New Life 437 – The Ten Days Of Repentance
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

What is the meaning of the Ten Days of Repentance? How do they direct us toward our personal and social development and how do connection workshops help us do so according to the wisdom of Kabbalah?

The wiser and more sensitive a person becomes, the more he sees what he has to correct internally. Identifying as many flaws as possible is the first step toward correction. Just like in a medical diagnosis, I examine what is flawed in me with regard to the goal of my development, which is to be as one man in one heart.

When we begin to examine our attitude toward others, we discover a system called Ten Sefirot between us. On Rosh HaShanah I decide to correct it, and during the ten days of repentance I examine exactly what needs to be corrected.

The repentance reveals ten desires in me, which I have to change from for my own sake to the sake of others. This is called performing a Mitzva, a commandment of the general plan of nature, of God. The ten days of repentance symbolize the ten groups of desires that I have to sort out, the ten Sefirot.

The ten days of repentance are establishing a plan for correcting the evil in me. This requires inspiration from above. Such introspection doesn’t require great wisdom or academic knowledge. It is done in a group. While working in a group, sitting in a circle with ten people, we develop the right attitude toward others.

This process of self-correction can be done any day of the year and not only during the ten days of penitence.

During the ten days of repentance we clarify which desires can be used for the sake of others and which cannot. It is a closed system. Everything a person takes for himself beyond what he actually needs is at the expense of others. At the end of the ten days of repentance, a person discovers that all his actions are only for his own sake and begins the corrections.
[144657]
From KabTV’s “New Life 437 – The Ten Days Of Repentance,” 9/28/14

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New Life 434 – The Meaning Of Israeli Holidays
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

What are the spiritual meanings of the holidays of Israel, how are they connected to realizing the goal of our lives, and what is the difference between them and the holidays of other nations?

Abraham studied the trend of developmental in ancient Babylon. He understood that everything advances toward connection. Abraham discovered that humanity must come to identity with nature, balancing and harmonizing with it. To be balanced with nature, we need to understand this enormous system. It is profound.

Abraham discovered the law by which all of reality evolves toward general unity, and humanity is a part of this. The process of rapprochement of mankind’s union has steps, such as during the course of human life. The connection is expressed in “What is hateful to you, do not do to your friend” (Shabbat 31a), and after that, “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Abraham told this to the Babylonians. Most of them didn’t want to hear it. Tens of thousands followed him to love of others. The stages of development on the way to connection can be given the name, “The Annual Cycle.” It repeats on every level.

It follows that the holidays of Israel are spiritual and not a commemoration of historical dates as with other nations. The holidays of Israel are determined by nature as states of development on the way toward complete connection.

• From the start, we are within the connection and harmony of nature in an opposite state of division and destruction. It is necessary to do some soul-searching. This is called the month of Elul.
• Crowning the power that connects all parts of nature—to rule over us: Rosh HaShanah
• Connecting all of humanity to this, not just us the people of Israel—Yom Kippur—the reading of the book of Jonah.
• On Sukkot: we connect the four species together, corresponding to the four stages of correction of the egoism that separates us.
• Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah)—we are happy that the upper force connects us.
  Chanukah–a spiritual holiday above the ego.
• Purim—we correct the entire ego, all of the bad tendencies that were in us, and we can celebrate.
• Pesach (Passover)—symbolizes how we always depart from the slavery of egoism to freedom.
  Counting the Omer —we count how many of our desires we have already corrected.
• Shavuot—the giving of the Torah, the power of correction. Through the Torah we build ourselves, but we cannot hold onto this and shatter.
• Tisha B’Av—from this we learn the depth to which we truly must correct ourselves through complete connection.
  [144237]
  From KabTV’s “New Life 434 – The Meaning Of Israeli Holidays,” 9/14/14

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Question: Should you treat a person the same way he treats you?

Answer: Under no circumstances should you respond to someone’s negative attitude toward you in the same way! On the contrary, you should display the right attitude toward him and purposefully exaggerate your positive attitude toward him.

