Question: A Kabbalist cannot work with a huge number of people at once. First, there must be some small cell. Can we say that ten people are such a mini-society, where everyone will constantly check their attitude toward others?

Answer: This environment not only supports a person on the earthly level in good connection with others, but also, by uniting with them, he begins to feel a common desire, common goals, a common system of correct interconnection between ten friends so that in the end they form a system called, the upper world, or Partzuf, or soul. And the inner strength in this system is the Creator.

Question: It turns out that these ten people are like a cell in the body, which is starting to cooperate with other cells and form organs?

Answer: Right. Every ten that we try to create from our like-minded people will connect with other tens to form one organism together called the “common soul” or Adam.

Question: Thus, a person, starting to work in a mini-group, goes beyond his egoism thanks to constant work in his ten and can already connect with other people, with all of humanity. How does this happen?

Answer: As cells in the body connect despite the fact that each cell belongs to some specific part of the body, a specific organ, through all other cells, it is connected to any other. And this is what the general system Adam (Man) is.
[269602]
From KabTV’s “Systematic Analysis of the Development of the People of Israel” 12/9/19

Related Material:
A Ten The Size Of The World
Gather The Parts Of The Collective Soul
The Web Of Connections Of The Common Soul

Filed under: Adam-The Common Soul, Spiritual Work, The Tens - No Comments →

Question: A generation is a collection of people living in a certain historical period of time. It can be identified according to three criteria: one shared historical era, shared specific patterns of behavior, and a certain shared collective life experience in it.

In what periods would you divide generations based on the laws of nature?

Answer: Observing our history over thousands of years, it is possible to divide the eras according to some specific criterion. Since I am engaged in the science of Kabbalah, I divide everything that happens in our world, including generations, according to humanity’s aspiration to the goal of creation.

Therefore, the period starting from ancient Babylon when the method of Kabbalah was created under the leadership of the ancient Babylonian priest Abraham, who made a spiritual revolution and called people to unite on the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself,” is very important for me.

Remark: In the holy books, this generation is called the generation of the diaspora.

My Comment: Indeed, it gave impetus to the dispersion of people around the globe. The next generation is the generation of the exodus from Egypt, the realization of egoism as evil, the rise of the group of Abraham above their egoism.

Question: Ten generations passed from Adam to Noah and from Noah to Abraham. What did the sages base their judgement on dividing these generations and giving them names, for example, “the generation of the desert”?

Answer: We are talking about a group of people who lived in the urge to find the meaning of life, to reveal what governs humanity, the reason and purpose of its origin, and where it goes. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to determine what can be called a generation. I believe that it is the aspiration that people have regarding the purpose of creation. That is how I divide all historical intervals into generations. They are very different at that. There are generations that may be a thousand years old, and there are those that change over the course of several decades or even less.
[269860]
From KabTV’s “The Post-Coronavirus Era” 5/21/20

Related Material:
How Do Generations Differ From Each Other?
The Era Of The Last Generation
The Time Of The Last Generation Is Coming

Filed under: Ancient Babylon, Children, Education - No Comments →

Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic of “Work With Faith Above Reason” 

Lesson on the Topic of “The Law of the Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar” 

Selected Highlights 

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson - No Comments →

New Life 1275 – Altruism In The Era Of The Big Ego
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

All of nature including the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking levels, is made up of two forces: altruism and egoism. The two forces, the plus and the minus, are one, since each cannot exist without the other in any form, not even in an atom. Although altruism exists in our world in relation to giving birth and caring for relatives, it is mostly hidden and works behind the scenes. Egoism is more evident and is growing as nature is demanding its realization and correction.

In order to evolve, humanity must recognize the evil, which is inherent in the ego as we currently use it. We need to see how incapable the ego is in delivering lasting results. We will see that it is better to die than to live according to the ego. Then, we will want the altruistic force to grow within us and build balance between us and in all of human society. We will learn to use both forces; we will fill ourselves in order to give to others. Nature wants us to build ourselves by ourselves so that we can discover the higher force and live in a whole, eternal, perfect, unlimited world of mutual enjoyment and fulfillment, above time, space, and motion.
[268987]
From KabTV’s “New Life 1275 – Altruism In The Era Of The Big Ego,” 8/5/20

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Filed under: New Life - No Comments →

Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download:MP3 Audio

Filed under: Audio Version of the Blog - No Comments →

Question: If a person stops obeying the laws of nature on the level of thoughts and feelings, does this mean that he actually has to change himself on this level?

