The Zohar tells us about what is happening in the spiritual world, about the actions of the bestowal of creation; therefore, we cannot understand it since we are not yet able to perform such actions!

We are in our egoistic desire and know only how to receive fulfillment and pleasure and how to act in order to achieve this pleasure. And the actions that The Zohar speaks about seem to be described in some incomprehensible language, like a secret code, as if it is about something unreal: either in the language of Kabbalah, in terms of the Sefirot, Partzufim, the worlds, or as some kind of allegory where the sun, moon, mountains, people, and animals act like in a fairy tale.

None of us understand it, nor do we feel it, because we are not in the property (nature) of bestowal, but are in the property (nature) of receiving.

If we were to receive the higher, spiritual properties of bestowal and love instead of our earthly egoistic properties, we would immediately understand what The Zohar tells us, and along with its reading we would reveal the higher world. Moreover, it will be not like in an adventure novel in fantasy, but rather in reality!

However, since there are still no spiritual properties in me, what is described in The Zohar is unreal. That is why our reading of The Zohar is called “Segula,” a special technique! What is it?

We read and try to call upon ourselves forces from that world, the level that is spoken of in the Book. Even if I do not understand the text, but I want to change and I want to feel it, it “shines” on me with a “light that returns to the source” (Ohr Makif, or surrounding light).

This force acts on me and will reveal new properties in me, the properties of bestowal that are written about in The Zohar. After all, it is written entirely in the nature of bestowal, not of receiving, and only according to the nature of bestowal can one understand what is written there.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/29/10, Shamati “To Understand the Words of The Holy Zohar“

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Comment: You once told me that when you watched the movie Indiana Jones, you realized the harm it brings to the world, but at the same time you said that it was a part of correction. You had a twofold attitude on this issue.

My Response: What can you do? People have to go through all phases of religious, mystical, and many other beliefs. Of course, they think that if they find some piece of wood, or a stone, or a 2,000-year-old piece of parchment, then they will receive some mystical powers from it. That is nonsense! There are no miracles in the world. Simply none!

A miracle is our ability to reach a level where we feel the more subtle forces of nature. But we must mature to their level. Just like today, if you show a Neanderthal what surrounds you, he will think that you are higher than his god. Because his god can only do this and that, and you suddenly appear on my screen and I am talking to you. This is simply connecting the worlds!

Everything is much simpler, more specific, and follows the exact laws of nature. I hope that after this round, when humanity enters into all sorts of religious excesses again, it will come out of it very quickly.

If not, then there will be religious wars. This would be the war of Gog and Magog, which can still happen in our world at the physical level. Let’s hope that it will be purely virtual.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Stages Of Development” 7/5/13

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Question: Baal HaSulam kept his disciples at a certain level. And when he died, they fell. How did you manage not to fall when Rabash died?

Answer: I was connected with him internally. I just stuck to him and was by his side all the time.

After his death, I got up every morning and mentally talked with him. I talked to him in a dream. While doing something, I thought: “If I tell him, how will he react to this?”

Very often I broke away from some activity, jumped up and looked at the clock: “Oh, I’m late, I have to run to him!” But he was gone. Or I woke up in the middle of the night with the same thoughts, as if I should go to him.

And these were terrible shocks: “Oh, I’m late!” on the one hand, and on the other hand, immediately the second blow, there is nowhere to run. There is nothing to compare with twelve years of being next to a person who was like a spring of life for you. Nothing.

But for this you need to reach absolute devotion during your lifetime. And it does not just depend on the person: “I want!” It comes with great difficulty and I would say luck. There was an element of luck here.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Dr. Laitman’s Prophecy” 6/25/13

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Filed under: Rabash, Spiritual Teacher, Spiritual Work | Add Comment / Ask Question →

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My new article on Linkedin “Nine UC Berkeley Law Students Sign Illegal Bylaw”

Antisemitism is racism, which is illegal in the United States. Anti-Zionism, that is, “targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity,” according to the US government, is a manifestation of antisemitism, and therefore illegal. Yet, this did not stop nine student groups at the UC Berkeley law school from signing an openly racist statement against Zionists, anyone who supports them, and the State of Israel collectively. The nine organizations pledge to ban “speakers that have expressed and continued to hold views … in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine,” and to support the BDS movement. They signed it, purportedly for the purpose of “protecting the safety and welfare of Palestinian students.”

