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The Strength Of Unity

931.01Question: What is the connection between Passover and receiving the Torah? Why did the people of Israel receive the Torah on the 50th day after leaving Egypt?

Answer: The fact is that from the exit from egoism (from Egypt) to the ascent to the level of the quality of bestowal, which is necessary to enter into the realization of love thy neighbor as thyself, 50 levels must be passed. These are the 50 days.

There are seven degrees from Bina (the property of bestowal) to Malchut (the property of receiving): Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut. 7 times 7 equals 49. This means that it is necessary to reach these 49 steps.

On the 50th day, it becomes possible to contact the property of Bina (the property of bestowal). Having achieved this property, a person can already receive an instruction called Torah.

Question: Are all these figures: 40 years old, 600,000 men, etc., steps?

Answer: Yes, these are states that you must go through.

Question: Who are the 600,000 men? What are these steps?

Answer: This means the six parts of Zeir Anpin: Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, each of which consists of ten thousand.

It turns out that 60 times 10,000 equals 600,000. When we raise ourselves spiritually, we rise from the level of Malchut to the level of Zeir Anpin, and from the level of Zeir Anpin to the level of Arich Anpin. This is a power of multiplication by a factor of 10,000 . Therefore, it turns out that the capacity of our association is 600,000. All these figures speak only of a qualitative change within a person.

Question: But did such events take place? Did 600,000 men stand at Mount Sinai?

Answer: There were perhaps millions, but only 600,000 were ready to receive the condition of “love thy neighbor.”

Question: But again, is this the number of people or the quality? Is that sort of the strength of those people who were ready to receive the Torah?

Answer: Yes, by uniting with each other, they created such a force.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 6/3/19

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My Thoughts On Twitter 5/17/21

Dr Michael Laitman Twitter

What to do with a nation that no one likes? What kind of nation is this? When will they understand what the world awaits from them? How do we explain to the #Jews and to the whole world that everything depends on the Jews? On #Shavuot, the Torah’s birthday, let’s understand the Torah’s purpose: for us to gain awareness… #torah #israel

Israel’s antiterrorist operation must include, first of all, the unification of the nation of #Israel. This is a strategic response to Islamic #terrorism. The final result of the war depends on it.

Bennet: How many #Jews have to be killed for the world to love us?
Laitman: how many Jews have to be LOVED for the world to love us? This is the meaning of observing the whole.

All the countries are falling apart from the inside, especially the #EU countries. This process will keep exacerbating in order to compel people to fight the #egoism that grows between them!
From Twitter, 5/17/21

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“Coexistence With Arabs? We Can’t Even Exist With One Another!” (Linkedin)

My new article on Linkedin “Coexistence with Arabs? We Can’t Even Exist with One Another!

The current wave of violence has exposed the fact that the coexistence between Arabs and Israelis within Israel was an illusion. There were economic benefits that both sides enjoyed, but the hatred has festered all those years until a trigger set it off. The painful truth that the riots of Arabs in Israel exposed is that they hate us no less than the Palestinians in the West Bank or in Gaza. The numerous lynching attempts, that miraculously have not taken someone’s life, yet, the burning of Jewish homes, synagogues, businesses, cars, the shots fired into people’s homes, and the stoning of cars on highways leave no room for doubt: The days of tolerance are over.

If we want to stop the violence against us, we must rise above our mutual hatred. Our military edge can buy us time, but if we don’t use the time we are given to build brotherly love above all our differences, the time will run out and we will suffer calamity after calamity until we learn that there will be no peace with our enemies until we make peace with one another. But when we achieve this, we will have no enemies.

Yet, anyone who knows the message of our sages, knows that they do not attribute our woes to our oppressors. Our sages do not attribute the ruin of the First Temple to Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon, although he was the one who destroyed it. Instead, they attribute it to us, to how we treated one another. They explain that the bloodshed and slander among us brought upon us the conquest of Nebuchadnezzar.

Similarly, our sages do not blame the Seleucid Empire for the war against the Maccabees. They blame the Hellenists, the Jews who insisted on installing the Greek culture and belief system in Judea.

