Audio Version Of The Blog – 1/17/24
Posted on January 17th, 2024
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Michael Laitman on the Times of Israel: “What Has Changed in the People of Israel since October 7?”
Following the tragic events of October 7 and the ongoing war ever since, the people of Israel have become much more united. I sincerely hope that we will continue increasing our unity to its fullest possible extent, i.e., a state of “love your neighbor as yourself” through which the tendency to unite will spread throughout humanity.
Despite the anguish that has led us to unite, it is nonetheless beautiful to discover a sudden upshot of mutual concern and appreciation.
Such states bring upon us certain corrections. Many people from all walks of life suddenly feel that the best position to be in is a unified one. Soldiers feel it on the battlefield, that it is their place, voluntarily wishing to remain, and feeling better than if they were in the center of the country. There have been several instances of soldiers returning home for a few days, saying that they feel much more alive when they are with their friends on duty.
Who would have thought that in our generation, people would willingly leave thriving urban centers and pleasant suburban neighborhoods for dangerous combat zones, putting their lives at risk? We are learning a major lesson and I hope it will remain with us. I thus pray for this newfound togetherness to strengthen, that we will not return to divisiveness, and that the power of unity will spread throughout humanity.
More important than the external conflicts that erupt out of necessity are the inner conflicts against the true enemy: the egoistic inclination dwelling within. At any given moment, a sabotaging thought can take us by surprise, making us reject and distance ourselves from each other. It is precisely at this juncture that we need to fight for the success of our unity over division.
I trust, though, that as we become more aware of the harm we cause ourselves by letting our divisive drives materialize, we will become readier to better manage them. We will then voluntarily push in the opposite direction—to support, encourage, respect and care about each other—and infuse a fresh new positive unifying spirit among us and into the world.
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Question: What does mercy mean in the eyes of the creatures?
Answer: Mercy in the eyes of the creatures is when everyone loves you.
Comment: But this is only in the inner feeling because outwardly they may not love me.
My Response: There is nothing to talk about externally. We talk only about our inner, deepest feelings.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/2/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “And If the Way Be Too Far for You”
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Question: How does the switch between Lo Lishma (for oneself) and Lishma (for the Creator) happen? Can it be done at any moment, in every thought, in every desire?
Answer: No, this happens only as a result of a person’s long-term work on himself.
In principle, it comes as a gift from the Creator.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/8/23, Writings of Rabash “What Are Truth and Falsehood in the Work?”
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Question: How is reception in order to bestow connected with faith above reason and within reason?
Answer: Basically these are very close actions.
Question: And yet, do we receive in order to bestow within reason or above reason?
Answer: Above reason. That is, our intention is for the sake of bestowal, and the action is reception. It turns out that the action is the opposite of itself.
Question: Do we also need to rise above the reason acquired for the sake of bestowal in order to reveal a new level of reason? Or is this the final action?
Answer: No, it is not final; these are degrees. Such work takes place at each degree. That is, the reason that we acquire for the sake of bestowal becomes insufficient at some point. It is correct, but insufficient.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/3/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Receiving in order to Bestow”
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Comment: A lion and a bull are having dinner together. The lion receives a call from his wife: “Are you coming home soon?” “Yes, darling, I will be there soon,” says the lion.
The bull looks at him surprised: “Well, you are a lion, the king of all animals. I answer to my wife: “This is none of your business, I will come when I want.” To which the lion says to him: “Do not compare us, your wife is a cow, and mine is a lioness.”
My Response: This is good!
Question: Is respect for a wife a behavior of a lion?
Answer: Yes.
Question: What do you mean by respecting a wife?
Answer: I mean love, understanding, and mutual connection. All this should be present. And I am demonstrating it all loudly and openly.
Question: Are you not paying attention to the bulls who are saying: “What are you doing? You are a lion, the king of the animals. Why are you talking to her like that?”
Answer: No.
Question: Please tell me what comes first: Am I raising a lioness at home, or does a lioness make me a lion after all? What happens first here?
Answer: I think the opposite is true here, the lioness makes you a lion. But I want to say this: What would happen if you talked to your little daughter or your son like that? You would lower yourself and speak softly. Why not with the wife?
You must always feel that you are above everyone, and therefore you must be below everyone.
Question: This is beautiful! Is this the behavior of a real king?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Then I have a question. How did it happen in the world that kings and dynasties disappeared? Politicians came out instead, and mostly not-so-nice ones.
Answer: They all are corrupt.
Question: How did it happen? What happened to all this: with royal nobility, with such an attitude toward others?
Answer: This respect gradually died out over hundreds of years and gave way to pride.
A king should be a king. It goes by inheritance; it goes by ancestral transmission. But then it all changed to sale and purchase.
Question: When was this gene cut off? What happened there? Where did the change take place? If we speak from above. You say that respectful attitude, nobility, is the state of the upper.
Answer: I think it was somewhere in Ancient Rome when they began to sell, buy, and poison each other, then everything went downhill. Before that, the image of the king was practically God’s vicar on earth.
Question: You keep saying that one way or another we must come to the equivalence with the Creator. Is this what is called returning to nobility?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Is it possible? You just said that it was all falling.
Answer: It is impossible.
Question: Then how to return to nobility?
