Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba rejoiced, wept, and said, “Go, ride the donkey, and we will prod it behind you (Zohar for All, “The Donkey Driver”).

That is, the sages recognized that the force that exists in the donkey (“donkey” in Hebrew is Homer, the matter of all creation) is the dwelling place of the Creator. Therefore, they began to treat differently the one who drives them, accompanies them, and leads them to the goal.

When they arrived at the house of Rabbi Yosi, son of Rabbi Shimon, son of Lakunia, they saw Rabbi Shimon there and they were glad. Rabbi Shimon was glad. He told them, “You must have passed through a road of miracles and high tokens, for I have been sleeping now and saw you and Benayahu Ben Yehoyada sending you two crowns through an old man, to crown you. It must be that the Creator was on that way, for I see that your faces have changed.” Rabbi Yosi said, “You said well—that a sage is preferable to a prophet.” Rabbi Elazar came and placed his head between the knees of his father, Rabbi Shimon, and told him the feat.

That is, they did not fully understand everything, but now that they have finished their journey, they are beginning to reveal that in fact, they have passed such degrees that they never assumed or knew they would pass. They talk about this further in The Book of Zohar.

It means that this is just the beginning, just the first chapter, and then the whole Book of Zohar tells about what they found there, on these degrees.

Question: It is clear that there is some allegorical meaning here. Because it is said that Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon, who wrote The Zohar, came and placed his head between the knees of his father, Rabbi Shimon, and told him the feat,  about what had happened to this donkey driver. What does “came, placed his head between the knees of his father” mean?

Answer: Placed his head between the knees of his father means that Rabbi Elazar bowed before the wisdom of his father and, as the one who follows him along the spiritual degrees, asked for help to ascend to the next degree.
[317889]
From KabTV’s “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” 9/3/23

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Today we are beginning to feel that the past paradigm of the world is not working. We cannot improve our condition in any way. Everything is over. It is as if we are being pulled out of the sandbox and pushed into a new society where we must be mutually connected with each other in some kind of adult enterprise.

When we played in the sandbox, everyone could play in their corner, with their own cars, roll them, and make cakes out of sand. And now we have been thrust into a completely different state.

We have been placed in some kind of community and told: “Now you must be in good dependence on each other, find a common language among yourselves, and somehow communicate correctly.” And we do not want to. We want to continue being independent, and not take on any obligations. That is where the problem is.

Question: Let’s say a person has power, fame, security, a car. How can such people be convinced? They absolutely do not want to move away from that “sandbox.”

Answer: I think that they will quickly become convinced that they are losing everything and are under a great threat for their very existence, and that they suddenly are becoming beggars. For such a person to become a beggar means to descend to the level of a normal, ordinary middle class.

For him, it is just something unimaginable. And it will happen. All his external gloss will disappear, no social, political, economic ties with the help of which he held onto his level will work.

There will only be one thing left: to agree that the whole of humanity, as nature suggests to us, should really be connected on one single level, in full interconnection, mutual assistance to each other, and thus achieve the highest comfortable state, spirituality.

Comment: As a rule, the more a person has, the more difficult it is for him to connect with others.

My Response: If only a person would start engaging with something above this level, with the purpose of existence, the laws of nature, our development, and so on, then, in general, he will easily tolerate parting with what he had before; it will, of course, seem superfluous to him.

Comment: But by nature, the less a person has, the easier it is for him to make a revolution in his life.

My Response: No, it just seems that way; it is purely psychological. I do not think that is really the case. Not to that extent. It depends not on the status, but on the level of his knowledge, attainment, and awareness of the necessity.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. How not to Lose Money?” 10/31/11

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Turning to the Creator—the upper force of love and bestowal“

The most important and needed action in our lives is turning to the Creator—the upper force of love and bestowal—and asking Him for help: to help us correct ourselves from the situation He created us in— the evil inclination, i.e., the egoistic desire to receive for self-benefit at the expense of others—and lead us to the desire to bestow.

In such a way, we will become corrected, i.e., we will acquire the desire to bestow in place of our egoistic desire, and come to feel the spiritual reality.

We currently feel the corrupted corporeal reality in our egoistic desires, a reality of short-lived, transient pleasures and incomplete perception. By discovering the spiritual reality, we will also be able to feel an endless world, an eternal and perfect life above our existence.

The trigger to activate such a revelation is our own request for it: that we ask the Creator to elevate us to the spiritual reality. He expects and awaits such a request from us. That is why there is no action in our entire lives more important and special than prayer, i.e., turning to the Creator to help us exit our self-centered desire and to connect with each other. Moreover, to the extent that we connect with each other, with the Creator’s quality of love and bestowal illuminating in our connection, we likewise connect with the Creator. That is actually of utmost importance in our lives.

Based on Lesson 4 from the World Kabbalah Convention, October 1, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Preparation to the Lesson

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1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Love of God and the Love of Man”

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2nd part of the Lesson — Lesson on the Topic “Being in Joy”

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Selected Highlights

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Question: What is special about today’s Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, for you? What do you feel?

