Audio Version Of The Blog – 5/9/22
Posted on May 9th, 2022
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Baal HaSulam, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence“: Each of the manifold still, vegetative, animate, and speaking in this world has its corresponding part in the world above it, without any difference in its form but only in its substance.
Baal HaSulam writes that there is a law of root and branch; after all, spiritual forces manifest in our world in the form of matter.
Comment: So, when Kabbalists write in their books: “The Land of Israel,” they mean a person’s desire to become similar to the Creator. In our world however, this manifests itself in the form of matter: earth, people living on it, their bodies, and so on.
My Response: But this is on a level that does not exist in us. In principle, we are talking about those qualities that are revealed in people: how can we correct these qualities and to what level, what form we should reach.
Thus, an animal or a rock in this world is a corporeal matter, and its corresponding animal or rock in the higher world is a spiritual matter, occupying no space or time.
In the spiritual world, these are just qualities. That is, a Kabbalist sees spiritual qualities, describes them in his books, and those who have five corporeal sensory organs see them in our world in a materialized form.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/26/22
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Question: It is written in the Torah that Moses was “slow of speech and slow of tongue,” that is, he was tongue-tied. What does it mean?
Answer: Inarticulate speech does not mean problems with speech, but the fact was that it was difficult for Moses to explain the essence of his actions because they seemed completely unreal, wrong, and not from our world to others. After all, you cannot express intention in words, and it will not be clear to other people.
Therefore, everyone who saw what Moses was doing believed that he is not of this world, was acting wrongly and giving them wrong recommendations.
Question: Can we say that it was difficult for him to explain to all the other egoistic desires why it is necessary to leave Egypt because reception is our nature?
Answer: This is correct. First one needs to explain to oneself and then also to others.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/19/22
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Question: Today, outrageous cases where a father abuses a child and the mother helps him in this have become more frequent. Why is this happening?
Answer: This is a result of the growing egoism that outgrows all boundaries, which we do not know how to use.
Throughout the history of humanity, there were even entire cultures whose development resulted in not entirely natural processes. While our egoism was developing in moderation, there were of course all kinds of abnormalities in it, but not as much as now.
Today our egoism has outgrown the border of ordinary earthly society and is beginning to develop upward until we must necessarily correct it spiritually. We have outgrown earthly development.
The current eruptions of egoism already need spiritual correction and this is why we are at such a transitional stage. In the near future, we will have to understand that we need to do something with ourselves, society, family, science, culture, technology, and ecology. But we do not yet know what to do.
We are gradually coming to the conclusion that we have exhausted all our reasonable resources to compensate for our egoism and we cannot work with it as before. We cannot find any compensating forces, intimidation, persuasion, or education for our egoism that will continue to work.
Here, the wisdom of Kabbalah comes to our aid. It reveals to us new forces that can actually be a means of correcting our current egoism and not only correcting it, but bringing it to perfection.
I am sure that in the near future we will reveal this system. People will come to the wisdom of Kabbalah and see that everything is ready within it. Kabbalists have prepared everything for their use and for their benefit: “Please, you can make yourself, your family, and your children happy, make the world ecologically clean and see much more than you see today.”
Question: Were Kabbalists waiting for this moment to reveal their methodology to everyone? Do people now have to realize themselves at this level through all kinds of connections?
Answer: There is no escape because our egoism will force us. It will cause us such suffering with its lack of compensation that we will be forced to find this remedy, and then we will come to Kabbalah.
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up, Siamese Twins” 11/7/10
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Question: Do you personally celebrate Israel’s Independence Day?
Answer: I can feel it. I do not know what this holiday means at all. But I am glad that such an event took place.
Question: Do you have national pride?
Answer: For what? One has to do something to be proud.
Question: What feelings do you have when you look at Israeli society?
Answer: That this is a template for good deeds, but nothing more.
Question: How did your teacher feel about Independence Day?
Answer: He celebrated it within himself.
Question: There are a great number of ceremonies and events on this day. What would you suggest to the organizers?
Answer: To figure out what Independence Day is, what independence is, and how to reach and implement it.
Question: How can we make this day more significant? How can each person personally spend it with meaning?
Answer: To understand why we are given such a state. We have not yet reached independence to celebrate it. On the contrary, we depend on everyone and everything. How can we make ourselves independent? To do this, we must rise above ourselves and get closer to the Creator.
Question: Do you think people are ready for change?
Answer: Perhaps, people are not ready, but the time has come for that.
Question: What kind of future do you see in relations with the Arabs?
Answer: I think everything will end well. We will be able to come to a mutual understanding without bloody wars.
Question: When will Israel actually become independent?
