Audio Version Of The Blog – 4/1/24
Posted on April 1st, 2024
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Comment: Purim is an unusual, great, and magical holiday. It is known that Haman cast lots to determine the date of the extermination of the entire Jewish people at the beginning of the year, and the lot fell on the 13th of Adar, i.e., at the end of the year. The whole story from the very beginning suggests that it was staged.
My Response: Naturally. There are dates that work for various ascents and descents for both the Jewish people and the rest of humanity. All this is in dynamic connection with each other.
Comment: The Scroll of Esther (Megilat Esther) is the only book in which the Creator is never mentioned.
My Response: It is called Esther (concealment) because the Creator is hidden, and it is unknown who and what is operating there.
The queen is also named Esther, but she is revealed. And the King, that is the upper force, is concealed. The King does not manifest himself explicitly but only through figureheads and puppets.
Comment: Then let’s move on to these figureheads and puppets. We know that Mordechai never bowed to Haman. Haman had everything, but when he saw Mordechai and his behavior, it drove him crazy.
Answer: The fact is that Haman understood that Mordechai is a force set against him, and as long as Mordechai was alive, undefeated, or at least not subdued or disgraced, he, Haman, could not rule.
Egoism cannot rule the world as long as there is a force opposite to it that will not allow it. Therefore, Haman, who personifies all natural human egoism, could not tolerate the property of bestowal, love, connection, and reciprocity, which Mordechai personifies.
Question: Why didn’t he seek some compromise?
Answer: It is impossible to do this. They are opposites: it is one or the other. Therefore when they are in conflict, there can naturally be neither peace nor victory. So, they remain in conflict. Who can prevail? Only the Jewish people together with Queen Esther.
Question: What does the Jewish people represent between these two forces?
Answer: It is the force that decides which way to turn the world. If Jews perform acts of love, bestowal, and unification among themselves, the whole world turns to follow them in the same direction.
Comment: When the Jews came out of Egypt, the Creator gave a decree to wage war against every Amalekite and destroy everything that belonged to him.
My Response: This refers to all the evil forces that are inside a person.
Question: There was a possibility of destroying all egoism multiple times in history. Is there some kind of loophole intentionally built into this scenario?
Answer: Absolutely. Until the Jews correct themselves and come to a common denominator—a common bond among them in order to pull all the nations of the world after them—Haman or his descendants will exist and will always interfere with the Jews. Basically their intrusion is their help.
Comment: You often give an example that when a negative force becomes threatening or destructive, it is helpful.
My Response: Naturally it is useful and helpful. How can you not have a plus or a minus? They complement each other and together spin the whole flywheel of history.
Question: Several women are mentioned in the Purim story: Vashti, Zeresh, and Esther. Were they just female characters, or did female power play a role throughout the story?
Answer: Vashti is the queen preceding Esther. When Vashti is concealed, Esther appears—the next female force. And most importantly, Haman’s wife is a negative, evil female force that practically stands behind him and directs everything.
Question: What do these three female images represent? What do they teach us?
Answer: They teach that in principle, female power rules the world. Egoism must surely be defeated. Haman’s femenine power, his wife, is much fiercer than he is. We should fear evil, bad women more than men.
The most evil force of nature is a selfish, bad woman. This is a terrible force that cannot be curtailed. It is insidious and can manifest itself in completely different ways and guises than she truly is.
Question: What powers do Vashti and Esther represent?
Answer: Vashti is just a small female egoism. And Esther is a concealed righteous woman, the property of Bina that men should follow. In fact, it manifests the property of the Creator, the power of the Creator, only in a hidden way. Therefore, she is called Esther, from the word “Astara”—concealment.
Comment: You often say that everything we see, all forces and images, are inside a person.
Answer: We see a theater before us being played out around us. In fact, according to the perception of reality taught by Kabbalah, what we see is inside us. Let’s say that I am sitting in the studio right now, talking to you, someone is recording something here, another person is managing something there, none of it exists. In fact, it is all in me, and I am going through all these states.
Question: How can a person who sees this story and knows these characters, recognize all the guiding forces within him and be able to choose one of them?
