New Life 1259 – A World Without Money
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi

If money loses its value, nature itself will pay for any labor that contributes to society with emotional coins. The coins of nature are eternal coins of the soul. The soul is the internal effort that a person invests for the sake of society. Beyond fulfillment of the needs of physical existence, a person has a desire to develop the soul through a relationship with society and with nature. Nature keeps a record of how much each citizen gave and what he received. Later, a higher pay will be revealed and a person will want to give more.

Social property will be valuable to a person and he will maintain it to merit belonging to the eternal nature. It is impossible to cover up and lie to nature. According to the honesty of your heart, ahead for us is life in paradise!
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From KabTV’s “New Life 1259 – A World Without Money,” 7/1/20

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An Idea that Covers all Contradictions

Question: What is the highest idea that can leave the communist, the ultra-orthodox, and the reformist in their opinion, and at the same time, unite them?

Answer: We must understand that we have completely different roots because we are originally from the 70 nations of Ancient Babylon, which became the basis of the modern nations.

If we understand that we are all different and the roots of the nations of the world can’t be removed from us, as they are the natural force of life and lie somewhere inside each of us, then all we have left is what the wisdom of Kabbalah says: to rise above these roots in a mutual aspiration toward a new base, where we will remain in connection, love, and mutual respect for each other that we have created.

Therefore, the connection that we are restoring between us must prevail over our disconnection.

That is, on the one hand, we will always be in contradiction and in a natural distance from each other, coming from our animal roots, like those who came from the 70 nations of Ancient Babylon.

On the other hand, we must unite our efforts over these contradictions in order to build a new base. And then the two levels will coexist: one—natural, animal, and the second—artificially created by us, spiritual. One will cover the other, as stated: “Love will cover all transgressions.”

For more on this topic, read my books Like a Bundle of Reeds: why unity and mutual guarantee are today’s call of the hour, and The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism, Historical facts on anti-Semitism as a reflection of Jewish social discord.

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From KabTV’s “Systematic Analysis of the Development of the People of Israel” 8/12/19

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Disconnection Of Communities, Part 5
Disconnection Of Communities, Part 4
Disconnection Of Communities, Part 3

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Question: It is said that my environment today is me tomorrow. Do you agree with this statement?

Answer: Of course. We see how the environment affects us.

Man is born an utterly small, helpless, wild animal. Gradually, under the influence of parents, and then of a wider circle, he goes through educational institutions, school, the street, neighborhood, and so on.

He watches a lot of programs on television, on the computer, and eventually becomes the way we see him in society. If he did not receive this influence from the environment, he would not be fit to live in our world at all.
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From KabTV’s “The Post-Coronavirus Era” 5/7/20

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Question: When a man and a woman form a couple, does their fate become joined or are they initially on different sides of the barricades?

Answer: There are no accidents. You don’t choose anything, including your partner. Everything is preordained. The only choice there is: take a step forward or wait for all sorts of circumstances to push you.

Question: If a woman has a difficult relationship with a man, can Kabbalah help her? Does she still have a choice?

Answer: You will see that something can be changed: either the man, the circumstances, or yourself. But this will become clear later.

Question: It turns out that by studying Kabbalah, a woman can understand this?

Answer: Sure. Kabbalistic knowledge changes her, and thus she feels that she is beginning to move closer or further from her partner more and more. Then the decision is born by itself.

Question: This decision is born by itself because it already exists? It just surfaces?

Answer: Absolutely correct!

Comment: To understand it, to accept it, and to live it is both simple and difficult.

My Response: But it’s interesting.
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From KabTV’s “Together About Important Things” 7/14/20

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Lesson Preparation

Lesson on the Topic “Love Covers All Transgressions” (Preparation for the Virtual Convention “A New World” 2020)

Writings of Baal HaSulam,  “The Peace,” (Subtitle: “Necessity to Practice Caution with the Laws of Nature”)

Selected Highlights

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How long must we suffer before coming to the realization that we can only change our lives by changing our attitudes and making them good? Nature will keep pressuring us until we realize this! Nature will not allow us to get used to the current existence. After all, we humans are the only harmful element in it!