Answer: We don’t need anything else. Thoughts and feelings are what we have. Once we see that we don’t operate correctly—and this happens in our thoughts and feelings—we will begin to change. We don’t need any motion at all. Our future is eventually beyond the physical world.

Remark: According to what you say, unity between people is the remedy against viruses since the virus fears the unity between us. But we see that it is the opposite, that the remedy against the spreading of the virus is keeping our distance and isolation.

My Comment: This is the case now because we are still egoists. If we don’t want to impact each other negatively and make room for the virus between us, we need to draw away from each other.

Question: We need to change our perception of others, and then different practical actions will develop as a result. This means that you don’t advise us to do anything except change our attitude. But is that possible without practical actions?

Answer: No, we need to perform practical actions and we need to help each other so that each of us will constantly change our perspective of others for the better.

Question: If, under the threat of destruction, humanity understands that the solution to the problem is only the struggle with our ego, and people will begin to artificially relate to each other seemingly with love, what will we gain from that?

Answer: It will enable us to draw the positive force of nature that can raise us above our ego and give us the strength to use it correctly.
[268937]
From KabTV’s “The Post-Coronavirus Era” 5/7/20

Related Material:
Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 4/26/20, Part 3
Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 4/26/20, Part 2
Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 4/26/20, Part 1

Filed under: Coronavirus, Crisis, Globalization, Health - No Comments →

We have to realize the reason for the coronavirus. If we understand how to transform our interpersonal relationships—all the problems will disappear instantly! Nature’s goal isn’t to lead us through illness and heal us, but for the suffering and viruses to compel us to reveal our bad relationships.

Every day it becomes more and more clear: we have to realize that there is one common enemy—our egoism. We cannot destroy it, but we can rise above it together. The United States shows: society is incapable of regulating itself.
We can still reach an intelligent cooperation, or there’ll be war…

Above all human conspiracy theories and other ploys, in any case, there is the Creator’s plan, which determines our path. We wallow in our thoughts and do not wish to rise to the Creator’s degree, by faith above reason. Everyone stumbles in this place, but he who walks forward enters the Creator’s world.

We do not hear nature’s warnings: that we have to be integral, connected by goodness, and treat each other well. Otherwise with our behavior we determine nature’s behavior and do not allow it to enter balance; hence, we suffer together with all of nature.

The coronavirus is a small blow, coming from love and mercy for people who do not understand the purpose of their life. We have to realize why we have reached blows such as this. Why don’t we hear the first warning of the parent, like good children, in order to change our behavior and live well…?

The situation could have been much worse than the coronavirus epidemic. But the Creator did not use harsher methods. It’s because nature has a goal—to bring all of us to the proper connection. We are living in a time when unity between everyone has to be clearly implemented.

Every illness contains healing, the illness cures. We have to see where the #coronavirus is leading us, and reach this healthy state on our own. For that we have to understand the blow. There is a force behind it that does not wish to simply hurt us, but wishes to cure us.

The virus strikes us on the biological level, affecting society and families. We must therefore understand why nature is treating us this way, and what we can do so we don’t hide from this phenomenon, but get cured.

Before the coronavirus the world was in crisis and people spoke of a world war or ecological catastrophes. The situation was very problematic, there were many problems, like with a person who doesn’t know what illness he has, but manages to inject painkillers for the pain and to somehow keep living.

It’s still early to speak of the future if we do not know the present time, which is not joyful, but constantly brings new restrictions and blows. If we could understand them, we would see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But for now we do not see that things will get brighter. We do not even understand the darkness in which we find ourselves.

One thing becomes clear with each passing day: we must recognize that our one common enemy is our ego. It cannot be destroyed, but we can jointly rise above it. America proves that society is incapable of regulating itself. We can still come to mindful cooperation; the other alternative is war.

Democracy untethered from liberalism turns into dictatorship. Everything stems from disillusionment that the Internet and social media haven’t become a means of enlightenment. The majority think that the government is built on degradation and must therefore be destroyed. The elections produce a doubting elite class.

Just as it happens in any system (organism or machine), the defects accumulate until they manifest as a malfunction. Likewise in society with the coronavirus, the integral dependence of life is manifested.

We must realize that the reason for all our troubles is that society is fragmented by egoism!
From Twitter 9/8/20

Related Material:
My Thoughts On Twitter 9/7/20
My Thoughts On Twitter 9/3/20
My Thoughts On Twitter 9/1/20

Filed under: Thoughts on Twitter - No Comments →

The Times of Israel published my new article “Israel – The First at Being Last”

Israel is now the world leader in new coronavirus disease cases. That is, every other country in the world has fewer coronavirus infections per capita than Israel. Data from Johns Hopkins University has revealed that Israel averaged 199.3 new cases a day per 1 million residents in the week ending September 2. Since then, Israel has only widened the gap.

