Question: If a man studies the wisdom of Kabbalah and scrutinizes what he studies and his wife does not object, then he is the receiver of the light. Can we say that when a woman studies the wisdom of Kabbalah and the husband objects, but then changes his mind after a while, is it the woman who influenced him?
Answer: A woman influences a man much more than a man influences a woman. When a woman studies the wisdom of Kabbalah her husband will certainly follow her, but when a man studies the wisdom of Kabbalah, his wife will not always follow him.
We can see this in every country and in every nation, it is the same everywhere. A man eventually listens to his wife.
A woman who studies the wisdom of Kabbalah can bring the family in the right direction, whereas the husband cannot because he has to “steal” time from the family from time to time in order to engage in what he loves.
This is the reason that I ask the women to pay attention and to make sure that the men will be able to study properly. [247633] From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 3/3/19
In March 2009, in the wake of the Great Recession financial crisis, economist Mark Vitner offered the Associated Press a tactile description of humanity’s inescapable interconnectedness: “It’s like trying to unscramble scrambled eggs. It just can’t be done that easily. I don’t know if it can be done at all.”
Today, when we look at the world around us, we realize that everything is even more connected than in 2009. You cannot manufacture anything, from a pencil to an airplane, without including products from half the countries in the world. And for those among us who still weren’t convinced that this is so, the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated that infection anywhere is infection everywhere.
However, just as we are all connected, so we are all alienated, suspicious, and hateful of each other. In other words, we are inescapably connected, as Vitner pointed out, but we hate each other. The result of these unwelcome ties is endless friction, violence, and aggression to the point where our civilization is tearing at the seams. It is impossible to force people on each other if they do not want to be together. And today, the reality of our lives forces people to rely on foreign countries that are often their enemies, and tensions around the world are flaring.
Since we cannot “unscramble” the “scrambled eggs” that human society has become, our only other option is to learn to like one another. At the very least, we have to come to tolerate one another, agree to each other’s existence. Otherwise, we will fight each other to the death, and no one will win.
The solution to the deteriorating state of humanity is therefore to nurture in us affection for each other and understanding of our mutual importance. For humanity to survive, we have to shift from a technical connection to an emotional connection, to appreciating the very idea of connection. Otherwise, we will not be able to embrace the idea that we are all connected.
That is, we needn’t work on increasing our connection; we have plenty of this already. Instead, we need to work on increasing our desire to connect! We need to come to recognize the huge benefits of connection.
In fact, the term “connection” may sound a bit obscure. But if you think of connection as affinity, affection, and even love, the task before us becomes clearer. Now we can realize how far we are from it, how much work we have to do, and why it is so vital that we succeed in building warm and positive connections. Currently, we are like sworn enemies being forced to share a room. Can anything good come out of it? It is no wonder we are sitting on a time bomb.
The only way to disarm the bomb is to disintegrate the gunpowder—the hatred. The mixture is there; we can’t “unmix” ourselves, but we can and must teach ourselves to see each other’s beauty and contribution to society. If we understand how much each of us contributes, and why it is necessary that we should all be different, since what one contributes, none other can, we will welcome the changes between us, appreciate them, and be grateful to those who are different from us, precisely for being different from us!
When a mother loves her child, we needn’t ask if she is connected to her child; it is a given. This, eventually, is how we must come to be. It will not happen overnight, but it is enough that we begin to work on it to prevent the looming cataclysm that is headed toward humanity. [282541]
The solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict lies in the hands of the people of Israel.
In order to understand how the people of Israel hold the solution to this ongoing conflict, we need to understand their role, and the feedback they receive according to the realization—or lack of realization—of their role.
The roots of the people of Israel can be traced back some 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon when people from different parts of Babylon gathered under Abraham’s guidance. Abraham led them to attain a special unified state, according to the tenet, “Love your friend as yourself.” In other words, the roots of the Jewish people are ideological, not biological, and thus, unlike other nations, there is always a question mark lingering over this people.
Ancient Babylon characterized a society that was being torn apart by an overblown ego, and those who gathered around Abraham felt a certain need to rise above the social divisions of the time. When they united to realize relations of mutual love among each other, they acquired the name “the people of Israel,” where “Israel” comes from two words, “Yashar Kel” (“straight to God”), which means that the principle characteristic of this group was their inclination to aim themselves directly at the positive force of love and giving dwelling in nature, and through the increasingly unified states that they achieved, they revealed that force in their connections.
Since the people of Israel once attained a level of unity above the growing ego of ancient Babylon, and did so again later under Moses’ guidance, there remains a subconscious expectation from the nations of the world toward Israel that they once again unite in mutual love among each other, and by doing so, act as a positive unifying conduit that serves to spread unification to humanity at large. The more people feel united with threads of love dwelling in their connections, the happier, safer, more confident and healthier they feel. On the contrary, the more divided and hateful people are of each other, the more they feel crises filling their lives on varying degrees—personally, socially, economically and ecologically—and when suffering rises in humanity, hatred of the people of Israel also rises, since there is a subconscious dependence on this people, that humanity’s happiness or pain depends on Israel.
