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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “What is Wrong With Our Society Today?”

If we viewed human society a single live organism, then what would we see?

We would see that, in its current state of development, its immune system is barely working, and its cells and organs, which should be sustaining the body’s health, are deteriorating.

Personal, social, economic and ecological problems are all on the rise, including depression, stress, loneliness, emptiness, anxiety, xenophobia, drug abuse, suicide, income equality, poverty, climate change, and although many people are trying to patch and treat these problems, the efforts fail to solve the problem at its overarching cause.

What is the cause of all problems in human society?

It is the human ego, i.e., the innate calculative mechanism in human nature that prioritizes self-benefit over benefiting others, which makes society’s individual “cells” each pull to themselves more than giving to others, bringing on the downfall of the entire organism of human society.

As cancer takes place when cells take more than they need at the expense of the body, so our society is currently made up of egoists each guided by an enveloping egoistic paradigm that supports the idea of success as becoming individually wealthy, famous and powerful.

That we are egoists is a nature-given situation, but the social influence and public opinion that supports egoistic goals and values is what’s wrong with society.

Nature functions oppositely to the human ego: altruistically and according to laws of interconnection and interdependence. It thus rejects our growing ego, and the more we develop today, the more we feel pressured between our growing ego that wants to detach from others, and nature’s tendency to connect us all into a single whole.

Therefore, the more we develop today, the more we enter into an increasing entanglement of complications, and it is all in order to bring us to the realization that our egoistic nature stands behind all of our problems, that it is an inherently evil quality, that we helplessly follow its demands to try and fill it with self-aimed pleasure at the expense of others time and again, and that any move to improve society requires first diagnosing the ego as the cause of all our problems.

Then, when we reach a widespread realization of this common cause to all our problems, we can start fixing it.

When we reach such an awakening, we will realize that there is no person, group of people, or political or religious orientation to blame for our problems. There is only our very egoistic nature, dwelling in each and every one of us.

How can we then correct human nature, if it is the cause of all our problems?

It is possible if we create an environment that supports the ego’s correction, so that instead of receiving for self-benefit alone at the expense of others, we would want to positively contribute and connect to others in order to benefit them, without any “What will I get out of it?” intent.

It is against human nature to give and contribute to others, but if we changed public opinion, our social and media influences, and also our education, in order that we learn the nature of humanity’s increasing interdependence today, how the human ego opposes our growing interdependence and also why this is the cause of all our problems, and that the way to resolve our myriad problems today is by correcting our connections to each other—creating an environment that supports giving and contributing to society, prioritizing values of mutual consideration and responsibility over competitive and individualistic ideas of success—then we would be on course to a monumental positive social transformation.

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I am trying to insert my stone into a stone wall, and all the stones around this opening are my friends who determine the shape that I should eventually take.

Let’s say I am the Sefira of Hod of the spiritual Kli in ten Sefirot. I do not know what the Sefira Hod should be in the spiritual Kli: Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzach, and Hod. But if I adapt myself to the previous Sefira Netzach and to the next Sefira Yesod, then I understand what it takes to fill the space between them.

And when we build the ten Sefirot Kli in this way, we get the main building block of the entire creation in which we reveal the inner life, the Creator. And then we expand this building by connecting new blocks, and begin to see the perfect reality unfolding before us in all its forms, above time and space.

We need to become wise and persistent participants in this construction together, and then it will be easy and joyful. And if it is hard, it means that we are working incorrectly.

Theoretically, if I could get rid of all my egoism, I would turn into soft clay, which enters like butter between all the stones and concrete blocks in the wall. This is an ideal form when there is no desire to receive in me, but only a desire to bestow, a desire to suit everyone.

This happens when a person enters a group that is new for him and he wants to establish relations with everyone so that he is accepted. However, when we work with our desire to receive, we reveal our egoism, and we feel pressure from everyone until we relent. But if I adjust myself to the ten, then I can be sure that I have found the right place and am moving forward correctly: from love for the creations to love for the Creator.

The main thing is the willingness to connect. The basic principle is to be together as one wall, one building. And if no one wants to change for the sake of connecting with others, then this is not spiritual. Spirituality is when I adapt myself to everyone, and so I find my true place in the structure of Adam HaRishon, in the common soul.

It is very important to understand that I am annulling myself not just in front of a friend, but in front of our mutual connection, before the form of our common border that divides us. It turns out that due to such work, I annul myself before the Creator.

We just need to know how to correct ourselves in the most external form and adapt ourselves to our friends so as not to interfere with them, and by combining our forces, we can take a step forward together. Taking this step forward, we feel that we are acting for the sake of one goal, for the sake of a common connection, and one Creator will be able to clothe in us. And then we take another step and another, and so we build a temple.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/21/23, “Preparation for Opening the Heart at the Congress”

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Question: Does an ebook affect the inner desire of the person who reads it?

Answer: I would not say that it matters today because the person himself has become such.

But during the lessons, we still read excerpts from ordinary books that are published in a normal typographic way. But on the texts, of course, I work on the computer.

And the student who is sitting with the computer, let him work with it. The main thing is whatever he will experience within himself.

Question: But how did the system appear, that began to depict everything on the screen?

Answer: This happened because we also have a screen inside. We also see everything around us inside ourselves, on our screen, but it seems to us that we observe it outside of ourselves. Everything we see outside of us is inside of us. This is such an illusion of realization, there is nothing else in it.

As a result, we will come to understand that everything we see is our inner state, and by changing ourselves, we will write a book within ourselves on four and a half degrees of desires.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Book or iPad” 5/21/12

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Question: Why is it necessary to divide a group into tens, into groups of ten people even at the physical level? Why does such a connection work best of all?

