Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Israel had a Coronavirus record over the July 4th weekend, with cases spiking by 13 percent. Why do you think that is?“

Now we are heading toward the end of July 2020, and the coronavirus cases have spiked nearly 92% more over the course of the month, from 28.4K cases on July 5 to 54.4K cases on July 23.

Why?

As I have written and spoken about extensively since the coronavirus became a global pandemic, COVID-19 is not merely a health and economic issue, but a nature-sent phenomenon that has come to reprogram humanity: to make us all more aware of our interdependence and interconnectedness, and to give us conditions by which we become forced to exercise our mutual dependence on each other.

Also, before the coronavirus struck the world, I extensively wrote and spoke about the people of Israel having a special role in our world: to pioneer humanity’s transformation to a positive connection above its increasing divisiveness.

The more divided society becomes, the more there is a need for the unity that the people of Israel have a method to realize.

Therefore, if we, the people of Israel, make strides to positively connect in order to be a unifying example for humanity, we will then experience a positive reaction from nature and other nations.

If we fail to move in a unifying direction, then our negligence and disunity will ripple throughout humanity in the many forms of social division pitting people in the world against each other, and we will experience its negative backlash.

Instead of becoming a unifying example capable of leading the world to a more harmonious state, we have become the opposite: an example of social discord, like a tail trailing behind humanity, dragging along and slowing down humanity’s progress to a more positively connected state.

This is the situation we’re currently in. Thus, it comes as no surprise to me that we have encountered a major rise in coronavirus cases this month. And it has nothing to do with whether or not we observed the health department’s guidelines.

Until we reach an understanding of our role, that we exist not for ourselves but for humanity, and feel on our flesh that we need to contribute an example of unification above division to humanity, then we can expect more and more malfunctions that work against us.

The calculation with regard to the people of Israel is always in relation to humanity’s unity or disunity: if we act to increase unity among ourselves and humanity, then we will experience positive feedback together with a force of connection that increases humanity’s happiness, safety and health to humanity.

And the more human society needs unity, i.e., the more it experiences the negative effects of its divisiveness, then the more we will become pressed to respond according to our fateful role.

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

My new article on Algemeinier “Does Kabbalah Suggest a New Approach to Antisemitism?”

The maelstrom of a global pandemic has not kept antisemites and Jew-haters quiet. On Twitter, the antisemitic hashtag #JewishPrivilege, which was originally used to accuse Jews of racism and control over other minorities, rapidly became a top trending hashtag.

In an attempt to push back against the hashtag’s antisemitic sentiment, Jewish celebrities posted personal stories of discrimination, bigotry, and persecution suffered directly by them or their families throughout generations. But, as expected, it failed to ease the animosity.

In another instance of “special treatment” of Jews, Twitter accounts of users displaying a Star of David were locked by the social media platform, which deemed the Jewish symbol as “hateful imagery.” Twitter later said this was done by accident.

Surprisingly, this is all happening at a time when some social media giants face boycotts from international corporations, which are pulling multi-million dollar advertising budgets from what they call a permissive hate-speech culture on those platforms. Apparently, antisemitism is a more powerful exception to the rules against online hate speech than both advertising dollars and boycott threats, since it is still widely tolerated, and the responsible regulators look the other way.

Hatred of Jews, however, does not depend on our actions. It is a sensation embedded in nature. The wisdom of Kabbalah explains that antisemitism first surfaced together with the emergence of the Jewish people around 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon.

While Babylon was experiencing a crisis of social division, with conflicts and hatred tearing up society, Abraham, a Babylonian priest who discovered the path to unity above the growing divisions, began openly teaching his method to anyone who wanted to learn.

Those who felt that social discord was the burning issue of the time flocked to study with him. He guided them to the discovery of the single uniting force necessary to rise above divisiveness. The group he led became known as “the people of Israel,” meaning “straight to God,” (Yashar-El in Hebrew), i.e., straight to the single force of love and bestowal that exists in reality. Later, the group also became known as “Jews,” which derived from the Hebrew word “yehud,” meaning unity.

Since the Jewish people were the first to attain unity above division, they received the mandate to act as “a light unto the nations.” This meant that their role was first to connect, and then to spread the light that emanated from their connection like rippling waves to the rest of humanity.

Why is this role so important today?

It is because in today’s world, the overblown human ego, social division, conflicts, and hatred are all rising exponentially, causing a myriad of problems and crises, and thus there is a renewed urgency and necessity for the Jewish people to carry out their role. The more people suffer, the more they subconsciously blame the Jews for holding the keys to fix the problems, but failing to do so.

