Audio Version Of The Blog – 12/30/22

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“Israel Needs a Government of Tough but Equal Love”

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom my Facebook page Michael Laitman 12/29/22

Today, December 29, 2022, is the first day of a new government in Israel. The past year has been horrific for Israel: Thirty Israelis were murdered by terrorists, far more than in previous years, inflation has risen, Israel’s international status has plummeted, teachers are quitting the education system in droves and no one is replacing them, division is spreading—between religious and secular, progressives and conservatives—and this is a very partial list.
Clearly, the new government will have a lot of fixing up to do.
The worst problem is that the outgoing government has given the feeling that no one is at the helm, and anyone can do whatever he or she wants. Not only has crime risen, but the audacity of criminals is beyond belief, committing crimes in broad daylight without even trying to hide their identity. The main problem, therefore, is one of governability, or rather, the lack thereof.
Accordingly, before anything else, the new government must make people realize that there is a new government in place, and it will not tolerate what the previous government tolerated. Deterrence must be elevated to much higher levels than the current one because at the moment, there isn’t any. When there is high deterrence, there are fewer crimes, less pressure on police, and as a result, better policing. If I had to sum up the new government’s task in two words, they would be law and order, and to that I might add, with a firm hand.
Yet, for all its significance, there is something that is just as important, yet totally ignored, but which the incoming government must develop: the one value that everyone avoids—national unity. In today’s Israel, everyone is busy proving that they are right and everyone else is wrong. The result is that no one is convinced, and everyone becomes more entrenched in their positions and adds hatred to their conviction. In such a state, any attempt to remedy the situation in Israel is hopeless from the get go.
The deepening division in Israeli society is not just another problem that the new government needs to tackle; it is the root cause of all the problems. Every single crisis that is currently affecting the lives of Israelis will vanish if there is a strong sense of social cohesion in Israel.
When there is mutual concern, there is no poverty. When there is cohesion, there is no division, and certainly no crime. When there are solidarity and unity, Israel’s military deterrence increases manyfold. Education will become better and more evenly dispersed when people care not only about their children’s schools but also about the Israeli education system as a whole.
When a government works to improve social cohesion and the well-being of the entire nation, rather than the current state where parties are concerned only with the sector that elected them, it is much easier to unite the people behind it. However, for this to happen, unity must be openly on the table as a top priority agenda item in the most important meetings: the ones where budgets are decided and laws are formulated.
Every nation has something called “national identity.” Israel’s must be “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the motto we had given to the world in antiquity, and we were commanded to live it out, to set an example. Love of others is the basis of our nation precisely because we emerged from alienation and hostility, and merited the status of a nation only once we triumphed over them. These days, when we are divided and hateful once again, we do not deserve the title, “nation.”
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the incoming government, and stress that it must show a firm hand and establish law and order, but not in order to oppress political rivals, but in order to be able to instill education toward unity, mutual responsibility, and concern for one another.

Double Emptiness

509And “he who has a hundred wants two hundred,” it follows that “One does not die with half one’s wishes in one’s hand” (Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 1, “Inner Observation,” Chapter 4, Item 21).

We are arranged in such a way that we always run for a double reward, which constantly signals us from afar. Therefore, it turns out that we die without reaching it. This means that a person dies without getting even half of what he wished for.

Thus, they suffer from both sides: from the pain of increased motion, and from the pain of deficiency of possessions. That is, you suffer both from the fact that you have to move all the time and look for something, and from the fact that you are not fulfilled.

This is our life. In any case, we will be constantly running, constantly striving for something, and we will not be able to stop ourselves. But no matter what actions we take, we will still remain twofold empty.
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From KabTV’s “The Study of the Ten Sefirot (TES)” 12/18/22

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The Secret of a Long and Happy Marriage

627.1Question: An elderly couple was asked what the secret of their long marriage was. The wife replied that is was the fact that “We both love me. I do not exit loving myself, and he loves me.”

What do you think about this?

Answer: This is very one-sided, like walking on a crutch. I do not want that. There is no mutuality.

Comment: This is the entire secret of their long marriage; there is no mutuality.

My Response: It is like a little child who behaves like that with his mom: “I love myself and everyone should love me.” This will not work. I do not feel pleasure, height, journey, and fulfillment from the fact that someone will show me that he or she loves me.

I feel like this sometimes, and it does not make me feel good.

Question: Then what is the secret of a long and happy marriage?

Answer: When you can constantly concede to each other. Constantly! That is, to be ready for this all the time to concede to the other in everything. In everything! Then life is beautiful.

Comment: Can you imagine? The moment I feel a prick and have to attack, and hop, I concede even though everything inside me is burning!

My Response: No, there is nothing anymore and nothing is burning.

Question: So once I have conceded, is there suddenly a peaceful flow?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is this what we come to through big fights and big clashes?

Answer: Through understanding, through recognizing the wisdom of nature. Only in this form can you be connected with the other and can you receive pleasure from being with him and conceding to him all the time! That is all. How wonderful!
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/27/22

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Get Over Yourself

962.2Question: What is the right way to go against one’s egoistic desires?

Answer: You cannot overcome your egoistic desires if you do not resist. Above all your desires, you need to build a connection with the Creator.

After all, everything that arises in you now gives you a feeling directed against the unity of the Creator, against His existence, and you must behave as if He exists, as if He is the one and only source of everything that happens, who is absolutely good and doing only good.

