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“His Legacy Is Our Duty” (Times of Israel)

Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “His Legacy Is Our Duty

This month, eighty-two years ago, one of the founders of the State of Israel, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, passed away. Jabotinsky was a gifted poet, a celebrated author, and an eloquent orator. But most of all, he was a Zionist leader who had fought his entire life for the establishment of a Jewish state in the historic land of Israel.

From my nation’s elders I did hear,

As He formed every nation and tribe

He vowed that in this land here,

A Hebrew nation will reside…

These lines from the poem A City of Peace reflect Jabotinsky’s passion for Zionism, which he felt was the only way to prevent a Jewish slaughter and annihilation in Europe. He was right about the slaughter, but he did not manage to bring European Jewry into the land of Israel in time.

Jabotinsky was a contemporary of my teacher’s father, the great kabbalist Baal HaSulam. Both were born in Eastern Europe, and both believed that the vocation of the Jews is to come to the land of Israel. In that sense, not only Baal HaSulam, but all the kabbalists were Zionists, as was my teacher, RABASH, Baal HaSulam’s firstborn son and successor.

However, where Zionism sees its end goal in the physical return of the people of Israel to the land of Israel, kabbalists see it as merely the beginning of the fulfillment of Israel’s calling, and not the zenith of it, but rather the basis for the realization of Israel’s vocation: the unity of the world.

As just said, RABASH, Baal HaSulam, and all the kabbalists were avid Zionists. Baal HaSulam even had the words “State of Israel” etched on his Sabbath knife, with which he would slice the bread on the ceremonial reception of the Sabbath. But their Zionism was not an aspiration for physical relocation from Europe to Palestine; it was a yearning to see the people of Israel unite as one, and the world unites along with it. The physical return, therefore, was a significant step toward it, but only a step, and certainly not the ultimate goal.

Jabotinsky’s dream was to see the Jewish people dwelling in the historic land of Israel. I believe that if the people of Israel focus on their unity, and intend for it to be a model for humanity, a proof that people who hate each other from the bottom of their hearts can unite as one man with one heart, then Israel’s unity will spread throughout the world without any borders whatsoever.

When kabbalists speak of “the final correction,” they mean the final correction of hatred, the abolition of enmity, and the establishment of complete and undying love among all people. In such a state, no borders are needed, and no borders are erected between people or nations.

Like my teachers before me, I am a Zionist. Like my teachers before me, my Zionism is dedicated to the unity of our nation as a model for the unity of the world. Like my teachers before me, I believe that the place where the people of Israel can unite and become that model of solidarity and love of others is here in the land of our fathers, the land of Israel, where Rabbi Akiva said, “Love your neighbor as yourself, this is the overarching rule.”

Jabotinsky’s anniversary is a good time to reflect on Zionism, what it means for us today, and what it should mean. Today, Zionism is disintegrating. To many people, the very word has become derogatory. However, if people only knew the real meaning behind the word, the love for all of humanity that was the cause of the establishment of the Israeli nation, I believe that they will change their attitude.

That said, unless we Jews rekindle the spirit of unity that is the basis of our nation, no one will understand what Zionism is about or why we need a Jewish state. We, Israelis, through our choice of unity or division, determine our own fate. Zionism must be taught at all the schools and educational institutions, but it must be the complete version of it, the one that sees its end in the unity of the world, and the unity of Israel as a means to the final end. If we do this, we will have no enemies to worry about. If we do not do this, nothing will prevent Israel’s decline.
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“Climate Gone Mad” (Medium)

Medium published my new article “Climate Gone Mad

A firefighter walks past the flames of a forest fire near Belin-Beliet. French officials have warned that the forest fire could spread further in the southwest of the country. Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH / Reuters

A few days ago, the papers warned that Europe is facing the worst drought in 500 years. They described the dry and hot weather and the fires that broke out all over the continent and spoke of an apocalypse. Today, they are reporting flooding in London and violent storms in France causing catastrophic flooding, where in some places, more than an inch of rain fell in less than 30 minutes, and in Paris, a storm with 65 mph wind gusts and nearly 2 inches of rain that fell in just 90 minutes flooded the Metro. Clearly, the climate has gone mad.

In the closed system that is the world we live in, everything we do affects everything else, and that effect returns to us like a boomerang. When we pour so much negativity into the system, it becomes dysfunctional, and this summer, we are experiencing this dysfunction through the smoldering heat waves and torrential rains. If we continue to flood the system with hatred and intolerance, we will not need nuclear weapons to wipe us out; plagues, natural disasters, fires, and floods will extinguish us long before we extinguish each other.

However, the climate did not go awry by itself, but because of our madness. Nature’s erratic behavior merely reflects our own agitation toward everything. Our growing narcissism drives us to treat everyone and everything with utter indifference to the needs of others. In fact, we even enjoy hurting others. We think that if we can use others and not see the consequences for our actions right away then there are no consequences, but there are very serious consequences for our wrongdoing toward others.

