Audio Version Of The Blog – 7/4/19

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My Thoughts On Twitter 7/4/19

Dr Michael Laitman Twitter

Don’t wait for the Creator to invite you to begin the spiritual work. You always have to be the one to begin! Therefore, begin right now: “If I am not for myself, then who is for me?” The Creator has already done His part—by eliciting a thought about this in you!

One can check the states on the spiritual path by how much the ascents and descents, if it is “for the Creator’s sake,” do not affect one’s spiritual work, as if one is constantly in adhesion with the Creator. Otherwise one must ask for correction.

With democracy, egoism pushes minorities to demand equal rights.
Afterwards, they dictate their will to the majority.
Society, to avoid being accused of racism, etc., concedes.
The minority’s selfishness begins to stifle society with its demands.
In this state, society does not know what to do.
From Twitter, 7/4/19

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4th Of July, Time To Celebrate And Reflect

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 7/4/19

American pride is at its lowest since it started to be measured about two decades ago. That is the conclusion of a recent Gallup poll showing that only 70% of US adults say they are proud to be Americans. Fewer than half (45%) are “extremely” proud. This marks the second consecutive year that this percentage falls below the majority of the population. The discontent is mainly attributed to the current state of the political climate and social wellbeing. Therefore, this 4th of July marks a good opportunity for reflection on the future Americans want for the country before the divisions intensify to a painful climax. Only a common sense of unity can avert such a dire path.

America’s escalating politically-based divisions are becoming increasingly virulent every day. The situation seems so volatile that a social explosion could ignite suddenly if political passions manifest as physical violence or killings from one side or the other. Of course, we hope that this will not happen because it could rapidly destabilize the entire country.

Today, America is under major pressure from inside and outside the country. Internally, immigration policies and their implementation are increasing political and social tensions; the divisions between immigrants of European origin and others are becoming more dramatic; and the rapidly-growing Muslim population is reshaping American society. There are many different interest groups in America that hold no perception of themselves as part of one unified body under the same roof.

As part of the evolution of any society, human egoism grows and every group makes exaggerated demands for its own benefit at the expense of others. If no efforts are made toward uniting for the sake of a common enterprise, then I fear for America’s positive future. Money, weapons and laws will all be of no help.

Externally, Europe is distancing itself from America and moving closer to Russia and China, losing its independent hegemonic power and strength in the international arena. Such a scenario might become a dangerous situation for America considering the ability of foreign interests to debilitate the US industry and social fabric for their own gain.

President Trump has taken US economy to record level highs but it is insufficient without the implementation of a social agenda for more national cohesion. So far, there are no signs pointing in that direction. Therefore, internal political forces will take advantage of this vacuum to create even more tensions and separations to the point of a social outburst.

Given the current state of affairs, what does America’s positive future depend on? America’s positive future depends solely on strengthening its social fabric so that people can disagree and maintain their differences while still allowing the wellbeing of the American family to prevail above their feuds. Unity should be the centerpiece around which other agendas gravitate.

Conversely, a coldhearted and hostile social atmosphere enslaves each interest group to their selfish demands and blocks their entrance to the pursuit of liberty, happiness and a prosperous and peaceful life for all. That lofty goal can only be achieved when the common interest is fulfilled by every stakeholder.

As written by foremost Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag, “if all the nations of the world consent that no man should care for himself but only for others, war shall cease to exist” (“The Writings of the Last Generation”).

Nothing Is Worse Than Indifference

laitman_259.02Indifference is a result of the discrepancy of properties. Indifference is given to a person so he discovers who he really is without influence from above or the influence of the group. Through the group, I also receive influence from above because only through the group can I connect with the Creator and awaken His influence by myself.

Indifference is the most difficult thing. It testifies to the fact that a person has not established a devoted connection with the group, and through it, with the Creator. The chain: “Israel, the Torah, and the Creator” does not work, and therefore, indifference appears. There is nothing worse than that. Even conflict or disagreement is better, because it is at least a scrutiny. Indifference prevents you from any kind of scrutiny and one can get stuck in it for years.

