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It is impossible to eradicate the will to receive because it is creation itself. You can confuse yourself, get drunk, rush after one desire instead of another, extinguishing the first desire in such a way, but it is impossible to uproot a desire. I can ignore it out of fear or because of other stronger desires, but it is impossible to fight it directly.

Even the reforming light does not change the desire itself; it only raises or lowers its importance. Yet, all desires remain with a person as they were given to him at birth. If a person attributes no importance to the desire, then he can as if erase it from the screen on which he sees the world. There is no other way because the entire creation is a desire.¹

Before the convention, I expect that the European tens will establish connections with each other and with all other world groups. There should be one common virtual meeting place where everyone can meet, get information, and recharge.

We need to be included in each other not only on an informative level, but also in feeling. I want to feel the friends as the organs of my body that were separated, and I must bring them closer to me. As much as I bring them closer and increase my sensitivity to them, I enliven them and begin to feel them alive, connected with me, and living within me, to that extent I build a vessel of the soul until the Creator is revealed in it.²
From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/16/19 “Correction of the Shattering – Preparation for the Congress”
¹ Minute 3:10
² Minute 19:35

Related Material:
Love Is The Fulfillment Of Others’ Desires
Sorting Desires
Evolution Of Desires, Part 13

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The Times of Israel published my new article “Rosh Hashanah: Looking for a Leader of the Jewish People”

Israel’s political mayhem after the elections comes as no surprise. The dead heat between the two main parties in Israel and the fierce deal-making to form a coalition capable of governing the country reveals the great divide within Israel’s society.

Why should a Jew in Manhattan, Paris or Buenos Aires care? Why should this situation be a matter of concern for the Jewish New Year?

As we celebrate Rosh Hashanah—the beginning or “head” of the year—it is time to reflect as Jews on our connection as a people, regardless of the place where we celebrate around the dinner table. We are in the thick of a groundswell of hatred against Jews and Israel that will leave no stone unturned and no time for second-guessing.

Now more than ever, Israel’s leadership must also lead all Jewish people, fostering unity both in the Land of Israel and toward the Diaspora in order to tackle the great divide between the two communities.

In recent years, young Jewish Americans have experienced an increasing loss of Jewish identity, and a growing indifference toward Israel as the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.

The internal and external pressures we face as Jews every day, in every part of the world, enhance the sense of urgency of needing to come to terms with our divisions. What happens in Israel must be relevant to all Jews because even if it is not always evident to us, we share a common destiny, an invisible but indivisible link.

Realizing this indivisibility and working toward unity should be the Jewish people’s highest priority in order to have the strength to face today’s existential threats. Our enemies make no distinction between you and me, between leftist and rightist, between religious and secular, between an Israeli Jew and an American Jew.

Consequently, we need to stand side by side as one.

5,880 Years to Break the Siege

This year, Jews all over the world felt less safe. The deadly shootings at synagogues in Pittsburg and Poway were a major wake-up call to the anti-Semitic terrorism that can unfold at any given moment in the heart of American society.

Large cities in the US have also experienced a sharp spike in violent attacks against Jews. The New York Police Department registered 184 hate crimes by the end of June targeting 110 Jews. The number of incidents almost doubled compared to 2018. In contrast, overall crimes in the city decreased to a record low.

In Europe, 89% of Jews feel anti-Semitism has increased in their country over the past decade, and a similar percentage believe it to be a serious problem. Meanwhile, the economic, academic and cultural boycotts against Israel, known as the BDS, are expanding around the globe.

Therefore, whoever will govern the country must understand that a weaker Israel and a widening gap between Israel and the Diaspora will only increase threats against us and anti-Semitism throughout the world. As reality has proven to us time and again, and as history shows, when we are divided, our enemies rise against us. As we head into the new year, we must finally be ready to reverse that fate for good.

A Change for the Better

Rosh Hashanah, comes from the Hebrew words, “Rosh Hashinui” (“the beginning of change”). It symbolizes our aspiration to acquire higher values, benevolence, sharing, and caring for each other. All of our Jewish festivals symbolize milestones along the path of our transformation of the evil inclination—namely egoism—to altruism, to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Rosh Hashanah tradition to eat a fish’s head symbolizes our decision to be at the forefront, not the tail, leading ourselves and others toward unity.

The pomegranate we serve at this time of the year, with its numerous juicy seeds, reminds us that we, too, are like seeds, that it is time for us to ripen spiritually through unity. The seeds also represent our egoistic desires, which we want to learn how to use in a more balanced way—for the sake of others rather than selfishly—realizing our aspirations through our many contributions to society.