In the closed system that is the world we live in, everything we do affects everything else, and that effect returns to us like a boomerang. When we pour so much negativity into the system, it becomes dysfunctional, and this summer, we are experiencing this dysfunction through the smoldering heat waves and torrential rains. If we continue to flood the system with hatred and intolerance, we will not need nuclear weapons to wipe us out; plagues, natural disasters, fires, and floods will extinguish us long before we extinguish each other.

When the summer is gone, winter will come with its own perils, and lack of gas and power will wreak havoc in Europe. Eventually, we will have to accept that we cannot defeat nature; we cannot outsmart it. We will have to learn to be an integral part of nature, connected to each other and to nature. We will not survive otherwise.

Since the only element in nature that has bad intentions and an exploitative attitude toward others is us, we must begin to change our relationships. Our attitude toward the rest of nature stems from our attitude toward each other. Therefore, if we are considerate toward each other, we will be considerate toward nature. It turns out that the correction of our tormented planet begins with the correction of our broken ties with one another.

To mend them, we must put our heads together and discuss solutions on a global level. These solutions must be inclusive and take into account everyone’s needs. At the same time, everyone must accept that they cannot receive more than is necessary, since they, too, must be considerate toward others.

To get such a global initiative off the ground, there needs to be an open discussion about it all over the global media. People must know that we really are running out of time, and unless we ‎ change now, it will be too late afterwards.‎

I do not know how to keep this move clean from politics and politicians, but it has to be a ‎genuine effort to save humanity and the planet, not a ploy to take control of it. Perhaps a panel of scientists will be able to make this happen, but they, too, must work without ulterior motives.‎

I realize that this idea may sound naive, but I also realize that if we do not take global action to sincerely improve our connections, the approaching annihilation is certain and near.‎
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Feeling Our Future

229Question: There is always some kind of struggle and mutual rejection between us. How can people introduce mutual complementing between them and begin to actually coexist together, really together? What role does the concept of true love, which you always talk about, play in this?

Answer: People need to be taught. They need to be constantly taught how important it is to be connected with each other, how much they need support from each other. The most important thing is the purpose.

They should unite and constantly feel that from day to day they are getting closer and closer to each other. This getting closer to each other raises them increasingly higher to the Creator, to the one single force of nature. They should feel their future in this.

Practically, this is what we exist for, in order to take several steps toward the Creator during our life. And we will continue further. It does not matter how or when.

This is what we need to take into account. Therefore, we must further develop those basics that we can receive from our mother and from school.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 8/5/22

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The Innovation of the Ari

541Question: The Ari described the system of relations between souls. It is called the system of lights and screens. Did he, in principle, do something that no one before him had done? I mean, were the language, the approach, and the system itself new?

Answer: Everything was new: the system, the methodology, the approach. The Ari made a revolution in the attainment of the one single upper force in the world that governs everything and with which we can interact, reveal, and understand.

Comment: Let’s say, I have a certain desire and you have a certain desire. The Ari described the connection of how my desires can connect with yours, how my fulfillments can correspond to your fulfillments as well as to other people, everyone included.

My Response: He described the laws of commutation between man and the upper single governing force of the world.

Before the Ari Kabbalists felt and described what was happening to them. He, in addition, revealed the reason for these sensations. This is the most important thing.

Therefore, by studying him, and following his methodology in the course of our lives, we can develop such qualities in us that will help us attain the world in its entirety, not just be passively impressed by it, but become active participants in it.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 8/2/22

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The Less Space for Egoism, the More Space for the Creator

942Make an effort to connect with your friends and you will feel that in the gap between you there is no room where the Creator can be revealed. When we come closer to each other we do not narrow the space by doing so, but on the contrary, we discover the space for the revelation of the Creator. After all, this obeys opposite laws.

There is no space in spirituality; it is zero! Therefore, if we unite so closely that we completely adhere to each other, we create a space for the Creator. The spiritual space is the need to reveal the Creator in a common desire, in one Kli.

We need to connect our desires in such a way that they become as one desire.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/10/22, Writings of Baal HaSulam. Letter 38

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The Method of Suffering and Levels of Egoism

49.01Question: Were there any other methods before the teaching of the Ari beside the method of suffering?

Answer: No. Mostly, it was about the method of suffering, which allowed people to rise above egoism, because we feel bad in it. A person even deliberately drove himself into egoistic suffering in order to force himself to rise above the ego, run away from it, and thus awaken altruistic qualities within himself.

Question: Does it mean that suffering softens egoism and it is easier for a person to run away from it?

Answer: Yes, but only at very small levels of egoism because this method does not work at higher levels.

Question: Why? If I have a high level of egoism, will suffering not affect me? Or on the contrary, does a person with a huge egoism become more sensitive?

Answer: No, you cannot force yourself to approach such suffering. Previously, people consciously approached them. That is why it was said, “Eat bread with salt, drink plain water, sleep on bare ground, and study Kabbalah, and then you will succeed!”

But there is a limit up to what level of suffering a person can go against himself. This does not mean simply to cut yourself into pieces. This means that he must live this way.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 8/2/22

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It Is Time for People to Open Their Eyes

254.02Question: What kind of results would you like to see from your work?