If he responds correctly, it is good. If not, break away from him. This indicates that he cannot understand and appreciate correctly your attitude toward him yet.
[193761]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 5/1/16

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New Life #484 – Choosing Discovery Of The Creator And Concern For Humanity
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

Summary

Question: Besides the heavy obligations, does belonging to the “chosen people” give the Jews any advantages, benefits, or “concessions”? What is good about being the chosen people?

Answer: We cannot simply refuse and reject our mission: neither those who belong to the Jewish people today nor the twelve tribes who were lost almost 2,500 years ago. We cannot hide from our role; we are obligated to carry it out.

Being or not being chosen doesn’t depend on us. We only have to look at where it is possible to add our independent participation, thanks to which we will come to a good and calm life so that everyone will understand and appreciate us. This is not in the sense that we will be superior to others, but that they will aspire to the same goal and become included in the same process.

We cannot escape. In any case, we must carry out our role. Nothing will help, not hiding from it or dying, but only fulfilling our mission.

Question: Does this mean that being chosen signifies that we discover the plan of development of life and act accordingly, making it possible to achieve success in everything? In what way is the daily life of someone who discovers the plan of development distinguished?

Answer: A person like this will understand where he is, how to connect correctly with people, how to build a more and more secure basis at every moment for an even greater revelation of the upper force. He constantly advances toward discovery of the upper force within him, and this fills him with higher knowledge and emotion. All of his desires and thoughts will be directed only toward it.

Even today we unconsciously yearn for and only aspire to the revelation of the upper force. We think we supposedly want food, sex, success, family welfare, money, honor, and knowledge. But in fact, in all of this we are searching for the unique taste of the upper force.

And now thanks to this we are alive; we feel the taste of the Creator in everything. Everything, every object that brings us pleasure contains a microscopic detection of the Creator. But if we want to feel the full extent of this so that it will fulfill all of our desires and thoughts, revealing the entire perspective of the future, to do this we must prepare ourselves, meaning we must connect with the environment correctly.

Question: Throughout the history of the Jewish people, there have been many sages in every generation who sought and explored the upper force. This was the lot of the greatest minds of the generation, the elite. But is it possible that now every person on the face of the Earth can attain the Creator, all seven billion people?

Answer: First the seven million Jews in Israel must reveal the Creator and show everyone that they have this power. All of the people will feel it. The moment the people of Israel begin to advance toward the revelation of the Creator, all of humanity will freeze with tense expectation, understanding that after the Jews achieve this discovery, it will pass to all the peoples.

Question: So what is this “chosen people”?

Answer: The chosen people are a people who choose the revelation of the Creator and a concern for all of humanity, for this is the purpose of the discovery,: the revelation of the upper force, the general power of nature, to all people. This is our obligation, and then everyone will truly be happy. They will transcend the concept of time, movement, and space, thus exiting to another dimension.
[151083]
From KabTV’s “New Life #484 – Choosing Discovery Of The Creator And Concern For Humanity,” 12/28/14

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Question: There is a negative relationship between my grown son and I. What should I do if I want to make contact with him and he doesn’t understand me? How can I help my son and myself through the wisdom of Kabbalah?

Answer: This is a problem! Your son doesn’t want to be in contact with you because he feels that you suppress him, while you feel that you need to take care of him, and he should accept your care and care for you in return.

However, the relationship between a mother and a child should be such that a mother won’t give a child reason to think that she limits him.

The young generation needs its freedom from the previous generation. They need the parents to provide them with all the necessities and move aside.

My teacher Rabash used to say, “All that our children need from us is to close our mouth and open our pocket.”

This is what they require. Do you want to have a good relationship with them? Then close your mouth and open your pocket.

Of course, this is somewhat exaggerated, but I advise you to keep him in your thoughts (because they influence your son) and show him that you require nothing from him: no changes in his life at all. You want, if possible, just to add somewhere, anywhere he wishes.