And most notably, our sages don’t blame the ruin of the Second Temple and the two millennia long exile on the Romans, who did the physical conquering of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple. Rather, they blame it on a single culprit: baseless, unfounded hatred among us, Jews.

This truth has not changed since. We bring our woes upon ourselves. When we hate each other, the nations hate us. When the Talmud, for example, explains the reasons for the ruin of the First Temple, it writes that people would “eat and drink with one another,” yet “stab each other with the swords in their tongues” (Yoma 9b). Moreover, the Talmud further states that “Even though they were close to one another, they were filled with hatred for each other.”

Why do we expect things to be different now? Why do we think that the verbal swords we use against each other today won’t translate into physical knives and guns now? The fact is that this is what is happening. As then, so now.

Therefore, if we want to stop the violence against us, we must rise above our mutual hatred. Our military edge can buy us time, but if we don’t use the time we are given to build brotherly love above all our differences, the time will run out and we will suffer calamity after calamity until we learn that there will be no peace with our enemies until we make peace with one another. But when we achieve this, we will have no enemies.

“What Happens On Shavuot?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: What happens on Shavuot?

On Shavuot, we celebrate the giving of the Torah. It is the day when those called “Israel,” i.e., those who are directed “straight to God” (i.e. “Israel” comes from the words “Yashar Kel” [“straight to God”]), were given the Torah—the method of spiritual development through free will, as opposed to developing under an unconscious program of development by the upper force.

Through such a discovery, the people of Israel became capable of perceiving and sensing the full reality—the upper force of love and bestowal—and themselves within this reality. Instead of taking unconscious steps in the dark, and not knowing what they truly encounter or why, they decide to direct their own desire at the goal of revealing the complete picture of reality, and they themselves make that determination instead of the upper force doing it to them.

On Shavuot, we celebrate our ability to understand, feel and attain the upper force that works within us, and we acquire the ability to identify ourselves with its acts. This upper force, which is also called “the Creator,” “Nature,” and several other names in the wisdom of Kabbalah, operates whether or not we identify with it. However, by attaining how the upper force works on us through developing our own desire for it before the upper force itself awakens such an attitude in us, we express our love for the Creator. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, this is regarded as “freedom from the angel of death.” (The “angel of death” represents the human ego that makes us unconsciously direct ourselves at corporeal fulfillment at the expense of other people and nature.)

We can then express our own view of the purpose of creation and our path to it. While we cannot choose any other purpose or path to it, since they are predetermined, our freedom in such a process is our own participation in it, our own decision, choice and presence to partake in the process. Otherwise, we have no freedom. The upper force gave us a chance to participate freely in creation. It means that we assert ourselves and our independence, which happens to the extent that we identify ourselves with the upper force. This is the true meaning of becoming a human being (“Adam” [“human” in Hebrew], from the words “Domeh le Elyon” [“similar to the most high”]).

Based on the first part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on May 29, 2011, Shamati article 40, “The Giving of the Torah.”
Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

The Attainment Called A Cave

276.02Zohar for All, Chayei Sarah, item 105: When Abraham entered the cave for the first time, he saw a light there, the dust was thrown before him, and two graves were revealed to him. Then a man of his form stood up from his grave, and saw Abraham and laughed. With that, Abraham knew that he was destined to be buried there.

Question: What is the book talking about here? What does it mean “Two graves were revealed to him”? Why was there a need to describe all this in such a way?

Answer: How else can it be described? A person sees that by working on himself and acquiring properties of equivalence of form with the Creator he will be able to reach a state where he will transform himself into the property of bestowal and love and his current egoism will become opposite to its present state.

Then he, with all his corrected properties—since nothing uncorrected will remain in him—will fully exist in the upper world. This is what he discovers in the cave.

The Book of Zohar speaks of this allegorically. It speaks about the attainment called a cave.

Question: Does it mean that he saw Adam, from the word “Domeh”(similar), and was happy that he would become like him, similar to the Creator?