Answer: We see that the world is not getting better, that is for sure. People are not getting better; they are just tired. They are tired of this world, of this life, of what is happening to them, and of the fact that there is nothing good in the future for the children. Therefore, you cannot slander a person. This is the way he is, this is how he was created—an evil, indifferent man.

Comment: And you do not slander a person.

My Response: I do not slander either a person or the Creator. It is just a given that we must clearly understand and after that begin to ask—ask for correction of man and the whole world.

We need to recognize that this evil is a consequence of our relationships with each other. We cannot rise above ourselves so that we wish good for everyone. We just cannot. This is the reason for our impatience with each other and everything that happens to us.

I hope that these latest events and the fact that we are now in a discussion of what is happening with the world, with people, and with each of us, I hope that they will ultimately lead to the understanding that we need to correct this world. It depends only on our desires.

I think that the Creator specifically plays all this out in front of us in this way so that we realize the need for changes.
[318298]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 9/18/23

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Life is not 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 myself in a profession, for example. What do you mean by the term “creating yourself”?

Answer: Creating ourselves is what we are facing. In fact, this is not such a sky-high thing. This is the requirement imposed on us by 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 it down: the first condition is to love everyone.

Question: So, the first point is: I should 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, it is a prayer. Imagine that you are like a parent, maybe strict, maybe kind, no matter which, but loving. As such a parent treats his children, so you should treat people.

Question: But at the moment when I read this daily and realize that I cannot, is that 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 complaints or requests for correction. Therefore, you wait for this day of atonement and present them.

Question: Is this really the prayer of the day of atonement?

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

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

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

Question: So this is what I want to come to, but I cannot, and I ask?

Answer: Absolutely! So, get ready.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/3/22

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Question: Today Israeli society has become divided between those who are for judicial reform and those against judicial reform, those on the right and those on the left. Demonstrations that demand a change of government are taking place, and so on.

I am concerned about the issue of the army. We have reservists who are essentially the backbone of the army. There are special units and pilots, those who continue to serve with consent and willingness after completing their regular service.

And now for the first time, certain incidents have started happening where they refuse to serve. They say they don’t want to serve under a dictatorship. It’s all related to judicial reform with which they disagree.
In your opinion, do they have the right to do this or not?

Answer: I think this is a problem in all armies around the world.

Comment: But still, I’m considering the fact that we have a unique army. After all, it’s a defensive army. We are a small piece of land where every person is important and has his or her place, and suddenly they expose the front.

My Response: Yes, I believe that the army should be above everything because life is above everything, and then we can deal with the rest.

Question: So do you mean that a person’s life comes first?

Answer: Yes, and the life of the state as well.

Comment: And we are specifically here to protect the lives of people and the state. And if they revolt from within and say, “This is a dictatorship. I don’t want to serve under this regime. I want a change.”

My Response: They are obligated to protect people’s lives!

Question: Another question is if an incident were to occur, and considering that we are still in constant wars, from the government’s or the army’s perspective, do you think they should call these officers back or not?

Answer: They should call them back. There should be no leniency, no postponement, nothing! Everyone has their place, and everyone should be in their place.

Question: What do you think a person feels when he exposes the front? Why can he do it today? In the past I would never have thought of such a thing. In the past they all served willingly; it was a duty. But today they can suddenly say such things and suddenly expose the front. What do they feel when doing that?

Answer: I can’t even say. I have a very clear opinion about it.

Question: Do you remember how it was in your time? I know you served in the technical support units of aviation. That’s the most serious part of our army.

What was the feeling then? It’s called miluim, those who serve after the army until the age of forty and beyond. Did they have a strong sense of duty?

Answer: Of course. There was no question about it.

Question: What do you think has changed over the years?

Answer: Decline! Simply a decline because personal interests have become more important than national interests.

Question: Is this what you constantly say, that egoism is growing?

Answer: Yes, and it is even worse. It means that a person starts to prioritize their own opinion over the existence of the state.

Question: What do you think awaits us if this continues?

Answer: I think that in this way society will find a new worldview system.

Question: So do you see a positive aspect in this as well?

Answer: Where else can it go? If this weren’t going on with the Jews, we could talk about a civil war. But here I think it won’t come to that anymore.

Question: In your opinion, what kind of army will protect and see this as a great privilege? What should there be?

Answer: There should be an internal restructuring of society—the army, political parties, and the entire state.

Those people who consider the state their own should understand that they are mutually obligated here. There is no escaping that.

Comment: It’s interesting that our enemies, who in principle surround us and do not wish for the state to exist, do not force us into a rigid position where you cannot leave the army—it’s your post, you are obligated! Something has happened.

My Response: Their concept is different, new. They believe that gradually over time we will disintegrate on our own.

Comment: Yes. Hezbollah, our neighbor to the north, says that they can calmly deal with us now that we have internal discord and instability.

