Audio Version Of The Blog – 11/21/23
Posted on November 21st, 2023
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Michael Laitman on the Times of Israel: “Why Is There So Much Evil in the World?”
We learn in the wisdom of Kabbalah that there is a single, eternal and perfect force that created and sustains reality, and that this force acts toward us out of love and mercy, in order to develop us to its degree. It created us in an opposite quality to its own—its quality is giving; ours is receiving—where we each wish to serve ourselves alone, and in such a quality, we innately disagree with the existence of a single force since we perceive several different and opposing forces in a constant struggle.
We see a world full of conflicting, opposing and resisting forces. We do not see the true world because our perception is based on our fundamental disagreement to the idea that there is a single force that acts solely to benefit us. In the language of Kabbalah, such a disagreement is called “the quality of judgment.” If we perceived the true world, then we would see that only one force of love and bestowal dwells in reality, which Kabbalah calls “the quality of mercy,” and then we would see this force acting mercifully toward everyone.
The reason we view the world behaving according to the quality of judgment, i.e., regularly hearing about terrible and evil events, is due to what Kabbalah calls our “lack of correction.” It means that we view reality through a shattered lens of our opposition to the quality of love and bestowal. Moreover, while opposite by nature to the quality of love and bestowal, we need to undergo a process of development in order to shift our perception: from transience, separation and incompleteness to the view of one force acting in an eternal, perfect and whole manner. Then, when we complete this correction process, we come to see that only one force—the quality of love and bestowal—dwells in the world, and that this force is good and does only good.
What should our response be, then, to hearing about negative phenomena, i.e., to all the wars, suffering and crises on personal, social and global scales? It should be, as it is written, that “they have eyes and see not; they have ears and hear not.” When we see disasters taking place, we should acknowledge that we fail to perceive the positive force of love, bestowal and connection behind it all, and also that we would like to perceive it and see that it acts ultimately for our benefit.
We need to remember that there is a good source that acts on the world, which created everything opposite to its quality of goodness in order for us to develop ourselves to reach a perception of its oneness, eternity and perfection above our opposition to that quality.
Therefore, the conflicts, evil and hatred we see in the world are part and parcel of a grand theatrical production playing out before us. Through this theater, we can attain the ability to accept the providence behind such a show as absolutely good and benevolent toward us. It is a game that we have been given to play. This is the meaning of “playing with the whale,” which is what we do when rise above the opposition in our perception to reveal the single benevolent force guiding reality.
However, on one hand, we should be careful to not treat this matter lightly, i.e., relating to our lives as fake and “just a game.” On the other hand, we should also be careful not to fall into states of intense sadness and/or anger with what we see unfolding in the world. Instead, we need to constantly navigate ourselves in between these two poles, in what Kabbalah calls “the middle line.”
Therefore, we should acknowledge that the role of evil in the world is to show us that everything is good. We would be unable to feel goodness, love, bestowal, harmony, peace, happiness and confidence without their negative counterparts. Also, we need to learn about how we develop to a final destination in our lives where we will perceive a single, good and benevolent force.
It thus turns out that if we see evil in the world, we should exercise the opposite good qualities of love and bestowal by positively connecting to each other. By doing so, we gradually come to neutralize any appearance of evil in the world while increasingly discovering the single positive force of love and bestowal dwelling in reality.
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Question: How does the knowledge gained from our study affect the measure of faith?
Answer: To the extent that you practice following the recommendations of Kabbalists, you begin to perceive your egoistic qualities and realize that they constantly push you to be critical of the world, the Creator, and your friends, and to fully justify yourself. That is the result of ordinary study.
On the other hand, when a person sees how ugly he is in his egoism, he begins to be critical of himself and asks the Creator to correct him. The path of correction starts from here.
Question: How does faith above reason differ from faith in reward in this case?
Answer: The faith in reward is an egoistic belief when I strive to be rewarded for the efforts I put in. And faith above reason is the desire to rise above egoism and unite with the Creator precisely in mutual bestowal.
Question: How can we strengthen the measure of faith and not fall into despair from the realization of our remoteness from the Creator?
Answer: If you unite with your friends and work together for the success of your collective ascent, for the connection between you and the Creator, then you will succeed. The Creator shows us what small and powerless egoists we are precisely so that we choose the right path.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/6/23, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Torah Is Called Indication“
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Question: How is the work of cleansing different from the work of correction called holiness? Why do we have to strengthen our wickedness to acquire the property of holiness?
Answer: There is no need to strengthen anything; you just need to strive for positive actions, positive feelings. And then you will feel what is happening to you.
