Entries in the 'Children' Category

Attaining The Upper World

226We cannot express concepts of the upper world in words or letters from our world because our whole lexicon reflects sensations from our five senses. The greatest difficulty is when we have to express certain knowledge in words and publish it for the sake of discussion as is customary in scientific research. This is the reason that a Kabbalist has to use definitions that are absolutely accurate.

We encounter a double problem here.

On one hand the wisdom of Kabbalah is the wisdom of attaining the law of nature, but attaining that internal part, the internal layer of nature that we do not feel through our five senses or instruments we invent. Basically there is no way of feeling this internal layer of nature called the upper world, which the wisdom of Kabbalah tells us about, inside of us or through instruments that we can build.

Special actions that are connected according to special laws take place there, laws of reception and bestowal, of ascent and descent. In general, there are certain forces, their actions, and their consequences. Unfortunately we cannot see that with our corporeal senses.

Just as we can speak about atoms and molecules in our world, but if all these micro, macro, and other processes are not perceived by our senses, there is nothing we can do. Until we invent certain devices, we cannot feel them.

And in Kabbalah, we can create this instrument inside us. It is impossible to reveal the upper world, the Partzufim, the Sefirot, the worlds, etc. by any external instrument. It is all only on the level of our personal, internal attainment.

So, in order to begin to feel the upper world, its laws, its attributes, and its actions, we must bring ourselves to a more sensitive state, increase our sensitivity, and bring our qualities to such a level that we will be able to feel what happens in the basis of our world, at its foundation.

Second, we cannot express what we feel. This is the reason why Kabbalists had to invent a special language that would reflect our five special senses. We call them by names that we do not understand, such as: Kli (vessel), Ohr (light), Masach (screen), Ohr Hozer (reflecting light), etc. This means that Kabbalists make definitions for themselves and ordinary people do not understand where they got them from.

As we advance in the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah, we begin to feel there are accurate actions behind these names and terms. We begin to feel that very fine changes are actually taking place here as a result of our efforts, and we can determine the level of our actions, which means that everything is gradually included in our lexicon of concepts and later in our sensory attainments.

This study and its gradual internal development bring us to a gradual understanding of the language that Kabbalah books are written in. It is called the language of branches. In other words, there are roots in the upper world, and in our world there are branches of these roots that we can feel and study. Thus, we can determine their roots according to their names and according to their actions and attributes.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 10/6/19

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The Beauty That Has Been Imposed On Us

626Question: A very interesting law has been passed in Norway. It prohibits the publication on social networks—on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter—of retouched images without special marking.

So if a blogger alters a picture, changes the proportions of the body, face, improves its appearance, applies a filter or mask, which they do all the time, then they must note the editing done.

The goal here is very simple: to combat the imposition of unrealistic beauty standards. Because children who are watch these are influenced by them. They get plastic surgery; they want to be like the photo! In fact what they see is fiction. How can a person come to the conclusion that this does not affect him or her, to an understanding of another kind of beauty?

Answer: This is impossible, a person is drawn to beauty.

Comment: But this is not beauty.

My Response: If this is set by society as a standard, then it becomes a standard of beauty.

Comment: But you want the person to walk differently.

My Response: I have other standards of beauty. I love beauty that is more delicate, more natural, harmonious. But when there is an unnatural face and pouting lips on it, it’s a horror!

Question: But still, I want to ask even more deeply about inner beauty. Will we ever come to understand it?

Answer: Our society is so far from this that I just have no idea how to talk about it. This must come through great revolutions.

Question: If, for example, I come to the understanding that inner beauty is much more important than everything external, do I notice this external beauty in a person?

Answer: You still remain human.

Question: So I still have an internal mark—is he a handsome person?

Answer: Yes. Moreover, you have even more subtle taste. You have an even greater need to see harmony in everything. Your beauty already lies in harmony. And if you see harmony, then you enjoy it.