The meaning of the apple we eat at Rosh Hashanah is the primordial “transgression” of self-centeredness. We dip it in honey to symbolize its sweetening (correction) through our reestablished care for others. To achieve this state and rekindle our brotherly love, we have to rise above our egoism, balancing it with its opposite altruistic force by establishing positive connections between us.

The Head, Not the Tail

Let’s consider further the symbolism of the fish’s head in the Jewish New Year customs. Israel and the Diaspora need leadership that will also take care of our younger generation, which is losing grip on its traditions.

What kinds of actions should be taken toward this end? First and foremost, an educational framework needs to be established that explains the following essential questions:

• What does being a Jew mean? To be one who works to unite all separate parts of humanity into one whole.
• Who is Israel? It is those who embody the meaning of the word Yashar-Kel,e. those who go “straight to the Creator” as the unifying power in reality.
• What is the Land of Israel? It’s the path of common purpose between us.
• What is the role of the Jewish people? It is to be a “light unto the nations.” That is, to give an example of unity to the world.

We need to work in close cooperation with representatives of world Jewry, even if their views seem completely opposite, and to take into consideration their perspectives in Israel’s policymaking process. It is important for us to find a common language and to work in mutual guarantee (Arvut) with one another.

The leadership Israel requires is one that will show how crucial it is for all of us, without exception, to connect, to be “as one man with one heart,” and to give the world the key to attaining that unity. The Jewish people require leadership that will let every Jew live safely in the country of his birth and to open its doors to every Jew in times of trouble.

This demand for change must begin within ourselves. It is the choice of each of us to transform our state of separation to one of cohesion, for with that change of state also comes the transformation from insecurity to safety. And there is no more beautiful time to start realizing the power of our unity than now, around the Rosh Hashanah festive table.

We are of many different ages, tastes, backgrounds, ideas and points of view, but we should not try to change or erase any of that. On the contrary, our uniqueness is the treasure that each brings to the world. We should preserve our differences, rise above them, and cover them with mutual love and respect like the white cloth that covers the festive table. This is our special family recipe for a rounded and sweet life, and for a promising future as a nation.

Let’s raise our glasses of wine and make a toast to our unity.

Happy Rosh Hashanah!
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Question: You have been on the path of correction for so many years. Can you say that you are a free person?

Answer: I don’t know if there is a free person in our world in the sense that you are asking the question. In fact, freedom as we understand it doesn’t exist. It is possible only when you know what the truth is and can act for the sake of it.

Question: To the degree that I become like the Creator, do I become free?

Answer: Without a doubt, because the influence of the Creator on us is the characteristic of bestowal. If you acquire it, then you understand the Creator and the Creator understands you. To this degree you become free from both your egoism and the influence of the environment.

Question: Does a degree of freedom exists as a state of freedom against the violence and coercion by the desires of another person or group of people?

Answer: No, we almost always are affected by other people. The whole question is which society I should situate myself in. If I put myself in a society that is advancing toward the right goal, submit to it, and obey it, then this is how I attain that goal. That is how we must realize our freedom.

Question: What is the difference between freedom of choice and freewill?

Answer: Freewill consists of choosing how to behave. Freedom of choice is the choice itself.

Question: From the point of view of Kabbalah, how accurate is Hegel’s postulate that “freedom is a conscious necessity”?

Answer: This is purely a small materialistic misconception.

Question: Are all the thoughts, desires and actions I perform generated by the Creator?

Answer: Right now, yes,  but when you begin to acquire a Masach (Screen), then the Creator will not do what He wants within you; instead, you will do what you want with the Creator.

Question: Everyone has his own personality. What is it?

Answer: The personality doesn’t bother us. All the same, you are carrying out your egoistic demands. So it doesn’t matter what your personality is. One person loves to eat, the second one likes to dance, a third wants to sleep. What difference does that make? In every case you are carrying out your desires.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 5/12/19

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Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 4/7/19
Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 3/24/19

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New Life 245 – An Integral Education Course, Part 1
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

We are a generation of love, meaning that we seek happiness and discover that it lies in feeling loved and loving. We were created as egotistical beings so that we can find out for ourselves what love is and what it is not. Food, sex, family, money, respect, control, and knowledge do not bring happiness but help us evolve toward the principle “love your neighbor as yourself.” We can learn to develop the capacity to love through integral education. These courses teach us about human nature, the process of development, the crisis (recognition of evil), and the means of correction. When we open our hearts and try to connect with one another, we discover the power of correction, the field of love between us. We undergo a fundamental change in perception, a paradigm shift, and achieve mutual warmth, success, health, and harmony as well as a world full of opportunity and connection.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 245 – An Integral Education Course, Part 1,” 10/29/13

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Lesson Preparation

Preparation for the Convention

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

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