Answer: That is right. He attained his root and saw that it is in the common root of all existing ones because Adam is our common spiritual ancestor.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/23/21

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The War Of Gog And Magog, Part 2

608.01“I Shall bring You Upon My Land”

Question: In the Book of Prophets, Ezekiel, 38:14-16, it is written: “Therefore, prophesy, O son of man, and say to Gog, So said the Lord God: Surely on that day, when My people dwells securely, you will know. And you will come from your place, from the utmost north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding horses; a great assembly and a mighty army. And you will ascend upon My people Israel like a cloud to cover the earth; at the end of days it will be, and I shall bring you upon My land in order that the nations recognize Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog.”

It turns out that the Creator says: “I shall bring you.” What does it mean?

Answer: The point is that the Creator’s power is above all. It alone rules all other forces in the world, which can be divided into positive and negative, plus and minus, i.e., standing in opposition to each other at any level.

By moving these two opposite forces against each other, the upper force develops them. Only when they are in conflict, at war with each other, can they develop correctly.

And then we can say that there is war between Gog and Magog. In fact, it is going on constantly throughout history, throughout all our development, every second, every moment, but we attribute the war of Gog and Magog to the level when it arises between the main, most majestic forces of nature.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/30/21

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You Must Listen Only To Yourself

621Most people stop looking when they find the proverbial needle in the haystack. I would continue looking to see if there were other needles.
(Albert Einstein)

Comment: Einstein is reputed to have said that in reply to being asked how his intelligence differed from others’ intelligence.

My Response: In general, this is true. But who is capable of it? Immediately there are disappointments, repetitions. Nothing shines ahead and there are a lot of critics who disagree with you.

Question: Is that when you look for the first needle in a haystack?

Answer: And even if you found this needle, then what? They can only laugh at you even more; there is something to cling to. A huge number of problems arise for humanity on this path.

The main thing, I think, is not to pay attention to anyone, neither critics nor praisers. You have to check within yourself. Your heart says that this is the right way, go ahead.

Otherwise, nothing will work out! Otherwise, you will simply follow others. If you want to go on your own… I am not saying to go ahead with a torch and illuminate the path for humanity, no! If you want to go your own way, you just have to go. And there can be no obstacles in your way! That is how I go and that’s it. I am not forcing you. You check for yourself.

Question: What is stopping us?

Answer: We are stopped by public opinion. That is the problem.

Comment: There is terrible, destructive criticism!

My Response: It doesn’t matter! Let them talk. I am the way I am.

Comment: And there are logical proofs that this is the wrong way.

My Response: Wrong way, so what? So I am wrong. Do I have the right to make a mistake? I do. Let me be wrong. Half the people are wrong. Let’s say half. You know that is an understatement. Well, I am wrong. But I check with myself all the time: “I go the way I want to go, and I do not listen to anyone?” Then this is the right way.

Question: What is this inner torch that leads?

Answer: I feel that I cannot do otherwise. I cannot! I can, of course, force myself, turn away, get carried away, do something, and in a few years I will still come to the same thing. I have to discover myself! So I can open this path so that I can achieve my spiritual growth, my spiritual goal. And what is it like, I don’t know.

Question: But, one way or another, is this already a spiritual path?

Answer: The spiritual path. And it is always only spiritual. What else is there for a person in this world? What other development? Only to develop your soul or your inner desire. I strive to hear myself and that’s it.

Question: And if frustration comes at some point?

Answer: It is always there. So what? But this is my way!

Question: And if you realize that it is a mistake, what then?

Answer: Also my way. All, all this is my way! And let no one and nothing sneak into it! Let me make my own mistakes! Do not disturb me! And then what I am done with, I am done with. It is mine! I am guilty or I deserve it, but it is me.

Do not look at others! Never! You have a different soul, you cannot be like them, and they cannot be like you. So pay less attention to everyone. Would Einstein have done something if he had looked at others? It is impossible! Just listen to yourself. Even if I am wrong, it is me.

Question: And if we apply this to the everyday, common person?

Answer: What does ordinary mean? Everyone can be different. Let him listen to himself, hear himself. That is how I can, this is how I want, that is how I think, not in spite of others, but it comes from inside me.

This is my “I” that must be pulled out of me. And you will feel, even in mistakes, very comfortable with it.

Just close your eyes and you are all alone! But you are with yourself, you are not running away from yourself. That is all.

Question: That is the way to live?

Answer: Yes. That is my advice. Then, in order to implement it, you have to create a special environment for yourself, and so on. But still, you are alone.

