Audio Version Of The Blog – 10/13/21
Posted on October 13th, 2021
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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 10/2/21
For many years, students and friends have been asking me to tell them the story of my time with my teacher, RABASH. For many years, I felt that there was no need for it, that times were different and things work differently today.
But through my conversations with Semion Vinokur, many of the stories percolated to the surface nonetheless. Semion, who really feels me, managed to put them down on paper in his unique and captivating style, and all of a sudden, there was a book.
The book, which was titled Always with Me, begins with my childhood questions and my years as a young man. But these are but the prelude. The bulk of the text tells the story of my years with RABASH: how I found him, how I became his disciple, his assistant, and why I am committed to passing on his message of love for all of humanity.
Today’s Kabbalah students learn very differently from the way I learned with him. However, every student goes through a very similar internal process and can sympathize with the experiences described here.
Since times are different now, I cannot teach my students the way RABASH taught me. Although the way is slightly different, attaining spirituality still requires and will always require dedication and devotion to the goal.
RABASH passed away in 1991, but he will never pass away from my heart or from my mind. When I teach, he is always with me. When I rise in the wee hours to prepare for the next morning lesson, he is the one who guides my heart. When I speak with world leaders or with scientists, it is his legacy that guides my thoughts and words.
I hope that when you read the stories, you will get a taste of the greatness of the man who has made Kabbalah approachable to every person on this planet. RABASH’s teachings are a gift to humanity, and I do my utmost to see that everyone enjoys it.
What I have become, I have become thanks to him, because indeed, he is always with me.
And finally, a word of gratitude to Irina Rudnev and Mark Berelekhis for their meticulous translation into English.
Get a copy on Amazon:
My new article on Linkedin “Polluting the Field We Live In”
October 13, is the UN’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This year, there have already been more disasters than we can count. Moreover, they have affected the entire world, not just third world countries or other disaster-prone areas, but every continent and virtually every country. Fires, floods, storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and one wayward virus, we’ve had the lot, and the year is far from over. Tomorrow, the UN will discuss what we can do to prevent these disasters, but it will not talk about what causes them: we, people, who pollute all of reality with our foul thoughts and intentions.
For some reason, it escapes our awareness that the multiple disasters we have experienced and are continuing to experience have a common origin. We already know that everything in reality is connected, and everything affects everything else. We also know that the only deliberate ill-will exists in humans. Why, then, is it so hard for us to see that this one inherently negative element is the origin of all that is negative in our world?
We exist in one cosmic force field, which has created the material world by connecting elements in increasingly complex compositions. Yet, of all its creations, only one has consciousness, a purpose in its actions that goes beyond the satisfaction of immediate and essential needs for survival: man.
Through our intentions for wealth, glory, and power, we have developed technology, social structures, art, religion, or in a word: civilization. However, we have created such a self-centered civilization that it is beginning to implode. Unless we begin to synchronize our intentions with the field that has created and sustains us, we will not survive. Just as the field connects everything, so must we connect. Unless we change our nature from self-serving to caring and inclusive, we will be ejected from this reality, as has happened to every element that did not coincide with the laws of creation.
It may seem as though we must go through a painful process of relinquishment of pleasures in order to coincide with nature, but this is an illusion. We will not relinquish anything; we will gain knowledge, power, understanding, security, and emotional support from everyone. We will live in a society where people care for one another.
It is truly a different world from the one we know today. If it seems as though the new world is foreboding, it is only the depiction of our ego, which refuses to relinquish its sovereignty over our minds. But for our sake, we should let it go.
If we support each other in this process, we will be able to transform our attitude. As a result, our entire reality will change and we will save ourselves and our planet. If we’re looking for a way to reduce, and even prevent disasters, this is the only way there is.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why does God allow suffering?“
The world is full of suffering and we cannot justify murder, theft, or any kind of affliction of pain on people.
However, when we feel that our pain and suffering in this world can lead us to a correction, i.e. to the acceptance of justice, and to the sensation of joy and healing, then we start justifying pain and suffering. In general, we fail to understand that pain and suffering comes not as a response to sins or transgressions we seemingly conduct in the world.
Pain and suffering emerges for a single purpose only: to make us seek its reason and purpose. Blows act as a stick that prods us from behind in order to make us eventually seek a greater meaning and purpose to life.