When COVID-19 first emerged, countries lined up to praise Israel for its handling of the pandemic. But in the second wave, reality aligned itself with our behavior and we have dropped from the zenith to the nadir. Even if we shut down the economy once more, place all cities under quarantine, and every household under stay-at-home orders, we will not find more than a momentary relapse in contagion until we do what we must—change our attitude to one another. Then, and only then we will overcome the virus.

When the virus first appeared I said that it was not an ordinary virus. I cautioned that it is here not in order to shut down the economy but in order to teach us how to relate to one another. So far, we have failed miserably, and so the virus celebrates with record breaking infection rates, total helplessness of the authorities, and depravity suggestive of the last days of Rome.

On the surface, there seems to be a battle between those who want to keep the economy running and sustain people’s livelihoods, and those who want to restrict economic and public activities and sustain people’s lives. In my view, as long as we treat each other with such derision and disdain, we will sustain neither.

The whole problem with the measures we are taking in order to avoid contagion is not the measures themselves, but that we are taking them in order to protect ourselves instead of others. When the motivation is so self-centered, those who are young and healthy, and not in the risk groups, or who believe that the disease is nothing but fake news, have no reason to comply with instructions. By doing so, they not only increase the risk to the lives of those at risk, they also increase hatred and alienation in society, and this is the real problem.

We need to treat the masks, vaccinations, and all the other measures not as medical tools, but as social tools that help us portray our relation to others. If we change our relation to others, we will be able to open the economy without any limitations and the virus will be gone in no time. But first, we need to show our efforts to change our attitude to one another, and the way to show it goes through wearing masks, keeping social distancing, and doing everything required in order to preserve the lives and health of our fellow persons. Not our own lives, but those of others around us.

The State of Israel is always at the center of attention. Just as countries lined up to praise us when we succeeded in curbing the virus in the beginning, they now stand bewildered at our colossal failure to do the same in the second wave. If we show the world that the way to oust the virus is through unity, the world will follow suit, and, as a result, a new, united society will emerge around the world.

We must remember that the State of Israel, as are the people of Israel, is not just another country. It was established to enable the people of Israel to carry out its duty to the world—to set an example of unity above divisions and show the nations how they can do it, too. Here in Israel we are meant to become “a light unto nations” by uniting “as one man with one heart.”

Despite recent agreements, the Arab world as a whole will not make peace with us, and the world will not support our being here, as long as we do not make peace with one another. Instead, the nations will blame us for inciting wars and taking a land that is not ours, as UNESCO has been saying for several years now.

Covid-19 has given us an opportunity to change our relation to one another, thereby change the world’s relation to us, and thereby change the nations’ relation to one another. We shouldn’t underestimate our power to do good, or bad, to the entire world. If we rise to the challenge and unite, we will oust the coronavirus, the world, too, will learn that the solution to the pandemic lies in positive relations and will do the same, the pandemic will disappear, and the entire global society will change for the better.
[270505]

Filed under: Coronavirus, Israel, New Publications - No Comments →

My new article on Linkedin “The War We Are All Fighting”

Long lines of vehicles waiting for hours to get a box of supplies from drive-in food distribution centers has become a common scene across America. Covid-19 is underscoring deep social imbalances and inequalities to the point that hunger may kill more people worldwide than the pandemic itself by the end of this year, according to the UN forecast. The situation is similar to a war, but the enemy we are fighting is not only economic; it is a war to establish what should be the highest value and the pillar of any society: mutual responsibility and care for one another.

We have the opportunity to make this connection real today, and we must know that nature is deliberately provoking us with these uncomfortable situations like the coronavirus pandemic and other problems to push us to make this move: the unification of humanity. Thus, only the fight against the divisions between us will bring the long awaited victory of unity, abundance, and a brighter future.

Trillions in stimulus packages have been injected into the US economy, as in other major developed countries, yet many people are still out of work and without the means to put food on the family table. UN data shows that more than 5 million Americans (2% of the country’s population) cannot afford a basic healthy diet that could prevent malnutrition. And like most of our current challenges, the food crisis is global. The number of people drastically impacted by food insecurity is expected to double to 270 million worldwide by the end of 2020, according to charity organizations.