Question: What is the inner beauty of a person for you? What is it?

Answer: The inner beauty of a person is when he sees the possibility of justice and even good, but at least justice, in everything around him, when everything is balanced according to the spiritual law “buy and sell,” that is, the law of receiving and giving.

Question: An internally beautiful person feels the absolute harmony of everything that exists around him?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And there is no evil?

Answer: Nothing! He puts himself in line with the Creator! And nothing can be bad, dirty, or disgusting. Everything is in perfect harmony. Because he sees not an external manifestation, but a force that controls all of creation from within.

Comment: It is beautiful that the spiritual also reflects the material. I thought that a person no longer pays attention to anything. And you say the opposite.

My Response: No! Moreover, it is written that when approaching complete correction, the taste of copulation and the understanding of beauty remain only with Kabbalists. This is very difficult.

Question: So only Kabbalists can truly enjoy both materially and internally?

Answer: Yes. They see this as the work of the Creator.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 9/2/21

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Motherhood In Crisis

552.03Comment: An interesting article appeared in Rosbalt “Therapist Explained why Motherhood Is in Crisis” in which, “The expert [Otta Maria Bloch] recalled that motherhood is in general going through a crisis these days, and among the reasons is not only the changed position of a woman, who must have time to make a career, and raise children, and remain a loving wife.

“’The attitude towards motherhood is also influenced by the growing speed of life, a dense information background, and a shift in values ​​towards self-love. Now for many, success is financial well-being, the ability to have fun here and now, without investing much effort in it. And parenting in itself presupposes not receiving, but giving, ”noted Maria Blokh.

Question: What is your comment about this?

Answer: We have come to such selfishness that we do not want children! We do not want to raise children, we do not want to give even to our children. Let them grow as they like or let the state provide for them and take care of them. Not us.

This is motherhood in crisis, this is family in crisis in general. And what is a family if there are no children? If earlier people were against boarding schools, kindergartens, and other such institutions, today it is the other way around: “How can I send my child somewhere so that I could take care of myself,” says a modern woman.

Comment: Will we return to normal motherhood?

My Response: I think we will. Through suffering, but it will come.

Question: Is it correct to say that parenting itself does not involve receiving but giving?

Answer: Of course.

Question: So we have a crisis in bestowal?

Answer: Yes. In general, all nature is built on the fact that we learn through our attitude toward children to give, then to give to others: adults, others, society, and then to all of nature.

Question: But we see that a mother immensely enjoys when her child smiles at her or takes a spoonful of porridge. We see that this is a great pleasure. Where does it go? Why don’t they want to continue this further, to give birth to more children?

Answer: They are not to blame. Nature made them this way. It wants people to realize how selfish they are, that this selfishness drives them and therefore, they are okay mothers.

Question: How can you otherwise give birth?

Answer: You must first change the goal and then give birth.

Question: What should the goal be? Why am I giving birth to a child?

Answer: Only for the sake of the world. So that there are more good, righteous people in the world I will give birth and raise my children this way. This is why I give birth to them. We have grown to the point where we must correctly deal with the intention: What is the reason I am doing it?

Question: That is, the intention will become the main thing when I give birth to a child?

Answer: Yes. First the intention, then the action.

Question: Is that why this crisis is happening now?

Answer: Yes.

Question: But will this happen?

Answer: It will definitely happen!

Question: And this is how they will give birth to children?

Answer: Yes. And it will be a new world.

Question: Will these children be happier?

Answer: Of course! They will be taken care of in a different way, and they will feel that they are being born in a new world, and they will want to live in this world.

Question: Will mothers be happier too?

Answer: Of course. They will know why their child grows, lives, and exists. They will feel the very nature of the infinite.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 8/12/21

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“Do You Agree With Daniel Craig’s Decision Not To Leave A Large Sum Of Money To His Children As Inheritance?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Do you agree with Daniel Craig’s decision not to leave a large sum of money to his children as inheritance?

