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COVID-19 Shows Our Egoistic Relations

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 3/14/20

The coronavirus is showing us how incorrect our relations are.

My Thoughts On Twitter 3/14/20

Dr Michael Laitman Twitter

Finally: annulment of the economy of gossip, financial forums, pointless entertainment, demise of the neoliberalist economy and false globalism. Only a #catastrophe can make us come to our senses. Otherwise we don’t hear the voice of reason. #Corona
There is only one path—humanity’s similarity to the integral nature!

Humanity is interdependent in every area of life. However, human relationships aren’t improving. We’re becoming increasingly opposite to our interdependence. We connect in order to exploit each other. When these bad connections become unbearable, nature breaks them apart. #COVID-19
From Twitter, 3/14/20

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Coronavirus: A Message From Nature

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 3/14/20

Is this a message from nature?

Reveal The Creator’s Love

laitman_294.1The worlds of Assiya, Beria, Yetzira, and Atzilut are our four stages of the attainment of the Creator. These are degrees of love because we perceive the attitude of the Creator who treats us with complete love, but we can understand and recognize it only according to the level of our development.

Just like a baby, who does not understand how his mother loves him. He does not think about her attitude toward him at all; he just feels good next to her, and he takes advantage of it. But the older a child becomes, the more he understands his mother’s attitude toward him and begins to learn what love is about. Studying the love of the Creator for the created beings is the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah.1

We must reveal the four stages of the Creator’s love for the created beings, and on our behalf, we need to prepare the Kli for love. It can only be prepared in a group. If I build such an attitude toward my friends, then I reveal the Creator’s attitude toward me in it. To the extent of my love for my friends, for the ten, I reveal the Creator’s love for them and for me, that is, for the ten in which I am included.

It all depends on my entering the ten. To the extent by which I am included in the ten, I love my friends and reveal the Creator’s love for us. After all, the love of the Creator is infinite, everything depends only on the Kli (vessel), and the Kli depends on me. I can be in a group of beginners, but if I treat them correctly, I will reveal the full power of Creator’s love.2

The four worlds of holiness are the four stages of love, of the disclosure of the Creator’s love for the created beings. The very essence of the Creator is never revealed, we do not know who He is—it is His attitude toward us, His love that is revealed. This love is revealed in four stages: from the smallest to the larger and larger.

But since we ourselves consist of matter that is opposite to bestowal and love, then against the four levels of holiness, the four levels of impurity, hatred, and Klipa are revealed: against the worlds of Assiya, Yetzira, Beria, and also the world of Atzilut, which is also in the world of Beria. The Creator created four worlds of holiness and four worlds of impurity one against the other.

The world is the relationship revealed between these two forces: the upper force of love and the force of hatred of the lower one. When we make efforts to reveal love in ourselves, instead of it, we find hatred, a complete descent, instead of which love is revealed. As it is written: “There is not a righteous man on earth who does good and will not sin.”  We are shown a sin, and if we want to rise above it, we come to love, to the commandment. And so each time, climbing the stairs 620 times.3

Despair comes from the fact that a person has tried to perform actions of bestowal, to engage in the correct environment, in dissemination, and got disappointed. He has no strength because his egoism feels no benefit in this. It is good if he can go above his egoism and continue to act. And if not, if his pride does not let him follow his teacher’s advice and his friend’s example, then he falls into this world.4

It is necessary that I prepare myself in advance so that if I fall, it means that the Creator pushed me. And therefore, it is a sweet fall for me because by completely canceling myself, I feel like a baby who fell into his mother’s arms. A fall means that I am no longer controlled by my egoism. It has lost interest in me because I have nothing for it, and now I can become a spiritual germ.

“And the sons of Israel sighed because of the work ”—this is a joyful cry. Eventually, we freed ourselves from working for the desire to enjoy in whose slavery we had been for twenty (or even four hundred) years. In the end, we get released. Now we see that we have no hope from egoistic reception, and therefore, all our hope is only in the Creator. We are one hundred percent dependent on Him, and therefore, there is no happier moment.5
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/10/20, Writings of Baal HaSulam,“Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 149
1 Minute 2:22
2 Minute 7:38
3 Minute 11:22
4 Minute 13:23
5 Minute 27:50

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“How To Transform Anti-Semitism On US Campuses Into Healthy Dialogue“ (Times Of Israel)

The Times of Israel published my new article “How to Transform Anti-Semitism in US Campuses into Healthy Dialogue

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lay down with the kid.” (Isaiah 11:6)

The seeds of anti-Semitism are being methodically planted and harvested on US campuses. American universities have become epicenters of Jew-hatred dressed as so-called “legitimate criticism” of Israel and its policies. Instead of being places for ideological progress and enlightenment, US colleges and universities have been transformed into hotbeds of fundamentalist political agendas of vicious anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment sponsored by special interest groups.

Pro-BDS activists claim that adopting the definition of anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism, as marked by The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), infringes on free speech. The same claim was leveled—including from Jewish groups—against President Trump’s executive order to limit federal funding to universities accused of discriminating against the Jewish nation.