Answer: He should simply align himself with the positive forces and distance himself from the negative ones, and eventually reach a state when these forces begin to be revealed to him. Behind all the characters in front of him, he will see the forces controlling them. Let’s say there is a so–called angel behind you; this is nothing other than a force that controls you and does everything that is needed.
In fact, you are a completely disembodied object controlled by the force behind it as well as behind all people, inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature. This is all about the governance of our world. It happens with the help of the upper force which breaks down into all sorts of levels and sub-levels and thus controls everything.
Question: Is the story of Purim intended for the Jewish people or for everyone?
Answer: For everyone. The Jewish people have no history of their own. Their whole story is aimed at bringing all nations of the world to unity. This nation does not exist on its own; its mission is only to reveal the upper force in this world to all nations.
The fact that Jews have forgotten about this and do not engage in their mission is a liability, and they suffer because of this.
Still, we must fulfill our purpose. For thousands of years we have been stumbling on the same rake: we push it away all the time not wanting to fulfill our historical mission, which is very simple—our unity.
As soon as we begin to unite, the world around us will do the same and support us—not hate, but love us. To do this, we just need to unite among us. To the extent we love each other, the world will love us.
Everything is very simple. In fact, it is a very direct and simple covenant.
So, be good children, as everyone has probably heard from their mothers: do not fight, do not argue, be close to each other, and the world around you will become closer and warmer. This is what the great Purim holiday is about. This is the essence of the vast upper goal of development of all mankind.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/22/19
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Question: The article “The Torah and the Creator are One” discusses two paths: the path of the Torah and the path of the Creator. How can we determine which path is preferable for us?
Answer: We work according to the methodology of the ARI and Baal HaSulam. These are the two main pillars on which our teaching rests. According to this, we move forward to understand the world in which we exist and to reveal the actions of the Creator in it.
Our methodology includes both the path of the Creator and the path of the Torah. Walking the path of the Torah reveals more of the Creator. That is how it works, one within the other.
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From the the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/13/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Torah and the Creator Are One”
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Question: What makes us unique?
Answer: Our uniqueness lies in the fact that we show humanity the right path forward, and if we do not show it, then humanity will simply perish in civil strife, in wars, in anything.
Now nature is putting pressure on us to make ourselves ready for peace, friendship, and mutual understanding so that we give up many of our goals, including completely unnecessary ones, and exist only for the love of our neighbor.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/12
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Question: It says that if a husband and wife do not merit the revelation of the Shechina, fire consumes them. What state is this?
Answer: There should be love in the family. But if instead of the flame of love, they come to the opposite quality, then the same love turns into a consuming fire.
Question: But how does this reverse happen? After all, it is the same fire that can provide warmth.
Answer: This often happens in our lives, in action. Suddenly, you abandon all your evil thoughts and words, turn to each other face to face, and come closer.
The most important thing in family life is to avoid pride or self-assurance. Neither spouse should ever try to convince the partner that they are right. Often we act out of spite, trying to prove our point, although we understand that it is wrong.
Question: What kind of correctness should we seek?
Answer: We should only seek connection and strive to yield to each other.
There can be no talk here of who is right or guilty. None of us is right, wrong, or guilty. The main thing is understanding that we are created mean and should act against our nature.
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From KabTV’s “Man and Woman” 3/5/24
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Question: Each of us is engaged in working with our desires. The influence of the light leads to their correction, which is an individual attainment. But what does it mean to add one’s friends‘ desires to this picture? How do we approach these desires and reveal them to reach a common attainment?
Answer: This is a difficult task that we must engage in at every step. Therefore, we must carefully monitor where our thoughts are, what we talk about, what we learn, and what we read. And this must be done without departing from spiritual boundaries.
Question: In the ten’s work, there is an understanding that one must feel the desires of the friends, but unfortunately, there is no internal impression. What is the correct approach here: to clothe them or to come out to their desires?
Answer: We simply need to unite in our desires. We must agree to connect with friends in such a way as to become “one person in one heart” so that there are no differences between us so that we always think about one common goal and strive only for it.
Question: Ultimately will we come to the point where, in our mind, we will feel and define ourselves concerning the Creator and ask for correction? Can we achieve this in the ten?
Answer: Of course, I do not doubt it.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/7/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “World, Year, Soul”
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Question: It is written in The Book of Zohar: “It is not good for the man to be alone.” I know that there are married couples who live together and still feel lonely. Does the statement “it’s not good to be alone” refer to purely physical or internal sensations?