You could argue that nine student organizations out of more than a hundred that exist in UC Berkeley’s law school is a small minority, but only a few years ago, the very idea of composing such a statement would have been unthinkable, let alone signing it.

Also, if you consider that even though antisemitism is illegal in the US, no one has taken any measures against these groups, other than condemning them, and that, too, was voiced mainly by Jews, it is clear that antisemitic views are far more prevalent under the surface. If this trend continues, and it seems to be accelerating, it will not be long before the observation of Berkeley Law alum Kenneth Marcus comes true, that the incident is a sign of “ university spaces go[ing] as the Nazis’ infamous call, judenfrei. Jewish-free.”

When I spoke to students in California in 2004 and warned them that this is where things were going, they did not believe me. When I spoke in 2014 to organizations trying to fight against antisemitism on US campuses, and warned them that this is where things were going, they did not believe me. Now they are alarmed that it is happening, but they still resist the only solution to their plight: their own unity.

It needs to be said in plain words: If American Jewry does not unite, and unity may well begin with Jewish students, the demand to make Berkeley Zionist-free will spread throughout the country. The demand will not confine itself to banning explicit Zionists, but also those who might be covert supporters of Zionism, namely all the Jews.

Just as Spain expelled all the Jews because it suspected them of secretly aspiring to convert Christians to Judaism, anyone who supports, or might support Zionism will become a suspect, and therefore an outcast. Just as it did not help the Jews to declare, sincerely by the way, that they were not trying to convert Christians, it will not help American Jews to state that they do not support Zionism or the State of Israel.

Antisemitism is already omnipresent in the “Land of the Free.” If an Arab student shows support for Palestine, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, or any other explicitly Muslim country, that support is fiercely protected by human rights groups and by university faculty and administration as a legitimate expression of free speech. But on campuses, that same right is denied of Jewish students who support Israel; they are afraid not only to show support for the Jewish state, but even to identify as Jews or wear Jewish insignia such as the Star of David.

The best lesson that Jewish students should learn is why they are hated. They feel that they did nothing wrong, but this is clearly not the view of many of their peers, and many more are joining their indicters. The cycle of Jewish history has not changed since the inception of the nation: They are welcome, tolerated, hated, and finally expelled (or exterminated) everywhere they go.

The only antidote to Jew-hatred is Jewish unity—not against antisemitism, but caring for the sake of caring. Solidarity has been our only source of strength, since our vocation is to show exemplary unity, mutual responsibility, and caring for others as ourselves.

Our strength is in our unity because the universe is a united entity, and only people feel apart. The Jewish people became a nation when they managed to unite above their separation and become similar to the rest of nature; this is why they were tasked with being an example.

Since then, humanity has fixed its eyes on us and follows our example. When we are apart, we are willy-nilly an example of division, so the world accuses us of inciting conflicts. When we are united, we are an example of unity, so the world embraces us.

This is the message I have been trying to convey to Jewish students in America since 2004. If they embrace the message and unite, it will be the most valuable lesson they will ever learn, and the world will thank them for it.
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Filed under: Anti-Semitism, New Publications | Add Comment / Ask Question →

My new article on Linkedin “The Legacy of a Giant”

Today, October 7, sixty-eight years ago, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, the greatest kabbalist and thinker of our time, and one of the greatest of all time, passed away. He became known as Baal HaSulam (author of the Sulam [ladder]) after his Sulam commentary on The Book of Zohar. He lived through both world wars, predicted them well in advance, and warned his fellow Jews in Poland that a calamity awaits them long before the Holocaust. He wrote about it, talked about it, and organized the escape of hundreds of families from Poland to what was then Palestine and later became the State of Israel. His efforts were thwarted. The families were intimidated into staying in Poland, and his writings were banned.

Subsequently, Baal HaSulam moved to Palestine on his own and toiled just as diligently to spread the message of unity among Jews and unity throughout the world. Yet, in Palestine, too, his writings were banned and he was threatened that he would be imprisoned if he continued to spread his ideas.

Fortunately, many of his writings survived so we can learn of his greatness and realize his message. Today, it is imperative that we understand his legacy and realize his teaching because, among other things, he detailed how we can avoid a third, nuclear world war.