By giving children more than what they need in order to start building themselves, it will just corrupt them in the end.

Love encompasses giving your children opportunities to develop, to enjoy the fruits of their own labor, by providing them with a good education and a profession that they will enjoy and make a living from.

A father’s love is expressed through encouragement and motivation, i.e., in giving the first push. The children will not understand this at the time of the push, but the understanding will settle later.

Based on “Should You Leave Your Children a Big Inheritance? | Kabbalist’s View with Dr. Michael Laitman.” Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

New Life 1320 – The Generation Gap

New Life 1320 – The Generation Gap
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Nature creates generation gaps so that humanity will advance. It is impossible to convey the wisdom of life to younger generations, so we need to establish an environment that reflects positive values. If an adult has a desire to give, he should try to learn what is good for the young person and give that. A parent should be close to his child, like a friend, so that he can speak to him freely about everything without moralizing or criticizing.

Only love can help us communicate and bridge the generation gap. We should show a child that if he does something wrong, he makes us change our attitude toward him. There is a wide pipeline between our child and us through which love constantly flows, but the key to the tap is in the hands of the child.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 1320 – The Generation Gap,” 10/10/21

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Why Does A Spark Of Good Prevent You From Winning

293In the News (CityinFocus): “In December of 2012, Spanish athlete Iván Fernández Anaya was competing in a cross-country race in Spain. He was running second, some distance behind race leader Abel Mutai (bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the London Olympics). Close to the finish line, Iván saw Abel–certain to be the winner of the race–pull up about 10 meters before the finish line. He had become confused by the signage and stopped, thinking he had already completed the race.

“Iván was right behind him and, realizing what was happening, started shouting at the Kenyan to continue running, but Abel didn’t understand Spanish. Realizing what was taking place, Iván approached Abel and gently pushed him forward to victory.

“When a journalist asked Iván, ‘Why did you do that?’ he replied, ‘My dream is that someday we can have a kind of community life where we push and help each other to win.’ The journalist insisted, ‘But why did you let the Kenyan win?’ Iván responded, ‘I didn’t let him win; he was going to win. The race was his.’ The journalist again said, ‘But you could have won!’ Iván looked at him and replied, ‘But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honour in that medal? What would my mother think of that?’ The world has made Iván a hero, pointing to him as an icon of sportsmanship.

Answer: This is some answer! That is, his mother apparently is a mother who would shame him for not doing this. This is upbringing.

Question: The shame that someone feels, is it good?

Answer: It means a lot, of course. Moreover, it involves his mom.

Comment: This was almost the main factor for him, apparently.

My Response: Yes. If the Olympic athlete says so it is great!

Question: Why don’t we live like this? So, I read this, and I immediately have such a warm feeling.

Answer: Of course! This man showed the real Man within.

Comment: This is sport!

My Response: Yes, undoubtedly! Not what we have today: dope, cheating, anything to win.

Question: So, do you think that a huge degradation has happened since 2012?

Answer: It happened of course. But still, you see, there are people who cannot go for it.

Question: Why does a person not adjust himself to live like this? Why doesn’t humanity come to this?

Answer: A person should still receive satisfaction even from this. We are not talking about him going by faith above reason, about bestowing against his nature, and so on. But within his nature, through education, he can make it so that he cannot steal, he cannot betray, he cannot do something that is against people, against others. Education means a lot.

Question: Do you think that education can achieve this?

Answer: Not in the form that we talk about in Kabbalah, but it is possible. At least universal human values can be achieved by education.

Question: From the point of view of Kabbalah, does this spark of goodness and bestowal exist in a person? Is it there or not?

Answer: Every person has it. Everyone! Absolutely! It all depends only on the style of upbringing and the intensity of upbringing, the ability to educate, etc. so that it would be possible to instill bestowal above reception in a person, so that he could even give his life for the life of another.

