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Global Protests

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 10/29/19

From Chile to Lebanon: The world is protesting—but the responsibility is on Israel

In the cedar country, the wave of violent protests has not stopped. Reforms intended to end violence may have been approved, but millions of Lebanese are not calm. Within them, the bubbling demand to replace the government and eradicate corruption continues.

The protests in Lebanon are the latest in a series of insurgencies around the world—from Hong Kong to Quito in Ecuador, from Barcelona to Santiago in Chile—all share a common ground: despair from the government and the desire to make ends meet with a shred of dignity.

This is reminiscent of the “Arab Spring” demonstrations in 2011, at the end of which some Arab regimes crumbled. That rage did not subside, it just got worse. And today, a single match is all it takes to detonate a barrel of explosives; to drive millions of people to the streets.

If we had a bird’s eye view of the situation, we would find good in all the evil that unfolds. Humanity is gradually discovering a better attitude towards life. Understanding that there is no real benefit in excessive consumption, that with all the technology and abundance that exists, we lack an inner, deeper meaning in life. At times, the essential questions arise, but no one has any clear answers. After regimes change and the anger seems to subside, the questions fade and life returns to its imaginary course.

From one protest to the next, we are gradually recognizing that without changing human nature, which favors self-interest at the account of others, no protest will bear fruit. If we don’t start rebuilding human relations from the ground up, if we do not connect to each other positively, the result will not be good and this will be felt at every level—familial, social and political.

So who can bring about such a significant change? Who holds the method for unifying human beings above all differences? The Jews. Why? Because hold the key to the authentic wisdom of Kabbalah – the ancient method of human connection. A method that was handed down from one generation to the next, and now it’s time to shake off the dust and start realizing it.

Maybe the connection to the Jews sounds far-fetched at the moment. But in six months or os, try asking the Lebanese who is to blame for their situation? They will point to us, their Jewish neighbors. And not only them, but even the citizens who take to the streets in Chile, Barcelona and Iraq. And it doesn’t matter at all that there is no direct link between political instability and dissatisfaction with the governments, and blaming the Jews.

The truth is – they are right. The link is invisible, but it’s there. There is an inherent relationship between Israel and the world’s nations. As written by the early Kabbalists: “No calamity comes to the world, but for Israel”, or as it is written in the Book of Zohar‘s commentary that when the Jews fail to carry out their role, “they cause of poverty and sword and robbery and killing and extermination throughout the world.”

Simply put: All the evil that happens in humanity originates in the role of the Jewish people. The only question is what degree of suffering a person or an entire nation feels. If the pain is still tolerable, they find ways to solve the problem or live with it. But if the suffering increases, it takes the form of violent protests. And when the suffering becomes too great, a burning feeling of hatred starts brewing. At first it’s irrelevant to the Jews; but as it increases, it becomes sharp, focused, and toxic – against the Jews.

In the eyes of the world’s nations, Jews are seen as the world’s greatest corruptors, robbers, and scammers. And only by destroying the Jews – they think – they make life peaceful. However, as the Kabbalists wrote, all of humanity is a single network, and all parts of it are interdependent.

Therefore, if the Jews begin to activate the method of human connection among themselves at first, they will serve as a conduit through which the positive and unifying influence will flow through the entire network, to the whole world, and they will be “a light unto nations.”

Bestowal Isn’t What You Think It Is

laitman_962.8Real bestowal is unlike bestowal in our world, which can happen even against our will—out of fear or for another reason. That is not bestowal. Bestowal is when I have no personal benefit or satisfaction from it. A mother takes care of her infant because it is in her nature and she receives contentment from it. But this is not the bestowal that the science of Kabbalah discusses. Spiritual bestowal brings me no reward, no material satisfaction, everything is directed toward the one I want to bestow to.

If we really think about it, we will understand how far we are from true bestowal and what vast distance separates us from it. Feeling the limits of bestowal and trying to keep pushing it further and further each time is beneficial. Thus, through prayer and effort, through work in a group, and through examples shown by the friends, we will advance in order to bring this bestowal out from within ourselves. Obviously, it is quite complicated, but if we make an effort, the light that reforms will come and help us.

This is a whole process because we receive a new, spiritual desire. In the corporeal world, we understand bestowal in relation to our loved ones, out of fear, out of duty, that is, from various egoistic motives. However, through these examples, we can draw parallels to the desire to bestow that is independent of our state, which is further removed from our desire to enjoy.1

The exercise in expanding the limits of bestowal is the work in a dynamic ten, which keeps expanding and contracting. Thus, we can control the limits of bestowal ourselves: to either expand or contract them. We bestow to the Creator, to the world Kabbalistic group, and to the Creator. We must try to bring it together, which is called “Israel, Torah, and the Creator are one.”

