deadly attacks in Pittsburgh and Poway, California prompted to reinforce security measures at Jewish facilities in the United States. Incidents against the Jewish community increased 57 percent from 2016 to 2017, the highest in 20 years and the largest single-year rise in history, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Even though white supremacists are responsible for recent attacks and threats to synagogues, terrorism and violence inspired by Islamist extremism “continues to pose a serious threat to Americans,” says a recent report by the anti-Semitism watchdog group.

It declares that, as of June, three people have been arrested for plotting Islamist terrorist attacks which include Jewish targets.

The uneasy feeling and menace facing Jews in America are, in fact, a wake up call to reflect on our state as a nation and follow what the Torah mandates to us: to connect by the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself,” radiating that positive force globally.

Should we fail to do that, non-Jews will perceive our disunity as the cause of their problems, putting pressure on us through violent acts. Therefore, until we unite above our differences, anti-Semitism only will get worse.

Arming ourselves will simply give us a false and empty sense of security.

We currently do not realize how humanity’s unity depends on Jewish unity.

Both are deeply interrelated, as Jews have a central role in the world’s wellbeing.

As it’s written in the “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” “Israel refers to the inner part of the world, whereas other nations are considered its outer part.”

That particular central role of Jews is also explained in that seminal text as “a man of Israel elevates his outer material part over the inner, spiritual one, the outer part (the coarse and harmful elements in the nations of the world) accordingly rises over the inner part (the righteous among the nations of the world) and calamities and wars befall the world.”

Therefore, unity should be our priority.

By getting closer to each other, narrowing the huge gap currently separating us, we will become an example to humankind. The power of unity will make any form of hatred against Jews vanish. It’s not only the strongest weapon — it is the only weapon that can guarantee peace and safety.
[248592]

Desire Determines Thought

laitman_543.01Question: What is the relationship between thought and desire?

Answer: Desire determines thoughts. If it were the other way around, it would be good. But in fact, desires determine everything. This is what the Creator said: “I created desire,” an evil one at that. Thoughts appear in order to attain what is desired.

That is, at first I want, and then thoughts come to me about how to solve this problem. Thus, desire is primary and thought is secondary.
[246893]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 2/3/19

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No Desire, No Thought
Mind And Feelings In Spiritual Development

New Life 1101 – Power, Control, And Exploitation

New Life 1101 – Power, Control, And Exploitation
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Nature is a desire to enjoy, which can develop through aggressive or gentler means. Animals do not enjoy harming other animals. When a person activates the power of the human ego at the expense of others, it is called aggression. There is a softer way to create enjoyment for others such as when a good singer influences the audience in a positive way. It is better to advance our relationships and fully realize oneself through the power of love and friendship.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 1101 – Power, Control, And Exploitation,” 3/28/19

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 7/3/19

Lesson Preparation

[media 1] [media 2]

Lesson on the Topic “Deficiency For The Greatness of the Creator” 

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 65

[media 5] [media 6]

Lesson on the Topic “Building The Future Society” 

[media 7] [media 8]