Answer: It refers primarily to internal ones. The most important thing is for a person to feel that there is a friend next to him.
And the fact that people live together and feel lonely in marriage, nothing can be done. It depends on their upbringing and their outlook on the world and life.
Question: If I feel that my husband is internally lonely, can I somehow help him?
Answer: Try to show him that you are his friend, that you are ready to understand him in everything, and then help him. A woman has such opportunities. But is a man ready to accept that a woman would address him like that, come up, hug him, and he would not push her away?
Question: Yes, not all men can perceive a woman this way, even their wives. What should a wife be like for a man to perceive her as a friend, as support?
Answer: A wife must be smart; this is the most important thing. And she must also be similar to his mother. It is not easy.
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From KabTV’s “Man and Woman” 3/5/24
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Question: Many adults in Israel, particularly parents, are distressed and sad that children these days are immersed in mobile phones, computer games, and artificial intelligence and don’t pay attention to the older generation. This generation has even been called the lost generation.
And suddenly now, that war has come to Israel, the children went to fight, and suddenly they are so concerned about their parents, about each other, about the future of the country, about the unity of the people! We read their letters; these are lofty letters addressed to us! We begin to understand that it is not them, but us that are the lost generation. Us! They are 19 years old and older and are living by the ideology of unity, while we (their parents) are still embroiled in political disputes, insisting on our own, believing we are right. It is impossible to root out this spirit of being right from us.
So, the question is: Do you think that some sort of revolution suddenly took place?
Answer: I believe this generation will take matters into their own hands regarding human relationships and nature. They will force nature to change.
Question: Will they not drown in us, in our so-called “wisdom”?
Answer: No, I think they will be able to break free from this swamp in which people have languished for millennia.
Comment: But look, in our politics, for example, it is mainly the older generation that are confident in themselves, with political and military experience, and they seem to rule.
My Response: That does not mean anything.
Question: Does the country need the experience of such a politician or the experience of a nineteen-year-old who has felt what unity is?
Answer: The country needs a person who evaluates the life of the nation by its assembly, union, bonding, and connection. There have not been many such leaders throughout the entire Jewish history. I hope that such a leader will emerge among the people like Ben-Gurion and Baal HaSulam combined in one person.
Question: So, does this war help give birth to such a leader?
Answer: Yes, I think it has to happen.
Question: Do we need to make room for this?
Answer: This space will be freed up by squeezing out everything else from people, and only this desire for unity will occupy the space.
Question: Are you now talking about a leader, regardless of age or experience?
Answer: I think it does not matter.
Question: Will this combat experience of unity be instilled in this person?
Answer: Yes, I think this is how it should be. It is a kind of revolution in each person, and we are approaching it.
Comment: So, you feel that the generation…
My Response: Is not lost.
Question: Could it be that they might be wiser than us?
Answer: Yes, we live in the generation of the true exodus from Egypt. Let’s hope that Moses will appear among us and will lead the entire nation.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/12/24
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Question: Why is slander considered a very serious sin in the Torah?
Answer: Firstly, if you release a negative opinion into space, then it has no boundaries. Secondly, everyone can slander someone, there are no restrictions on this. Therefore, the person it is directed at can be struck by such a thing literally on the spot. At home, on the street, anywhere, he can hear gossip about himself, and he has no escape from it.
The Torah harshly condemns slander; it says, “Anyone who slanders his father and his mother must be put to death.”
From a spiritual point of view, this also threatens death. The thing is that if a person treats his country, his people, his relatives, the Creator, that is, everything that connects him with life in this world, in such a manner, then the judgment for him must be the strictest.
Comment: But you once explained that mother and father are the two highest levels, and if a person slanders them, it means that he does not have the importance of these levels. Thus, he simply cuts himself off from the source of life, and this is called death.
My Response: Yes, it can be interpreted that way. However, we are also talking about such cases when a person really speaks about his father and mother, and then his punishment should be public.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual states” 3/7/24
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Preparation to the Lesson
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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, “What Are the Light Mitzvot that a Person Tramples with His Heels, in the Work?”
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2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar“
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Selected Highlights
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