The problem is that we fail to understand why we should be beaten and the blows might be very serious. There is so much pain and suffering in the world that appears to be simply unfair and unjustifiable. Nonetheless, pain and suffering accumulate to a single desire that makes us wiser: the beginning of the awareness that we were created to carry out a certain mission.
In fact, feelings of unjust pain and suffering, and the lack of understanding of why so much seemingly meaningless suffering occurs, which invokes questions about its causes—is precisely why it occurs.
Pain and suffering leaves us with a question mark, which ultimately directs us to the search for the true cause of the pain and suffering. We find that true cause when we eventually switch from the search for the meaning of suffering to the search for the meaning of life.
However, we generally have no clue that pain and suffering is for us to seek out its root causes, but nonetheless, that is the only reason we suffer.
Based on the lesson “How to Choose a Path of No Suffering?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, on January 3, 2016. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash.
My new article on Linkedin “The Impact of the Media on Us – a Depressing Story”
An extensive survey concerning depression released by the Oxford University research center Our World in Data shows that depression is a very complicated condition. According to the editors of the survey, “people with depression experience different symptoms, with different levels of severity, at different times in their lives, with episodes that last different lengths of time.” Worse yet, even people who are not diagnosed with depression suffer from symptoms of depression. Still worse, the survey found that depression is an umbrella condition that contains subtypes, and that in general, more people suffer from depression or its symptoms than those who do not.
While the survey is important in that it illustrates the pervasiveness of depression, it does not answer, or even attempt to answer the most important question: Why is there depression?
The more we develop from generation to generation, the more we get to know the world we live in and the pressures it puts on us. As a result, we are becoming depressed. For its part, the media, which could have portrayed a balanced picture of the world, chooses instead to exacerbate our depression by emphasizing the negative and distressing in the world. By exploiting our weakness and vulnerability, they are deepening our depression.
The bad news that media outlets constantly present is not the only news worth knowing. Moreover, if all that they present is malice, violence, and fraudulence, without offering any solutions to these social ailments, what hope do they leave for the viewers? They are educating us to hate, distrust, and isolate ourselves from others. Is it a wonder that in such a state we are depressed?
The media, through all its channels, is humanity’s primary educator. It molds us and shapes us however it wishes by showing us or hiding from us whatever it chooses according to its interests. Therefore, what is happening in humanity today is first and foremost a direct result of the actions of the media.
We should not delude ourselves. The news we see, the stories we read and watch, and the information that percolates into our phones and computers are all monitored and manipulated to make us feel miserable, and helpless. By doing so, the media tighten their grip on us, and this is what they really want.
When we are depressed, we buy more stuff in order to compensate for our dejection. When we are depressed, we take medications, drugs, and do things to alleviate the gloom. These actions that we take bring them a lot of money, a lot of power, and make us dependent on them, which is what they want.
People can be happy only when they are hopeful. If they know that tomorrow will be better than today, that their children will have a better, easier, wealthier, healthier life than theirs, then they have reasons for optimism and joy.
Regrettably, the media reflects our nature, our egotistical disposition, as it is written, “The inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21). As long as we are wicked from within, we will not create media channels that give us hope.
Since we are rotten from within, since we want power, money, and all the things we blame on the media, then even if we ruined them and built new media channels instead, they would end up being the same as the ones we have today. In the end, it is not their fault that they are like that; they only reflect our inner selves.
To really change the media, we must change ourselves. We must create alternative educational channels that will create hope by encouraging care and mutual responsibility, and will strengthen our communities.
If we foster cohesion and solidarity within our communities and towns, we will be able to offset the negative influence of the media and change ourselves from within. If we change, the media will have no choice but to follow suit. After all, they are dependent on our views no less than we are influenced by their messages. If the messages we are willing to absorb are positive ones, these are the messages they will show us, these are the news we will receive on our devices, and as a result, all of reality will change for the better.
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My new article on Linkedin “The Day Israel Disappears”
On the day Palestine is liberated and Israel is destroyed, Jews and IDF soldiers will be executed, peace activists will be able to safely leave, and the technological experts and brilliant minds will be forced to stay here for some time to provide support.
These are some of the conclusions about the planned fate of the Jewish state reached during the “Promise of the Hereafter” conference recently held by the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip.