However, if we delve deeper, we will find out that there is a very thin line that separates between free speech and anarchy. This line is a quality of our very human nature and we should understand it well so we can use it properly and succeed in establishing unbiased educational institutions and healthy societies.

Ego, the Root Cause of Hatred

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the material of creation in all its stages and parts is the will to receive enjoyment. This will to receive is inherent to human nature and there is nothing other than it in the world. As opposed to the inanimate, vegetative and animal levels of nature, which behave instinctively, humans are ruled by the ego: the will to receive at the expense of others. This same ego, if we can change its direction from self-benefit to benefiting others, from receiving to giving, is intended to be used as the driving force to elevate creation to its highest point. However, if we persist in the unchecked selfish use of the desire to receive commonly seen today, we will continue to experience social decline, prejudice and bigotry in every sphere of life, and higher education institutions will be no exceptions.

Is it possible to maintain a positive environment on US campuses without canceling or oppressing any opinion?

This is where the law coined by one of our greatest sages, King Solomon becomes indispensable: “Hate stirs strife, and love covers all crimes.” This rule indicates that in order to build a healthy and strong society which takes into account different opinions and positions, a society that grows and flourishes, we need to overcome the ego and cover it with love. That is, to overcome the desire to exploit one another and instead, cultivate feelings of love, respect and consideration, the feeling that we are one.

Pluralism, Not Anarchy

The more opinions are shared among us, the more blooming results we develop and achieve in all forms of communications between us. As my mentor, Kabbalist Rav Baruch Ashlag (The Rabash) wrote, “As their faces differ, their views differ.” (The Writings of Rabash). We can learn from the Jewish sages how they brought forth a discussion and pertinent debate, precisely to strengthen unity, find out the truth, and bring about conciliation.

Without the filters of love for the other, without the desire to bestow, every debate turns into a cruel war of opinions and conflicts that is irresolvable until one side vanquishes the other. Therefore, before any opinion is expressed we should ask: is my opinion accompanied with the proper intention? When we come to negotiate, is the conversation held above and beyond considerations of personal benefit?

If the answers are affirmative, then we can engage in any discussion, even the most stormy and controversial, with no holds barred. In the ideal complete structure in which humanity exists as one body, all the organs and parts of that body have their specific functions and are completely unique yet interact harmoniously for the benefit of the whole. Similarly, society should make space for and preserve the differences between people while rising above them to maintain balance.

Regarding this matter, the book Likutey Etzot (Assorted Counsels) describes the correct approach toward such balance:

“The essence of peace is to connect two opposites. Hence, do not be alarmed if you see a person whose view is the complete opposite of yours and you think that you will never be able to make peace with him. Also, when you see two people who are completely opposite to each other, do not say that it is impossible to make peace between them. On the contrary, the essence of peace is to try to make peace between two opposites.”
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The Wisdom Of King Solomon: “The Wise Wife And The Simple Wife”

laitman_961.2

Proverbs 14:1: The wisest of women-each one built her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her hands.

A man’s desire is called his wife. A wise desire is aimed toward unity. Therefore, uniting with others creates a combination of forces that can lead to the Creator becoming revealed. Particularly through connecting the positive and negative qualities.

Question: And the foolish wife?

Answer: A foolish wife cannot connect anything. She cannot understand how to unite above her hatred, egoism, and individuality, and therefore everything is destroyed.

Question: Is the foolish wife my desire for my own benefit? Living for self alone? Is that foolish?

Answer: Yes. As we see with the European Union, they had no time to get together and they already broke up. The Soviet Union collapsed. Everything falls apart rapidly. America is next in line, followed by China.

Question: Do you call this a foolish wife?

Answer: This is egoism that we are unable to properly direct toward life, rebirth, and prosperity. It only destroys. America will be dismantled into its states. China will be split into provinces. It will all happen very distinctly.

In the end, if the world doesn’t work on its unity, it will start falling into smaller settlements, as in the past. We will be left with villages, provinces, and principalities all over again.

Comment: But it was like this in the past.

My Response: It doesn’t matter. We tried to unite through our egoism and only now do we begin to realize that egoism cannot unite us. We can see it very clearly in Europe.

In the end, what has to be done? If we use egoism correctly we will be able to unite the whole world. If not, we will only create greater distance between ourselves, like in Sodom and Gomorrah, meaning, not helping each other out: “What’s mine is mine.”

Question: So, is the wise wife the one that works with egoism correctly? By rising above it, annulling herself? While a foolish wife grabs everything for herself?

Answer: Yes. The next generation will have even more women in control all over the world because women care more about reciprocity, various interconnections. But this will not last very long. Soon, the ugly side of it will come out.

Question: So, will women be in control of the next generation?

Answer: Women will be more in control of the world than men, and it will seem to be beneficial to the world.

