My article in Newsmax: “The Pandemic Antisemites Call Israel”

People react to what hurts them the most and antisemites are no exception. A global response to the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc with more than 50 million cases worldwide, apparently is not the priority for the U.N.’s World Health Organization (WHO).

Instead of assessing a global response to the problem, it spent four valuable hours of its general assembly bashing its annoyance, Israel. A similar dose of hatred has been injected by antisemites who are accusing Jews behind the companies in charge of the new COVID-19 vaccines of trying to control the world and profit from the pandemic.

More than a million people have died from COVID-19 around the planet. After months of the pandemic, the virus continues to spread uncontrollably, lockdowns have been renewed in multiple cities around the world, the global economy crumbles, the education systems operate irregularly and every realm of people’s lives has been impacted. So how is it possible that the main concern of WHO’s member nations was condemning the Jewish nation for the “health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and in the occupied Syrian Golan”?

If they were to search for real facts concerning those portrayed as underserved in health care services, they would discover that in fact the alleged victims receive better medical care in Israel than in any Arab country. So, is there any logic behind singling out Israel over and over again? There is none, because antisemitism is an irrational sentiment.

Conspiracy theories and blood libels against Jews are not new, they are just reignited. The fact that the scientific community has worked around the clock to develop a new vaccine against the deadly virus has only fueled antisemitic allegations.

The top medical expert of Moderna, the pharmaceutical company behind just one of the new COVID-19 vaccines, is Dr. Tal Zaks, an Israeli scientist, and Dr. Albert Bourla, a Jew of Greek descent and CEO of Pfizer, which is responsible for another vaccine against the coronavirus. In Greece, a newspaper published a series of articles accusing Dr. Bourla of Nazi-like intentions behind the scientific discovery and of making millions of dollars from the pandemic in coordination with Israel.

The world has a disease: antisemitism, that particularly resurfaces in times of peril. Why is this so? It is because people feel that Jews hold a pivotal quality to solve the world’s troubles. By attacking Jews, they in fact raise the Jewish nation to the pinnacle, holding them both responsible for the problems and, at the same time, acknowledging them as those able and empowered to repair an aching planet.

It is precisely the role of the Jewish nation, founded upon the tenet of “love your neighbor as yourself,” to lead the way to the attainment of unity and toward recovery of the balance in nature that has been lost as a result of our unruly, egoistic and self-centered human relations. Since the times of Abraham, Jews were the first people to identify and understand the laws of nature, the need to live in a society based on mutual responsibility.

As nature tightens humanity’s connection and more hatred surfaces between people, the time is ripe for learning how to realize our increasing connection positively, how to unite above the growing separation. In the last few months, the need for unity has become pronounced. The coronavirus pandemic illustrates the need for mutual responsibility and consideration to restore and maintain good health and growing social divisiveness demonstrates the need for unity.

If we fail to progress to unity above our own differences as a Jewish nation, we will continue evoking hatred upon ourselves and people will increasingly accuse us of being the root of the world’s problems, as we now also see with the coronavirus.

The sooner we realize that our unity will have a positive rippling effect the world over, the sooner we will realize that we are treating antisemitism at its root. By uniting, we fulfill our role in the world of bringing the forces between humanity and nature back to balance.

If we realize our role and initiate unity between us, we will not only see antisemitism diminish, but also, conversely, we can expect love and respect for a Jewish people who radiate a positive unifying example to the world. Then there would be no reason for anyone to hate Jews because people would know how to unite.

And united people do not hate each other or the ones who show the way to their unity as the only cure to humanity’s pains.

Filed under: Anti-Semitism, New Publications - No Comments →

The Times of Israel published my new article “On Jewish Unity and Antisemitism –Article No. 2”

In the previous article, we described Abraham’s struggle to spread his revelation that there is only one force in reality, which he called “God,” that that force manifested in two ways—giving and receiving—and everything, in reality, reflected interactions between the two. We also said that Abraham realized that his contemporaries in Babylon, his homeland, were becoming alienated from each other. Abraham wished to counter that alienation with kindness and mercy in order to balance the growing force of reception with appropriate giving. When his efforts were turned down and he was expelled from Babylon, he wandered west to Canaan. Along the way, thousands and tens of thousands—according to Maimonides, Midrash Rabbah, and many other sources—joined him and became “the house of Abraham.” Those people formed the nucleus from which the Israeli nation would later rise. The special thing about them was that they had nothing biological in common but rather the conviction that receiving must be balanced with giving, and they were willing to toil in order to develop the quality of mercy within them.