Answer: A gathering of people works better when it consists of ten people because this is the number of souls that corresponds to the spiritual structure. Therefore, we try to be similar to it in our actions.

Question: What if there are fewer or more people?

Answer: It is preferable to divide into tens. But if there is no other option, then, of course, we gather in the amount that we have.

The fact is that each of us can grasp ten people, like ten fingers on the hands in front of him. Our most correct impression is through the tens.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Ten People”

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Question: Why are there stereotypes of people?

Answer: It is because all our internal properties consist of five parts, each of which is divided in turn by another five, another five, and so on.

But these are very clear gradations. We do not take into account the root part because it is the root, and four parts come from it. From here we have a division into types of characters, types of races, and generally everything.

Question: Why, as a rule, do we determine the type by appearance? Let’s say: this professor, this murderer, this alcoholic?

Answer: Because there is a correspondence between a person’s appearance and his qualities since at each level they manifest themselves differently. Naturally, a person is already in such behavior, and in communication, and in movements, and in conversation, and in thoughts—in everything. After all, each property of the four main ones (HaVaYaH) is divided into four more, four more, and so on. Hence the division into groups.

Comment: At one time, an experiment was conducted on how public opinion affects a person: they took students, showed them some face and gave them a brief description: “This man is a murderer, cold–blooded…”—so and so. “Describe how you see him.” And the person would begin to describe: “Yes, he actually…”

My Response: This is a completely different matter. People were given such a tip and probably wanted to show how a preconceived opinion leads them away from the truth.

But, in principle, you can more or less judge people by their appearance. Although, this does not apply for example to major scammers, internal freaks, or maniacs, they may have a super-intelligent look.

And today it is impossible to say anything about it at all because our egoism has reached such heights in its development that the most seemingly calm, intelligent people suddenly find themselves under such pressures, such impulses that were not peculiar to them before. Therefore, no one believes anyone now.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Human Types” 4/21/12

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Question: People communicate with each other mostly during meals: either they sit in a cafe or drink tea at home, and so on. Why does such a ritual of communication take place during meals?

Answer: This has been and is the case in all cultures everywhere and always because the most pleasant state of a person is when he is getting saturated and filled.

Filling the soul with the upper light is called Taamim (flavors). This corresponds to the intake of food and liquids in our world. In the spiritual world, our coming closer to each other causes us to receive light, and in our world to receive food. In other words, we call the upper light (food) upon ourselves, and this brings us closer.

In the spiritual world, on the contrary, everything goes according to the work of the person, i.e., coming closer to each other causes us to have the opportunity to receive light.

This is the real Kabbalah; it is the most obvious, best action a person can do because the connection with others gives us the opportunity to reveal the Creator.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Most Delicious Food” 5/27/12

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Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) is a special place, the quality of Bina in our world. Although compared to Lake Baikal or the Great Lakes in America, it is just a small lake, but through its strength and influence on all mankind, nothing is even close. No wonder there are various monasteries scattered around the Kinneret, including ancient ones built on rocks.

Question: Does the fact that there is less and less water in the Kinneret mean anything?

Answer: This suggests that the quality of Bina is running out in our world. We see it all over the world, as it is gradually being depleted.

But it is for the best, it should be so. We must gradually move to the upper source (call it an alternative one).

Question: Do you think it is no coincidence that Rabbi Shimon and his friends chose this place to write The Book of Zohar?

Answer: There is nothing accidental. Everything happens under the influence of upper forces and in unison with them. It was impossible to write or even feel these forces anywhere else. Therefore, Lake Kinneret and everything that exists around it is really special.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalistic Geography” 10/10/10

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the meaning of Purim in the Bible?“

The story of Purim describes the near-genocide of the Jewish people.

Haman recognized the Jews’ division as an opportunity to eradicate them. “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples” (Esther 3:8). Haman said that in his view, the Jews would be able to be destroyed because they were separated from one another.

However, Mordechai, the hero of the Purim story, worked to bridge the Jews’ division, which is what eventually saved their lives: “the Jews gathered themselves together to stand for their life” (Esther 8:11).

Purim is as significant for Jews today as it was for the Jews in the story itself. Also, it holds immense importance for society at large. A major aspect that needs to be understood about the meaning of Purim in order for us to understand its modern relevance is in relation to Haman: Who or what is Haman in our present times? That is, who or what is behind society’s increasing estrangement and polarization?

The immediate response according to our primal instincts is to personify the blame, that a President, or a group of politicians, financiers, executives or other conspiratorial schemers are behind our woes. However, beyond the face-value finger pointing, what is really behind today’s social division is the divisive mindset that Haman represents: the desire to seek money, honor, control and power despite everyone and everything. This divisive mindset shuts us off from each other, separating us, harming us and masking the harm that we do to each other.

Today’s tumultuous social atmosphere is a calling for us to seek our common voice as a humanity that shares common values and purpose. If we use this calling to connect a little above our primal instincts, then we can create a much more harmonious and peaceful world.

Whenever the Jewish people were at risk of ruin, it was our unity that saved us. We can use the Purim story as an eternal reminder that our unity can get us out of the worst situations, and that by uniting, we set a constructive and positive example for the rest of humanity.

Although we Jews have an innate obligation to set the standard for choosing unity over division, people of all races, colors, shapes and sizes should make the same strides toward unification before heading into greater turmoil and crises. Our destiny is in our hands.

Based on the post “What Is Purim?” by Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Preparation to the Lesson

Zohar for All “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” “The Thirteenth Commandment”

Zohar for All “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” “The Fourteenth Commandment”

Lesson on the Topic “Summary of the Convention”

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