Answer: It will be independent in corporeality once it becomes spiritually independent.
Question: What practical action would you recommend to everyone to come closer to this independence?
Answer: To rise above your egoism and try to get closer to others.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/26/22
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Question: Baal HaSulam writes that the condition for the independence of the state of Israel will be met if the nation becomes the basis for the spiritual development of all humanity. How do you envision it?
Answer: If we strive to be the spiritual center of the world and to show the whole world the quality of bestowal, love, and connection, then we will get the strength to hold ourselves, to support others, and to achieve it so that we will be understood, loved, and respected.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual states” 4/26/22
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Comment: We are used to the phrase, “Israel Independence Day.” We are accustomed to this holiday; we celebrate it. In today’s world, the word “independence” is spoken of everywhere: independence of countries, independent republics, independent press, independent experts. All sides of the conflict and all parties speak about it: right, left, individuals, everyone!
Besides, it is not just a word, but a very important concept in Kabbalah.
My Response: In Kabbalah, this concept is absolutely the opposite of what people, the world, society, countries, and nations understand by it.
What does “independence” mean? From what?
Comment: It is the independence of my boundaries, independence from someone else. I want to live by myself, with my national independence: republican, state, and so on. This means that I am independent so that no one gets to me; I will build my own world. This is called “independence.”
My Response: But this is impossible because in today’s world everyone depends on others. So how can we be independent?
If you are going to be independent, you have to go into the woods and provide for yourself with what you can. You are condemning yourself to terrible conditions.
Question: Can we say it another way, it is so that no one dictates to me how to live? Is it also impossible?
Answer: It is the same thing. No one will dictate anything to you, but how will you provide for yourself? How will you create and preserve this independence? It is completely unclear how this is possible.
Today, in our world, a developing country should be connected with all countries by good mutual ties. Only in this case can it feel comfortable among everyone. Otherwise, it will feel crushed, limited, humiliated, and so on.
Question: In the case it will be on its own?
Answer: Yes, but no one will give it that opportunity. After all, all countries surround each other and want; like wolves in the forest, each one wants to snatch from others as much as they can. This is our normal, egoistic world. It cannot be any different. It was always like that, only we covered ourselves up a little. We did not reveal this enough in our egoism.
Question: Do you think there is no point to demand independence in this world; it does not exist and will not exist?
Answer: We can demand, but so that at the same time we demand it from ourselves! This is the most important thing. If we will observe such conditions that there are good neighborly relations, peace, and mutual assistance between us, which are contrary to our natural, regular quality to receive, conquer, and force to peace.
Comment: If we have unity, then it is against someone. And all this is vicious.
My Response: Of course. Therefore, everything we create is only supposedly for the benefit of ourselves and to the detriment of others. There cannot be one instead of the other.
Kabbalah says that independence is when we rise above our egoism. Independence from our personal egoism, this is what real independence is, and then I only think about others. Among other people, in good relations with others, which I create with all my capabilities, I feel independent.
Question: Are you saying “only about others”? I don’t think about myself at all?
Answer: I will not exist, I am just a consequence. Today I also exist as a consequence of the attitude of everyone else toward me.
Question: Does it mean that I can only think about others, and then the consequence will be the way they treat me, the way I treat them, and so on?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Should my first thought be: “They will treat me well if I treat others well”?
Answer: I do not think this is the nature of a person and our society. Therefore, to say such beautiful phrases: “Do not hit others and they will not hit you,” and so on does not work.
Question: And what you say, does it work? How is it possible in our world that I do not think about myself, but think about others? At the level of a country, for example.
Answer: The thing is, of course, it does not work either. If I treat others well, I will only give them an additional reason to grab me and bite off different pieces from me. Therefore, the entire problem in human society is for it to transform itself from a pack of predators into an organized, mutual, voluntary, kind community.
Question: Do you believe in this fantasy?
Answer: No, I do not believe it by any means, but I say it, because, in principle, this is the only solution. Once we realize that this is the only solution, no matter how fantastic and absolutely impossible, then we will suddenly have the opportunity to implement it.
Question: From where?
Answer: From above. We will be able to receive such a force from nature that will raise us above our egoism, and then this will be realized. I will be above my nature, I will be above my thoughts, I will be above my decisions. How will it happen? It will happen because the second force of nature will be revealed: the quality of bestowal, connection, and love.
Question: Can you guarantee me that? For example, I am a politician or an ordinary person, and I hear you. Can you guarantee me that?
Answer: I can only tell you again in more detail so that you understand that there is no other way. Or we go toward perishing and die in every generation. And in the next generation, they are preparing the same fate for our descendants. Nothing is changing except that the suffering is becoming greater and the possibility of solving them with the help of wars and death is becoming more and more terrible.
