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“Regrettably, Mediation Will Not Win Us The World’s Heart” (Times Of Israel)

Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Regrettably, Mediation Will Not Win Us the World’s Heart

Over the past several days, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been flying from capital to capital in an attempt to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. He has been making long phone calls with leaders from around the world, and seems to have positioned Israel in unfamiliar territory—the middleman. Israel, the country that is usually the target of criticism and condemnation, and which often uses middlemen to communicate with its enemies, has found itself on the conciliator seat. Unfortunately, even if Bennett succeeds, Israel’s position in the world will not improve since the world does not need us as mediators, but to make peace among ourselves and be a model of internal unity.

Israel has always been a special nation among the nations. Since its inception, its place in the world has been unclear. People did not understand the role or the purpose of the Israeli nation, but they felt that there was a reason for our existence.

As it was in the past, so it is today: The world does not welcome us among them. Nevertheless, both Russia and Ukraine seem to have accepted Bennett’s mediation and at least on the surface, they seem to play ball. For its part, the rest of the world, too, seems quite comfortable with Israel’s unusual position, as the Israeli PM reports to the US, France, and Germany about his efforts and receives their blessings.

However, for all his efforts, Bennett will not make peace between the adversaries. Perhaps he will be able to negotiate an armistice, in the best case scenario, but not peace. To achieve peace, we first need to know what it means.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “peace” as “a state of tranquility or quiet: such as freedom from civil disturbance” or “a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom.” In other words, “peace” means absence of violence or active war. In that sense, if Russia and Ukraine stopped fighting tomorrow, there would be peace between them. But would we be able to rely on such “peace”? Would we even expect it to last? Probably not, and for a good reason: it wouldn’t.

The Hebrew word for “peace” is shalom, from the words shlemut (wholeness) or hashlama (complementarity). Peace, therefore, requires the existence of two opposing and conflicting parties that possess what the other party does not possess, and decide to unite and complement each other’s deficiencies. In this way, the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts because when they are at peace, and complement one another, they both have all the qualities, including the ones that they did not have before they united with their former adversary.

Our sages wrote about it in many places. The book Likutei Etzot (Assorted Counsels), for example, defines “peace” in the following way: “The essence of peace is to connect two opposites. Hence, do not be alarmed if you see a person whose opinion is completely opposite from yours, and you think that you will never be able to make peace with him. Or, when you see two people who are completely opposite to each other, do not say that it is impossible to make peace between them. On the contrary, the essence of peace is to try to make peace between two opposites.”

The Israeli nation was formed when people of numerous tribes and clans united in the spirit of the above motto of mutual complementarity, and engendered a new nation made of all the nations in the ancient world. In a sense, they demonstrated the method by which humanity can achieve world peace.

Because the Jewish people consists of members of all the nations, all the nations feel they have a stake in the Jewish people. And because of our unique role, to demonstrate the method for achieving strong and lasting peace, they feel entitled to criticize us when they feel that we are betraying our calling.

When we make peace within us, we indirectly make peace among all the nations of the world, precisely because we contain them within us and they are our origin. Therefore, if we want to end wars once and for all, we need to carry out the one and only task that the Jewish people has ever been given: to be a model of unity, a light unto nations, and the world will support us in our efforts.
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When Apathy Occurs

222Question: There are periods in a person’s life when he feels a streak of failure and a lack of interest in life, apathy. If you go to a psychologist, he will say that it is depression or a consequence of mental trauma. If you go to some “faith” or “spiritual” healer, he will say that it is an evil eye or a curse. If you turn to a Kabbalist, how would you define such states?

Answer: If we are talking about an ordinary person, then there is nothing to talk about here because he is in captivity of his interests, knowledge, and education.

But if we are talking about a person who wants to understand life and is already trying to get acquainted with the system of nature called the Creator, trying to understand how it controls him, but he can influence it, then here is a completely different interaction of a person with the Creator.

This is a very interesting system when a person reveals how he is interconnected with it and how he can change it and feel differently because of interaction with it. In general, this is a unique opportunity given to us to explore nature, ourselves, the Creator, and the whole world around us.

All Kabbalistic primary sources speak of a person who is in a spiritual search and who wants to comprehend the power of nature, the Creator, who controls him and wants to bring him to a conscious state.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 2/8/22

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We Always Receive What We Need

562.02Question: What can we do with the light that we attract to us?

Answer: The light of correction is what you are asking for. As soon as it comes to you, you immediately begin to understand what to do with it. After all, you raised a request for this force, this understanding, this light, to come to you.

Therefore, just act. You receive according to what you asked for.

In fact, we always receive what we need. Maybe we do not understand our own requests, but at each moment we receive what we need. What is more, we receive only from the Creator, there is no one else besides Him. We just must think about how to use it correctly.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/9/22, “Asking the Creator to Fill the Place Between Us” Lesson 7

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Not Magic But Reality

49.01Question: People have always shown interest in anomalous phenomena and magic. Over the past millennia the understanding of magic has not changed much.

The so-called ordinary sorcerer’s kit includes healing diseases, communication with supernatural objects, telekinesis, and the ability to foresee the future.