The blows suffered from the #coronavirus will ultimately force all humanity to submit and settle down, realizing that this is the handiwork of the upper force that will not allow us to do what we want: neither the right nor the left. We’re going to have to submit to the influence of the third force: the Creator.
From Twitter, 8/9/20

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Medium published my new article “Mask Wearing, Freedom vs. Love of Others?”

Life saver to some and symbol of tyranny to others — the requirement to wear a mask in public to prevent further contagion of COVID-19 has split societies around the globe. In America, the rebellious and visceral reactions of significant numbers of customers in shops and offices, where wearing a mask is mandatory, have even surprised mental health experts. People’s outrage has been expressed in the streets of the US and also in big cities such as Berlin and London where thousands protested the measure. But are we clear on what true freedom means? Clarity can only be grasped when we are considerate of one another.

Nature is like a loving parent giving his tender child a bitter medicine, while we behave like the child who is kicking and crying and refusing to swallow. Nature has a clear purpose: to bring all of humanity to unity. Thus, we will not be able to escape the plague until we realize that we are in one boat, all of humanity.

Despite vast scientific support for the efficacy of mask-wearing to prevent a wider spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the debate about their effectiveness refuses to die among those who defy face coverings and social distancing as preventative measures. But there is a deeper reason for their refusal: human nature. People are willing to risk the lives of others and their own to preserve what they consider their personal liberties. They ask themselves, “Why should an order from the government be imposed to restrict me? What is it that puts a bridle on my mouth like a horse? I am a free person!

Why the Anti-Mask Sentiment?

As someone who has studied human nature for more than forty years, I can understand them. They feel masks and the limitations that they symbolize are oppressive and demeaning. Some virus comes and suddenly they are obliged to wear masks, while governments look helpless to handle the situation. Of course they will shout in the streets. Countries that thought they had handled the Covid-19 crisis successfully find themselves falling again. The virus never ends; it simply does not go away and nothing seems to help.

People’s defiance against the mask requirement is evidence of our inability, failure, and even indifference to educating our societies correctly. People have not been educated about how to take care of themselves and be considerate of one another. There isn’t a government in the world that can set an example to anyone in this, and also not among those in charge of the health system — all follow their own specific and particular interests. We are witnessing a total collapse of the human system. There is basically nothing from among the existing societal structures that we can present to people as an example to be respected and listened to — everything is corrupt.

It is the virus itself which has taken our education into hand. Nature is law-bound to behave in every way to bring man into alignment with its system, to the knowledge of his “evil inclination.” Until man attains a higher consciousness, nature must show him that the destruction in his life stems from the destruction in his relationship with others.

Nature is like a loving parent giving his tender child a bitter medicine, while we behave like the child who is kicking and crying and refusing to swallow. Nature has a clear purpose: to bring all of humanity to unity. Thus, we will not be able to escape the plague until we realize that we are in one boat, all of humanity.

We influence and depend on one another. Therefore, each must act accordingly by developing the conviction and intention to avoid transmitting the virus and harming others. When we view our situation from this perspective, we will not view the mandatory measures like mask wearing as coercion but as a gesture of love and care for others, implemented with a blessing.

The world is circular and functions in that same fashion, as a unit. In the current state, that circle is being hit by crises from every direction. So, what to do? We must first realize that we are immersed in an interrelated system of connections. This means that every single action will affect the whole. Therefore, the only way to overcome the state of crisis is to think and behave as one, in mutual responsibility. That is our true freedom of choice.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why do other people’s opinions matter to you?“

It has been shown in various social psychology experiments, and Kabbalists have long described it as a fundamental aspect of our lives, that others’ opinions are important to us, even if we fail to acknowledge that it is the case.

