Question: Why is the entire system of our activities of daily living based on punishment? For example, the traffic rules are built in such a way that if a person crosses some line, he must be punished.

Answer: Our egoism does not understand anything in any other way. How else can it understand what is going on? If it is not punished, it will not know where its boundaries are and it will do what it can do to hurt itself even more.

Comment: But if we send people to prisons, they become even worse people there.

My Response: According to the Torah, there should be no prisons at all. There is no such punishment as a prison. Jews have never had them. All countries had different punishments, but the Jews did not. They only had compulsory re-education, not detention or deportation to remote places. That will not make things better. We can see it.

A person should not be isolated from society. If society can correct everything, then why isolate a person?! This is why we never had this. Only the nations who do not know the wisdom of Kabbalah and what is happening to humanity and to the world had this.

Question: How were people punished in Judaea before?

Answer: They were not punished! There were six cities of refuge in the country (Arei Miklat),where those who committed involuntary manslaughter could go to flee from revenge. In principle, no one was going to take revenge on them because people then lived according to spiritual laws.

In the cities of refuge everything was the same as in ordinary cities. There was what is called intense “brainwashing” meaning intense education conducted with them.

Question: Then, where did the prison as such come from?

Answer: For egoism, prison, in the literal sense of the word, is the easiest punishment that can be. We just get rid of a person. Basically, it is like death, but much sweeter.

Let’s say you would execute a criminal, but what is the use of it? Here, however, he is alone, gradually dying, realizing what you did to him. That is, society treats people with special cruelty.

Most importantly, prison is not correction. Therefore, there should not be such a condition. People come out of prison as even greater sinners and monsters than when they entered.

It is due to the fact that, on the one hand, they are released from prison according to their term of imprisonment, and not according to the willingness of a person to be in society. After all, what does the term of imprisonment matter? If a person has improved after a year, let him go back to freedom. If he has not improved in ten years, then do not release him in any case, he will only do harm. What does prison give? Well, he formally served his sentence. It is ugly, it is stupid, and it doesn’t make any sense.

Let’s say a judge passes a sentence, then what happens? If I was sentenced to jail, then the punishment should purify me, correct me in some way. If I came out after some time and did not correct myself, and did something again, then what do you want from me? Put the prosecutor and the judge in jail! They were the ones who gave me this kind of correction that did not work.

I am just a human being. It means that I was wrongly detained, sent away somewhere, and something was done to me. Wrongly! Therefore, those who ascribed this kind of punishment to me should be jailed. Punishment should be a correction! And there is none of it.

From the point of view of spiritual laws, our world is utterly small and completely irrational.

There should be no punishment, there should be correction. The punishment is that a person has committed a crime. This is his punishment. Now he must bring himself to a corrected level before himself, before society, before everything.

Question: Will the society of the future be a society without prisons?

Answer: Undoubtedly! Without any prisons. What is the point of keeping people in them if they do not correct a person?
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From the talk “I Got a Call. Crime and Punishment” 1/21/14

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How will we ever understand the true nature of reality?“

Our five senses disclose to us only a very limited part of the reality surrounding us. We call this part “our world” or “this world.” There are several other objects and actions in our surrounding reality that we do not feel, understand or recognize.

We exist in an immense reality that includes much more than what we currently sense, one where we connect with objects, actions, causes and consequences of literally everything in existence.

In order to understand where we fit in this picture, the purpose of our existence in this reality, and its true nature, we first need to discover it. After doing so, we can then see where we truly are in reality and how it functions. We could then draw conclusions about its true nature, including what is our nature, what is the nature of reality, what is our purpose and role, and how we can penetrate deeper and deeper into reality. The wisdom of Kabbalah is a method that was made for precisely this purpose.

Based on KabTV’s “Close up. Theater of the Absurd” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on July 18, 2010. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: If Kabbalah is a science, why does it operate with such a concept as the Creator? How is it compatible?