In the latter years of his life, Baal HaSulam dedicated his time to writing his monumental commentary on The Book of Zohar, the only complete commentary since the writing of The Zohar nearly two millennia ago. In the years prior to his work on The Zohar, he divided his time between writing a comprehensive commentary on the writings of the ARI, which became known as The Study of the Ten Sefirot, and writing essays on contemporary events and processes that shaped the world’s history.

In the 1930s, long before people spoke of globalization or the interconnectedness of nations, Baal HaSulam wrote a series of essays warning against exploitation because we are dependent on each other. Two essays in particular, “The Peace” and “Peace in the World,” analyzed the state of humanity, where it was headed, and what needed to be done.

In June 1940, he published a paper which he sold on the street like a regular newspaper. It contained opinion pieces in which he analyzed the situation in the world in view of the world war that was raging in Europe and elsewhere, and outlined the peril that awaited Polish Jewry. Alas, it was too late to save them. Had they listened to him in the 1920s, things would probably have been very different.

In the 1950s, shortly before his passing, he wrote what he predicted for the world, but never managed to publish it. He hoped that now that the world had seen the horrors of nuclear weapons, people would be willing to rise above their ego and unite. He also warned that if they did not, humanity would plunge into a third, and even fourth world war, both of which would be nuclear, and the relics would still have to rise above their ego and unite in order to put an end to hatred and war.

Baal HaSulam’s legacy is his efforts to help humanity unite. Today we see how essential it is that we understand his message of unity and spread it, as it is the only message that can prevent a third world war.

Kabbalists have always been ahead of their time. Baal HaSulam’s predecessors, too, were misunderstood during their lifetime. It is my hope that we understand the message of Baal HaSulam not centuries after his passing, but now, while there is still time to avoid a global tragedy.

For the writings of Baal HaSulam (not including The Book of Zohar and The Study of the Ten Sefirot), read The Writings of Baal HaSulam, Vol. 1, and Vol. 2.

To learn more about the travails of kabbalists and resistance to their message throughout the ages, read A Very Narrow Bridge: The fate of the Jewish people.
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Filed under: New Publications, Spiritual Teacher, Spiritual Work | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Question: What is the difference between group prayer and individual prayer?

Answer: It is an entire system. The fact is that if we turn to the Creator, then it is very important for us that our prayer be collective and mutual, and that it comes from many people, not from one person.

When a person connects with other people, he tunes himself in such a way that the Creator can hear him. If he asks alone, then his prayer is ineffective.

Question: Do you mean being with other people physically?

Answer: Not necessarily physically. The main thing is for a person to feel that he is connected with the others and wants to combine his request with the request of many people.

Question: There is even a prayer called “The Prayer of Many.” Explain what this means. That is, should I pray for many and not for myself?

Answer: Yes. When a person asks for many, this is the most effective prayer.

Question: What do you need to ask?

Answer: For goodness, correction, coming closer to the Creator, and so on.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 9/25/22

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The development of humanity leads to the growth of egoism,  individualism, and the desire to gain as much as possible at the expense of others. At the same time, the modern world strives for integration, and therefore, whether we want it or not, we must move toward connection and mutual integration between everybody.

But we do not do this and a sort of scissors is formed. On one hand the world is moving toward technological and economic development, and on the other hand, there is no corresponding social development. It turns out that we ourselves produce all the problems that arise in modern society.

This discrepancy leads to crises, conflicts, and wars that carry the danger of escalating into global world war. Therefore, we must recognize our nature and how egoistic the direction of its development is. Instead, we do not care about correcting it and we treat each other worse and worse. We cannot stop and cease our constant quarreling, competing, and even fighting.

Therefore, it is not surprising that we fail to improve our lives. After all, we do not correct humanity, we do not give children the proper education and understanding of what kind of society and world they live in and in what direction they should develop.

We completely neglect the development of human society year after year and invest only in the development of technology, in mobile phones and computers. But it is just a shame to see what kind of information we fill these modern means of communication with and how degraded we are.

We are able to create microprocessors that already operate at frequencies of several gigahertz that provide our connection.

But at the same time, our separation is growing in direct proportion.

How can we expect that with such ”advancement” our world will come to a good life? With all the power achieved in economics and finance, our entire tomorrow, our entire future existence, is in question. This only shows how weak we are, how much we do not understand what means we have in our hands, and how we could improve the world if we established a connection between us. This is our only problem.

