Audio Version Of The Blog – 10/19/23
Posted on October 19th, 2023
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why did Hamas kill so many innocent Israeli civilians?“
In Hamas’ terror attack on October 7, 2023, the group did not just kill innocent Israeli civilians, they also made videos of their murders showing pride in their actions.
One of my students asked me about this: How could people reach a state where they kill innocent people, including women and children, and be proud of it?
The problem is that it does not influence us, the people of Israel. It is not the first time in history that such atrocities have taken place toward the Jewish people, and again, the problem is that we fail to draw the right conclusions from these treacherous incidents.
That people resort to actions toward each other that are worse than animals’ treatment of one another is because we are egoistic beings who enjoy in the suffering of others. Only people enjoy in the suffering of others as a means of raising their own status.
If we thought that today, in the 21st century, we as a human race have developed in our knowledge to a point where we are beyond wars and conflicts, it is far from the case. Where do we see that people today are more enlightened than people of the past? What do we see that people wish for other people in the world in today’s culture and education? We see example after example of people wanting to enjoy at the expense of other people and the world.
In the mid-2010s, ISIS made similar public displays as Hamas’ October 7 attacks, taking pride in torturing and executing swathes of innocent people who they deemed as their enemies. People might pin this kind of behavior to Islamist extremists, but it is a narrow view. For instance, only 80 years ago, we saw such behavior in Germany, a country that was renowned for its high cultural impact on the world.
The murderous inclination exists in the egoistic human nature that prioritizes self-benefit over anything else, but such an inclination is especially active toward the Jewish people. Why? It is because we Jews need to serve as a positive unifying example to the world.
Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) writes about this in his article, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”: “The Israeli nation had been constructed as a sort of gateway by which the sparks of purity would shine upon the whole of the human race the world over.”
If we do not become a positive unifying example to the world, then the world treats us worse than anybody else.
The ability to unite above egoistic and divisive drives is what made us the people of Israel to begin with. And as it was then so it is today: We need to fix our connections to each other so that we reach a state of “love your neighbor as yourself” and that “each shall help his friend,” i.e., that we build a close, loving and supportive connection to each other above our divisions.
After the tragic events of October 7, there has been an awakening of a supportive atmosphere among and toward the people of Israel. Among the people of Israel, it is due to the fear that a similar incident will occur tomorrow. However, when this fear fades away, the people of Israel will once again become divided.
This is why I and my organization invest a lot of effort in regularly disseminating educational content on the need for unity, with an additional emphasis on the unity of the Jewish people. If we can awaken ourselves to unite above division through education in more peaceful times, then we would see how the world’s attitude toward us would shift from negative to positive, and our unity would protect us from horrors such as those that again arose against us on October 7.
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Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Question: You keep saying, “Unity. We must be united.” Could you please continue and explain? Because? Because of what?
Answer: Because it is our idea, which is above life and death and above everything. The main thing is unity. What for, why, when—it does not matter. Now and forever. That is what should be.
We must be united because this is how we can fulfill the program of creation and only in this way do we come close to the upper force.
We must be united not for the sake of living, or living well or peacefully, but for the sake of our idea, which is to love our neighbor as ourselves no matter what the conditions are.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/12/23
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Question: It is said, “One does not deliver oneself from imprisonment.” Rather, it is one’s friend who can lift him to the state of “spirit of life.”
How exactly can a friend help the other, and what is this state of the “spirit of life”?
Answer: If one person fills another with hope, strength, and purpose, then in this way he gets him out of prison. In this way they get out of there together.
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From the 1st part of the Lesson of the International Kabbalistic Convention “Opening Hearts” 10/01/23, Lesson 3 “Overcoming the Burdening of the Heart”
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Question: Our friend is in a descent and we do not know how to help him unite with us. How can we light a flame in his heart?
Answer: Sometimes you can help a friend, but sometimes you cannot. If a person suddenly loses the desire for spiritual elevation and does not see that this is his goal in life, then it is very difficult to raise him from this state. We need smart friends who would deal with him correctly psychologically. And this does not always help.
But you should share your experiences on the Internet: what you tried to do in such cases and what helped you.
Question: It is said that a neighbor must help a friend. Where is the place for prayer at this point of connection?
Answer: Prayer is the inner desire of the heart. If I desire something in my heart, then I raise my desire to the Creator. This is what prayer means.
Of course, you also need to physically help your friend, especially if he falls. But at the same time, we must understand that the main help is in our prayer, in the desire of our hearts, when we raise ourselves and move toward the Creator.
