Comment: You say that on the spiritual path everyone goes through absolutely the same states.

My Response: But in our life everyone also goes through the same path. Nevertheless, different people go through different lives.

Comment: But a person passing through spiritual states can get stuck in them for a long time.

My Response: It depends on their inclusion in the common system. Acceleration can only be due to external forces, by how much one participates in the work of the group and how much one receives energy from one’s friends.

Question: How can a person not get confused since it takes a long time to absorb something?

Answer: This is none of his business. He determines nothing in this. He determines only the influence of the group on himself. If he is included in the group, gets closer to the teacher and to the ten, then by this he advances.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Correct Spiritual Path” 2/17/13

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Comment: When you teach certain levels of the Study of Ten Sefirot (TES), it is hard to understand at first, but later these layers become revealed.

My Response: I teach very simply since I give elementary information. It is just that today people are not able to comprehend it and they do so even less than they did before. Let’s say thirty years ago this information was simply understood, absorbed, studied, memorized, and used in a purely logical way.

Today, egoism has grown so much that it cannot tolerate simple knowledge, it must necessarily apply it to itself, and it has become more demanding. This is good after all, as it means we are moving toward practical correction.

What is interesting is that some cannot even tolerate the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah (Pticha), not to mention the Study of the Ten Sefirot. People need what they can feel, really understand, and accept.

Take my lessons from 10 or 15 years ago. Look at how much I drew, the drafts I made, and whole panels! At that time I had a large board and I depicted drawings from the beginning of the creation to its end. It took two hours of time and with explanations and graphs. That’s how we worked.

But today people want only one thing: “This is what I need, this is what I want to know, and how do you get it quickly.” This is how egoism works. I’m not blaming anyone; I’m just saying that the ego has changed and that is why it is difficult for us to study such serious materials.

Comment: I remember when you were explaining and drawing, you never seemed to reach MA and BON. I always wanted to find out what was happening after that, but you always stopped in the middle.

Answer: Because MA and BON are rudimentary organs of the upper system that exist in order to pass the light further. But on their own, they have no direct influence on us. That is why we do not study them.

Comment: But how it affected us on the inside! We could clearly feel some truths resonating with us out of your explanations. They may not be as specific as mathematics, but this seems to have been erased.

Answer: Because you are no longer interested in it and your soul’s need for it disappeared.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Exchange of Spiritual Information” 2/15

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Comment: I read an article entitled “The World of the Future.” There was nothing new in the beginning of the article. It concluded that all predictions about the future world boil down to robotics that people will be completely removed from production and will receive a basic income for necessities and some form of entertainment.

The predictions suggest that under such conditions each person could do whatever they wish. If you wish to study, study; if you want more income, organize a job for yourself. Freed from everyday worries, a person will be able to exercise his creativity. The totality of this paradise on Earth will be made possible by 2050.

The article made an interesting point that all forecasts have a fundamental flaw in that philosophers fantasize, but politicians implement. The central question in the article was “Are we really going to surrender our lives to politicians?”

Why would we surrender our lives to politicians?

Answer: We don’t surrender them. They usurp them and ignore us.

Question: Why is it so easy for them to usurp them? These are the lives of our children and our own lives and just like that! Is it within our power at all to stop this?

Answer: It’s a struggle. Such a struggle must take place in a society. It is a serious revolution.

Question: Why do politicians have such power that they can even decide to take a life?

Answer: Politicians are based on the ego of man and humanity. They are the biggest egoists.

They don’t even hide it and they fight among themselves to build a purely egoistic society. They know how to lie, how to do anything.

They share an understanding of how to work so as to not lose power. And even if they do lose power, it will simply pass from them to another.

Question: So, you think they are cold-blooded and just putting on a show?

Answer: They know it all too well and they know just what needs to be done in order for everyone to stay in this game.

Comment: And you say a revolution is still possible and there is a possible way out of this game.

My Response: The way out of this game is possible only through the education of society. Politicians are by no means interested in educating society.

Politicians are not interested in anything. Perhaps, other than that society will vote as they decide or there will be fascism and dictatorship.

Question: In what case would a revolution be possible? Will the masses organize education? What has to transpire?

Answer: Actually, the revolution will happen when the masses realize that there is no other way, only a clear, consistent struggle when you will see (not hear but truly see) the actions of new politicians who will emerge who can organize such relations in society that will result in beneficial, proper connections.

Question: Those are the politicians I have to side with?

Answer: Yes. Although, there are currently no such politicians. There was one actually, but he wasn’t very successful. His name was Karl. Actually, he did make a good story. And to this day, many hide behind him. But in the end, of course it was not based on correct historical facts. Historical facts have to be rooted in the nature of man and the development of mankind has to be under the influence of the upper force.

Question: Do you think this is the main factor he did not account for?

Answer: This is what’s most important: the fact that there is an upper force that determines and directs the entire development of humanity. And everything should be aimed at connection with it, and all connections between people, in the end, should manifest a connection with the upper force between them. That is, the attainment of the Creator should be placed at the apex of all human activity, at the heart of all educational programs, and at the heart of all decisions and laws. In everything— personal, family, social, state, and global development!

