Audio Version Of The Blog – 9/21/22
Posted on September 21st, 2022
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “When Will Leaders Mean What They Say?”
When we look at all the promises that politicians have made, and broken, it makes us doubt the purpose of giving any weight to their statements in the first place. It would be difficult to find one statement, or even a contract, that was not eventually broken, and usually sooner than expected or in circumstances that are the least convenient to the other party or parties. This begs the question, “What is the point of signing any contracts?” Currently, there is no point. However, there are circumstances where this will change and leaders will stand by their word.
The thing that motivates us, all of us, is fear. We hardly do anything for any other reason. We work because we are afraid of poverty, befriend people we do not like because we are afraid of them or afraid of loneliness, and behave in ways that make us dislike ourselves for fear of being unpopular or even bullied.
Leaders are the same. Their motivations are invariably selfish and usually stem from fear. To make them keep their promises, they must fear the consequences of breaking them. In democratic countries, they might be afraid of breaking promises because they might not be reelected. In totalitarian countries, they are not as affected by public opinion, but are still dominated by their party’s view of them, or they might be deposed or assassinated. Even rulers who seem to have no challengers trouble themselves to justify their actions in order to look good in the eyes of the public, since they cannot ignore their people’s view of them altogether.
It follows that if fear is the motivation of those in power, they must learn what to fear so that they act for the good of the public rather than for their own benefit. Current violent conflicts indicate that circumstances have changed. The bully is no longer the guaranteed victor. The world has become a global village where bullies are not popular. A country that wishes to abuse another country, even if for what it deems a just cause, must think ten times before it uses force.
It is not merely a different atmosphere in the global society. There is a different law that is coming into play: the law of interdependence. When everyone is evidently dependent on everyone else, as is the case today, no one can make a decision that does not affect everyone else. Therefore, countries cannot decide only according to their own interests; willy-nilly, they are accountable for the rest of the world.
We cannot change this law; it is how reality operates today. In fact, reality has always operated this way, but we were not as aware of it as we are today. Like it or not, and we do not, this superior law is shaping global society and determining new rules of behavior, where everyone must be considerate of everyone else.
In the coming years, those who try to flout this law and violate other countries’ rights will serve as examples of what happens to rebellious leaders who believe they can bully their way to dominance. When leaders realize that they must act in consideration of others, they will think very carefully before they commit to anything, make sure their commitments benefit everyone, and not only themselves, and they will fear going back on their word without the consent of all affected parties.
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It is perplexing, for since there is neither Rosh nor Sof there, how is there middle? Moreover, are we dealing with a corporeal matter here? (Baal Hasulam, Study of the Ten Sefirot, Vol.1, Part 1, Chapter 1)
Naturally, we are not talking about anything corporeal. We are only talking about qualities.
The Creator has, as if, restricted Himself and created within Himself such an area where a creation opposite to Him can exist.
On the one hand, it is contained by the Creator, who nourishes, supports, and develops it, yet it is absolutely opposite to Him. Otherwise, it would not exist.
Creation must exist, as if, within the Creator, in His qualities, means, and forces; on the other hand, it is absolutely opposite to Him, otherwise it would not be a creation, something that is separated from the Creator. This is how it develops.
Question: Why did the restriction occur at the central point? It turns out to be some kind of geometry.
Answer: Here it means that all the intentions, all the actions of the Creator, all His thoughts and aspirations are directed to this central area, which He has designated in this way, and to the will to receive, which develops in this area.
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From KabTV’s “The Study of the Ten Sefirot (TES)” 9/4/22
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Question: Once we were all connected. This quality of unity began to gradually disappear. Did we finally stop feeling these connections?
Answer: In fact, the loss of the feeling of connection occurs only with respect to us, the created beings, and the states in which we exist.
We even see from our world how we feel the world according to the circumstances and qualities we are in. Sometimes it seems to us surprisingly kind, bright, full, and beautiful, and sometimes absolutely the opposite.
Such a change of qualities within us practically displays to us the world in accordance with our qualities. Therefore, if we want to truly experience the world, we must consist of all the opposite qualities. This is our spiritual development. This is what we have to come to.
The connection of opposites is the law of dialectics, and both qualities must be connected within us. One is in the form of a great egoistic desire, the second is in the form of a restriction in this desire and the quality of bestowal and love, which is opposite to egoistic desire.
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From KabTV’s “The Study of the Ten Sefirot (TES)” 9/4/22
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Before reading The Book of Zohar, we must attune ourselves so that this reading will benefit us. The Zohar speaks about the correction of the soul, i.e., about the correction of the connection between us, and that is why, while reading it we must try to make the corrected states described in it come true in us. This means that we desire to reveal what The Zohar is talking about.
Revelation is not understanding in the mind. How can I understand at all what I’ve never seen? It is possible to see only on condition that new modes of sensation are formed in me; vision is a sensation in our desires, our vessels of perception. And the sensation can arise only according to my special inner state when it will correspond to what is described in The Zohar.
This can be achieved only if I rise to the level of the bestower as The Zohar requires. How is this possible? If I connect with the environment, I can express the measure of my bestowal with regard to it.
Therefore, even before we open The Book of Zohar, we should strive to connect together in such a state, at such a level, and with such power that will be suitable for the revelation of The Zohar in the connection between us.
To the extent that everyone annuls themselves and we unite together in mutual bestowal and guarantee, to this extent we can reach a state in which we already feel what The Zohar is talking about, at least to a minimal degree. And all this depends only on the strength of the unity between us that must be at the height of the first spiritual degree. Then we will feel what The Zohar is talking about.