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From the 1st part of the Lesson of the International Kabbalistic Convention “Opening Hearts” 10/01/23, Lesson 3 “Overcoming the Burdening of the Heart”
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Each of us must take care that our desires in our hearts are addressed not to ourselves, but to others.
We have a large group. We must face each other and support each other. And then, although one falls a little, the other rises a little.
The Creator acts like this, alternately between us. Therefore, getting used to the fact that we constantly think about the general rise is our big job.
Question: Caring in the heart is caring for the group. I think about the group, I join the ten, and in addition, I try to include the ten in the group; that is, I try to combine these two things that are still separate. How correct is this direction?
Answer: A lot depends on habit. A habit is a special state of our internal properties that we perceive as given to us by nature. Therefore, we should try to behave as if our desires were directed toward each other. Even if this is not the case, we must do everything by force. And then from potential, it will turn into action.
Question: What should we do so as not to miss this moment and “grab the Creator”?
Answer: We need to constantly be in touch between our friends and the Creator. And the rest of our life should be an addition to this.
I see that everything is open before us, we just need to hold on to each other and the global Kli more strongly. This is enormous power! If we use it properly, we will succeed.
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From the 1st part of the Lesson of the International Kabbalistic Convention “Opening Hearts” 10/01/23, Lesson 3 “Overcoming the Burdening of the Heart”
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Kabbalah is called a hidden science because it is revealed only to those who use it correctly, that is, through their unification and building a system of connections between them. They reveal this science within this network of connections.
The science of Kabbalah is not a product of the human mind, like some abstruse theory. To study Kabbalah, you do not have to be a person of particularly sharp mind. The main thing this science requires is that a person is ready and able to work on one’s heart.
These people must be able to organize their desires in such a way that all the desires of one person complement the desires of another one, and another one, etc. In this form, they build a network of connections between them in which they reveal the common power of bestowal, that is, the Creator.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/28/23, Writings of Rabash “Concerning the Importance of Friends”
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Question: The Creator does not give charity (alms), He gives a gift. How and what should we ask for?
Answer: I cannot advise you about what to ask. It should come from the heart. But, between us, there is nothing more to ask from the Creator except love. He gives us everything, and love only upon request.
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From the 2nd part of the Lesson of the International Kabbalistic Convention “Opening Hearts” 9/30/23, Lesson 2 “Connecting As One Man with One Heart”
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At the convention you need to try to feel love for each other without paying attention to a person’s external qualities. The main thing is that everyone has this special quality of being chosen by the Creator to participate in our world group. That is why I agree with the Creator and am ready to be with these friends. I constantly try to get closer to them.
Multiple connections happen here: the merging of each one of us with a friend, the merging with the ten and through our ten with other tens, and in general with everyone together so that there is a combination of all our qualities and desires. It turns out that there is our common Kli, a common desire with common feelings, and it is even impossible to make out where I am, where you are, and where he or she is.
Everything weaves together into one tangle and merges into one ball where we see only a single force that created us, united us, and brought us to it. And within this force we unite all together without any distinction between us. This is the unification of creation with the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah lesson 9/27/23, “Preparation for Opening the Heart at the Congress”
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How did Hamas infiltrate into Israel without alerting Israeli intelligence?“
Beneath the surface reasons for Israel’s intelligence failure on October 7, 2023, lies a larger collective failure of the people of Israel letting negative attitudes divide them leading up to the tragic events.
The people of Israel’s strength depends on how well they relate to each other. If they cannot get along, no amount of weapons or tools can help.
Hamas’ breach of the barrier into Israel and their managing to commit the atrocities that they did with no Israeli soldiers in sight for a significant period of time, that is, on an army renowned for its intelligence capabilities, continues to shock people and leave them in disbelief.
The core reason, however, for this failure was the lack of a heart-to-heart connection among the people of Israel. For the people of Israel to thrive, its every member must connect from the heart, creating a family-like atmosphere of mutual protection and support, and uphold a common desire for closeness and unity.
The tragedy on October 7 triggered an immediate shift to attitudes of mutual concern and support among the people of Israel. Over time, however, we can expect to see divisive attitudes resurface, with the people of Israel once again erupting in protests and demonstrations against each other.
Until the people of Israel realize the primary need and importance of their unification, that divisive attitudes to each other weaken them and make them vulnerable to destructive forces, then nothing will help.
It was our unity above division that initially brought us together as a nation, where we connected according to the tenet, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and as it once was so it is today: our unity is the only factor that determines our success or failure.
Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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