It is necessary to change the system of education in order to change the nature of a person so that he does not reach only for material acquisitions, but sees a great advantage in bringing people closer together and together building a correct, more merciful and kind society. At present, we are not building such a society and we are not teaching this to our children.
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From KabTV’s “World” 9/22/22

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Should I stockpile food in the case of shortages?“

I think that doing so is useless. Food shortages and famines do not happen in order for us to fill our storage, barns, kitchen drawers and whatnot. We rather need to understand how we can realistically make sure that the world will be abundant with everything that everyone needs. The reality that food shortages and famines could quickly spread throughout our modern world is in order for us to reach such a conclusion.

The world is indeed at risk of a prolonged period of famine. It is written in the Torah that we will reach states where mothers will eat their babies, their own children. It could indeed become that severe, where we would be reduced to the level of animals.

We should thus use such knowledge in order to help us avoid looming food shortages and famines. We would then see that the sole cause of such terrible phenomena is our imbalance at the human level, that we are not doing what we should.

What, then, should we be doing?

We need to reach a mutual understanding among each other—to establish such connections among us that would help us reach balance. But we fail to do so. On the contrary, we regress, as if we want the boat we are on to head straight into a rock. And as a result, the world is indeed headed toward periods of shortages, famine and destruction.

The reason that today we hear about such impending doom scenarios is in order to frighten us so that we would change ourselves in order to change the world. The only reason we can reach such states and know about them in advance is to change ourselves. And the essence of the transformation we need to undergo is in our values: that we shift to prioritizing the benefit of others over self-benefit.

In terms of how this change will play out, together with the suffering, there will also be people who discuss connection and how to overcome the suffering. The change depends on listening to such people, and suffering will help people become readier to listen.

After certain periods of suffering, people will change. They will have a different attitude to life and to its values. They will understand that survival and the reason for survival is of utmost importance.

Moreover, even though humanity has undergone great suffering and famines in the past, today is different because we are ready to realize the true evil behind such suffering: the human ego that wishes to benefit itself at the expense of anything and anyone. It takes enormous suffering to sense, define, attain and draw conclusions from such evil.

However, we are coming closer to a state of recognizing that evil. Some signs that we are moving toward it is that we no longer hide behind all sorts of slogans, and we no longer believe in abstract values. Instead, we are becoming interested in what is most important: whether or not there is a meaning of life. And even if we assume that there is no meaning of life, we can still see how to live optimal lives on the animal level—by realizing the evil in our desire to benefit ourselves at the expense of others, the tremendous suffering it brings, and moving to re-prioritize the benefit of others over self-benefit.

Based on the video “Should We Stockpile Food in Case of Shortages and Famine?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Semion Vinokur. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

Filed under: Q&A, Quora | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself (George Bernard Shaw).

My Response: This is not an easy task.

Question: Let’s say “finding yourself” is more or less clear: finding yourself in a profession… What do you mean by the words “creating yourself “?

Answer: Creating ourselves is what we are facing. In fact, this is not such a sky-high thing. This is the requirement that is imposed on us from our life, to make ourselves similar to the Creator.

Comment: I do not know what the Creator is, I do not know who He is…

My Response: This will be explained to you in detail. Write down: “The first condition is to love everyone.”

Question: So the first point is: Should I learn to love everyone? Does this mean to be similar to the Creator by and large?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is it a prayer if I write it down and look at it all the time?

Answer: Yes, that is a prayer. Imagine that you are like a parent, maybe strict, maybe kind, no matter which, but loving. The way such a parent treats his children, so you should treat people.

Question: At the moment when I read this daily and realize that I cannot, is this a prayer: “I cannot!”?

Answer: This is not a prayer, but a state when you check yourself and see how much you need to be corrected. Then you have already prepared some claims or requests for correction. So you wait for the day of atonement and present them.

Question: Is this the real prayer of Yom Kippur?

Answer: Yes. You judge yourself, you come and demand the Creator to correct you because you cannot correct yourself. The only one who can is Him. But only in accordance with your demands, requests, and pleas. So hurry up!

Question: You started from loving everyone. Is this, in principle, the basis of Yom Kippur?

Answer: Yes, it is called “Ahavat olam“—love of the world.

Question: Is this what I want to come to and I cannot, and I ask?

Answer: Absolutely! So get ready.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 9/29/22

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