Audio Version Of The Blog – 1/24/22

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Above Your Feelings

938.04Going by faith above reason means going above one’s own perception, above one’s own feelings.

I see my friends in their usual way. I have a certain idea about them. But in order to pull myself closer to the Creator, I have to imagine them, not the Creator or myself, but them being on a higher degree and to try to connect with them at the level that I imagine them at. This is called going by faith above reason.

And so it is every time: higher and higher and higher. It does not matter to me what I see. It is written about this: “They have eyes, but they will not see; they have ears but they will not hear.” That is how I imagine them: higher and higher!

I want to be together with them, in adhesion with them, and thus I bring myself to a state where I begin to see the Creator through them! That is all.

Knowledge is what I see and hear, and above knowledge means that I imagine my friends being at a degree higher, better, and purer.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/7/22, “Adhering to the Friends” Lesson 3

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Egoistic Bestowal And Spiritual Bestowal

547.06Why has Russia failed to build a society based on love for others? Could have they done something in a different way for this experiment to be successful?

It is impossible to change history. History is given to us not to learn from and correct ourselves, but so that we understand that it was impossible to do what they tried to do.

They wanted to build egoistic communism. Instead of being directed to benefit the Creator, it was directed only to benefit people.

It is not enough to think only about bestowing to people. Rather, we need true, spiritual bestowal. It means that we must rise to faith above reason and acquire the property of bestowal, which will operate in us instead of the property of reception. However, this can be done only if we implement the method of Kabbalah.

Similarly, kibbutzim were created with the intention of doing better for themselves. The fact is that there is an egoistic intention behind everything. But we are talking about bestowing outside of ourselves. This is what humanity must come to—adhesion with the Creator. Therefore, it is impossible to do this without the wisdom of Kabbalah and all its conditions intended to attract the upper light and for it to influence us.

That is, it is absolutely necessary to study and implement the method of Kabbalah that can attract the upper light, which will change our nature. The light should change our perception of reality so that we would see before us the world we want to bestow to and we would live outside of ourselves.

All forms of communist societies were built on the opposite principle: the desire to isolate themselves, to group together in one camp against all the rest, and become stronger than everyone. This approach is the exact opposite of true bestowal.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/17/22, Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”

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Dissemination Promotes Unification

528.02Question: How can we annul before our friends if the ego pulls us away from unity?

Answer: We should do all kinds of physical exercises in the group: unite, talk, discuss, write, and disseminate.

Dissemination is very important because it promotes unification. If several people engage in dissemination together, then this unites them.

At the same time, the upper light influences them because they are doing something necessary for the Creator. That is how you have to act. Try. It is very important.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/7/22, “Annulling before the Friends” Lesson 2

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A World Filled With The Creator

95We need to imagine a world filled with the Creator’s qualities—bestowal, love, and connection—and in this state interact with each other in the group. The more we express ourselves in such a way in relation to our friends, the faster we will move toward the revelation of the Creator.

And we will always have to imagine the Creator in faith above reason, never in reason itself. He will always reveal Himself to us only from the state of concealment.

Therefore we say that there is a restriction (Tzimtzum), a screen (Masach), and reflected light (Ohr Hozer). We create such conditions in ourselves that even if the Creator were revealed to us, we would not want to openly reveal Him between us and within ourselves.

Only under such conditions can we truly attain Him and are already prepared to reveal Him only in the direction of bestowal.

Therefore we will constantly try to establish a connection in faith above reason and realize it as if the Creator is between us; we want to be like Him in this connection.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/8/22, “Going with Faith above Reason” Lesson 5

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“The Scholar Who Knew The Greatness Of Baal HaSulam” (Linkedin)

My new article on Linkedin “The Scholar Who Knew the Greatness of Baal HaSulam

Of all the people who were not his disciples, and with very few other exceptions, no one has written with greater admiration and appreciation about the work of Baal HaSulam than Prof. Eliezer Schweid, who passed away last week. Rav Yehuda Ashlag became known as Baal HaSulam (author of the Sulam [ladder]) for his Sulam commentary on The Book of Zohar. Schweid, winner of the Israel Prize in Jewish Thought, recognized the greatness of spirit behind the unassuming, scrawny figure who devoted his entire life to trying to save the Jewish people and the world from the impending catastrophes that he predicted they would bring upon themselves through hatred and hubris.

“Rav Yehuda Ashlag, Baal HaSulam, was among the greatest Jewish thinkers of his time. Seeking the truth—for it is the truth—was his life’s mission, his goal, and the manner by which to fulfill his life’s goal. It seems as though for this reason, he was known only to few.

“It is not the difficulty to understand his words that had left him unknown. On the contrary, Baal HaSulam had a rare gift for deciphering secrets and elucidating deep matters. His words are crystal clear, to the point that any reader attains through them the truth he shows by perceiving how it pertains to his life’s experiences.

“As a thinker on a mission, Rav Ashlag strove to become known in order to bring salvation to the world, but he spoke alone, a Jewish man among his oppressed and persecuted people, suffering, tormenting with him and with him, awaiting salvation. He addressed his people directly, as individuals, wherever they were, beyond parties and without a mediation of a party, movement, or specific school. This is why no establishment or institute stood behind him. That was the price that Baal HaSulam paid for his integrity, openness, his freedom of thought, and his bold spirit.

“However, precisely because of all those merits, his words were not enslaved to the shortsightedness of passing ideologies and are as pertinent and convincing today as they were then, and perhaps even more so, since much of what he had predicted came true. His explanations are still valid as a tool to cope with the challenges of the future of humanity, of the Jewish people, and of the State of Israel.”

And may I add: May we merit realizing the teachings of Baal HaSulam.
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Care That All Will Be Happy

962.1Question: The results of the regularly conducted survey “What Worries the World?” have been published. Coronavirus is no longer the main problem that concerns the inhabitants of Earth, it is in third place. It was overtaken by poverty and unemployment.

Poverty and social inequality concern 33%, unemployment – 30%, and the coronavirus – 29%. Then there is corruption, crime, education, climate change, emigration and so on. At the very end,  the content of social programs (Ipsos, “Coronavirus no longer the world’s top worry as it is overtaken by economic concerns”).

What will we come to? What will humanity care about?

Answer: When there is no goal, it is impossible to talk about anything. Each, like a swan, a crayfish, and a pike, pulls in their own direction and that is it.

Comment: However, they say directly that a person wants to be happy.

My Response: That is a separate happiness for everyone.

Question: Will a person’s aspiration for his happiness not lead him to this?

Answer: In doing so, he stumbles upon the desire for the happiness of everyone else. Thus, they pull in different directions.

Question: Should the aspiration be one, common, toward one common goal?

Answer: Yes. Until we come to agreement, none of this will happen.

Question: What is the main problem that should concern people?

Answer: People should be concerned about the question of what they exist for, what the most important thing in their life is, and how to reach this state. After that, I can already talk about the things that prevent or help me to reach this goal.

Question: In your opinion, what should be the goal?

Answer: To be really happy.

Question: What do you mean by the word “happiness”?

Answer: When everyone is happy, everyone is satisfied, everyone is fulfilled, and everyone feels good.

Question: Did you just say not that I would be happy, but everyone would be happy?

Answer: How else can it be? If not everyone is happy, then in the end it threatens me too.

Comment: So, I have to care that all the people of the Earth will be happy.

My Response: Only in this case can I guarantee myself absolute happiness.

Question: In what case will the people of Earth be happy?

Answer: When all of them will think about exactly that, and worry about making everyone happy.

Happiness is to be in absolute harmony with inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human nature.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/8/21

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“What Will Be The Next Major Step In The Evolution Of The Human Species?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: What will be the next major step in the evolution of the human species?

We have been building our society for thousands of years, and have often resorted to fighting, killing and lying to each other in order to get what we thought we wanted.

We have reached a state where we understand that it is better for us, even selfishly, not to kill others because then we have no one to work with. On the contrary, we want others to be dependent on us.

Afterward, we feel that their subordination to us does not give us what we ultimately want. We realize that others also need to develop, so we become concerned with developing different societies around the world.

Instead of fighting and killing each other, we realize that everyone should engage in trade and commerce, as it is written, “go and provide for each other.”

Afterward, international trade, commerce and science start becoming implemented in that system. Why? It is because our goal while we are alive in this world is to become as integrated and interdependent as possible. We currently do not understand this, even though nature is guiding us toward increasing interdependence the more we evolve.

The laws of nature—laws of interconnection and interdependence—guide our development. One way or another, we will reach a state where we will understand that the best way to realize our interdependence is to be like a single family. In a healthily-functioning family, its members benefit and enjoy what each one adds to it.

When we try to become as one family around the world, we will rise to the next level of our evolution. In our current state, we become more and more interdependent, and our ego also increasingly grows at the same time, so we feel our growing interdependence as something terrible. When we learn how to redirect our egoistic desires toward positive connection with others, where we each mutually support, encourage and consider others above self-benefit, then we will start realizing our growing interdependence in a completely new, positive and harmonious way.

Based on the video “Humanity’s Need to Adapt to the Law of Nature” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

Build Your Own Future!

743Question: Why does nature hide information about the future from us?

Answer: One should build his own future and not draw it from various sources and wait. You have to make sure that even the present you are living in now, you build yourself.

There is nothing real in our current existence. Reality is not in the fact that this is the present tense, but in the fact that there is no truth in it at all. Rather, everything is determined only in relation to you.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/21/21

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 1/24/22

Preparation to the Lesson

[media 1] [media 2]

Lesson on the Topic: “Faith Above Reason” 

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy”  

[media 5] [media 6]

Selected Highlights 

[media 7] [media 8]