If we Jews make no effort to connect, we block the positive unifying force from reaching humanity, and hatred pressures us to perform what is expected of us. Humanity’s positive future depends on us.

If we have a privilege, it is in our role to deliver human society the abundance and fulfillment that comes from uniting “as one man with one heart.” As is written by the most renowned Kabbalist of our generation, Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “It is the wisdom of faith, justice and peace which most nations learn from us, and this wisdom is ascribed to us alone.”

When we as Jews unite, even slightly, we will act as a conduit for the force of unity to spread throughout human consciousness.
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Filed under: Anti-Semitism, New Publications | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Medium published my new article “Repairing the World from the Pandemic”

The planet is not going back to the “old normal,” warned the World Health Organization (WHO) as more than 14 million people have been infected with the coronavirus globally, with around one third of those cases reported in the US. Also taking into account its severe economic impact, the WHO considers the pandemic to be the “most severe” global health emergency ever. COVID-19 has arrived to erase the old world and draw a new one, and we can look ahead to the new world with optimism and hope.

The new reality demands that we undergo such a perceptual inversion, in which we will each stop calculating everything out of narrow self-interest, and instead develop a broad vision that takes everyone’s best interests into account.

More than a passing crisis, the health and economic devastation from the coronavirus represent the collapse of the world as we knew it. That old reality is crumbling before our eyes. World leaders find themselves powerless to manage the pandemic properly. They have their backs pressed against the wall and their pockets empty of ideas on how to solve the enormous coronavirus challenges, since their approaches are unaligned with the new reality.

We thus need to realize that tomorrow will be unlike yesterday. Although nostalgia for the past is natural, we have no option but to start looking forward, and fast.

New Is Good

The old world collapsed because its foundation needed an upgrade. Even if we found success in the old world, it says nothing about whether we will do so in the new reality. In order to survive and prosper in the new world, we need to transform the basis of our interactions: from egoistic to mutually considerate. The new reality demands that we undergo such a perceptual inversion, in which we will each stop calculating everything out of narrow self-interest, and instead develop a broad vision that takes everyone’s best interests into account.

The pace of human development has accelerated tremendously over the past few centuries. It has manifested in all sorts of revolutions and social changes. Currently, the call for solidarity and equality resounds in the streets of many countries. However, in the new world, even revolutions will be different. They will first and foremost take place inside the person, in people’s minds and emotions, rather than on the streets. We will have to feel that all human beings are equal, close, connected in mutual consideration, and accordingly learn how to treat others as we would like to be treated.

Previous revolutions changed the pecking order: those who were unimportant became important, and those on top lost their status. The next revolution will be different. Its innovation will be the connection of everyone together as one.

When we feel as one, social systems will emerge that mirror our new connection. Some of the new systems will be voluntarily built out of informed participation on our part. However, as much as we lag behind in our grasp of the developmental trend toward unity, nature will painstakingly force the construction of more unifying systems against our will. Thus, we will gradually bear witness to the dismantlement of the egoistic society, and its replacement with an altruistic society where all parts are equal and connected in mutual complementation.

An Inverted View to Advance

How long will the change in question take? That is up to us.

As of today, we are very far from the goal, both socially and personally. There is nothing more contrary to human nature than to think of the good of others as if it were our own good. And yet, our evolution requires such a change. Humanity now faces the challenge of matching nature’s integrality and unity if it is to survive the 21st Century.

How will it be possible to reverse our selfish view? The method to reverse our nature can be explained with the following example:

Under the current circumstances, we worry about contracting the coronavirus from others and decide to take measures to protect ourselves, such as wearing face masks and keeping our distance from others. An inverse perception, from inward care to outward concern, could be explained as following precisely those same measures as before, but with the intention to avoid our own involuntary transmission of the virus to others.

It is no coincidence that it is currently impossible for us to get rid of the coronavirus, since doing so would require a level of mutual responsibility and guarantee that we do not have. This global pandemic might just turn out to be the first in a series of blows that will show us, with ever-increasing force, that in nature’s view, we are all one, and our good future depends on taking care of each other as if we are members of the same family.

Therefore, we should try to think about what it means to act positively to others — not only to those who are naturally close and dear, but just as much to those who seem foreign and distant. What we do for the sake of others comes back to us, because the system’s every detail exists interdependently with everyone and everything in a single complete whole.

When we function as a single body we will experience the good life: Nature’s cohesive force will flow in our connections, and the world will become filled with abundance, health and tranquility, giving us all a new lease on life.