Question: Will I, through understanding and feeling this, come to what you say?
Answer: Yes, we will eventually understand. Moreover, this is a very scary decision because we will feel like we are being skinned. Because this is absolutely against me.
However, there is an opportunity to resolve this issue in a kind, peaceful way. It means to study our nature and study the force of nature that can help us change ourselves. Then we will be able to expose ourselves to this kind force of nature, and it will change us from evil little predators to kind big creatures.
Question: Do you think we are getting closer to this recognition that we are vicious little predators?
Answer: We are getting closer. However, so far we are also getting closer to it not in a good way.
But according to the way all kinds of positive and negative forces are being revealed more and more, especially in our generation, we are given the opportunity to talk about it and somehow implement it, that is, there is hope that we will be able to form this system of forces of nature for ourselves, for our understanding, for our knowledge, and to understand how we can balance it and express the good force from it.
I think we can do it. Otherwise, we will still come to this, but in a long, long way, a terrible way of suffering.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/18/22
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My new article on Linkedin “The Freedom to Love”
When your little girl or boy runs around the house, they feel no restraints or limitations. They feel free. Would it not be wonderful if we could be like that throughout our lives? Surprisingly, we can. Your children feel free because they are enveloped by your love. This is what gives them confidence that nothing will happen to them and they can venture anywhere they want and do whatever they please. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be there to keep them from harm.
As we get older, we encounter people who are not our parents and whose love for us is not unconditional, or who are complete strangers and might even seek to harm us. Instinctively, we lose our confidence and lose our joy. Instead, hesitation and suspicion take over.
However, if we were to give each other love the way we were given it when we were little, there would be no reason to stop feeling safe and happy. In other words, if society were to give people the same feeling of love that parents give their children, no one would feel insecure or mistrust toward others when venturing outside one’s home.
No feeling is better than to love someone else. This unique pleasure is the reason that parents love to tend to their children. Love fills the lover even more than it fills the loved one. When love is reciprocated, no bond is stronger than a bond of love.
Our sense of freedom depends on the level of love among us. Particularly now, when the world has become completely interconnected and interdependent, it is essential that we become aware of it.
Because there are so many commitments and obligations between us—some of which we are aware of, and most of which we are not, but they exist nonetheless—it is imperative that we build positive relations between us rather than the existing atmosphere of distrust and hostility.
It is not simple to develop love for others. However, in its absence, we cannot feel free.
In its truest form, love means stepping out of myself, out of my personal desires, and beginning to relate to other people’s desires the same as parents relate to the desires of their children. But when strangers relate that way to one another, it creates an entire society whose members give each other a sense of complete freedom because they all feel loved.
In such a society, we can realize our full potential. When we want to contribute our abilities to the common good, the community, and all of society encourage us to do so, and we feel unbounded support and encouragement from the surroundings. This, in turn, increases our love for the society and our desire to give to it, creating a cycle of giving that empowers each member in the society, and the society as a whole. There is no end to what such a society can achieve.
The spirit of love knows no boundaries. If we nurture it among us, we will feel as safe as a baby in its mother’s bosom, and as free as a bird throughout our lives.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the meaning of attaining spirituality or spiritual satisfaction?“
Attaining spirituality means attaining a new intention that operates for the benefit of others.
Such attainment gives us the ability to feel the world that is outside of us and independent of us. In other words, it lets us feel the Creator. The Creator is a force of bestowal and love, which fills the air, space and everything around us.
Through spiritual attainment, we start feeling the positive field that begets and controls us. We are born and raised as small egoists, opposite to the force of bestowal and love. By nature, we wish to only benefit ourselves at the expense of others and nature, and when we start moving toward spiritual attainment, we start developing ourselves to become more and more like the force of bestowal and love—wishing for the benefit of others and nature.
Spiritual attainment is also called “attainment of adhesion with the Creator,” and it is how we attain an eternal and perfect life. By attaining spirituality, we equalize ourselves with the force of bestowal and love, live in it, and continue doing so for eternity. Our bodies are made only in order to perceive egoistic forces, and when we attain spirituality, equalizing with the force of bestowal and love, we discover that we actually have no bodies.
Based on the video “What Do You Get from Bestowing to Others?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Preparation to the Lesson
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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Vol. 1, Part 2, Chapter 1, Item 1
| [media 3] | [media 4] |
Writings of Rabash, “Concerning Love of Friends – 2”
| [media 5] | [media 6] |
Selected Highlights
| [media 7] | [media 8] |
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