My Response: Yes. Today, thanks to our neighbors, the army should be strong, and everyone understands this more or less. And to some extent we can allow ourselves to argue and debate. But we must understand that there is a border and our life is within it. So thanks to our neighbors who keep us on our toes!
[317482]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/30/23

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In the News (Voice of Europe): “A unique retreat in Edinburgh, Scotland, known as the ‘Big Kid Kindergarten,’ has opened its doors for adults seeking to relive their childhood days. This establishment allows grown-ups to immerse themselves in a world of building blocks, arts and crafts, sandbox games and story sessions, offering them a temporary escape from adult responsibilities.

Can I do that? Or will we, burdened with our whole life, not be able to do this; will we not be freed like this?

Answer: I would not be able to sit in a sandbox.

Comment: Most likely I would not either, but I would really like to.

My Response: No. I am satisfied with my life and what the Creator has brought me to. I want only one thing—to achieve what I must according to His plan and that is it. I would be completely satisfied with that.

Question: You are a lucky man! You have discovered everything perfectly and you hit this point precisely.

But for people who are tired, exhausted from searching and being under the burden of responsibility and worries, to be able to go to this kindergarten, sit and play with each other, do you think this is good?

Answer: I cannot imagine how to live in Edinburgh. I know this city well.

Question: This city has reached kindergartens. So can they do this? Do you think there is a type of person who can leave everything behind and go play for a day?

Answer: Yes, this is for them. This is good.

Question: For a person who needs some kind of therapeutic practice to relieve stress, is it good to be able to do this?

Answer: Why not? If this satisfies a person and gets him calmer, we must guide him to terrible questions of existence so that he does not know where to turn to, and only after falling from this height to find himself with the right answer to the question: “What do I live for?” No.

Question: So you would put him in the kindergarten? If he feels good there, let him be in the kindergarten?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Children usually make contact with others easily. Children play, sit in the sandbox, and new kids join in. Can this lead to establishing more contacts between us if we put adults, conflicting individuals, in kindergarten?

Answer: It will no longer be called “kindergarten,” but some kind of psychological institution.

Question: We play adult games now—wars and so on. If we somehow manage to change to children’s games, to make it happen with the same passion, is it possible or not? Maybe there is a solution in this?

Answer: This is the game, what we are doing with wars and such. This is the very game.

Question: Can it be shifted into children’s games so that there are no victims, no blood, no hatred?

Answer: It would not be exciting.

Comment: That is the whole problem.

My Response: What can you do?

Question: Is there no way to put them in kindergarten and let them fight it out there?

Answer: No! You cannot make grown-ups children completely.

Question: You just called them adult children. Is it not a slip of the tongue? Do adult children grow up like this?

Answer: Yes. They have to grow up, but they can only grow up if they cover themselves and each other with serious bruises.

Question: How can these adults be calmed down?

Answer: There is no need to calm them down. We need to exhaust them so they do not know where to run or find any kind of reassurance. We need to wear them out until their heads spin, they wobble as they walk, constantly feel like they are about to fall, and they do not know what to do.

Question: What would that achieve? We are talking about adults playing games.

Answer: This is fear of the next moment of your life. This is an important point.

Question: Do you mean that fear should be instilled in an adult?

Answer: We must even impose it so everyone is afraid for their lives.

Question: What will come of it?

Answer: One will reason more sensibly and plan the next step. This is better than being calm.

Question: Can this be done at the state level?

Answer: On the global level. That is, from one person, to many people, to the whole world.

Question: Can this stop all the madness that exists?

Answer: Certainly. I think we will come to this.

Question: But how can we do it? How can we wear someone out?

Answer: With horror stories, but only good ones, that is, with smart stories that explain where one is, what he is in, and how this leads him to a state where he will not find peace neither today nor tomorrow, before death or after death. That is the main thing. Because he thinks: “Well, at most I will die.” No, it does not end there. He will want to rise above death.

After all, we will explain to him that it does not end there. Therefore, you need to find a way out, how to deal with this situation. That is the main thing.

Question: And then one will think of how to take the next step?

Answer: Then, yes. I believe that without the fear of death, an ordinary person will not be able to live correctly. But there are those who do not care, who even before their death, before all this, want to know, learn, and reveal. For such people, everything is open. I am all for it.

Question: Is this how a person should feel?

Answer: It depends, of course, on the root of the soul. I don’t think this is for everyone, but it should be open to everyone.

Question: In that case, what game should we play?

Answer: We must understand that revealing the meaning of life is the most important thing we need in this life. That is all.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 8/24/23

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Question: How could Kabbalists fight during the time of King David and also promote love?

Answer: At that time everyone was a Kabbalist. And why can’t Kabbalists fight? Let us say that I know that a person is coming to kill me, that he is against the common correction of the world and is now standing in my way; therefore, if I do not kill him, it means that I will kill the common soul.

There are laws. There are two forces constantly working in the world, and you cannot do anything: you are either on one side or on the other, or somewhere in between.

By killing physically, you still kill egoism at its lowest level. And by killing spiritually, you almost completely correct this root.
[318109]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Star of David” 10/1/11

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