Then awakening will come because a person is not alone, but is a part of a broken system. If other souls connected with the root of his soul begin to change and correct themselves, then they awaken him. He may even give up on spiritual advancement, but he suddenly wakes up because others need his presence and participation in reaching correction.

At the lowest level, indifference manifests in the fact that a person falls into this world and is satisfied with it, egotistically enjoying his life. He is only concerned with material fulfillment and becomes indifferent to spiritual advancement. The point in the heart stops shining because a person has not made enough of an effort to connect with his friends, with the teacher, and with the method.

Pride disallowed his connection to others. He felt stronger and smarter than others and it knocked him down. A person can invest tremendous energy in material matters, but can completely cool down to spirituality. It seems to him that he will succeed and earn a fortune, and this is a huge obstacle.

The group is obliged to sustain a sense of equality in each member. Although we are all different—some are more intuitive, others more knowledgeable—we all should be on an equal footing with no advantage of one over the others. The group must help a person on this point or his pride will grow and deflect him from the path. This is called “rescuing him from prison.”

He can feel at his best and completely fine, confident, and strong—and this is the egoistic prison. Because of this, he finds himself in a turbulent stream, carrying him to a high waterfall where he will be smashed into pieces.

Indifference is a very important feeling because it shows how much I lack the greatness of the Creator. I must therefore increase the importance of all the resources: the group, the teacher, the books, and the method. Indifference and even rejection constantly appear and we must overcome them, working in such a way. These are necessary stages (blows) on the path.1
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/11/19, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,”Items 11 – 16
1 Minute 14:25

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Restriction And Blow

laitman_213Restriction (Tzimtzum) is when I close my desire, disallowing myself to receive pleasure, like a baby who tightly squeezes his mouth shut and refuses to eat. A blow (Bitush) already assumes a condition: if I have the opportunity to eat for the mother’s pleasure, then I will happily open my mouth. But I do not have such an opportunity right now, so what do I do? Help me, give me the desire to please you, and I will be happy to open myself to receive.

The restriction is an unconditional action, and the blow occurs on the condition that I am ready to take pleasure if there is an adhesion between us. In the blow, my goal is connection. While in restriction there is no goal of connecting, only preventing  yourself from receiving. I do not want any contact because I have no strength for more, only to restrict myself; otherwise, I will burn with shame.

The striking merger is already above shame. I no longer take shame into account, but only think about love and the connection between us, rising above selfishness. With a blow, I show that I am ready to receive a treat, not for myself, but only for the pleasure of the host.

At first we check our relationship with the host, and only when this spiritual connection of the heart has arisen can we translate it into action, and it descends into matter, into the desire to enjoy. Therefore, first of all, the decision is made in the Rosh of the Partzuf, in pure thoughts and feelings, disconnected from the clothing of the light in the desire, in matter. You can then perform this action, step by step, from easy to complex: the light of Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Haya, and Yechida.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/17/19Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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How To Respond To The Creator’s Tremors

laitman_527.02Question: How does one properly respond to the internal shocks that are awakened by the Creator? Should we disagree with what He sent? After all, He is “the good that does good.” How can I be against what He aroused in me?

Answer: No way! You should react only in the direction of even greater connection between us. Only in this way can you force His influence on us to be more positive and kind. To the extent of our connection between us, we influence Him in such a way that we positively change His governance.

Question: How do I recognize that He pushes me precisely to that, exactly toward what He is correcting?

Answer: For this you have to listen to Kabbalists. Until you enter the system, you will not recognize anything.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 3/17/19

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New Life 1102 – Intolerance In The International Arena

New Life 1102 – Intolerance In The International Arena
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Israel is perceived as a very aggressive nation that wants to dominate the entire world and exploit everyone for its own good. If Israel wants security, it must invest in research and development of new relationships between people. The level of connection in the world depends upon the level of connection between us Jews. We determine how everything will be managed. Kabbalah teaches people how to connect with each other correctly.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 1102 – Intolerance In The International Arena,” 3/28/19

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 7/4/19

Lesson Preparation

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

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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 69

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Lesson on the Topic “Building The Future Society” 

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