Answer: The Creator is a general force of nature. This is what Einstein wanted to reveal as a physicist. Many scientists understand that there is one single force in nature that manifests itself relative to us as many different physical, chemical, and cosmic phenomena and forces, including those that we do not yet know about.

In principle, behind all these particular phenomena and laws that we reveal in relation to our senses, there is one single force, one single source. Gradually, as we study nature, we come to this conclusion.

This one force in Kabbalah is called the Creator because it created us. We are a creation of nature. The Gematria of the word “Teva – nature” is identical to the word “Elokim – the name of the Creator.” This indicates that the Creator or nature is one and the same.

The theory of a single field that Einstein was looking for is absolutely clearly presented in Kabbalah to anyone who wants to understand it, and based on this, determines their movements in this field, just as an electric charge moves in an electromagnetic field to its source in order to enter into harmony with itself.

Let’s say an electric charge has mass and there is some kind of gravitational field in which it finds a state of equilibrium. The mass and the gravitational field pull it, like egoism, down to our world, and the electric potential in it and the source of the electromagnetic field are from above, and depending on the difference of these forces, it resides, as they say, between heaven and earth.

So, we too, must develop ourselves so that our spiritual potential pulls us up higher and higher from the ground. Therefore, the whole methodology of our ascent, our development, can be described in clear physical formulas.

Kabbalah operates with absolutely real terms: thickness, attraction, screen, rigidity of the screen, force of reflection, light coming from a certain angle, interference, etc.

Along with this, certain sensations arise in a person, because by using these phenomena, he applies them in himself, in his own forces. And then, through his forces, he feels everything that surrounds him, which is called the upper world.

Question: How is it possible that through these seemingly dry terms, a person all of a sudden comes to sensations?

Answer: It is possible! For example, when you look at the notes, it seems to you that some squiggles are drawn on the paper. And the musician looks at it, cries, laughs, and sings. For him, this is a record of information.

The Kabbalist sees this language! For him, this language is alive! Feelings and forces begin to play in it.
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From KabTV’s “Close up. Beyond the Last Line” 5/3/10

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Before the collapse of the Second Temple, the Jewish people lived according to the formula “love your neighbor as yourself.” Therefore, they never had the suppression of one by the other like the Romans.

A person was considered great in his spiritual inclinations, in his mercy to others, in mutual help and love. The scientist who knew why it is necessary to live according to the principle of “love your neighbor” interpreted this from within himself. But at the same time, he could do the simplest work.

For example, the great sage Rabbi Yohanan was a shoemaker, someone else was a tailor, and so on. They considered it their duty to participate in simple labor.

After all, the task of a person in this world is to live by his own work, and along with this, to ascend to the very heights of creation with his inner spiritual work. But with the Romans, everything was done totally differently: divide and conquer, suppress with your pride, with your strength.
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From KabTV’s “Close up. Formula of the Creator” 7/18/10

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic “Pesach (Passover)” 

Selected Highlights

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Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download:MP3 Audio

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My new article on Linkedin “China Lockdown: Food Shortages Anger Aplenty”

China is running out of food and people are growing desperate. That’s no small problem when more than 190 million residents in some 23 cities are living under full or partial lockdowns enacted as part of the official “zero Covid” policy following record numbers of cases, particularly in Shanghai, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Shanghai, China’s most populous city with 26 million residents, report thousands of new Covid-19 infections daily, the worst increase since the virus appeared in the central city of Wuhan in 2019. China is one of the last remaining nations still committed to eradicating the pandemic, unlike most of the world, which is trying to live with the virus in its Omicron variant.

Shanghai’s strict lockdown impacts millions of people who are suffering from food shortages, some say they are already starving. Parents are forcibly separated from their children who have tested positive for the disease. As living conditions continue to deteriorate with no end in sight, the anger of the population grows. The normally disciplined and obedient Chinese defy authorities through street protests and warn of the consequences, including potential civil unrest.

Indeed, the food shortage could have a major impact on Chinese society. There is nothing more important than food. It is the basic sustenance of any society, literally. Food is our most important need on the scale of human desires, followed by sex, family, money, honor, and knowledge. Rational thinking does not work on an empty stomach, and what controls the mind is the way to satisfy basic needs at any cost.