These are not spiritual qualities yet, but this is something that would, of course, be incomparably better, some indicators in human society in comparison with what we have today.

Today everything is directed only at me, someone beloved, dear, and unique—by all means

Question: And what does education lead to in Kabbalah? For this spark to turn to fire?

Answer: In Kabbalah, this is very specific. That is, it is necessary to convince a person that it is impossible to live differently because everything is programmed by nature. And after that, to explain to him where to get this supernatural force of nature, which must replace his egoism.

Comment: That is, instead of living for yourself, live for others. You can find it only outside yourself. You will not find it in yourself.

My Response: You cannot find it. And education will not help here. Education works at human level, but this is above human.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 8/5/21

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How To Overcome Children’s Addiction To Video Games

531.03Question: The Chinese authorities have banned children from playing video games for more than three hours a week. They are only allowed to play for one hour on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and on holidays from 8 pm to 9. This is how China is fighting with children’s addiction to video games.

It is clear that a lot of video games are harmful to children. For China, such a ban system will work. And for the world?

Answer: Eventually, it will not work for China or for the world. Children, if they are interested, will invent other ways out of this. We will have to make some other game.

Question: But how to get children out of this addiction? They shoot there, kill, do not leave these games and live in them.

Answer: There is no way to get them out of it yet. I don’t see that it is possible to invent something today for all the children to move to something different instead of video games.

Question: If possible, give advice to parents who moan and cry that children do not leave these games, sit for days and nights. What to do?

Answer: The global solution across the Internet is to disconnect! Do something so that you can be on these sites for no more than three hours.

Question: So you are in favor of prohibitive methods?

Answer: Education is always based on the carrot and the stick; otherwise, it is impossible to raise a person from a small animal.

Education is when you eventually impose it on him, and he gradually acquires a different scale of values.

Question: What scale of values should he acquire? What would you like the little man to acquire?

Answer: He must see the task before him. Let’s say at the end of the week or even at the end of the day to provide some work, not heavy, but work that still requires some effort, time, communication, ingenuity, that is, everything that you want to develop in him. And he can’t buy off or take it from someone in any way for any money. Then he will have to not sit for 10 hours in these games, but do this task after all.

Question: And what would you personally like to develop in a little man?

Answer: Real education is an example.

Question: And what kind of father and mother should be in front of him?

Answer: The kind that have a goal in life, and they seriously want to achieve this goal. And they work every day to achieve this goal.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 9/2/21

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“What Schools Are Not Teaching (And Should)” (Linkedin)


My new article on Linkedin “What Schools Are Not Teaching (And Should)

Societies have failed their exams on education. From the beginning to the end through all the school years, our children are sentenced to tiring days confined within classroom walls. It is clear that today’s educational system is far from perfect, but can we afford to just wait for a miraculous change to happen? We need to start asking what the changes are that we would like to see. How should schools be designed so that our children will enjoy their time spent learning and they will actually learn things that enable them to realize their full potential as human beings?

Similar to the way many layers of various minerals were deposited to create the Grand Canyon, so children are treated at school. They are all assembled as a big block, filled layer by layer, like in a production line, without regarding how the place should be built to be adapted to the particular physiological and emotional needs of a child who is growing and developing. Unfortunately, any typical school is a place steeped with violence, ruthless competition and anger, where many students suffer from boycotts, bullying, and other serious phenomena. Nationwide, 42.1% of U.S. students ages 12-18 experienced bullying in the classroom according to federal statistics.

The variety of problems we see in society begin in schools. The contempt, condescension and bad relations so common on social networks, in the workplace, on the roads, as well as in the media, in politics, any and everywhere, are all side effects of what happens in schools. A person, a human being, a humane member of society, is not built there as is evident in the end result. We pay the price throughout life as individuals and as a society.

