Question: Japan is one of the most developed countries in terms of the pace of technology and computerization. They developed so quickly in relation to other peoples that there were even theories about an extraterrestrial origin of this civilization. Why did this happen?

Answer: I think it is precisely because they were not hindered by the previous stages of development. They jumped from the ancient natural way of life to a new way of life. They did not need to process this information and all sorts of changes. They just went from one state to another.

Their worldview, perception of the world, inner steadfastness, and inner attitude that a person can suffer, sacrifice himself, must rise above himself, and that those who do not think about themselves are respected, all these external motives and their religion helps them. To this can be added their distance from the whole world, the feeling of living on an island.

I was in Japan and felt it very strongly although I visited it in the 21st century after they had achieved all the technological innovations. But it still felt like you were in another world.

Of course, this is not an extraterrestrial civilization. It’s just the character of people who developed together with the belief that a person should rise up, go deep into himself, and unite with nature.

Nature itself forces them to be closer to it because of constant earthquakes, tsunamis, and all kinds of problems; all this has made them.

Moreover, their serious rules of life are still very strong in society. The usual human egoism is hidden inside naturally anyway. But it was in a preliminary state of its development, not fiercely egoistic like it was after the Greek, Roman, and Western civilizations in our world.

The combination of underdeveloped egoism with its suppression, along with a huge methodology of external conventions, led them to a state where they received such a system of relationships, such instructions, and such rigid principles from childhood that they did not even have any opportunities to change their paradigm.

We see that the isolation of this people, their religion, and the corresponding family and social charters have led them to become like this. But it collapses very quickly.
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Branch of Sakura” 5/15/11

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Preparation to the Lesson

Shamati #135 “Concerning Fear that Sometimes Comes Upon A Person” Shamati #221 “Multiple Authorities”

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Study of the Ten Sefirot, Vol. 1, Part 3,” Chapter 7, Item 1

Selected Highlights

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My new article on Linkedin “The Appeal of Evil”

Following the rise in terrorist acts and violent crimes in Israel and the world over, the Israeli newspaper Ynet published an in-depth analysis on the topic of human brutality. The analysis tried to understand what causes certain people to become particularly evil, and if humanity can defeat the spreading cruelty within it. The interviewees in the analysis pointed out many factors that may cause people to become brutal. Brain structure, hormones, the mother’s nutrition during pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse were some of the physiological factors, while abuse, neglect, and growing up in a violent environment were among the social and emotional factors.

What was absent in the story, however, was the exponential growth in human self-centeredness, which has already come to the attention of many researchers, and which is the root cause of all forms of malice.

Self-centeredness, or narcissism, as social scientists refer to it, is the culprit behind the increasing level of cruelty in society. It is growing exponentially and is the reason for all the negative phenomena that have been intensifying in recent decades. Violence and cruelty are certainly the more painful symptoms, but financial crises, reckless depletion of natural resources, and the economic wars that have escalated around the world are also offshoots of the reckless selfishness that is intensifying by the day.

Everything has some level of selfishness. Every organism takes what it needs without regard for others’ needs. When all those self-centered desires clash with one another, they balance each other out and the result is that everyone gets what they need, and there is enough for everyone. In that state, the clashes between species keep them strong and healthy.

The problem begins with people. We cannot settle for taking only what we need. We constantly compare ourselves to others. We do not look at what we need, but at what others have, and we feel that we must have more than they do. As a result, we cannot be satisfied until we have more than everyone else.

Because we are compulsive competitors and incorrigibly jealous, we are growing increasingly avaricious. And as the world becomes more and more connected, we find more and more people to envy, until we feel that we must surpass all the people in the world. Eventually, we come to enjoy not only surpassing everyone, but humiliating everyone, degrading them, and hurting them, and we enjoy seeing them suffer.

Certainly, not everyone is like that. Very few among us have reached such levels of narcissism, but this is the trend. To varying degrees, we are all like that, and the trajectory of human development will make more and more people become pathologically selfish, with all its consequences.

Worse yet, the more violence becomes commonplace, the more people will become violent. And the more cruelty becomes acceptable, as is the case in a violent and abusive society, the more people will become cruel and abusive.