The Creator can only be found inside a spiritual vessel (Kli) and in order to create a Kli, we must become fully integrated into our friends and feel ourselves as one whole. To the extent that we disappear inside this Kli, we begin to transition from feeling ourselves to feeling the group, and from feeling the group to feel the Creator.2

Bestowal in our world takes place for satisfying one’s desire, like a mother taking care of her baby. It can be a lioness, a woman, or a bird, every mother takes care of her young because it is in her nature to do so. But we must feel how the most distant people will become our closest friends. Nature will not obligate us to love them, but only gives us examples of how to care about the whole Kli so that we will care about the Creator from it. I am trying to obtain the will to bestow that I have no desire for so that it will become my intrinsic need, as in the examples of this world, and not allow me to rest.3

This world gives us the ability to perform physical actions against our will. I do not want to work, but I am embarrassed before others so I go to work. Although, as I begin to work, I see the others’ example and get inspired. I want to be like them so that I too would be respected. This is all based on egoistic motives; the whole world operates this way. But if I am a part of a society that aspires toward a spiritual goal, then we are influenced by the upper force that is shining on us and changes us.

Whether I want to or not, I begin thinking about bestowing, unity, the purpose of life, and the goal of creation. By changing the structure of society, we can bring ourselves to a new level of existence. By getting involved in society by means of simple physical actions, I can rise to the spiritual degree since I received the importance of the goal, unity, and efforts.

All thanks to the fact that the upper force dwells in this society. The Creator has purposely gathered those with sparks of spirituality in their souls, people who have a point in the heart. Therefore, even if we unite over physical work for material, egoistic purposes, the upper light begins to affect us and change us in such a way that we begin to feel pleasure from uniting and getting closer to the spiritual goal. At every level, we change our previous material concepts about achievement into more spiritual ones.4
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/13/19, Preparation to the Europe Convention

1 Minute 0:20
2 Minute 6:30
3 Minute 9:20
4 Minute 13:54

Related Material:
Spiritual Bestowal
What Is Bestowal?
Coefficient Of Bestowal

What If Jews Built a Perfect Society?—Talk with Joshua Goldstein

Joshua Goldstein, Chairman of the US Division of Herut North America, meets with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman to discuss the dream society built by Jews.

What Do We Feel Before Death?

laitman_294.3

In the News (MedicalXpress): “Mystical near-death experiences where people report a range of spiritual and physical symptoms, including out-of-body sensations, seeing or hearing hallucinations, racing thoughts and time distortion, affect around 10 per cent of people, according to a new study that analysed participants from 35 countries. …

“The new findings were presented at the 5th European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress by researchers from the Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, the Center for Stroke Research, Berlin, and the Norwegian University of Technology, Trondheim, Norway. …

“The study group who reported NDEs variously described feeling at total peace, having their ‘soul sucked out’, hearing angels singing, being aware they were outside their body, seeing their life flashing before them, and being in a dark tunnel before reaching a bright light. Others spoke of being aware of another’s presence before they went to sleep, or of a demon sitting on their chest while they lay paralysed unable to move.”

Question: What do you think about this?

Answer: When I was in a near-death state after an accident, I also sensed all sorts of images. I did not hear anything; I had a noise in my ears. But I saw all sorts of unrealistic images. I understood that what I saw was not real because I was in such a state.

Question: But is it true or not that a person feels this way?

Answer: The fact that they see this? Is what a person sees the truth?

I, as a Kabbalist, see this completely differently. What we see now is also not the truth. It is an imaginary and illusory world. Where is the truth? Everything is reflected in me, there is nothing outside of me. It is what I imagine. Thus, it is the same there.

The exit into the next dimension is completely different. It must be above egoism. If a person does not reject their egoism, then in the end, one has none of this.

One has all sorts of far-fetched ideas about the future world. Maybe he thinks that this is the future world. I do not think that anything is presented to him; he is just taking his brain, his intracranial fluctuations, for some kind of another world.

He has no other world in such a form. He must understand that in our world he must exit his egoism in order to feel the next degree—the upper world. Yet, for this, he must rise above himself. The ascent, however, in a real form, can only be in this world.

Question: If you would rise above your egoism, what would you see?

Answer: A person would see positive and negative forces interacting with each other and as a result would depict for him or her  a completely different picture—forces.

Question: It is not very clear. What does it mean to see the forces?