There is a paradox here: According to our egoistic human nature, which prioritizes personal benefit over all else, we consider nobody but ourselves. Why, then, do we care about what others think and say?

Nature has set us up in such a way so that we will enter into a reciprocal relationship with our surrounding society and world.

If other people’s opinions would not matter to us, then we would not be able to reach our full human potential. That is, we would not be able to change ourselves, expanding our perception and sensation in order to realize our interconnectedness and interdependence with the single system of nature, including us humans as its integral parts.

Today, as we face a world closing in on us, with tightening ecological, economic and social conditions, the change to a more positively-connected human consciousness is of primal importance.

By recognizing the vast extent to which others’ opinions influence us, we can make wiser choices regarding our surrounding society: choosing the people we surround ourselves with, i.e., according to shared goals, needs and values, and also the kind of influence we input into this network and impart onto others.

Ultimately, the fullest realization of our mutual influence leads us to feel a need for mutual responsibility, consideration, compromise, support, encouragement and cooperation.

In other words, if we were to understand the full extent of our influence on each other, we would feel necessitated to think and act positively toward one another, as it would secure our harmonious coexistence. Any deviation to a negative hate-driven thought or act would be felt as harmful to the entire system we share, and thus also harmful to ourselves.

We would then feel a need to build a new enveloping social atmosphere that supports, educates and encourages everyone’s development to realize the change in human connections and consciousness positively.

Above photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.

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The Times of Israel published my new article “From Political Bickering to a Policy of Unity”

A few years ago, an Israeli TV documentary told the story of a small village in Israel that had a population of 120 families, and six(!) shuls. Why six shuls if there are only 120 families? Because the families—all of whom from the same cultural background and daven the same way—can’t stand each other. When the interviewer asked a resident if, having so few people, it occasionally happens that there aren’t even ten people at the shul (the minimum number for service) to conduct a proper service, the man admitted that it happens. And what do you do then? asked the interviewer, “I drive to the nearby settlement and daven there,” said the man. Why go to another settlement to daven, who use different prayer books and songs than the ones you’re used to, if you have five shuls right here in your own village to pick from, and that daven exactly like you do? asked the interviewer. “I won’t go in any of them,” said the man resolutely.

A few days ago, a famous Arab-Israeli woman was interviewed on Israel TV and told an interesting story. She was invited to partake in a panel of several people at a Jewish town to discuss hatred and political tensions. The timing for the discussion was perfect since it was the 9th of Av, the date when the Temple was ruined 2,000 years ago because Jews hatred their own brethren. At the height of the debate, she finally said to her hosts, “You hate each other! Jews are hating Jews! You are discussing the ruin of the Temple on the 9th of Av, and still a Jew hates a Jew and wishes him death (reference to online death threats and death wishes to Israeli politicians)! If you hate each other, how will you love me?”

We’ve always been a nation of many views. And if you look at our history, you’ll find that when we succeeded in maintaining unity above differences, we thrived, and when we let the differences become unbridled hatred, we suffered.

Today’s Israel is at a crossroads. The differences among the various factions of the nation are gaining traction, and voices of unity are hardly heard. As always, divergence is our springboard for growth, but only if we unite above it. It is always a thin line to walk, and if we’re unaware of it, we’ll trip, and the very existence of Israel will be at risk.

Our motto has always been that hate stirs strife, and love will cover all the hatred (Proverbs 10:12). It is not an easy model to follow, but today we have no choice. Our international status will continue to deteriorate and our internal strength will continue to decline until we realize we have no other choice but to choose unity above all differences.

If we stall, the world will decide that the League of Nations’ declaration of a Jewish state in 1947 was a mistake. If we hurry and unite, the world will understand why Israel attracts so much attention—since it was meant to show how opposites can unite and cover their hate with love.

What we need right now is to shift from political bickering to a policy of unity among all factions. This is our most urgent need, especially today when hatred scares us even more than Covid, and is certainly more dangerous.
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