In the analysis, Prof. of History Gideon Graif said that evil is often simply more attractive. As a researcher of brutality during the Holocaust, he reached the conclusion that not all the Germans were sadistic, but many of them became so in the atmosphere that surrounded them in the death camps. In fact, he says, they may have even competed at being the cruelest.

Since the Holocaust, many experiments (such as The Stanford Prison Experiment) have shown that under certain circumstances, even the most normative person can become sadistic and abusive. Since we always compare ourselves to the environment, we have no choice in the matter; we are compelled to become a reflection of our social environment. If the environment is sadistic, we, too, will become that, and we will not feel that we are doing anything wrong; we will have no remorse and we will feel no need to justify our actions. On the contrary, we will feel that we are doing the right thing.

If we want to reverse the trend of growing violence, abusiveness, and alienation in society, we must begin to change the norms that we regard as acceptable. Since we are compelled to compare ourselves to others, we should see that our role models are conscientious people. If we want to decrease the level of alienation, we must give public accolades to those who excel in bringing people together, who increase solidarity in society, who exemplify supportive and positive relationships. When we show positive, non-violent role models, we will have a positive, non-violent society, and not a day sooner.

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Medium published my new article “Toward a Fiery Turmoil”

Abortion rights activists demonstrate outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., June 25, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Roe v. Wade is overturned and protests erupt, gun laws are revisited, war rages in Ukraine, Sri Lanka’s economy collapses, bank runs in China, escalating tensions between the US and China over Taiwan, an increasingly belligerent North Korea, and a nearly nuclear and wholly unruly Iran — all these are a prelude to a fiery turmoil that will storm the world. The unwanted, unintended, yet inescapable ties among all parts of humanity are raising the level of friction and aggression while our connectedness relentlessly increases.

In this mayhem, countries will collide with countries, parties will jar with parties, societies will clash, and people will thrash one another. Everyone will be embroiled in a vortex in which everyone is connected to everyone else, and everyone influences everyone else. The clashes will demonstrate how hostile we are, how unwilling we are to listen to each other or hear about each other until everything seems to fall apart.

But then people will begin to realize the unexpected truth that the differences between us do not divide us, but nourish us. They will see that although we feel apart, we are actually a family where each member has a unique position, duties, and chores. Yet, above it all, we are a family.

When we realize this, we will understand and even feel that we can succeed only as a family, and not alone. We will understand that although mom does some things, dad does other things, and the children all have their different chores and duties, these differences are not what matters. What matters is not what we do in the family, but that we are a family; that we are connected in our hearts.

When we realize how closely and irrevocably we are connected, we will establish new relationships between us, family relationships among all of humanity. This will solve most, if not all, of our problems.

For example, the impending wave of hunger that will engulf many countries, or the heating problems that countless countries will face next winter, are avoidable crises. There is enough food and gas to meet the needs of all of humanity, and then some. But since there is no desire to distribute these staples, and plenty of desire to deny them and torment other nations, humanity is condemned to starvation and to freezing. In other words, the problem is our foul connection, not a scarcity of anything.

In the current situation, these problems will impact not only countries at war or those that rely on imports for provision of staples; they will affect everyone. The inevitable result will be a realization that our only option is to forge positive relations and connect with one another like the family, as we just mentioned. The question is how much fiery turmoil we will have to endure before we come to this conclusion.
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Question: Does punishment exist only in the corporeal world or does it also exist in the spiritual world?

Answer: In practice, there are no two worlds. Just our perception divides all of the perception of the world into two parts.

Question: Perception in the egoistic sensory organs assumes punishment. Does it exist in altruistic sensory organs too?

Answer: Yes. for example, a mother suffers if she wants to give something to a baby, but he cannot take it because his tummy hurts.

Question: Does it mean that in the spiritual world, punishments and sufferings are not for myself, but for others?

Answer: Yes. And they are greater than for myself.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 5/31/22

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Question: When musicians learn to play a composition together, they understand why they are doing it. But at first there is a kind of overcoming between them in order to find contact with each other. Through making great efforts, they begin to work together, and only then is an amazing piece born in which the contribution of each person is felt.