How does Kabbalah relate to this? After all, a lot is taken from Kabbalistic sources.

Answer: I do not think much is taken from Kabbalistic sources because there is nothing in Kabbalah that is related to supernatural earthly phenomena. They are only attributed to it.

In fact, Kabbalah does not talk about the supernatural, but about the natural, about what actually happens. However, in order to feel, sense, and influence oneself and others, one must possess certain supernatural abilities, feelings, and powers.

But this is not a miracle because anyone can develop such abilities. Just like a small child who watches what an adult is doing, it seems to the child as a miracle. And when the child grows up, he himself becomes an even greater magician than the one he considered as such in childhood. Therefore, there are no miracles here. There is knowledge and mastery.

Question: Is there a root of sorcery and magic in the spiritual world?

Answer: Again, for someone who understands, knows, and possesses these phenomena, this is not magic or mysticism. For him, it is not even paranormal, but absolutely normal phenomena.

Comment: But, for example, there are people who can move objects. And Kabbalists, as far as I understand, do not know how to do this.

My Response: Kabbalists do not set this as their goal. Their task is completely different: to reveal the Creator. And this can be achieved only by reaching the level of the Creator and not by all sorts of tricks.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 2/1/22

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Protection From The Evil Eye

556Question: How can we protect ourselves from the evil eye, from curses?

Answer: We do so only by good deeds. There is nothing else! Besides this, there are no armors or antidotes to protect a person. Only good deeds can protect us.

Comment: Yet many people seek help from healers and fortune-tellers.

My Response: Sometimes, of course this interests us. There is a certain truth in what they say. But I would not advise it; there is no point.

Since we are all interconnected, we are in the same system and we always unconsciously influence each other with both good and evil deeds, but mostly negatively.

And if we want to influence each other positively, we must do what the wisdom of Kabbalah advises—neutralize our bad inclination and change it to a good one.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 2/1/22

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Become A Useful Member Of Society

600.02Comment: The principle of criminal law provides for the inevitability of punishment. A person should know that if he commits a crime, he will be caught and convicted. And this fear allegedly saves him from misconduct.

My Response: Unfortunately, we always draw the wrong conclusions. Fear does not help and crimes are committed. If the same criminals were to work eight hours every day and after that would spend another six hours a day engaged in spiritual methods, then we would see how it would help.

Not only would it help, it would make them the most useful members of society. By going through their selfish impulses, they would begin to understand what controls them. They would correct themselves, change, and begin to feel why this happened to them. A person in this state is more likely to improve no matter how terrible a criminal he may be.

As soon as such people with great egoism—tough, egotistically directed—begin to encounter a methodology with the revelation of the true higher state, they become the most predisposed to correction. We just treat them the wrong way.

Question: Suppose a person who committed some crime works and studies the Kabbalistic methodology, so he is in the process of being corrected, but is not corrected yet. At this point, should he be isolated or not?

Answer: No. You cannot isolate a person from society. It is created by the social element. It is necessary to put him in the right framework, the right environment, assign him to work and to study so that he is busy there for 15 to 16 hours a day, and leave the rest of the time for sleep and a little for the family. But in no case distort it.

People who have been released from prison, suffer in all their internal systems—biological, physiological, psychological—and are terribly traumatized. Man is not made for this. We see that this does not lead to anything good.
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Presumption of Innocence” 3/10/10

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Spiritual Circumcision (Brit Milah)

294.2Question: What is Brit Milah or circumcision from a spiritual point of view?

Answer: If I achieve correction of my internal states, I reach the state of “skin.” This is the most external part of the body. The body consists of bones, flesh, tendons, and skin. Therefore, when I correct my desires, as we say from the inside out, I gradually reach the state of the correction of the skin.

In the human body there is the outermost foreskin, i.e., extreme selfish desire, which I am not able to correct myself. The only thing I can do with it is to cut it off.

And then everything that remains in me can be corrected, holy, and I throw the foreskin into the sand, into nothingness. This is the part of egoism that I cannot correct. This is why circumcision (Brit Milah) is performed.

Since we are talking about inner desires, I do this through my own will but with the help of the higher force. This is called a contract (covenant).

Question: It turns out that we do not use the last Sefira Malchut. And here, the circumcision of the foreskin takes place in the Sefira Yesod. Why? Does this mean that there are some other desires beside Malchut that we do not use?

Answer: No. We cut off the last phase of the desire, which is on Yesod and is already going outward. Therefore, we have no other desires left.

Question: Why must Brit be performed only on a man? In principle, there is no difference in spirituality. So, should a woman do it too?

Answer: No. Because a man is the bestowing part of humanity and a woman is the receiving part.

Question: But if a woman attains the Creator, can she do it too?

Answer: Yes. Spiritual circumcision occurs for everyone, regardless of gender in our world. In principle, only a person striving for bestowal can do this action.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/28/21

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 3/10/22

Preparation to the Lesson

[media 1] [media 2]

Lesson on the Topic “Winning the War (Against the Evil Inclination)”

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Peace”

[media 5] [media 6]

Selected Highlights

[media 7] [media 8]