As a result of the pandemic, the Chinese are certainly going through great changes. They are a people with a very strong foundation and tradition, so any change they go through could be an example for the rest of the world. But can popular social pressure bring about change in China’s governance? Governance is a problem everywhere in today’s world. Countries that expected full hegemony over others are realizing that it is no longer as easy when large masses are poised to oppose.

Governing would be easier if there were a king who ruled according to family heritage, could lead the people, and the people would accept his mandate as part of an agreed lineage. But that is not the case, so people must understand that nature acts as the supreme king. Humanity must get away from expecting great changes from governments and politicians, the earthly level of governance, and realize that there is a supreme realm, the realm of nature, that controls our lives, the virus and everything in reality.

We will be able to abide by this dominion when we realize that we can solve our supply and health problems when we come to terms with the power of nature. We must achieve a balance with it by recognizing that there is a price we must pay for overpopulation and exploitation of our limited natural resources.

More importantly, we need to understand that we cannot continue to exploit others only for our own personal gain without consequences. In the not-too-distant future, both Western and Eastern cultures will have to discover that what humanity is lacking is a sense of mutual responsibility.
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Filed under: Coronavirus, Crisis, New Publications | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Medium published my new article “Total Escapism”

I already shared with you that I get emails all the time from people who have questions they cannot resolve. In one email, a physician wrote me the following question: “Lately, I’ve noticed that people are in distress. There is high demand for prescriptions for antidepressants; people feel insecure and uncertain about their lives, and besides drugs, I have nothing to offer them. They’ve tried coachers; they’ve tried trainers, but nothing seems to help. So my question to you Dr Laitman, is what can they cling to in order to move forward?”

I can understand why people feel this way. For thousands of years, people’s lives changed very little. They lived in small towns and villages, had a craft or a plot of land to till, and they knew their surroundings and the people around them. They were close to their families, married within the town or village, so everyone had the same way of life, culture, and tradition. People knew what to expect. Their lives were hard, but they had a sense of direction, a clear set of values, and therefore, peace of mind — the very thing people do not have today.

Today, material life is very easy, but people feel lost because they do not understand the world around them. They no longer live in small villages because the whole world has become a global village. Even farmers cannot till the land without seeds and machinery from other countries, and the price of their crops depends on global commodity markets. In other words, to be a farmer, you need to understand global systems of supply, demand, markets, climate, and fuels. You need an internet connection, contracts with shipment and supply companies, and accountants to understand your own balance sheet. Is it any wonder that people feel lost?

Because they feel this way and cannot find answers, they have no choice but to try to forget. They dream about the moment they can get away from it all. They take up hobbies, play computer games, and exhaust themselves in sports.
They travel, vacation, and meditate. They drink and do drugs, convert and become extremists, and do whatever they can to avoid dealing with their inability to understand the world they live in. In their effort to suppress their disorientation, they turn to total escapism.

Everything that we have built — the entertainment industry, professional and amateur sports, shopping, tourism, art — we have built them in order not to think about our lives.

But we have run out of gas. We have used up our energy — our own and what we can pump out of the ground — and we are running out of ideas for escapism. Soon, there will be only two options left: a war that will annihilate everything, or to learn about the world we live in.

Assuming that we choose the latter, we will have to learn how we all affect each other, how we are connected around the world, and how we are dependent on each other. As a result, we will realize that we must care for one another.

And if, at the moment, we do not, we will acknowledge that it is harmful to others and harmful to us. Only when we accept that the world has changed for good, and we must embrace the changes and welcome the connection with all of humanity, we will be able to reap the benefits of progress and feel comfortable both physically and emotionally.
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Question: The Theater of the Absurd or absurdist drama originated as a concept in the twentieth century. In absurdist plays, the world is presented as something existing without meaning or logic and our actions or spoken words lead to nothing.

Is there is a lot of overlap between absurdist theater and our life?