Then, as if a switch takes place and they again need to make efforts to act together. There is no pleasure, even if they have experienced a sense of a special unity between them.

Why is it that if, say, they need to record three compositions, and they know that everything will turn out fine, it becomes more and more difficult for them to do every step?

Answer: It is because they want to achieve greater skills. They begin to see new flaws even in their past excellent performance, as they enter deeper and deeper into the understanding of the work and start seeing some small inconsistencies.

This is a process of professional growth. The Kabbalists have the same thing when we begin to unite with each other.

Comment: People who are inside our system know how difficult every next action that will lead to a certain result is. However, these actions must be performed anew, gather together, and unite common efforts. The problem is precisely in the connection of one person with the other person. Then you overcome this bar and see that it has some special energy.

My Response: It is all the same, both in the spiritual and in our world, the processes of spiritual growth.

Question: Why is it in Kabbalah that this is felt especially strongly?

Answer: Because every next degree is completely new. The musicians add something, they get something new, it goes in, goes out, and comes back again. Their creative process takes place at the same level.

Kabbalists, however, have a new level every time. That is, all ten Sefirot are completely new; it is a new degree and you start all over again, completely. You get some kind of experience, but you still have to start over.

Question: Why doesn’t the previous experience remain that a person could rely on?

Answer: Because this is a new degree. The previous experience can only hurt you.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah and Art” 6/10/14

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Question: Why is it written in the sources that the work itself for the Creator or for His sake is considered a reward?

Answer: Because a person reaches his highest spiritual degree at the same time. He becomes eternal and perfect like the Creator, is honored with connection with the Creator, learns what the upper force is and in general what the entire universe is, the entire upper world. He rises to the degree where he is not limited by anything.

This can be compared to the work for some great person where working for him becomes a pleasure.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 5/31/22

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Question: Is there some kind of depository of common memory of all humanity?

Answer: Yes, certainly. Everything we have done throughout history is located and stored in the same reality where we are now.  I can almost see absolutely everything that had happened two to three thousand years ago. It all exists as real as what exists today. Only we are in a certain process of development and that is why we feel the information that comes to us and that we have to process now.

In principle, we are inside of all information. We can, as if, rise above today’s day—what we call today, today’s information—and float in the general flow back and forth, anywhere.

There are no limitations here. It all depends on how much a person is capable of it. Therefore, there are people who feel the future and there are those who can also feel the past, and feel it all very clearly.

They can rise above the general layer of information. We all connect to the current state point by point, and they can connect to the future as well as to the present; it is equivalent.
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Hologram” 7/28/11

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Question: You said that all suffering is brought into the world not by the quality of receiving, but by the quality of bestowal, the quality of the Creator. What does this mean?

Answer: If the Creator did not interfere with us, we would simply live without developing. When the quality of bestowal comes into our world, it begins to constantly spur us on. It is because of it that the quality of receiving grows in us.

Without this, we would remain animals and everything would be fine. But since the Creator wants to draw us closer to Him so we become like Him, He always sends us an illumination that develops us.

As the dough rises because of yeast, so do we constantly grow in our egoism under the influence of external spiritual energy, more and more, until we break out of this pan like dough. Then we begin to brew, like it is happening now when we do not know what we are living for or what to do with ourselves next.

Thus, the upper light, the quality of bestowal, brings almost all suffering into our world. On the one hand, the Creator created evil in the world. On the other hand, even this evil, which is us egoists, He does not leave alone, He constantly develops us to greater and greater evil until we realize it and want to break free of it at all costs.

I hope this will happen in our time because today we can already teach and spread Kabbalah everywhere, we can tell everyone about globalism, about the universal connection between us, about the need to unite, to overcome egoism, and to rise above it, which is something that we had no right to do in prior generations because we had not yet revealed the global nature.

Today, we can already hope that our next steps will be conscious and therefore sweetened by us. We will feel all further development is correct, convenient, and successful, and we will participate in it voluntarily and will prevent undesirable events. That is, we will keep developing but not under the influence of blows.
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Branch of Sakura” 5/15/11

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