One can roll one’s eyes at yet another announcement foretelling the disappearance of Israel in the coming years, but if one examines the area, almost everything is prepared and ready to enact this plan. There are Arab representatives in Israel in key positions, they receive large sums of money, they are armed and full of manpower and they are surrounded by support from all Arab countries. So why should such a disturbing event not occur in the future?
We do not exist in the land of Israel only by virtue of our security forces, but mainly by Supreme grace. Our very contempt for this fact and our unwillingness to acknowledge it and behave accordingly cause us to gradually lose the spiritual umbrella that protects us.
I do not think Hamas’ descriptions of nightmares for the people of Israel will occur as they describe, but it is important to be alert and to recognize that the situation is unstable and that there is always a chance that we will degenerate into such a dangerous situation.
The enemy’s plan is very detailed: from transitional laws—through the transfer of real estate to them—to military, legal and security laws. While they envision a new state—and as we know, nothing stands in the way of desire—our Jewish vision is fading.
Every day that passes during which we do not engage in a serious plan of heartfelt bonding between us, overcoming all the alienation and resentment between us towards a more complete unity, causes us to lose our strength. Every day that we do not act and try vigorously to discover the Supreme Force—the power of giving and love—causes us to lose our truth.
At the same time as our settlement in the land of Israel and, alongside of it, our intensive focus on its security, we must pay attention to the nation’s spirit as a single unit because without it, we will not survive here for long. The separation between us breaks that spirit which then transforms into negative forces that threaten us through our enemies.
We need to build a spiritual home from our hearts, to live as one man in one heart. Our intention must be too giving to the Supreme Force—to the power of connection—a space within our common heart to dwell among us and between us. Only in this way can we ensure our future existence in the land of Israel. This spirit of mutual responsibility and love that awakens in us will be the cause of our success. Therefore, we must hasten steps towards building a correct, strong, spiritual Israel—a land inhabited by people who are emotionally connected to one another and to their Upper Root.
Foremost kabbalist Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) has already warned that “Israel must present something new to the nations. This is what they expect from the return of Israel to the land! …Justice, and peace. And this wisdom is attributed to us alone. If this return is canceled, Zionism will be canceled altogether…And its residents are destined to endure much suffering. Undoubtedly, either they or their children will gradually leave the country, and only an insignificant number will remain, which will ultimately be swallowed among the Arabs.” (“The Writings of the Last Generation.”)
Such an internal connection as the common heart we must build will attract everyone to it and expand circles of positive influence throughout the world. Thus, gradually the rest of the nations of the world will join us. On that day, there will be no Arabs and Jews but rather, one people. There will be no Israel or Palestine, but one humanity with one prayer to the one Supreme Force, the power of influence and love, as it is written: “For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7)
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My new article on Linkedin “The Just Protest of the Medical Residents Will Not Heal Healthcare”
The struggle of medical interns and resident physicians to shorten their absurdly long shifts has been going on for more than a decade. While no person is expected to maintain clarity for more than eight hours on the job, residents and interns, who are entrusted with saving our lives and the lives of our loved ones, are expected to somehow stay sharp and alert for 26 hours straight. And not just once, but throughout their training, which typically lasts four or more years. Such working conditions are a disgrace to the State, which requires them of all medical students on their way to becoming certified doctors, and testifies to the level of our indifference toward each other.
Such conditions are not new, nor are they specific to Israel. Being the son of two doctors, I remember that both my parents were absent for many hours even when I was as young as five years old. I remember my mother cooking food to last for two days, putting it in the stove on a very low temperature to keep it lukewarm, and leaving the house for a 36 hour shift at the hospital. At five years old, I would serve myself dinner, being the only person in the house.
There clearly needs to be a major reform here, and not just for medical residents and interns, but throughout the system. While we cannot stop medical services, it is simply unjust to demand such shifts from doctors, and unrealistic to expect them to do their job well after that many hours on the job. And we need them to do their job well.
When I say that the solution must be system-wide, I am not referring only to the health care system. The reform must encompass every aspect of our lives. Currently, everything is motivated by money. As the song says, “Money makes the world go ‘round”; this is why our world looks pathetic.
Countries spend enormous amounts of money on medicine, but look where it is getting us. Worldwide, the only area where we spend more taxpayers’ money than medicine is arms. Yet, despite the titanic budgets, public health care is sinking.
Again, it is not only in health care. The same phenomenon is evident in education, welfare, and everywhere else.
The problem lies in our basic motivation. Instead of money, we must establish a care-based society.