Answer: I cannot tell you this. It is impossible to convey.

Question: Can it only be conveyed to a person who has already attained and felt this?

Answer: Yes. This is serious information. It is transmitted and can be felt only by those who are ready for it and able to perceive it. There is no prohibition here. A person just has to be able to perceive this information; then one will see. Just as a small child does not notice what adults notice.

Question: So, when they say “The hidden wisdom of Kabbalah,” this is not about the hidden wisdom but about the fact that I, so far, do not see this?

Answer: Yes. This is why it is called hidden. Everything is revealed only to the extent of your ability to attain. Unfortunately, we are in a state when nothing can be explained. Only if you want, if you are consumed by the desire to attain, then you will be able to overcome this.

Question: Then what are you always trying to explain? You are making TV programs, writing. Why?!

Answer: I am trying as much as possible to reveal to people, at least a little, the opportunity to see the way to this. Nothing more. All the rest depends on a person himself.

Question: Does a person need to reveal this or only to make an effort?

Answer: A person needs to make an effort in order to reveal, and to make an effort all the time, an effort to advance in order to constantly rise above oneself.

Question: How will this desire occur in a person?

Answer: It is either through corporeal suffering or through spiritual aspiration from the right environment. There is no other way.

This is not an easy task, but humanity cannot escape from it. I am sure that we are in a state that is very close to that.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 7/23/19

Related Material:
To See An Angel
Why Are We Afraid To Part With Life
There Is No Death

The Meaning Of Kabbalistic Books, Part 9

Laitman_165Five Rules for Studying The Book of Zohar

Question: To correctly approach the study of The Book of Zohar, several postulates can be distinguished. The first rule is called “the heart understands” (“a-lev mevin“). That is, The Book of Zohar is studied by the heart. What does this mean?

Answer: By desire. You have to change your desires. Instead of the desire to receive, strive for the desire to bestow, instead of the desire to distance yourself, push away, to the desire to attract and love.

Remark: The second rule: “man is a small world.” That is, The Book of Zohar includes many concepts that are familiar to us from the material world, although in fact, the same as in the Torah, it speaks of the internal states experienced by man.

My Comment: Yes, it describes the upper world, but with the words and actions of our world.

Question: Therefore, Kabbalists say that while reading The Book of Zohar, it is necessary to interpret the words written in it as an expression of all kinds of internal actions?

Answer: As actions of upper forces, not something happening in our world. In principle, you just need to do the opposite: perceive everything that The Book of Zohar describes in the quality of bestowal and love, in exiting oneself, not in the quality of reception, selfish love.

Remark: The third rule: “the light that returns to the source.” A person coming to a lesson must understand that there is a special influence in The Book of Zohar, a special force that we can draw from there.

My Comment: The Book of Zohar is studied with the intention of attracting the force that can change a person, to make an altruist out of a selfish person.

Question: So, when I come to the lesson, do I need to know what I want to change in myself?

Answer: This is why you come to the lesson. This is the very idea, power, property, purpose of The Book of Zohar.

Question: Rule Four: Before concluding the study, there must be the recognition of evil and prayer. What’s this about?

Answer: Recognition of the evil of one’s selfish nature is acquired gradually.

Prayer is a request for a force that can change me, somehow raise me above myself, and make me a useful, good, creature pleasing to the Creator. This, in general, is preparation for the correct reading of The Book of Zohar.

Question: The fifth rule: “as one man with one heart.” Kabbalists say that it is impossible to study The Book of Zohar alone, only in a group of people. Why?

Answer: Since The Book of Zohar was written in a ten, you need to study it in a ten. Because under its influence, a person draws closer to the rest, and, only in the right connection with them, begins to understand what it is talking about.

Question: Does that mean that I can’t read it at home alone, I must call someone?

Answer: You can read alone, but you won’t get any benefit from it.

Question: What does it give me that I do this surrounded by ten other people? I don’t communicate with them, we just sit and read together?

Answer: You must mean that you communicate with them, that you all connect with your hearts. Let’s say, just as you peel potatoes, you have to peel your heart from the outer shell, and everyone else too, and connect your hearts into one big heart.
[252450]
From KabTV’s “Basics of Kabbalah,” 12/18/18

Related Material:
The Meaning Of Kabbalistic Books, Part 8
The Meaning Of Kabbalistic Books, Part 7
The Meaning Of Kabbalistic Books, Part 6

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 10/29/19

Lesson Preparation

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Lesson on the Topic “The Benefit of Moving into a World Ten – Contraction and Expansion” (Preparation for the Convention in Bulgaria)

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 94

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