Comment: That is, if I felt, “this is mine,” then I have to grab onto it and that’s it.

My Response: I implement it.

Comment: And that is the way I go. And along the way there will be squalls, seventh waves…

My Response: It does not matter, I will be even closer to myself.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/8/21

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How Can Volcanoes Be Extinguished?

738Comment: In Italy, four craters of Mount Etna have awoken and also volcanoes on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, Mount Sinabung, and in the northern Kuril Islands, Mount Ebeko, and before that, the Kamchatka giant, Klyuchevskoi, woke up. Now four volcanoes are carrying ash into the atmosphere at once.

There is a danger of a volcanic eruption in the heart of Europe, in Germany, in the area of the volcanic fields of Eifel. This would stop almost all of Europe.

They say that if one volcano starts really becoming active, then immediately the chain joins. And there are 20 large, giant volcanoes in total.

We dream about something, we quarrel, we play war games, countries argue with each other. And suddenly the eruption of only one volcano or several volcanoes, and that’s it! That is, we are nothing on the surface of the Earth! And no one can predict when this volcano will explode!

If humanity felt this, would it change?

My Response: No! Why would it change?

Comment: You begin to feel that everything you do is such a small thing, and you need to somehow have time to do something good, to have time to love.

My Response: Why? If not this time, then the next time when the volcanoes erupt into the sky, everything will disappear. Between these two “puffs” in the atmosphere to have time for something? For what?! Sit, drink beer, calmly wait for what will happen to happen. And that’s it.

Comment: This is one of the positions. But even this position would end an active nuclear race, the active hatred of each other. Let them sit aloof. Maybe it would be even better.

My Response: Or we advance to the goal of creation, as Kabbalah says, in a serious way. And then, of course, every second is precious to us because we write ourselves in eternity! Or what difference does it make what happens and when it happens?

Therefore live quietly, drink beer, sit and watch TV shows, football. When one of these volcanoes or all of them together puff up their smoke, then that’s it, the shop will close. In the meantime, try to do what you can to raise your soul.

And what else is left?! There is nothing else! Only these two options.

Question: Does the fact that these volcanoes constantly remind us that there may be a catastrophe mean anything? Does nature speak to us?

Answer: This suggests that we find the reason for our behavior and the behavior of nature. We have to find the reason for all this. And then we will understand that everything depends on us, that we need to deal with ourselves in this way in order to calm the volcanoes.

It all depends on us! You can calm the volcanoes at once. But only together.

When we will be all squeezed into such a fiery circle, then maybe people will hear. Let’s think well of each other and of all nature. Let us restore order, balance between ourselves, and balance between ourselves and nature. Let’s decide how to do it. We’ll have time for everything, we can solve everything. Just let’s move in this direction so that everything between us and between us and nature is as smooth as water.

Question: So you are saying that this is how nature’s dialogue with man takes place?

Answer: Of course! But this is not yet a dialogue, but a monologue.

Question: So we have not yet entered into a dialogue with nature?

Answer: No. But it expects this.

Question: And so the volcanoes just puff up, and don’t immediately burn us?

Answer: Yes. It is very interesting how nature plays with us. There are so many such mysterious, unpredictable, and threatening phenomena of nature that it simply puts in front of itself.

Question: How do we enter into a dialogue with it?

Answer: Start balancing our relations.

We must realize, understand, and accept, even if we do not understand, then accept that we are at the highest stage of nature. If we create the right relationship between ourselves, without jerks, distortions, without hatred, without anything, so that we are just comfortable, pleasant, and calm, then all nature will calm down beneath us. And that’s it.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/29/2021

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The Mystery Of The Unification Of The Masculine And Feminine, Part 10

608.01Ascending Above Bodies

Question: Today the masculine part in a woman is salient and the feminine part in men is more prominent. Is there a reason for that?

Answer: We are in a process, in a period of transition, but we will eventually begin to understand how we should get closer to each other in order to reveal the Creator.

By the revelation of the Creator we mean to our next level of existence in which we ascend above our bodies and begin to exist in a volume our corporeal life and death have nothing to do with. We begin to exist in a soul.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 3/3/19

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