This article will review Israel’s time in Egypt. By and large, we are taught that Israel’s time in Egypt was a nightmare—that they were enslaved and tormented there until they had no choice but to escape in the dead of night. Yet, this is a very incomplete representation of the picture.

The book of Genesis (from Chapter 47 and into the book of Exodus) tells us that when Israel went into Egypt, Joseph was already Pharaoh’s viceroy and his most trusted man. Pharaoh even gave him his signet to use as he pleased. When Joseph’s family sought shelter in Egypt, Pharaoh gave them the most fertile land in the country, the land of Goshen, in the eastern Delta of the Nile. Joseph placed his family members in key positions and they prospered under his protection. As long as they were united under Joseph, things went smoothly for them and they were successful, prosperous, and multiplied.

However, when Joseph died, the Israelites’ unity began to weaken. Consequently, everything changed. “The Israelites began to conceal their Jewishness,” writes Prof. Zvi Shimon of Bar-Ilan University in Israel. “They were immersed in Egyptian culture, enthusiastically attending Egyptian cultural events and adopting their modes of entertainment. Egyptian sports and theater were popular pastimes amongst the new Jewish immigrants.” Little by little, they abandoned their commitment to unity and immersed themselves in self-indulgence and narcissism. That, perhaps, was the first incident of disunity that leads to Jew-hatred, long before the terms had been invented.

Much to the Israelites’ regret, the more they wanted to assimilate in Egypt, the more Pharaoh and all of Egypt turned against them. The Book of Zohar (Shemot) asks, “Why were Israel exiled, and why specifically to Egypt?” The answer that The Zohar gives is that they were exiled to Egypt because the Egyptians “were proud and despised and loathed Israel,” and therefore did not want the Hebrews to mingle with them. Midrash Rabbah (Shemot 1:8) adds a more explicit version of the story, pointing the finger directly at the Jews: “When Joseph died, they broke the covenant and said, ‘Let us be as the Egyptians.’ …Because of it, the Lord turned the love that the Egyptians loved them into hatred.” In other words, Pharaoh and the Egyptians didn’t turn against Israel simply because they were bad people, but because they abandoned the legacy of unity and strove to mingle with Egypt and disunite from one another.

This is why the Torah writes that only after Joseph died, Pharaoh turned against the Hebrews. Once Pharaoh became “antisemitic,” if you will, the Hebrews had no choice but to reunite. This pattern, where Jews shun unity when they are prosperous and are forced into it by the persecution of a local leader would repeat itself from Egypt to this day.

These days, we are seeing the end of the same cycle in America. Jews have been prosperous for several decades, achieved material wealth and power, but have abandoned their unity. Now we are seeing the flipping of the country from appreciation and approval to denunciation, criticism, and eventually hate.

In the next article, we will review Moses’ efforts to reunite the tormented people and thereby redeem them from their oppressors.

For much more on this topic, please see my latest publication, The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism: Historical facts on anti-Semitism as a reflection of Jewish social discord.
[274316]

Filed under: Anti-Semitism, New Publications - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is equality?“

Equality takes place when we all fully invest ourselves into the creation of an integral society. In the ensuing integral inclusion of all people, we become conditionally equal.

In such equality, we will receive and give as much as it is possible for each one of us individually to do so. It is impossible to measure every individual and determine the amount that they owe and need for themselves. If we, however, connect in a way that motivates us all to build an integral society, then we will reach this conditional form of equality.

Such equality is conditional because no two people are equal to each other by nature. If we were equal by nature, then we would already experience oneness. Equality thus lets each of us express ourselves individually as maximally as possible, while participating in a common collective action.

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Medium published my new article “Commemorating the International Men’s Day — Has Manhood Become Obsolete?”