Answer: This nobility will be replaced by the people. When the people have proclaimed themselves the viceroy of the Creator on earth in fulfilling all the upper laws, then they raise themselves to the level of the Creator and peace will be restored on earth.
Question: What should people become in order to reach this state?
Answer: They should exist in love for each other. This is the only condition. The mass should be as one.
Question: Do you actually see this? Do you not see the kings, do you see the people as one whole?
Answer: Yes, it is all gone.
Question: So, when we say “as one heart” or “as one” do you mean this?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Will it happen?
Answer: I may be wrong; I do not know. But, in principle, according to my reasoning, this is how it should be.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/27/23
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Question: There is a tale of an old blind man who was sitting in the shadow of the temple when a passerby asked him: “Forgive me for my question, but how did you become blind?” “I have been blind since birth,” answered the old man. “What do you do?” asked the passerby. “I am an astronomer,” he answered. “I watch the sun and stars.” “But you can’t see them!”, the passerby exclaimed in surprise. “I see,” answered the old man. “They are here.” And he put his hand to his chest.
Can one live like this: blind, but not blind, and as a result you are sighted; deaf and at the same time hear music, and can be a musician? Can a person not feel his inferiority?
Answer: Of course. Because all our senses, in principle, come from our egoism. If we did not have these senses, we could be completely different.
Question: If this sense organ is cut off from me, let’s say I’m blind like this old man who says, “I’m an astronomer,” then how can I not feel that I’m blind?
Answer: Look within yourself.
Question: What will I see there?
Answer: You will see everything: the sky, the stars, everything! Within yourself.
Question: And if, say, I am deaf, can I be a musician? Will I hear music?
Answer: Whatever you want. You don’t need your five senses. You don’t need your body! If we didn’t have a body, we would be so happy and perfect.
Question: So, in this case I don’t feel any inferiority if I kind of live with myself?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Please teach me. How to live like this? How to achieve this? It sounds so good.
Answer: This cannot be explained.
Question: Then the last question about the sage. He said, “I am an astronomer even though I am blind.” Why do we freeze when looking at the stars?
Answer: Because this is the opposite part of the universe in which we exist. And it immediately tells us about its infinity and our finiteness.
Question: So, I see infinity in this? And can it be found in oneself, like he found?
Answer: It can be found within yourself. You can connect with these stars. You can feel how they exist.
Question: And with this I seem to be moving into this state of infinity?
Answer: Yes.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/16/23
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Question: In the article “Purpose of Society,” Rabash writes that a person should be proud that he was given a chance to come in contact with practical Kabbalah, because for thousands of years it was concealed and people had no opportunity to get to know it. How can we realize the importance of this opportunity?
Answer: To do this, you need to work in a group and strengthen your connection with the friends more and more.
Rabash gives recommendations on how to arrange the group, how to be in connection with each other, and how to start coming closer to the Creator’s qualities. This is how we gradually will come to a state where we feel the Creator.
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From KabTV’s “Practical Kabbalah” 12/5/23
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‘
Tis but a day we sojourn here below,
And all the gain we get is grief and woe,
Then, leaving our life’s riddles all unsolved,
And burdened with regrets, we have to go. …
O unenlightened race of humankind,
Ye are a nothing, built on empty wind!
Yea, a mere nothing, hovering in the abyss,
A void before you, and a void behind!
(Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat, #3 and #424).
Question: Omar Khayyam eventually came to the understanding of the meaning of life, that everything he enjoyed and lived for is nothing. Is this a correct conclusion?
Answer: In general, yes. Of course. He simply recalls how much effort he put into it and how he aspired. And in the end, it turned out that all those efforts were not worth it. This is evident from all his works.
Question: This is if we talk about him. But if we talk about any person? If a person suddenly realizes that all this is nothing, then, in my opinion, it’s a big tragedy. Or not?
Answer: No, he should already be prepared in advance that everything has a beginning and an end, and everything is actually nothing. And he calmly agrees with this.
Question: And what then is “something”?
Answer: To live life peacefully among friends, and together with them to understand and realize that the meaning of life lies in acceptance.
Question: So if I accept what is given to me, can it bring joy and peace?
Answer: Satisfaction.
Question: And if I want more, if I want something greater?
Answer: “Wanting more” is not good.
Question: In general, what is the essence of human life? If that is what we’ve come to, it surely wouldn’t be just bleep and gone, bleep and gone?
Answer: It is to understand that it is very limited; one must reconcile with it, and not demand more for oneself. And it is to try to help others and accept help from them, and thus exist.
Question: Is there joy and happiness in this, and all the components?
Answer: Ultimately, yes. We see that you can’t expect anything more from anything else.
Question: Where is the upper force here? Where is the Creator in all this?
Answer: In the satisfaction of a person precisely from these comforts that he can acquire in his measured, limited existence.
Question: So, in a way, I am saying that everything given to me by You is all good? And that’s it, this is my joy? And is the Creator here?
Answer: That is where the Creator is, in the fact that you are agreeing with Him and that you don’t ask for more.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/9/23
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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, “What It Means that We Should Raise the Right Hand over the Left Hand, in the Work”
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2nd part of the Lesson — Lesson on the Topic, “Preparation for the Convention”
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Selected Highlights
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