Question: When you say attaining the Creator or nearing Him, as you like to say, should be the foundation of everything, how can you explain it to an ordinary person? How can you do that?

Answer: It’s quite simple: we need to be arranged in such a connection between us all that will allow us to reveal the concealed Creator hiding between us.

He wants this connection and He is waiting for this connection in which He can reveal himself to everyone.

Question: Can we rightly say that a new politician who wants to establish education is precisely the one who will lead to this good connection? And thereby he will drain power from egoistic politicians?

Answer: Right. He won’t leave any space for them. He will have to show, prove, and explain to everyone, to all layers of society, to the nations, that this is the proper communism Karl dreamed of.

Question: Will this politician, this new era politician, raise people against other politicians? Or will he have no regard for them? Will this be a revolution against them?

Answer: He will be grateful to everyone who opposes him because he will be able to use this opposition to show how correct his methodology is. Because it will be the truth.

That is, he will not arouse hatred toward them, but on the contrary, he will be grateful to them.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 7/4/22

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Question: In a situation where your words cause a student to refute them and he tries to as if win a dispute, why does it give you the opportunity to say more than if the students listen to you in a state of admiration?

Answer: A person who develops a critical approach has some thoughts of his own. He does not just say: “Ah, nonsense!”

There are people who wave it off without even hearing anything. There is no point dealing with them. They lack the normal absorption of thought and the opportunity to learn.

And with those who delve into my words—even if they are wrong and are deeply mistaken and hear me from a completely different angle, from a different, very distant state—I still begin to work gradually to bring them closer. He helps you express your thoughts. This is why I tolerate him.

There are students who pester me. But although each of them is very opposite to the whole group, it is still worth expressing myself regarding him because this will then help individuals similar to him.

I give a lesson not only for those who are here or in the world in general. The recorded video and audio lesson will be revealed later somehow. After all, what you give out into the world—what you say, what you think and feel—remains in space. Like with Baron Munchausen, then it thaws and sounds.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Criticism of Kabbalah” 2/20/13

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are the best ways for me to support someone?“

The best way to support someone is by dressing in them out of love. We need to make an image out of ourselves that the person in need would willingly accept and perceive positively.

There is a saying about this in the wisdom of Kabbalah: “Teach the boy according to the boy’s way.” That is, we need to dress in a certain image that would be closer to the person-in-need’s character, ideals and outlook on life, and we would then be able to establish a connection with them. Through such a process of connection, we would be able to provide them with the best support possible.

Based on the video “What Is the Best Way to Support Someone?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Dim Hou on Unsplash

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic, “Reinforcing Ourselves with There Is None Else Besides Him” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “A Handmaid Who Is Heir to Her Mistress” 

Selected Highlights 

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Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
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If we do not acquire the quality of bestowal, we will constantly suffer and simply will not be able to continue such an existence. The quality of bestowal is the only salvation for us and it can raise us above egoistic desires. After all, if you only feel the desire to receive, then this is the feeling of death.

Therefore the Creator again and again awakens a little light in the bestowing desires, and as a result we feel a lack of light in the receiving desires. We are not aware of what is happening; we only feel that the world is getting darker and darker. We are on the threshold of a period when people around the globe will begin to feel that with all the achievements in modern science and technological developments, we are nevertheless suffering.

All this is due to the lack of connection between people. We are facing severe trials: extreme cold, extreme heat, famine, all kinds of cataclysms—and all this because of our separation. Every person will feel it, no matter which corner of the world he lives in.

Then we will understand that connection does not just provide a good harvest or save us from drought, but through this connection we invite a blessing upon us, we invite the upper force that will bless us, connect us, advance us to good, and bring to us abundance from above.

It is said that man does not live by bread alone. We all depend on one force that surrounds us and supports us. If we do not want to suffer from a lack of the sun’s heat, water, and crops, or from pandemics suddenly spreading all over the world and other problems, then it depends only on coming closer to the force of good and moving away from the force of evil.

How can we get closer to good and move away from evil? Only if we do it within ourselves, that is, when we understand what good is and distance ourselves from evil. If we direct ourselves to more and more connection and support around the globe, we will see that in this form we can control the world, like turning a steering wheel. We will be able to manage our lives.

Soon it will become clear to many people that the globe is shrinking and becoming smaller and smaller, and is forcing us to become more connected and dependent on each other.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/22, “The Ways of the Lord Are Straight”

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Medium published my new article “More People Are ‘Autistic’ because More Connection Is Required”

Today, more and more people are diagnosed on the autistic spectrum. According to statnews.com, “CDC researchers reported that autism rates in the United States increased from 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 54 in 2016, and the rate now stands at 1 in 44 children [as of 2018].” But are we really more autistic than before? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, autism “is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.” It therefore makes sense that if communication becomes more demanding, but people’s ability to communicate does not improve, more people will be diagnosed with autism.