In the past, men were the breadwinners, and often the sole providers. In the twentieth century, and particularly after World War II, things began to change, and today there is much more equality between men and women, at least as far as being the breadwinner goes. The trajectory was leaning toward even more equality, but then Covid broke into our lives and tossed everything into a muddled heap. With offices closing left and right, and people working more and more from home, or losing their jobs altogether, humanity seems poised to embark on the next social revolution: a transition to spiritual connections.

Instead of fighting, men’s work will be more around engagement with each other, meaning forming positive connections rather than combative and competitive relations.

Along with the growing equality, it’s become apparent that men aren’t sure about their role in the family, in relations with partners, and often in life. Women, too, became unsure about the role that men should play in their lives. Men don’t need to hunt anymore, not even metaphorically, meaning provide for the family, and they can’t really protect their families from the storms of the outside world, which has become not only hostile, but also too complicated to handle.

So, if men can’t provide sustenance or protection, does the world really need them? It does, because when material needs are provided, spiritual needs come into play and demand their satisfaction no less than material needs. And when it comes to spiritual matters, each sex has its unique role that only it can do. And because both are required to make society complete in the spiritual sense, men and women are becoming equally important, complete opposites, yet complementary and indispensable.

Instead of fighting, men’s work will be more around engagement with each other, meaning forming positive connections rather than combative and competitive relations. Also, in light of the situation, and in light of the fact that schooling will be done much more at home, men will have to become more active at home, and particularly when it comes to education — both in terms of teaching values, as well as in provision of knowledge and teaching school topics.

When we speak of spirituality, we often imagine yoga postures, meditations, and things of that nature. I am not speaking about that. I am referring more to the spirit of society, the atmosphere in society. Of course, both men and women will play their vital parts in nurturing the spirit of society, but men, who were used to competing with one another, will now have to transform their thinking and learn to support one another in order to bolster the community.

In the end, our happiness depends on the society we live in. If that society fosters solidarity and mutual responsibility, if people feel accountable to their society and wish to contribute to their communities, then people in that society, or community, will be happier, more stable emotionally, and more confident.

Men will have to take an active role in that process, participate in their communities’ activities more than before, and be more involved. The era of measuring success by one’s income or career achievements is quickly ending. We are embarking on a social era, where people are measured by their contribution to society. Especially now, when we see that the main thing that’s broken in the country is the society, the ability to fashion solid communities and societies will become the “hottest” commodity. Accordingly, manhood has to adopt a whole new meaning — more social, collaborative, and uniting.
[274310]

Filed under: New Publications - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What differs freedom from anarchy?“

When we gain a clear understanding and perception of nature’s laws, then we see that everything in nature is predetermined, and that there is no anarchy in nature and in human behavior.

Reaching this understanding requires aiming ourselves at becoming like nature: As human nature is completely self-serving and receives constantly into itself, nature in and of itself is an opposite altruistic and all-giving quality.

By aiming ourselves to become giving like nature, we attract nature’s positive influence, and undergo various changes under its influence. When we discover and feel nature’s force of bestowal within ourselves, we then become able to act by our own free choice and decide for ourselves what forces to activate—bestowal or reception. There is no anarchy in such a process.

Nature functions according to absolute and rigid laws, and it does not accept anarchy.

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Remark: There are several models of behavior in society that were described thousands of years ago. For example, some societies live by the law of “what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours.” This is peculiar to the American dream.

My Comment: This is considered the worst trait—the Sodomite rule. There is nothing worse than this.

This path is vicious, and the Creator (nature) does not agree with it and destroys this movement. If Americans remain at the level of “what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours,” they will simply drive themselves to a dead end.

Even the state of “what is mine is mine and what is yours is mine,” which is considered the condition of a criminal, is much better than this because it does not cancel communication between people: I take from you, you take from me, we are still in some kind of connection.

There is also the state of “what is mine is yours and what is yours is yours,” which is the law of complete bestowal. This is the state of an absolute righteous who does everything for others. He is ready to be a member of a right society and sets a good example for others.

This is what human society should come to in the future.
[273878]
From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 8/21/20

Related Material:
Main Thing—Contact
Should We Come Into Contact With Unpleasant People?
Contact With The Audience

Filed under: Crisis, Education, Globalization - No Comments →

Question: What prevents us from achieving the purpose of life?

Answer: Our egoism, whose main characteristic is laziness.