Answer: Most likely, that is why the idea to portray what is happening in our world on stage was born. The theater somehow reflects our thoughts about the world, our aspirations, disappointments, and hopes.

The twentieth century is characterized by this. In the middle of the twentieth century, humanity began to feel it was entering some kind of meaningless period of existence. The Club of Rome appeared, then the Club of Budapest, and so on.

Scientists, social scientists, and political scientists have begun to realize that the world is losing its rosy perspective people once had. They always tried to imagine a happier, better, easier future.

If they were not interested in spiritual fulfillment, at least they were interested in material ones. People had some artistic and cultural interests. They tried or hoped to change the social order, to safeguard their future and old age.

In other words, they had some needs from this life, from this world. They believed that someday they would be fulfilled and, most importantly, they would be happy as a result.

While egoism was constantly growing, they were constantly trying to fulfill it. So, they ran like a dog after its tail. But now, the rosy prospects are gone. The tail has disappeared from the dog’s field of vision, it no longer knows where to run, it is in confusion—this is our humanity, this is our current state.
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From KabTV’s “Close -Up. Theater of the Absurd”

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Filed under: Crisis, Egoism, Globalization | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Medium published my new article “Depression Comes Earlier”

The Oxford based research center Our World in Data recently published a report showing that in many countries, “People are being diagnosed with depression at an earlier age than in the past.” The report showed that in Denmark, for example, in 1996, the highest share of people diagnosed with depression were around the age of fifty. Twenty years later, in 2016, the highest share of people diagnosed with depression were twenty-four-year-olds. While the research center attributed the earlier diagnosis to growing willingness to “seek treatment for mental health conditions,” other researchers have found different reasons for the earlier age of diagnosis.

Indeed, we are living in special times. In previous times, people were more connected to the land, to the soil. Today, everything is artificial. We are born and live within the walls of the hospital, then the walls of a house, then the walls of a school, then the walls of a business. As a result, we are different from previous generations, and our approach to life is also different.

To prevent depression, we need to make constant investments with the right approach, since people are no longer adapted to natural living. The investment is not a financial one. Rather, we need to build an envelope that will serve as a mediator between the new generation and the reality they live in. This envelope should prepare them for life on every level — personal, social, and environmental. They need to learn how to communicate and connect with one another and with nature. Otherwise, they will be lost, as is already happening.

Previously, people were more outside than they are today. They communicated with other people, and much of their lives involved interaction with others. Today, they do everything online and indoors, and the outdoors and other people are unfamiliar to them. We must familiarize them with the outside world, make them spend less time on their own and on their phones or laptops, and communicate instead with other members of the family, friends, real friends, flesh and blood ones, and with animals.

The technological advancements of the past several decades have enveloped us in gadgets, and disconnected us from people. Even our food is not real food, and we don’t make it; we only heat it in a digital microwave.

We needn’t shun technology; we only need to help people balance their lives. And the key factor in reestablishing balance is constructive, positive, and supportive human connections. If people find that connections with other people satisfy them in ways that technology cannot, they will nurture them.

Today, people mostly feel that their connections with others are competitive, where each one tries to outsmart, outperform, and generally outdo others. This is very tiring, so people naturally turn to a less competitive and abusive environment: the digital one. If people had positive experiences from their relations with others, if they felt that other people approve of them, appreciate, and welcome their company, they would have no reason to retreat into a virtual environment.

Moreover, connections with other people can give them what no technology can: meaning in life. Life becomes meaningful and purposeful only in connection with other people. The reciprocal giving and receiving gives meaning and purpose to everything we do. When we do something for another person, it stays. The act takes on a life of its own, a new meaning, and it affects our lives and the lives of the other people involved in ways we cannot predict. When we do something online, with ourselves, our act is lost in the digital cloud and leaves us feeling empty and meaningless.

Therefore, if we want to cure depression, we must find ways to encourage people to go out, communicate, and connect with other people. It will give them joy, satisfaction, and meaning, and a meaning in life prevents depression.
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