And you get a completely different, constantly changing picture against these settings. But you rise above them and act, saying: “You give me these feelings, these thoughts, these relationships with everyone, and this attitude to everyone, you build this worthless world around me. And I will treat You above all this as good, bringing good, the only one who exists, and the cause of everything that happens. And in general, all this around me does not exist, there is only You!”

Suppose you are talking to me now, which means that I do not exist; you treat me as the Creator’s influence on you, and I do not exist. The same for me. Even those thoughts and feelings that arise in me, it is You who arouse them. And who am I? I am only an expert point that feels all this and is tuned to perceive it this way. And then the soul begins to develop from this expert point.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Get Over Yourself” 2/15/14

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To a World of Love

530Question: In some groups, there are sort of two camps that do not connect with each other very well. What can we do?

Answer: We should not pit such people against each other. We need to constantly talk about this so that they can advance and correct this condition as they progress in their spiritual work.

Eventually, everyone should reach the quality of absolute love. Without this, the Creator will not be revealed. At the level at which bad inclinations and bad impulses are given to us, we must correct them and we will discover the Creator in them—in everyone, in the entire world. Because in the next moment another world, your other bad qualities will be revealed to you, and you will have to correct them.

There will be another world, much worse than now. Your attitude toward the world and the world toward you will be more terrible, and you will also be correcting that world into the world of love, and you will see in it the revelation of the Creator because “world,” “Olam,” is from the word “concealment.”

This is the concealment of the Creator from man. The reverse side of the world, its wrong side, is the Creator at the level of the world that is currently depicted to you.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Conflict between Friends” 3/3/14

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Rabash: Between Two Poles

919Question: Once Rabash undertook to teach young, non-religious people. What did he prove by this? That Kabbalah is not a religion? Or did he need a breakthrough?

Answer: I think he saw from my example that the next step is possible here and he could not restrain himself. He made a spiritual revolution.

Of course, Baal HaSulam could have done the same. He would do anything! This man was ready to break all boundaries. Rabash, however, could not afford it. He did not feel that high. He has always been under his father. Even in the photographs, Baal HaSulam’s gaze is directed upward, while standing next to him Rabash has his head lowered. It looks very symbolic.

But from working with me, he saw that there is something to invest in if I bring other students, and therefore he agreed.

Comment: It is probably difficult for many to understand what it means for Rabash, who lived all his life in a religious environment, to suddenly decide and accept as students those who had nothing to do with this at all.

My Response: Yes and no. On the one hand, the spiritual path puts a person in a state of constant fear, because he is lowered to the very bottom, and on the other hand, he is raised to the very top.

You are between two poles, and you have no other choice. You are literally shaking from every speck of dust, from every leaf, like a bunny under a bush, and at the same time you understand that there is no solution, you are obliged to act.

I felt it later. I think that my students also are gradually beginning to understand the gap that exists in the approach to the world in every soul.

Thus, we must consist of fear, as they say, trembling before the Creator, and of greatness and strength. These two opposites must be in each of us. The more they differ, the more powerful the person is.

I am sure Rabash had both. This constantly accompanies you; you cannot get away from this.

Moreover, both opposites must merge—both fear and strength, which makes it possible to move forward, constantly doubting and still realizing oneself. That is why he went for it.

It was necessary to urgently change the situation and bring it to a common denominator. I had a big job. But I quickly moved away from it, because I realized that if I got stuck in this, then I would not be myself. Therefore, we continued our personal line of communication with him.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book“2/12/10

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Gradual Entry into the Wisdom of Kabbalah

962.7Comment: Due to the growing popularity of Kabbalah and the development of the Bnei Baruch organization, there are many views on how to classify it. Some consider it as a cult. For example, it is considered that it offers you the exact recipe for success and happiness, just for you.

My Response: There is nothing personal or “just for you” in Kabbalah. It can only be for everyone because the universe is common, unified, and there can be no happiness for one.

Comment: According to the classification of cults, the first meeting opens up a completely new way of looking at things for people.

My Response: No, this is not the case in Kabbalah. By starting to study it, you are just beginning to realize that you are facing something radically new. But what exactly it is, you do not understand.

It takes a lot of time for a person to get into it. First he must prepare his senses and expand them. He must begin to work for bestowal, and then in this acquired quality, he will begin to feel the upper world that we are talking about.

The upper world is the world that is felt in our altruistic desires. While I do not have them, I do not reveal anything. I just feel that it is really something special: big, deep, and ancient. But this impression is very general. It may be incorrect. After all, all of it is individual.

Comment: When a person feels something unusual in Kabbalah, let’s say he checks some things in life.

My Response: No, these are not spiritual, but all kinds of personal psychological impressions, which he often has when confronted with something new—terrible or beautiful, it doesn’t matter what. This is not Kabbalah.

How can a person who has just started studying, at the first impression feel and understand what Kabbalah is?! It is not from our world at all. Therefore first he must see that there is a huge, ancient wisdom embedded in it. Maybe the first time he does not understand something, but instead he simply feels that this is not mysticism and not divination, i.e., it is absolutely nothing that he has read about anywhere else.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Kabbalah about Cults” 12/18/13

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 12/30/22

Preparation to the Lesson

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Zohar for All “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” “Hochma (Wisdom), on which the World Stands” 

[media 3] [media 4]

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” “Lock and Key”

[media 5] [media 6]

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Book of Zohar

[media 7] [media 8]

Selected Highlights

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