In order to design something completely different we need to start by drawing a picture of the life we would like our children to live in adulthood. In a world that is becoming more and more connected, the most important thing for success is to know how to build positive relations with others. A person who knows how to make mutual social connections and who could organize good connections between people around him or herself, such a person would succeed in anything and everything: in business, in the workplace, in relationships and in the family. Therefore, the main occupation of the schools should be to build a person with the ability to connect with each and every one.

How do we do that? About a third of school time should be devoted to methods such as circle discussions, conversations, workshops, contact exercises, friendly games, watching meaningful movies, theater simulations, role-playing games and all sorts of means aimed at developing a person’s ability to feel others and communicate well. The goal is to build a deep bond between the children, to make them feel like a cohesive group where everyone feels for everyone and supports each other.

The topics that should be studied in such a framework are from the field of human relationships and the psychology of social relationships between children and parents, boys and girls, etc., so that everyone will understand how others are constituted and see what they can take from it for fulfillment. It goes without saying that we will first need to prepare an infrastructure of teachers who will be experts in leading such processes and detailed curricula.

Another third of the time should be devoted to study tours, field trips, outside of school. The goal is to get to know life itself, the city, the country, the world; to see how different facilities work like banks, factories, courts, hospitals, high-tech companies, automobile repair shops, agricultural greenhouses or chip manufacturing laboratories. They need to see everything with their own eyes, understand how things work, talk to professionals who will explain the working methods, the technologies they use, the laws on which they are based.

Children should be prepared for each tour in advance and followed up with a summary where each child will present his or her impressions of the tour to their classmates, and everyone will absorb the impressions of everyone else. Such tours will inspire children to understand why it is necessary to learn about all sorts of professions that seemed unnecessary in the first place. Another beneficial option is arranging for the youth to be integrated in various workplaces each week so students will be able to find out which profession they are interested in. This will naturally increase their desire to learn and polish their abilities and skills.

The remaining third of the time should be devoted to imparting knowledge in all kinds of elementary subjects such as mathematics, English and science. Here, too, the learning must be conducted in a group format where everyone supports and helps each other to understand things. This would be really meaningful learning, not just a hollow slogan about education.

Thus, school will become an open and fun place, a university of life. And unlike the knowledge retained for a short period of time as currently happens, children will absorb information and experiences deep inside them, and most importantly: wherever they go later in life, they will want to build this kind of relationships around them.

Looking ahead, later in the 21st century the most sought-after profession will be experts in building social connections. Computers and robots will perform most jobs in the future, and what we will be left with is mainly to take care of developing integral relationships between people. This is how the human race will progress by adapting to the system of nature in which everything is connected and interdependent. In such a state of mutual cooperation our life and the life of the future generation will be the best it can be.
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Where Does The Motherland Begin?

766.7Homeland is where you feel good. (Folk wisdom)

If a person is corrected, then it coincides that the homeland is where you feel good. And if a person is not corrected, then he is mistaken in the definition of homeland, perhaps absolutely.

A corrected person is one for whom the goal of his life, his development, and the goal of the world are one and the same.

Question: What is that goal?

Answer: Goodness.

Question: What do you mean by this?

Answer: When everyone feels good.

Question: What simple definitions you give! Is it okay for everyone? Doing good to another?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What is to do good to another?

Answer: “Do not do to another what you do not want to be done to yourself.” This is the main rule.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 8/5/21

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New Life 1318 – Coping With Violent Communication In The Family

New Life 1318 – Coping With Violent Communication In The Family
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

The education system needs to teach children how to behave in relationships. Children who grow up in families with violent communication will likely feel insecure and want to escape. They should withdraw from their violent family environments in order to succeed in building new, corrected patterns. They need positive examples to learn from. The first principle we should teach is the principle of equality. If someone relates to us with verbal violence, we reflect the same back to them, like a mirror image, so they will feel their need for correction. Behind the principle of equality, there is a desire to be built by each other, to build the right patterns for ourselves.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 1318 – Coping With Violent Communication In The Family,” 9/12/21

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