Suddenly, entire communities have been left without the basic needs for life because of the pandemic, and the security they had in life has slipped between their fingers. At the same time, there is a growing tendency among people to help one another and give each other a hand, because they no longer believe (and righteously so) that either the upper classes or the leaders will come to their rescue.

Even if someone has no more to offer to another than a desire to help, this already affects the overall situation for the better. Mutual concern sweetens the bitterness of life. In fact, we have reached a time when we are realizing that we can expect nothing from anyone except ourselves.

So, if we come to terms with the fact that only we can help ourselves, this will already be a meaningful step in the right direction. We can tackle our problems only through a correct connection between us. If we become aware of it, we will be on a safe path for sure. By learning to put that connection into practice we can ensure that we will reach our desired destination successfully.

Defeating the Ego, the Enemy between Us

We must strive to unite, not only to get out of the difficult situation we face, but to truly become “as one man with one heart.” Why? Because everything that happens in the global system of nature is driven according to the level of beneficial integral connection between its parts. The more we connect with each other, the more we will harmonize ourselves with the general force that operates the system according to the law of mutual guarantee. In fact, all the problems that arise do so to push us closer and closer toward a state of ultimate unification. When humanity reaches such a state of existence, we will no longer suffer from struggles over control, respect, domination or hunger. When we finally reach that state, happiness and the means to exist will no longer come at the expense of others.

We should clearly understand that distributing food and medicine—generally helping each other on the material level only—will still not be enough to correct our imbalances and disparities. We need to realize that as far as nature is concerned, humanity is one single system. Therefore, we must rise above all forms of hatred and mutual rejection, above our egoistic approach that constantly tears us apart and distances us from one another. It is vital that we try to get closer to each other internally, heart to heart, and evaluate the intention behind all our actions.

We have the opportunity to make this connection real today, and we must know that nature is deliberately provoking us with these uncomfortable situations like the coronavirus pandemic and other problems to push us to make this move: the unification of humanity. Thus, only the fight against the divisions between us will bring the long awaited victory of unity, abundance, and a brighter future.

Filed under: New Publications - No Comments →

The Times of Israel published my new article “There Is a Jessica Krug in Every Jew”

A few days ago, a George Washington University African history professor confessed that she had pretended for many years to be of Afro-Latina descent, when in fact she was white and Jewish. As part of her identity, she even spoke against the state of Israel and police brutality, and, according to JTA, “delivered testimony virtually in a New York City Council meeting in which she criticized the New York Police Department as being trained by the Israeli army.”

The confession left everyone in shock, and she, herself, apparently, is in a deep state of remorse. “I should absolutely be cancelled,” she wrote. “You should absolutely cancel me, and I absolutely cancel myself,” she continued. Toward the end, she wrote, “I have to figure out how to be a person that I don’t believe should exist.”

Yet, Jessica Krug is not an exception. She is an eccentric expression of a problem from which the majority of Jews suffer, and of which US Jewry is the most prominent example. The problem I am talking about is denial of the essence and purpose of Judaism.

We’d like to think that we can be like everyone else, but we’re not. The world knows it and treats us differently, and it’s time we started doing likewise. The world blames us for its wars and its problems, and it won’t help us to say “It’s not our fault”; they won’t believe us.

We have to understand that our “fault,” as I have written in The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism, is that we’re not bringing unity to the world, so the nations hate us for causing them to hate one another. I reiterate: The world feels that we are causing them to hate each other, and this is why they hate us.

Of course we’re not trying to make people hate each other, but we’re also not trying to unite among ourselves. And because everyone is closely monitoring our every step, we serve as a constant example of hatred, disunity, and ill-will through our relationships with one another. By doing so, we install an atmosphere of belligerence and hatred among the nations, and they, who sense that the hatred originates with us, blame us for causing their wars with each other.

Being “a light unto nations” is not a metaphorical, obsolete slogan. We became a nation precisely for that purpose, and not in order to be Americans, Germans, or Chinese. It’s no coincidence that we came up with the impossibly altruistic motto, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is where our uniqueness lies—in attempting to live by that motto. Even if we fail, by simply trying we will become an example that the world will admire and would try to emulate.

But we are unaware of it so, just as Jessica Krug believes, we don’t believe we should exist. In that belief, she is not the exception; she is the norm among us! I, who have been taught by my teachers that Jews must unite above their differences and serve as a role model of unity to the nations, and that this is our vocation as a nation, I am the exception.

Still, it is my prayer that soon more Jews will hear me out so that my warnings will not go unnoticed as were the warnings of Baal HaSulam, my teacher’s father, in Poland in the 1930s.
[270458]

Filed under: New Publications - No Comments →