Filed under: Coronavirus, Globalization, Health, New Publications | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Principles of Forming a Team: Unification

Question: The fourth rule is the unification of the team. We are talking about creating any team no matter in what sphere of human activity.

The best way to interact with a friend is by example. You need to constantly encourage any actions aimed at bringing the team together. Here it is important to deliberately show your intentions and actions and not be modest. A person must show the other their respect, effort to listen, and understand because this is how they set an example to others.

How important is it to show that I am making an effort to listen to the other person?

Answer: It is extremely important to show interest and deliberately demonstrate it. This is the responsibility of all members of the group, not just the person on duty.

Question: Even if it is hard for me to listen to someone?

Answer: On the contrary, you listen to him, raise your hand, ask a question, and thus inspire the entire group with it.

Question: What will give me strength and motivation?

Answer: The fact that you have to do it. You were given the authority.
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From KabTV’s “Management Skills” 6/18/20

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Hasidism: Touching the Spiritual Truths

Question: The Hasidic movement appeared in the third decade of the 18th century and was founded by the Baal Shem Tov. The approach of the Hasidic teachers allowed ordinary people to touch spiritual truths. If earlier only sages studied them, now ordinary people could do so as well.

What was so special about the teachings of Baal Shem Tov that they captured the hearts of so many people to such an extent?

Answer:  The Baal Shem Tov followed the path of the Ari and explained in a simpler language, close to the people, how to act and connect with each other in order to achieve the revelation of the Creator.

He set a very practical goal: to explain to any person who is in absolute ignorance about what kind of world he exists in, what states he passes through, why the Torah is needed, and why people exist.

It turns out that the Baal Shem Tov gave ordinary people life. He explained to them how to live correctly and that behind every inner movement of a person in mind and feelings is a huge force that is correcting the world. Therefore, every person who treats the world like that is engaged in correcting it.
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From KabTV’s “Systematic Analysis of the Development of the People of Israel” 8/5/19

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The Age Of Enlightenment And Emancipation, Part 1

Filed under: Israel, Kabbalah Study, Religion | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Question: How do you deal with egoism if it suddenly pops up in your life?

Answer: It does so constantly, at every second. Egoism overcomes me at every minute and throws me into various thoughts. But this does not mean that I want to steal, deceive, or do something harmful to others.

Egoism is what commands us at every moment in the smallest of actions, for instance, in the way we sit, get up, and walk. It manifests itself in everything: in thoughts, feelings, intentions, words, and actions.

The choice of one or the other, the way we speak, and our behavior is explored by egoism from within, and we must study it all and gradually correct ourselves. However, it is an interesting task.

Question: Do I need to ask myself every time, “Why am I doing this?”

Answer: No. If you study Kabbalah, you will not ask yourself questions because you will be affected by the upper light, another energy that is not egoistic, but altruistic.

Both lights influence you. They will guide you and lead you forward like how a rider controls a horse with two reins. Also, you will feel which of the forces currently leads you, with which and how you should progress, and how to balance them with each other. In principle, the whole wisdom of life is to balance both forces correctly.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 5/24/20

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

Question: When a person rises above egoism, does he see that there is no egoism?

Answer: On the contrary, he sees egoism and how he rises above it.

It is impossible without the ego, which does not disappear. We simply balance it with the good force of nature, the Creator.

The Creator created the opposite force, egoism. In order to balance the ego, we need to reveal the Creator and attract Him.

We will then exist between egoism and the Creator. We will begin to see from one end of the world to the other; everything will become absolutely clear to us. And everything will be fine, balanced, and perfect.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 5/10/20

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

Question: Are ideas about good and evil, truth and honesty, love and hate formed by society?

Answer: These views are formed by the environment. But when they get into the soil, it all depends on what kind of soil the grains of the environment fell into.

A lot of other data is taken into account here. These are the properties of parents and even grandfathers, the properties of the family and modern society, as well as all of their interactions.

If I was born from certain parents and grew up in a certain environment, then it is necessary to take into account what kind of society I am raised in, Western, Eastern, religious, etc.; that is, there are a huge number of factors of personality formation that I receive without even realizing it. But all this affects me.
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From KabTV’s “The Post-Coronavirus Era” 4/30/20

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Filed under: Children, Education, Free Will | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Lesson Preparation

Lesson on the Topic “Tishaa BeAv (Ninth of Av)”  

Lesson on the Topic “The Obligation of Bnei Baruch to Humanity in the Last Generation – Selected Excerpts From the Sources”  

Writings of Rabash, Article 1 “Make for Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend – 1” (1985)

Selected Highlights

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