Unless we initiate an educational process that teaches people how interdependent we are, we will become so noxious toward each other that human society will disintegrate, at a colossal cost to all of us. If we feel that we are dependent on each other, we will develop care for one another. Even without natural kinship, such as among siblings, the realization that our well-being depends on the well-being of everyone else will make us work for the sake of others. And if we work for the sake of others, we will begin to warm up to them, and from there it will not be long before we become genuinely caring for each other.
A student of mine, who works for a large healthcare organization in Israel, told me that he is permitted to dedicate up to ten minutes per patient. In those ten minutes, even with new patients, he must get to know the person, diagnose the problem, and prescribe drugs or refer to further treatment. This isn’t health care; it’s an assembly line. This is what happens when the motivation isn’t others’ well-being but money, and it characterizes our entire society.
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Build the Creator Between Us
Baal HaSulam, “Peace in The World”: That is, truth necessitates us to equalize all the individuals in the collective, to receive their share according to their labor, no more and no less. And this is the one true basis, which cannot be doubted, for it is certain that anyone who wishes to enjoy the labor of his friend, his acts are against the above-mentioned reason and clear truth.
The category truth states that I cannot receive more than I give or give more than I receive. There should be a law of universal balance between everyone without exception. It depends on the individual properties of each person, on the amount of his efforts, and the state he is in. Maybe one got a little sick, or a person had some issues, etc.
That is, the category of truth is not universal. It is not something written in stone that can be calibrated as in some device and used consistently.
In the same way, there are a huge number of organs in our body that are constantly in dynamic balance. They must balance each other out or the body will be constantly out of balance and a person will not feel well. This condition is called a disease when organs cannot maintain the overall internal balance of the body.
Therefore, the categories of mercy, truth, justice, and peace are designed to give us the understanding of how we can balance ourselves so that our soul will start being manifested and exist on its own. Otherwise, it will simply not exist.
We must unite with each other and then our correct connection will give us what is called a soul. In it, we will reveal the life of the organism called the Creator, which we will build between ourselves.
Question: So, we must become an active part of managing the whole system?
Answer: Not just to become an active part of the system but to create it. The Creator says: “You have made Me.” It was not the Creator who created man, but man who created the Creator!
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 7/28/19
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The Four Attributes Of Upper Governance, Part 5
The Four Attributes Of Upper Governance, Part 4
Question: In our world, if someone looks back at you, you feel it because there is power in the gaze that comes from one’s eyes. What is this force?
Answer: A person emanates strength with every organ of his body but especially with his eyes. With the help of a glance, we can control and influence animals and people around us. “The evil eye” is not said in vain.
Question: Belief in the evil eye is one of the most common phenomena. What is your attitude toward it and can you give advice on how to protect yourself?
Answer: Undoubtedly the evil eye exists. I talked about this with Rabash and he said the same thing. How to protect yourself? Only by good deeds. No one can harm a person if he is truly kind to others.
Question: Why is it so hard and unpleasant to look a person in the eye?
Answer: You cannot look someone in the eye for a long time because it demands you to clearly express yourself in relation to him. And nobody wants that.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 9/10/21
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The Evil Eye Is The Power Of Thought
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A Glance At Short-Term Perspective
And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and they did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar: ‘for it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.’ (Prophets, Joshua, 22:33; 22:34)
Question: The two and a half tribes that went over the Jordan will later depart from the people and be the first to go into exile. Is it possible to foresee in advance where unity will be violated?
Answer: Of course: in the advancement toward the goal. What is happening in Israeli society today is an absolute disintegration because there is no advancement toward a single goal. Liberalism or so-called freedom is deadly for any nation, especially for the Jewish people.
Question: Was it possible to foresee in advance that this would happen?
Answer: Undoubtedly. You can say as much as you like that to have a lot of trends in society is contemporary, it is a sign of a developed society, and this is how it should be. However, this is not a developed society, but a developed, uncorrected, decaying egoism, and any of its actions divides the people into parts.
Question: Does it mean that when we just started building the country, it was already possible to say that this would be the case?
Answer: This country was created on the basis of war, and is governed only by war, including the war with each other. All members of the government are thinking about how to push each other aside. If it were not for the help from above, our country would have been gone for a long time.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 8/23/21
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Expanding The Point Of Unity
The Strength Of Unity
A Person’s Essential Work
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