The level of connectedness in all our engagements and on all levels has been growing exponentially for decades. Today, you really cannot get away from society. You cannot isolate yourself because your mobile phone is always with you, and people can reach you not only via phone, but also by texting, video chats, social media, and countless other ways. And if you try to turn off your phone for even one day, you will probably find that you are hooked, and isolation is an unachievable fantasy.

In the 1970s, for example, people’s communication needs were very different than they are today. A regular person went to work in the morning, came back in the afternoon, ate something, read the newspaper, watched TV and went to sleep. Communication skills did not need to be as developed as they need to be today because communication was not as ‎intricate and demanding. Today, people are communicating all the time, with multiple people, and on multiple platforms, especially the younger generation. These demands expose their inadequate communication skills, causing them to be diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.

Additionally, people’s growing self-absorption makes it even more difficult for them to communicate, an added challenge that did not trouble people in the second half of the previous century, who were clearly not as narcissistic as today’s youngsters.

Because demands have changed, people should acquire the appropriate skills to meet them. If previously, the education system could suffice with imparting information, today, information is the least of our problems. Anyone can learn anything online more easily and quickly than a single teacher can teach in a physical classroom.

Rather, the main problem today is communication between people; it is dysfunctional on every level and stands behind people’s most daunting problems. Substance abuse, depression, violence, bullying and abuse, all those very serious problems do not stem from lack of knowledge, but from inadequate communication skills. If we want to “treat” autism, we need to address our disconnection from each other, our inability to connect and communicate positively and constructively.
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My new article on Linkedin “The Psyche of the Jewish Antisemite”

For the past 19 years, a Jewish man has been protesting outside a Michigan synagogue nearly every Sabbath. What began as protesting against policies of the State of Israel has gradually morphed into signs that read “Resist Jewish Power,” “End Jewish Supremacism in Palestine,” and the support of a Nazi German who wrote a book titled The Hitler We Knew and Loved. The fact that he received Jewish education, by the way, that he had a Bar Mitzvah and attended Hebrew school, makes no difference whatsoever. I cannot say that it surprises me to see that some Jews hate their own faith. Because of our unique history and calling, there is a latent antisemite within every Jew.

I have had the questionable pleasure of meeting, not to say encountering quite a few such people. With some, especially those who belong to certain extreme Left organizations, I filmed several televised conversations. It is impossible to reason with such people; they feel what they feel, and that’s the end of it. Once the antisemite within takes over, it is very hard to topple it.

Jews experience self-hate like no other nation. But then, Jews have experienced every kind of hate like no other nation because Jews are like no other nation. The Jewish people introduced the most sublime notions to humanity. They introduced such practices as charity and welfare systems, which relied on novel notions such as solidarity, mutual responsibility, and love for others as for oneself.

At the same time, during the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews inflicted on each other cruelty that shocked the ancient world. In fact, the animosity among Jews was so intense that to this day, our sages attribute the destruction of the Temple and the expulsion of our people from the land of Israel not to Titus and his Roman armies, but to the people of Israel’s own hatred for each other.

These Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde inhabit every Jew because our ancestors came from regular, self-centered people who acquired sublime qualities of love of others and solidarity, after which they were instructed to build a role model society that will be “a light to the nations.” That was the original people of Israel.

But developing a “better self” did not erase the primordial one. On the contrary, to make Israel continue to improve themselves, their self-centeredness intensified continually. As a result, when they triumphed over their reprehensible selves, they rose to new highs. But when they fell, they fell to new lows.

For centuries, the people of Israel oscillated between good and evil. When they were good, no one was better, and they succeeded as individuals and as a nation. When they were bad, no one was worse, and they failed as individuals and as a nation. Their worst failures culminated in exile.

Approximately two millennia ago, the evil Mr. Hyde within us won a major triumph, and the people of Israel destroyed each other and weakened themselves to a point where the Romans could overtake the city that was decimated from within. Since then, we have not been able to restore our solidarity and mutual responsibility, our love of others, and our concern for humankind.

Moreover, when the kind Israel within us awakens, it often agitates our evil selves and we vehemently resist it. This is when Jews turn against their own people and become antisemitic.

There is only one remedy to the condition of Jewish self-hatred. It is the same remedy that our ancestors used when they established our nationhood: to go all out against our own ego and unite despite our mutual dislike.

We can develop love only if we first feel hatred and become motivated to emerge from it. If we feel no hatred, no burning anger, what will motivate us to feel love? And without motivation, nothing within us will change. Therefore, we must relate to our hatred not as a reason to reject each other, but as a calling to connect, to strengthen our bond.

Perhaps now that many of us feel hatred for their own people, we can begin to nurture the love that our ancestors felt above their hatred. Perhaps now, we, too, are ready to become a light to the nations, a flare of unity in a world darkened by hatred. Perhaps, and perhaps not yet. But sooner or later, the world will demand that we deliver on our oath to be a virtuous people, and the only virtue that we need is our insistence on unity above any division.

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