Baal HaSulam talks about this in the Introduction To The Study Of The Ten Sefirot, “Through the yearning and the great desire to understand what they are learning, they awaken upon themselves the Lights that surround their souls.” In fact, all our work is to strive to be in this state, to feel it. Therefore, all that is required of us is a desire to feel the need for the revelation.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/24/11, The Book of Zohar “Mishpatim”
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Some people do not like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster (Elon Musk).
My Response: Naturally, either change or a disaster, this is when we will do something.
Question: So should I have a feeling that if I do not change, there will be a catastrophe?
Answer: Yes.
Question: What kind of disaster are we facing that requires me to change myself?
Answer: I do not think a disaster is in front of people and I do not think they really have to change right now. We live in a state where there is nothing catastrophic. This is a state that does not call for me to change.
Question: Is it possible to artificially create such a feeling in humanity that it is moving toward a disaster so it will begin to change?
Answer: It is thanks to the leaders of this world that we are moving.
Question: So, do they in some sense do this kind of work as well?
Answer: Of course, they do. They are the angels of God. They are directing us to the cliff so that we will finally understand that we need to change. But they themselves are doing God’s work. They are representatives of the Creator on earth.
Question: Does the Creator have to lead us to this cliff?
Answer: Yes, so that we fulfill our purpose. And they help Him in this.
Question: What is our purpose?
Answer: Recognition of the evil of human nature. You will see that it is absolutely opposite to the Creator, and you will wish to be as close to Him as possible. Then you will begin to develop spiritually and ascend.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/30/22
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Question: There are different types of connections between people in the world. What is the difference between them and Kabbalistic connection? Why don’t they work the same way as in Kabbalah?
Answer: Because that is not the kind of connection that attracts the upper light.
There are many connections in the world. Various socialist, national socialist, Nazi, communist, collective farms, kibbutzes, and other unions do not attract the upper light, which would correct and elevate people. These connections are located and end at the earthly level.
And for spiritual connection, it is necessary to attract the upper light. Otherwise, all our efforts and attempts will end at the degree of this world. We see how any currents arise, be they fanatical, religious, social, political, or whatever. They flare up and extinguish. Each has its own expiration date. But all of them are slowly forming humanity, which is working out its social resource.
And all these movements, wave after wave, gradually lead humanity to despair. Who believes in any movements today, in new parties? Everyone understands that all this is a corrupt thing, all this is from egoism, all this will end if not today then tomorrow, just wait.
We see that everything is getting old. Even such fundamentalist movements in which billions of people are involved and which feed each other with fanaticism, hatred, and irritate themselves from the inside, still slowly slide off their peak and can’t do anything about it because egoism takes its toll. Its form should be transformed into the final one.
These currents do not understand that the final form is set and they will still be obliged to come to it. So they are not going anywhere! As a result, all their plans will be ruined.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call, Correct Connection“ 5/12/13
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Question: If I begin to feel inside everything that happens in my daily life, is this a sign of progress as a result of reading The Book of Zohar?
Answer: No. When I read The Book of Zohar, there is no everyday life for me.
I have an embryo of the soul, a point in the heart, and now I am with it in the upper system that The Book of Zohar tellis about.
How can I connect, sensorially and rationally, all these properties, three lines, ascents and descents, and spiritual actions with this tiny point in which there is nothing?
That is what I am looking for. How can I stay in them, feel them, and experience them for myself there in the ZON of the Olam ha Atzilut?
I do not want anything from this world, not myself or my friends, as I perceive them in the five senses, and even more so the whole world. Why do I need it?
It does not exist, it only appears to me inside my egoism, my desire to enjoy. If I rise to a higher level, that of bestowal and faith above reason, then I will see everything differently.
I do not want to deal with this world! I just want to rise and adhere to the upper one! I approach this realistically without leaving our world.
But I study The Book of Zohar, as well as the entire science of Kabbalah, in order to reveal for myself the upper world, and not to draw it into our world. This will never happen! The spiritual world will never clothe in the corporeal one.
On the contrary, the corporeal world will rise to its roots, to the spiritual world. Through the corporeal world, I will subsequently see the spiritual one. But first one needs to perceive spirituality.
Therefore, before the beginning of the lesson, I try to disconnect from everything that I have in this world. After all, now I am studying perfection, spirituality, the Creator.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/10/10, The Book of Zohar “VaYetze”
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why can we not access all of our memories?“
Everything we go through in life will have to surface from our memory storage at some point. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we will use our every life experience. We will then also understand that everything happened to us for a specific reason.
According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, we will need every moment we went through at—and for—the end of our correction: the final state of our existence where we completely invert our egoism into altruism, and exist as one interconnected whole existing in balance with nature—enjoying a common sensation of eternity and perfection. Everything in our memories and in general comes from the incarnations that our soul undergoes.
Therefore, in relation to the ability to access all of our memories, the main takeaway is that our memories are active either consciously or subconsciously, and moreover, we do not have to work with our memories. On the contrary, we should aspire to be new people every day. Whatever happened in the past, happened, and today we try to reach a more complete and higher correction.
Based on the video “How Should We Work With Memories?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Preparation to the Lesson
| [media 1] | [media 2] |
Lesson on the Topic “Rosh HaShanah“
| [media 3] | [media 4] |
Writings of Baal HaSulam. Newspaper: The Nation
| [media 5] | [media 6] |
Selected Highlights
| [media 7] | [media 8] |
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