As such, Palestinians are one of several nations eyeing Israel negatively. In response to the growing hatred against Israel, the people of Israel need to reawaken their long-neglected unifying ability.
First, we need to relate to the deeper reason behind the world’s hatred toward Israel: that the multifaceted crisis humanity is experiencing can be solved via an upgrade to more unified human relations above people’s growing divisive drives. They subconsciously expect the people of Israel to unite above their own divisions, first and foremost, like they once did, in order to become a conduit for unity to spread worldwide, i.e., to become “a light unto the nations.”
We also need to acknowledge the problem that neither Jews nor non-Jews are aware of this deeper cause behind their pains since it is an ideological foundation that was lost around 3,800 years ago, and in an era marked by increasing division and hatred in our sensation, we have no clue how to unite positively.
Since we lack any feeling or experience of the kind of unity that our ancestors once attained, then we feel no lack for unity like we feel no lack for a sixth finger on our hand. We simply fail to see that if we unite, we will solve not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but our unity will have a positive rippling effect throughout humanity, solving myriad other problems that appear to have no solution.
The people of Israel have no ears for this message. Those who understand it, Kabbalists, are very small in number, and so there is no solution in sight on any mass scale.
The solution is solely that the people of Israel listens to what the nations of the world want from them: to implement the unity that the nations of the world are crying out for behind all the surface anti-Israeli and antisemitic sentiment, crimes and threats.
We will then all find ourselves in a life of goodness and peace.
Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
On the frontline fighting terrorists, on the streets facing rioters with guns and Molotov cocktails, and in the bomb shelters with our children, women are the inadvertent guardians of the walls. They are anxious about their children and their husbands; they cringe at the sound of sirens as they search frantically for their children. They know they have seconds before the rockets land. Our guardians’ hearts are breaking over our house, which is set aflame by hatred.
Women, mature and caring, are far more responsible than men. They should lead the call for reason. They should not keep silent at this time. If they only realized their paramount significance to society, and on what our future depends, they would not rest until they made us, men, reroute and take the right track forward.
The fate of our country and the fate of the world depend on good connections within the people of Israel, and only on that. The ancient Hebrews formed a unique nation with a unique role in the human mosaic. It was founded by people from all the nations that existed in the ancient world, who joined together to create a united nation based on love of others and mutual responsibility. The people of Israel established the first working model of a small-scale world peace. It was shaped as a sample for how full-scale world peace would unfold.
But the people of Israel fell out of love with one another and succumbed to the hatred that percolated from their untamed hearts. They stopped being a role model nation and forgot their duty to humanity. Now, who, better than women, can restore these connections and reestablish the unity? Who, better than women, knows the value of mutual responsibility and love of others?
Because our ancient root comprises all the nations, every step we, Jews, make toward each other brings the whole world closer. Every time we rise above differences between Right and Left, Orthodox and secular, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, we “disarm” hatred everywhere, and the world recognizes our contribution and responds favorably toward the people of Israel and the State of Israel.
Conversely, every time we sink into hatred and division, the world, too, sinks into conflict, and senses that it’s coming from the Jews and from the Jewish state. This is why the world is always examining the State of Israel and always judges it.
Because of it, our women, who know the value of unity, can help us rise above our differences, unite our society, and in the process, unite the world. They do not need pretentious headlines or overbearing politicians to lead them; they need to treat our society the way only they know how: like loving mothers.
I sincerely hope that our women will not succumb to propagandists and lobbyists, that they will not be influenced by inciting discourse in the Israeli society, but rather show us, men, how to bring peace and security to our country and to the world: through unity above differences. [282548]
Jerusalem, proclaimed as the capital of Judea by King David and the modern capital of the State of Israel, is a city with rich history. It is revered by all three major world religions and has therefore been a constant site of controversy. Several times it was destroyed and occupied by invaders, and yet it survived and prevailed through centuries.
What is the essence of Jerusalem from the point of view of the science of Kabbalah? Jerusalem is a holy place and of all the other places on earth it is the closest to the spiritual world. And in Jerusalem, there is the Temple Mount on which the Temple stood, a special place where there is a connection between the material and the spiritual world.
And therefore, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are attractive for all three of the world’s monotheistic religions, and people are eager to get to this place and somehow touch it. Therefore, in the millennia that have passed since the time of King David, there have been many attempts to capture Jerusalem. What hasn’t it experienced in its history? And this is not surprising because it is truly a unique place, the most spiritual place in this entire material world.
Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) means perfect city (Ira Shlemah) and also absolute awe (Ira Shlema). Interestingly, a city already existed on this site before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, which was then called the land of Canaan. Later, this city was named Jerusalem.
Jerusalem also means the city of peace (Ir Shalom), but nevertheless, this city has never lived in peace and tranquility. It was always the center of disputes, all sorts of problems, and strife. But if we talk about the future, about the state to which this city should lead people, then Jerusalem is meant to become the central capital of the world. This will be felt and understood by everyone, and Jerusalem will receive a special status, which it partially already possesses today.
