Question: You said that we have a lot of work to do before annulment. What kind of work is it?

Answer: Before annulment, we have the work in preparation where we create a group, study the methodology, etc. But this is still not the beginning of spiritual work.

Spiritual work begins with my practical annulment before the ten when I clearly feel that I must restrict my egoism in order to get closer to my friends.

Moreover, these are not just pretty words. I must clearly feel what I am doing and how close I am to them until our current negative connection becomes positive, when we yearn to replace each other, help each other, and free each other from problems.

And all this will be between us, between our desires and hearts. That is when we can begin to create conditions for the revelation of the Creator.
[292357]
From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/7/22, “Annulling before the Friends” Lesson 2

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How can I see only excellent, superior qualities in all my friends? In an ideal state, I could say that I see an ideal world, ideal people, and ideal friends before me, and only within my egoism do I see shortcomings in my friends, in the world, in the Creator, in everything.

But I gradually adjust myself in such a way as to see the real picture of the world where everything is filled with one Creator—”There is none else besides Him.”

If I want to see the Creator, the upper world, then I can do it only in my corrected properties. And how can I understand, accept, adapt, and improve them? Only to the extent that I raise the group and the friends in my eyes.

All this is within our power and is practically in front of us. This is how we must act. This is a very good calibration, a correct adjustment to the spiritual world. That is why the Creator did it this way. We must try to use it all the time although our egoism will constantly interfere.

Question: What are these higher properties that I am trying to see in my friends?

Answer: They are above yours. They are superior to you in everything.
[292286]
From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/7/22, “Adhering to the Friends” Lesson 3

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why are some people more empathetic than others?“

It depends on the point where each person connects to others and through others to the general force of nature. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, this point is called “the root of the soul.” It is also a point that is predetermined, which we can do nothing about.

The place we can change to become more empathetic is where we can engage in an educational process aimed at building mutual complementarity and integral perception. This, in turn, invokes the general positive force of nature into our lives more and more.

By learning how to develop empathetic attitudes, the ability to feel others, we bring ourselves closer to balance with the general positive force of nature, and would then bear witness to a dramatic improvement of our lives.

Based on KabTV’s “New Life episode 291 – Empathy” on January 19, 2014 with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz.Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: Does love your neighbor as yourself imply that I must first examine how I love myself and then will I be able to love my neighbor and love the Creator? Is this how it works?

Answer: Through aspiring to love your neighbor, you begin to see how much you love not your neighbor, but only yourself. This is where the need arises to correct yourself to such an extent that you treat your neighbor as yourself.

You do not have to explore how you love yourself. This will only bury you in your own egoism. You must try to love your neighbor. To the extent that you make an effort to treat him correctly, you will understand how much you love yourself. That is how it works.

Question: Why is there no difference between working for the Creator or another person? How can this be?

Answer: Because everything that goes beyond human egoism is, as it were, outside of a person. Whether strangers, inanimate, vegetative, and animate objects, or the Creator, all this is outside of us. Therefore, if I feel love for them, sympathy, and a desire to get closer to them, then I do the same regarding the Creator.

Comment: But I think anyone would agree to love the Creator.

My Response: Egoistically,  not for the benefit of another, but for their own benefit. On this, in general, the attitude of a person toward the upper force is built.
[291831]
From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/14/21

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Comment: In one of the video clips about the loss of a loved one, you said that you need to keep on living and accept it, and that you can even feel joy in life despite the fact that a loved one has been lost.

Tanya writes to you: “Having lost a 25-year-old son, can I, as a mother, go on living, enjoying life? For me personally, life is over—I simply exist, there is no joy. Before, all my friends were envious of how joyful I was—always smiling and laughing. It all ended five years ago. I am living and waiting for my time to meet my precious son.”

Answer: I think you shouldn’t live like this. You can try to feel him even now, in the state you are in. It doesn’t matter that you are worlds apart. It means that you have to try to rise above yourself a little, and you will begin to feel that this love of yours and your attitude toward your son brings you to the level where you can feel him. It’s supernatural but, in general, it’s normal. We just have to push the limits of our perception a little.

I would also advise you to try to keep treating people as you did before, and the way you would like to treat your son now. You will see how much it helps you, and how much it realizes your unclaimed maternal love.

You should engage in helping others. This way you will help both yourself and your son, and overcome this barrier that supposedly exists between you.

Question: Are you saying there is no barrier?

Answer: There is no barrier. It is only in your feelings.

Question: If it is given to a person, does it mean that he can, if he wants to, overcome this barrier?

Answer: Undoubtedly, he can.

Question: In other words, are we not given obstacles we cannot overcome?

Answer: Correct. Man is created so that he can reach his highest spiritual development where there are no barriers, and all his desires are positively realized.
[291841]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/25/21

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic: “Faith Above Reason” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Peace”  

Selected Highlights 

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Connection is the greatest means of advancement toward the goal. It is the realization of our correction.

The Creator helps us by giving us desires for connection and awakening movement toward understanding and feeling each other in us. Gradually we are approaching the fact that a great multifaceted world group will be formed, and it is already practically being formed, and it will indeed be able to absorb all the power of the upper light and pass it on through itself to the entire humanity.

This is our task, the form of our connection and work. For this the upper force has gathered us together, leads us, and will continue to lead further.

We need to feel how it leads us forward and what we can do to help it and to become its partners.
[292466]
From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/8/22, “Going with Faith above Reason” Lesson 5

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A person can restrict himself only to the extent that he replaces his desires and intentions with those of the group, with purposeful ones.

Restricting yourself does not mean that you simply block some desire. You must always replace it with something that is higher and more preferable. If it is desirable for you to restrict your egoistic desires, then you will achieve this. Otherwise it cannot be done. Only if the group gives you an understanding that this is the most important thing will you be able to restrict your ego.

Question: Does this law work like this wherever a group is formed?

Answer: This law works to the extent that you want to follow it. Therefore it is said that spirituality is concealed. It is concealed because we have to reveal it with our yearnings.
[292462]
From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/8/22, “Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from the Friends” Lesson 4

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Question: Why is it better and more successful to see the merits of a friend within reason and not above reason?

Answer: Because, in general, it is true. You are trying to raise them above reason in order to artificially rise above your egoism. But then you still come to a state when you reveal everything within reason.

However, we work only above reason at first because we have nothing but egoism. Therefore, we try to jump above it, rise above it, and look at the world with non-egoistic eyes.
[292367]
From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/7/22, “Adhering to the Friends” Lesson 3

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