Men are in decline. They are ready to pass everything to a woman and treat her like a mother. Only afterward will we realize that it is much worse than the governance of men.

I am telling you what will happen. Because a woman will fight for her abode, for what is hers. And in this regard women will be much more vicious than men. When a woman fights for her territory, she doesn’t take anything into consideration. It is the most important thing for her.

It is not the case for a man. He’s content to go to a bar or do something else.

Comment: … to watch sports.

My Response: Yes, but not for a woman.

So, for as long as they are working toward it—it seems to be good for us. But soon the turning point will come, as it usually happens with our egoism, when it begins to work against itself. Then women will start to destroy each other. Meaning, they will use anything at their disposal in order to destroy the competition in a very uncivilized, primitive, and personal way.

Question: Are you referring to our corporeal world?

Answer: Yes, our material world. This is what is yet to come.

Question: Does it have any upper spiritual roots?

Answer: Certainly. A foolish wife sees herself as a master of all. She is ready to go to war with whomever rises against her. Meaning, she can be a major destructive force.

A wise wife, on the other hand, understands that everything has to be solved together. Therefore, instead of a single home we should be building a community for everyone.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 12/5/19

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“Why Are Israelis So Smart?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Why are Israelis so smart?

Why are Israelis so smart?It is because the Israeli ego is the biggest one out of all the world’s nations.

Everyone has a desire to enjoy life, which acts on us subconsciously. Israelis also want to enjoy from the next world, here and now. That additional desire to enjoy is called “the point in the heart” in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

3,800 years ago, when the Israeli nation was founded, it was that additional desire that differentiated between all the ancient Babylonian residents and the group that Abraham named “Israel” (from “Yashar Kel,” i.e., “straight to God”). In other words, out of all the Babylonian residents, it was this people called “Israel” who desired to attain the meaning of life, a clear perception and sensation of the complete picture of reality, while living in this world.

How is it that the Israeli nation emerged in such a way?

Very simply, the ego in certain people grew and started demanding the reason for existence.

The ego’s growth makes us unhappier and more impatient. Why? It’s because an additional desire means an additional void, and it makes us restless until we find out why we’re alive.

The wisdom of Kabbalah was developed solely to answer the question about the meaning of life. Through the study of the wisdom, we discover our place in nature, as well as how and why nature works at its deepest levels. The wisdom of Kabbalah was developed by Abraham around 3,800 years specifically for anyone who hosts that additional desire to know why we’re alive.

Therefore, the Israeli ego is many times greater than the ego of others, i.e., of the nations of the world. There is nothing we can do about it. It is simply how the system of nature operates through us.

With this additional ego in the Israeli people, it becomes important to learn how to use it and direct it optimally and constructively, i.e., so that it would be aimed at the discovery of the meaning of life, and not that it would be used for self-serving motives at the expense of others.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is a method of guiding the desire for the meaning of life to the attainment of the higher reality, where we discover the reason for our existence, while we’re alive in this world.

Can Jews Become A Role Model For Humanity? – Talk With Prof. Stephen Bronner

Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Prof. Stephen Bronner, co-director of the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue and the author of A Rumor About the Jews: Anti-Semitism, Conspiracy, and the Protocols of Zion talk about the role model for humanity that Jews have to become.

How can you be a role model if you are hated?

The solution is in its initial root. Jews as a nation originated in ancient Babylon according to the principle “love covers all transgressions.” They have an inborn inclination to implement the method of balancing society by building positive human connection above their egoistic nature and differences.

Today, when the world suffers from crises and viruses, there is an urgent demand for a method that positively connects society. Therefore, if the Jewish people regain awareness of what they once had achieved in history upon the modern global-scale social division, they will become an example of unity for everyone, a “light unto the nations.”

People have no natural inclination to unite above rejections between them, but when they hear and see how unity among people makes the world a better, healthier, and happier place, they will follow this direction and build a society based on, as Prof. Bronner mentions, cosmopolitan traditions.

When we all find the balance between the opposing forces of nature—altruism and egoism—everyone will experience a good future. Jews have been given the ability to take the first step there.

Why Does The Creator Send Us The Feeling Of Dissatisfaction?

624.02Question: Why, despite all the acts of dissemination and the best possible participation in the work of a ten, we nevertheless feel dissatisfied, feel that we act insufficiently for spirituality, even though we utilize all available means? Why does the Creator send us this feeling?

Answer: The Creator, despite our good efforts and precise heartfelt aspiration, still makes us feel dissatisfied. Most likely He wants even greater aspirations from us.

Contact the Creator and ask Him, even if He hides. This is how He is called: “the one who hides” (Kel Mistater).

Therefore, ask Him: “What do you want from me? How can I draw closer to You? Show me, give me a hint.” Start flirting with Him in this way. You will see that by expressing your needs, sensations, and desires, you will start feeling His answer in them.

Don’t be shy. He likes such conversations very much. This upper force is amorphous. It is around us. The more you awaken such questions and sensations within you, the faster and subtler you will feel Him.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 1/12/20

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