Even today, Jerusalem is considered the heart of the world, the center of the three main world religions. But for the time being, it is the center of discord and all kinds of problems that are revealed in the world between nations. And therefore, it is not obvious that this city unites people around it. On the contrary, disputes and conflicts constantly flare up there.
However, in the future, when the people of Israel fulfill their mission to lead humanity to peace, tranquility, unity, and love, then love for one’s neighbor as for oneself will spread and unfold throughout the world, and Jerusalem will receive the status of the city of peace.
In the meantime, the opposite is true as long as the people of Israel do not correct themselves. Jerusalem will remain a city of war, religious disputes, and division.
The people of Israel must behave in such a way that the dome of peace descends on this city: love, unity, mutual understanding between all currents and religions. Unfortunately, today it is quite the opposite. And it depends on the people of Israel, on how they fulfill their duty to be the light for all nations, that is, to show everyone what love and unity are. Only in this way will Jerusalem become a perfect city. [282129] From KabTV’s “The Peace” 4/27/21
Question:The prophet Ezekiel says that first the war of Gog and Magog will be wedged between the sons of Esau and Ishmael, and then they will unite and go against Israel. What does it mean?
Answer: Esau and Ishmael are those who associate themselves with either Islam or Christianity. And Israel is in the middle, it has no other ideology except that any desire that arises in nature, because all nature consists of desires, should be directed only to bestowal and love, to the connection of each and everyone, which means to the Creator.
The mission of Israel (the middle line) is to show that everything in nature can come to balance, tranquility, mutual good connection, only if we direct ourselves, each and everyone together, to the Creator, that is, to the one common denominator, to the common source from which we came and to which we must return.
Ishmael is the right line, Esau is the left line, and Israel must merge them into the middle line. [282235] From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/30/21
Question:There are two states in our world. It turns out that I am either in joy or in hatred. Right?
Answer: Yes, at any level, not necessarily in sensation. It can be physical or any condition.
Question: Can it be both cold and warm at the same time? This does not happen physically.
Answer: But cold or warmth is felt in relation to a person. Kabbalah speaks of two physical parameters, which, in principle, may have nothing to do with it.
But all the same, he must bring them to a state so that they complement each other because one cannot exist without the other. Therefore, only their joint connection is perfection. This is not just a balance between two contradictions, but a third, new state.
Question: You once gave an example of this on a gustatory level: all vegetables have different tastes, and if you make soup out of them, you get something completely different.
Could you give another example from our life, what is conflict resolution?
Answer: In our life, we use it very little. Let us say we go through severe sufferings, and then we understand that thanks to them we have come to a state of light, joy, satiety, and pleasure.
Question: But does this happen at the same time.
Answer: Of course. This can be at the same time only if we begin to realize and master spiritual properties.
Kabbalah allows us to simultaneously feel sweetness and bitterness, joy, and sorrow. Therefore, in the spiritual world we can feel the combination of two opposite properties, and, according to Kabbalistic calculations, it gives us a feeling that is 620 times greater than in the material world. [282192] From KabTV’s “Spiritual States”
Question:It is written in The Book of Zohar that in the Cave of the Patriarchs, Me’arat Hamachpelah, “me’arat,” translated from Hebrew means a cave, there is an entrance to Gan Eden (Garden of Eden). What does it mean?
Answer:The Cave of the Patriarchs symbolizes the connection of Bina and Malchut. Malchut is a quality of our world. Bina is a quality of the upper world.
And Me’arat Hamachpelah is a state a person goes through by combining our world and the upper world and begins to reveal what exists in the upper world in some specific qualities, not completely as it was the case with our forefathers.
Comment:It turns out that all the stories, in both The Book of Zohar and the Torah, come down to the fact that Malchut and Bina are the qualities of receiving and bestowing. It’s like taking our world, which is made of carbon and hydrogen and the connections between them.
My Response: Yes. Plus—minus, together form everything.
Receiving and bestowing are two main opposite qualities of nature. The quality of the Creator (bestowal) is a positive force and the quality of creation (receiving), which He created specifically so that the opposite of Him would exist, a negative force. And on the concurrence, fusion, symbiosis, of these two qualities, all matter exists.
As in mathematics, there is a zero and something different from it, only two qualities and from this state you can build any science.
Question: That is, everything that is described here, you just have to feel it? Otherwise, it will remain in you either as a story or just a dry explanation—Bina, Malchut and that’s it?
Answer: No. It is not just a dry explanation. After all, the quality of bestowal does exist, it is fundamental, the only one that exists in the entire universe, in all the worlds. And besides it, the quality of receiving appears, in something opposite from it.
The quality of bestowal develops the quality opposite to itself, the quality of receiving, and thus creates all the worlds relative to itself until the state when they become similar while remaining opposite to each other.
Everything that exists consists of this. And a person has to find two worlds, equalize, and unite them in himself. [282000] From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/23/21
How does a woman influence a man?
Michael Laitman, On Quora:
