Question: From a letter. “Here are some lines from a bushmen folk song:

“The Way We Die”
song of the Southern Bushmen

The day we die
the wind comes down
to take away
our footprints.

The wind makes dust
to cover up
the marks we left
while walking.

for otherwise
the thing would seem
as if we were
still living.

Therefore the wind
is he who comes
to blow away
our footprints.

“Why does European civilization want so much to leave behind some kind of corporeal trace: things, cities, works of art, and books? Why is it important for us to be remembered? Why are we so afraid to disappear without a trace? But people who live in harmony with nature are not afraid. On the contrary, they say: ‘Our footprints should disappear.’

“Why does it happen like this? We really want to leave our monuments.”

Answer: Egoism! It is our egoism! It forces us to take care of ourselves, the immortal ones.

Question: Don’t we die after death?

Answer: Yes. If I could put up such a monument, a column, that would stand forever, I would not be afraid to die. That is, I continue to live through it. Everyone will see and know it, and they will not be able to destroy it even if they want to. The monument will be such that it will be eternal. And on it, on the pedestal, I will stand proudly!

Question: Don’t we even think that I will not be there, but a monument will be there? I will be there, right?

Answer: Yes, it means that I will be there. For a person, this is everything!

What else, my body? It is clear to me what will happen to it. However, to be depicted in stone like this, eternal, respected, and wise, this is anything but simple.

Question: Does it mean that egoism is indestructible? Both before death and after death. Is it something unimaginable?

Answer: Egoism is higher than death, it is a force of nature. It is against the Creator. There is the force of the Creator and egoism is against Him.

Question: So what chance do we have to become such “Bushmen”?

Answer: We alter our egoism, we change it.

Question: From what to what? From this eternal one?

Answer: Yes, we give it eternity. Do you want eternity? Be my guest. Do you want perfection? Not a problem. Fame? Anything you want. But to do that, you have to change.

Question: What should I turn into?

Answer: From the rejection of the other to the love of others. It is this process that a person must go through. Moreover, he, by himself, needs to understand it, go through it, and finish it.

Comment: But there are sparks of this understanding at the moment a person passes away. He understands that “I will not take this with me.” There are many different stories.

My Response: It is all literature. After all, a person remains with the idea that my actions will remain after me. Instead, he has to come to the idea that nothing is important to me, just to leave everything to others.

Comment: So, am I leaving so that everything remains to others? I do not need anything anymore. No monuments, nothing.

My Response: Nothing.

Comment: There was such a movie, it was called All Remains to People.

My Response: I wanted to say that too.

Comment: It was a socialist, communist movie. I even remember that Cherkasov was playing there.

My Response: Yes, Cherkasov. Such a noble man. In fact, ideally, the person should pass away like that.

Comment: As we know, this did not disappear together with communist ideas.

My Response: It is clear that it will not disappear because egoists were at the head of these ideas.

Question: And if we put a Kabbalistic meaning into it, what would it look like?

Answer: It would look like Kabbalah.

Question: What am I doing with this egoist in me?

Answer: I am converting him into an altruist.

Question: Why did it not work out there, but it will work out here?

Answer: First, we have already become disillusioned with all the previous “isms” and other theories. That is first. Secondly, we understand that otherwise we will not be able to exist.

We must understand that only in the correct connection between us, which will become the basic law of society, is our future.

Question: Where in this is the upper force that you talk about all the time?

Answer: It is in the fact that we create it ourselves by trying to connect. If it is not there, this upper force, then we have not made it.

Question: So we failed, and we have to try again and again?

Answer: Absolutely!

Question: Until when?

Answer: Until you make it!

Question: How will I understand that I made it?

Answer: When you see that this connection works between you and others.

Question: How does it work then?

Answer: You will look at the others and see that everyone wishes happiness to each other. I think we still need a long time to come to this.

Question: But are we going toward this?

Answer: This does not depend on us.

Question: So, will this happen one way or another?

Answer: This will happen, this does not depend on us, but we will have to see this.
[315397]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/29/23

Related Material:
Why Do We Die?
What Remains After A Person Dies?
What Happens To A Person’s Soul When He Dies?

Filed under: Body and Soul, Crisis, Globalization, News, Q&A | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Hebrew and Aramaic are two spiritual languages that are spelled the same but pronounced a little differently. In ancient Babylon, both languages were spoken. But their origins go back to Adam. His first book, The Secret Angel (Raziel HaMalach), Adam wrote in Hebrew. “Angel” is a force of nature, and “secret” means that this force was hidden from us 3,700 years ago, Abraham wrote The Book of Creation in two languages, Hebrew and Aramaic, because they are interconnected and complement each other—one from the side of light and the other from the side of the vessel for the light.

The Great Commentary and other books are written in the same language.

Comment: But Hebrew letters are symbols that come from Kabbalah.

My Response: It does not matter where these languages come from. On one hand, people spoke them, and on the other hand, they corresponded to spiritual symbols because Kabbalists translated them into Hebrew and Aramaic.

Language expresses a person’s feelings, his ideas. There is no language that is worse or better. But if you have taken it as a basis, then you are already following it. Kabbalists did just that. And those people who wanted to study Kabbalah had to learn this language. Just like if you want to know a programming language, you have to go inside that language, mainly English.
[315672]
 From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Mother tongue” 9/21/11

Related Material:
Two Unique Languages And Their Spiritual Roots
Hebrew And Aramaic
An Inseparable Pair: Hebrew And Aramaic

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Language of Branches | Add Comment / Ask Question →

How many things in our lives do we take on faith without having the facts? We do not even realize how much we rely on what is going on outside. It is done purposefully and comes naturally. Thus, previous stages are worked out in us before the real attainment. Nothing in the world should be destroyed!

Baal HaSulam writes that all religions must remain. And even at the very last stages of the development of humanity when it will be able to see the whole picture of the universe, all religions and beliefs will remain in the culture anyway. Nothing should be destroyed. What dies, dies. What does not, does not.

The question arises: when everything is revealed to man and the complete picture of the worlds is attained, will there be room for faith? Of course not. After all, faith is what I accept without verification, analysis, and without making sure of anything. This will no longer be the case. But Baal HaSulam claims: whatever they want will remain as culture.

That is, everything should work out naturally. Man must go through all this, or he will not develop. You cannot drag him through a stage like through a class at school. He must gradually attain all this. Therefore, there is no violence in spiritual development.
[315863]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Why do Sects Exist?” 8/27/11

Related Material:
Religion Is a Cultural Tradition, Kabbalah Is the Method of Correction
The Spiritual Roots Of The Three Religions
Religion’s Place In Our Lives

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

Question: After the Creator creates all the worlds (concealments), then in the very last, corporeal world, we do not feel Him at all. What does it mean that the Creator is not felt? What exactly do we not feel?

Answer: In the corporeal world we feel ourselves as small desires that want to enjoy the micro-dose of the light that fills them. This fraction of light is perceived as life in our body and nothing more.

And then, when we become acquainted with our potential through the science of Kabbalah, we are given a chance to gradually develop our desires and raise ourselves above them. This is called achieving the quality of bestowal through love of others.

Thus, all our desires become more and more similar to the Creator, and in this state we can begin to understand Him, feel Him, and draw closer to Him. By becoming similar to Him, we can see the entire universe and all the worlds.
[315787]
From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 7/16/23

Related Material:
Everything Is Attained By The Equivalence Of Form
Spirituality Is The Measure Of My Equivalence To The Creator
Recreating Higher Harmonics

Filed under: Spiritual Work, Structure of the Universe | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can I overcome stress quickly?“
The best way to overcome stress is to deal with it in a group setting.

When we are parts of a supportive and encouraging group that immediately starts discussing the cause of the stress and how to work with it, offering empathy and advice, we can then overcome the stress.

That is the only real solution to stress because it is indeed a solution. It is not merely an escape, nor is it a means of postponing the stress for later, but it is a way of working together with others on building understanding, awareness and an approach directly in relation to the cause of the stress.

The group deliberation of the problem means that others understand the state of the person experiencing the stress, and they accordingly accept it upon themselves. If we raised a stressful circumstance in a supportive group discussion setting, then we come to understand that others accepted the problem upon themselves, which in turn provides us with the needed strength to overcome the stress.

Moreover, we then come to feel that we received the stressful state precisely in order to pass it over to others. By engaging in it together with others and repairing the cause of the stress, we strengthen the overall connection of the group. Likewise, all the group’s members gain from the resulting stronger connection.

We can compare such a group approach to solving stress similarly to how an infected bodily organ starts sending an alert, like an SOS, to its hosting body, which then instantly comes to its aid and takes it upon itself to compensate for the organ’s problem. By shifting the problem to the rest of the body, the individual organ gains the strength to restore its health, and the overall immunity of the body also increases. Such is the principle by which we can truly fix the cause of any stress.

Based on KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Drugs, Alcohol and Sex” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on July 29, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
[316149]

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

Preparation to the Lesson

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

1st part of the Lesson — Writings of Rabash, “What Does It Mean that the Creator Favors Someone, in the Work?”

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

2nd part of the Lesson — Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 155

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Selected Highlights

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson | Add Comment / Ask Question →

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

Filed under: Audio Version of the Blog | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Question: In our ten, some friends believe that we can advance only through suffering and pain, but there are also other opinions. Which is more correct?

Answer: Do not think that progress should be in suffering and pain. If you do, you say that the Creator has created this way for us. But this is not so. He wants us to advance in joy.

Question: But it does not always work out that way. What is the mistake and what should I pay attention to?

Answer: The mistake is that you do not attach sufficient importance to coming closer to the Creator.

Therefore, while doing spiritual work you are in a bad mood, regretful, and so on.

Question: Are these feelings also given by the Creator?

Answer: No, do not confuse yourself. Do not think about whether it is given by Him or not. The main thing is what you feel.
[315238]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/23, “According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward”

Related Material:
There Is No Room For Despair And Disappointment
The Joy Of Anticipation Of Ascent
Don’t Scream “No!” Standing At The Threshold

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

Question: I understand that you give us a lot and try to move us forward by answering questions from a great spiritual height. But I cannot feel and absorb all this depth. What should I do in this case?

Answer: Move forward no matter what. Do not invent some answers for yourself and do not change the path. Just move on: one more lesson, and one more, and another one. You will see how all these lessons are suddenly revealed on a new level, although it seems to you that you did not understand them and were present at them in vain.

Question: There is no feeling that I was present in vain. It just feels like you are giving more than I am capable of taking in.

Answer: This will also enter and be absorbed within you. You will see, everything will be fine.
[316015]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/23, “According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward”

Related Material:
Not to Read, But to Attain!
Not Fantasies But Reality
The Power Of Kabbalistic Texts

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Spiritual Work | Add Comment / Ask Question →

Each time, he sees more of the truth: He is immersed in self-love and does not see any possibility in the horizon that can bring him out of this. (“What Is ‘According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward’?“, RABASH).

Question: Can we say the same about a group in which people are used to each other, it seems to them that they are connected, love each other, and feel good together? I have a feeling that this closes everyone’s eyes, they do not progress, and they have no push to go further.

Does the article talk about this kind of egoistic connection?

Answer: Maybe about this and maybe not. Do not worry about it.

There can be a non-egoistic connection only with respect to the friends and the Creator and only if a person is working on it.

Question: Does it mean that it is the light that gives us the opportunity to advance and to see how to go even further?

Answer: Yes, it is the upper light, the upper force, that allows us to feel what relationships above our egoism mean.

Question: If people do not feel rejection and hatred and are in a positive way all the time, can this be a spiritual connection?

Answer: I think not because spiritual connection is built above egoistic connection. That is, they must rise above their egoism and begin to create connections that will not depend on their ego. This is a completely new kind of connection.
[315978]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/27/23, “According to the Sorrow, So Is the Reward”

Related Material:
Penetrating Love Through Barricades Of Hate
Asking To Love
Indifference Is Worse Than Hate

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