Question: Is it necessary to discuss the meaning of life and the purpose of life with other people?

Answer: Why shouldn’t one?! After all, our goal is one and in common. There is no secret in it. It should really be discussed everywhere and with everyone.

Question: Should each person’s goal in life be personal or only collective?

Answer: It is personal for the sake of being accommodated to the collective.

Question: How much does my purpose depend on others in a society of those who are searching for it?

Answer: We can and must help one another, otherwise we cannot advance quickly.

Question: Do you agree with the assertion: “The meaning of life is to find the meaning of life”?

Answer: Yes, I do.

Question: What is your purpose in life and have you attained it?

Answer: I am trying to attain it.

Question: What are your plans for the coming year, for the coming month, and for today?

Answer: I am trying to achieve the impossible so that it will be possible.
[272916]
From KabTV’s “Management Skills” 7/2/20

Related Material:
Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 7/24/20, Part 2
Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 7/24/20, Part 1
Blitz Of Kabbalah Tips – 7/2/20

Filed under: Education, Meaning Of Life - No Comments →

Question: I recently learned about the science of Kabbalah, and it seems to me that it does not answer the question of the beginning of creation. You often mention the Big Bang theory, thus supporting the teachings of godless materialistic scientists.

And Kabbalah says that God exists. Based on this logic, it turns out that an aircraft can be produced by blowing up an aircraft factory?

Answer: You are a little confused. First, the Big Bang that took place at the beginning of creation and which is described in the wisdom of Kabbalah is not something that actually existed and later exploded and ceased to exist. It is the penetration of upper energy into the lowest level, the level of our world, and the beginning of its spreading.

Before that, there was no time, motion, or space. One microscopic spark of the upper light that materialized in our world generated a space in which our universe and everything that is in it exists starting from hydrogen, helium, and all the other elements.

Second, the wisdom of Kabbalah tells us how this energy descended through the five upper worlds, from the world of Ein Sof to the last spiritual world called the world of Asiya, and then crossed that barrier between the spiritual world and our world and gave birth to everything that is in it. All this is studied in the science of Kabbalah.
[241011]
From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 11/11/18

Related Material:
A Glance Beyond The Point Of The Big Bang
The Children Of The Universe, Part 4
Back To The Future

Filed under: Structure of the Universe - No Comments →

Remark: According to Baal HaSulam, the specificity of the law of bestowal to society is such that, unlike the law of receiving, negative feedback not only does not come immediately, and does not affect us directly, but indirectly.

My Comment: In the material world, I see that the more I get, the better it is for me. But it is absolutely not clear if it will be better for me if I would give more. On the contrary, it seems to me that it will be worse. That is why, in our world, the law works only one way, toward receiving.

Remark: If I think about society, bestow to people, care about them, then I do not see any benefit from this for myself and, obviously, no encouragement from society. Therefore, as Baal HaSulam writes, as a result of the violation of these two laws, humanity is subject to destruction, both from the inside and outside: hunger, cataclysms, crises, viruses, etc.

My Comment: The thing is, we humans are above all other levels of nature and our negative intentions influence biological, physical, and other phenomena.

In such a way, we affect nature and it becomes aggressive in all its parts, elements, laws, and manifestations. This is what we see in our life, in our world.

But we do not understand our connection with nature, and thus prompt it to such rough, incorrect interactions. We break good ties in nature and instead force it to act incorrectly, not in integral correspondence between its parts, in wrong communication.
[273704]
From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 8/21/20

Related Material:
Can There Be Intention Without Action?
Does Nature Require The Impossible From Us?
Ynet: “What Is The Hidden Law Of Nature?”

Filed under: Crisis, Education, Globalization - No Comments →

New Life 451 – The Jews In The Diaspora
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Both the Jews in the diaspora and the Jews living in Israel have an important role to be a light unto the nations of the world and lead them to the goal of creation. All the Jews in the world need to connect and thus build a head that will lead all of humanity to the revelation of the force of love and bestowal in the world. We will be hated as long as we don’t do this. What ties all Jews together is not where they live, religious rituals, or the past that is waning, but the future that obligates us and our common spiritual goal.
From KabTV’s “New Life 451 – The Jews In The Diaspora,” 11/11/14

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Filed under: New Life - No Comments →