Answer: As a result of my work, I would like to see the world beginning to understand the true state of things, understanding what I am writing about in the blog where the same thing is constantly repeated.

I already do not know what to do!? Maybe abandon this blog?! But I cannot! Who will read posts written a year, two, or five years ago, even though they are still relevant? That is why I write every day. I have nothing to say anymore. It is necessary to wait until the world will realize the dead end of its development.

Now humanity is already beginning to talk about the need for unification. Here and there articles appear that we need a completely different attitude to life. First of all, about reasonable, normal, even minimal consumption; otherwise, 90% of the world, if not more, will starve and be in need of basic necessities!

It is necessary to be seriously engaged in education so that everyone will begin to understand what kind of world we are entering. As of today, we exist at the animate level of development, not at the human level.

Human is something above egoism, above our nature! We are not at that level and for the time being we live as animals. Why as? Because animals are triggered by nature instinctively. They instinctively do everything they need, and therefore do not make mistakes. We, humans, are gradually losing this instinct.

For many years, nature pushed and developed us, and now it is slowly starting to let go. Now we are lost. From the beginning of the 20th century, we began to feel: What should we do? Where should we go? Previously, nature guided us, like all animals, and we had no questions, but now we do not know what to do.

We are entering a new, integral phase, but we ourselves do not correspond to it and do not know how to act. We are within the forces that pass between us because they are integral. They are interconnected in a system, but we are completely different.

Moreover, we do not see or feel it. We just feel that we would like to do something, but cannot. What to press, what to push, what to pull? Something is affecting us, but what we do not feel. We end up in some kind of n-dimensional space, as if, we are passing through it.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. To See the Future” 2/5/13

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How to Enjoy Life?

627.2Comment: In ordinary life we often do something not for pleasure but out of necessity. And we sometimes even force ourselves, let’s say you need to feed your body or do basic home maintenance.

My Response: No, it is necessary to receive pleasure, and not deny it. Let’s say I’m thinking about the spiritual, about the exalted, about bestowal. But if I can enjoy it to that extent, I must do so.

After all, the purpose of creation is enjoyment and fulfillment because the Creator is good and doing good. It’s not clear, I understand. I feel how these contradictions collide in a person. They are not easy to reconcile, but in the end they will be reconciled.

A person should not give up normal pleasures for a single moment in his life. On the contrary, he should only aspire to the Creator above all pleasures, and then he will make the correct restriction on himself. And if he begins to shut himself up and deny himself, it will not be a restriction, but a torture against the Creator’s will.

The Creator wants a person to feel fulfilled at every moment of time. When your fulfillment is in what you give instead of what you receive, then replace one with the other. You will still enjoy. By making a restriction on yourself, you will not cry, suffer, and torture yourself, but you will enjoy the fact that you have achieved the ability to bestow. There is such joy in this!

In no case, if it is not to the detriment of others, should a person deny fulfillment. Only to prefer more exalted pleasure to the lowly ones, until they replace each other, alternately, gradually, and reach the highest level.

And then one constantly thanks the Creator. Otherwise, he curses Him in his heart. If a person does not get pleasure, he curses the One who gave him this life, who governs it.

In everyday life, eating normally, sleeping, doing everything you need to do for yourself becomes part of our spiritual work. My teacher Rabash, the great Kabbalist, the last Mohican, loved to eat delicious food, ate with pleasure and praised the taste and smell of food.

That is, in no case you should do it! This is the embodiment of small pleasures that the Creator gives us so that we can begin to combine them across the entire spectrum: from the smallest to the greatest. And all this together comes from one light.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. How to Enjoy Life?” 2/16/13

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“Do you think Israel is broken? If yes, how can we fix it?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Do you think Israel is broken? If yes, how can we fix it?

We have long been broken. We face alienation and generally negative relations toward each other, and it is indeed a problem. We need to reach a state where we take care of each other, to explain to ourselves that there is no other place for us.

The positive aspect of our broken state is that we have the power to change it. If we come closer together and decide that we are one nation, then we can mend our currently-broken connections. We certainly need to work on that more and more.

On the other hand, many would argue that we are familiar with slogans about our unity from a young age. We hear about it regularly throughout our upbringing. However, we see that it fails to bring us any closer together. It is because the explanations we currently receive about our unity lack the understanding of our foundation as a nation. Moreover, neither side of the political spectrum in Israel discuss it.

Our foundation as a nation resides in the tenet, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If we fail to sustain such relations among each other, then we are not Israel. There is a superior law to our existence as a nation that requires us to unite above our differences. If we adhere to this law, that “all of Israel are brothers,” then we can truly fix our broken connections, and build the State of Israel in a new and positive way.

Therefore, while we are broken, we have the power to fix our shattered state, and become a united nation based on mutual relations of love. We would then also see that the negative sentiment toward us would fade away, as we would positively affect everyone in the world with the positive unifying force that we would realize among each other.

Based on the video “Is Israel Disintegrating?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.