The quality of purification depends on your desire to connect with your friends. The desire to unite with them leads you to cleanse yourself from egoism.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/5/23, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Purpose of the Work – 1“
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Question: What actions that distance us from love of the Creator and are called the elixir of death?
Answer: Selfish intentions for one’s own sake, not for the sake of others.
Any action in spirituality is measured and weighed only by its intention: Why am I doing it, for whom, or for what? Therefore, we must be in constant intention to do everything in our power for the sake of connecting all creatures in a good relationship with the Creator.
Question: What goal should constantly be before our eyes so that the Torah does not become the elixir of death?
Answer: Uniting, correction, and mutual assistance in a group.
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From the Daily Kabbalah lesson 11/3/23, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Concerning the Giving of the Torah – 2“
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Question: What is the danger of the “evil eye” from other people?
Answer: Each of us has egoism, we have not yet been corrected, and so each of us can harm another with our ego. And then it will be difficult for a person to come out of his ego and become like the Creator. This is called Ayin Ra (harmful eye, evil eye).
It is better if a person does not reveal his intentions to others. His friends understand it anyway, because they learn the same things and live the same way. But this is not revealed to others.
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Fromthe 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah lesson 11/8/23, Writings of Rabash “What Is, ‘Warn the Great about the Small,’ in the Work?“
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Question: On one hand enjoyment is our life. What do we have beside it? On the other hand, this is described in Kabbalah in a very incomprehensible language. Even in our world we see how important it is for us to know, for example, the laws of physics. But how many people are interested in these laws?
Answer: We are only interested in what will benefit us, but the wisdom of Kabbalah, which studies the way to receive the upper light, is not in the sensations of our pleasures and therefore no one yearns for it.
Question: But we are talking about pleasures from reception, from connection with the Creator. What could be better?
Answer: It does not matter. Does anyone yearn for the Creator?
Comment: But 80% of humanity or even more are not atheists. Atheists are only 2% of the world.
My Response: It does not matter even if there were 100%. The fact is that we do not know, do not feel, and do not understand the connection with the Creator. We treat it based only on fear of death, disappearance, or misfortune. But in reality who needs the Creator in everyday life? We remember Him only when we feel bad.
If we saw that the Creator is the quality of love and bestowal, then we would rush to Him. But the Creator concealed Himself to make our path to Him easier. Otherwise, His pleasures would simply defeat us, obligate us to be His slaves. That is, we would interact with Him at the level of instincts like animals.
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From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 9/26/23
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Question: Can we say the nations of the world, with their actions, are forcing Israel to take the path of correction?
Answer: Yes, the peoples of the world, by their negative attitude toward Israel, force them to understand the whole world depends on them.
Question: In Baal HaSulam’s article, “First Will Be the Correction of the World,” he says when certain elements of the whole of Israel are corrected, the whole world will automatically be corrected. What does it mean?
Answer: We are talking about the connection between all people in the world. If we, those who study Kabbalah, those who are connected with the Creator through study and connection with each other, wish to correct ourselves and ascend to the Creator, then in the measure of our correction, the whole world will come to unity and ascend to the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/4/23, Writings of Baal HaSulam “First Will Be the Correction of the World“
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Question: What is collective Malchut?
Answer: The collective Malchut is where we are born and begin to develop. That is our common desire, our spiritual mother. The approximation to it starts with our connection.
Question: What is the difference between the collective Malchut and the feeling of our connection in the ten?
Answer: By feeling the collective Malchut, we begin to feel the whole creation, in what state it is and what it should be to get closer to the Creator.
Question: How do you act in the ten to direct yourself to the collective Malchut?
Answer: Get closer to your friends—nothing else. And as you get closer to them, you will receive from them more and more of different awakenings.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/5/23, Writings of Rabash “What Is, ‘A Ladder Is Set on the Earth, and Its Top Reaches Heaven,’ in the Work?“
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This is similar to one who wants to build a house. He goes to an engineer to make a work-plan for him. Then, who has to pay? Is it the engineer to the person who received the work-plan or does the person pay the engineer for giving him a work-plan by which he can build himself a house? Clearly, the person pays the engineer (Rabash, Article 29 (1989). “What Is the Preparation to Receive the Torah in the Work? -2”).
Question: According to this example, can we buy a Torah? What is the charge for it?
Answer: We have to pay for the Torah with our egoism. When we fully wish to part with it, it means that we want to buy the Torah instead.
Receiving the Torah is called giving because it cannot be acquired otherwise but through the action of bestowal. I ask the Creator to correct me, and I receive from Him a gift, light, the force to be above my egoism.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/3/23, Writings of Rabash “What Is the Preparation to Receive the Torah in the Work? -2“
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