This is what we learn from the upper providence that treats the lower system this way.

Every upper Sefira only does what is necessary for the lower in order for it to fulfill itself, to grow, and to attain. It doesn’t think about itself in any way.

This is exactly how the Creator treats us: we don’t owe Him anything and only He owes us.

Comment: It is said that we are obliged to keep the commandments…

Answer: You do that in order to correct yourself and not for the Creator! The Creator is perfect. You can’t give Him anything and you don’t give Him anything. Absolutely nothing! After all, if we speak about a perfect attribute, then it won’t gain or lose anything no matter how you conduct yourself. Everything is done only for your own good and nothing more.
[193681]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 5/1/16

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Question: How does the wisdom of Kabbalah relate to abortions that are not associated with any danger to the embryo or the mother?

Answer: Every birth is a sign that we are participating in the correction of the world. Even on the animate level, an embryo and the future human being it will grow into has an opportunity to perform certain actions of bestowal. Therefore, it is important to keep it.
[193557]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 4/24/16

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In the News (The Guardian): “Significant numbers of under 30s lack self-confidence and are at risk of mental health problems, with women worst affected, says report.

“Despair, worries about the future and financial pressures are taking a toll on millions of young Britons, according to a poll which found young women in particular were suffering.

“Low pay and lack of work in today’s Britain are resulting in “suspended adulthood”, with many living or moving back in with their parents and putting off having children, according to the poll of thousands of 18 to 30-year-olds.

“Large numbers describe themselves as worn down (42%), lacking self-confidence (47%) and feeling worried about the future (51%). …

“Young women are being particularly affected. The percentage of women reporting that they lacked self-confidence was 54%, compared with 39% of young men.

“While four in 10 young people said they felt worn down, the percentage for young women was 46% compared with 38% of men. One in three said they were worried about their mental health, including 38% of young women and 29% of young men.

“Dr Carole Easton, the chief executive of Young Women’s Trust, which supports and represents women aged 16 to 30 struggling to live on low or no pay in England and Wales, said it was distressing that so many young people were struggling at a time of life traditionally characterised by youthful confidence.

“Make no mistake about it, we’re talking about a generation of young people in crisis. …’“

My Comment: The quality of life will not improve unless we start working on the explanation of the need to unite people in a common society in the likeness of nature. Then we will begin to awaken the positive effect on society and see the positive outcome in the young generation.
[194250]

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Question: I have been a teacher for 30 years and it is very difficult for me to find a common language with students who can respond with what they want. In addition, there is a significant decline in advancement, culture, and responsibility among the youth. Does the wisdom of Kabbalah offer some fundamental solution for this?

Answer: I understand what people are looking for, especially teachers who work with pupils or students.

The problem is in the educational method and pedagogy because education is not being pursued. And it is reasonable to presume that you aren’t either. You teach a particular subject.  What kind of people are studying it and why do they need to treat it properly? Why do they have to be polite, and not respond with conventional crude slang?

They are talking to you just the way they talk to each other, and they suppose that this is normal. They are not offended by each other because this style of speech is the normal for them. So why should they talk to you differently?

There is no education and schools do not educate children.

For at least two hours per day in kindergartens and schools human nature should be explained to children: its character, the psychology of boys and girls, teenagers, men and women, relationships between the sexes, and relationships between youths and adults.

But everything should be explained from the point of view of nature, how it is organized, how it operates among people, and how we must change all of our negative impulses that have been given to us to be corrected.

We should sit children in a circle and discuss all these issues with them. Then the educational system will become an educational system. Unfortunately, for the meantime, it doesn’t exist, so every year disturbances will continue to increase in schools and other educational institutions.
[193239]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 5/1/16

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New Life 441 – The Tishrei Holidays: Searching For The Creator
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

What are the stages that a person passes through on the way to searching for the Creator, how can the connection between us contribute to discovering Him and why specifically in the holiday season do we have the opportunity to approach Him?

In the beginning of creation, we were in contact with the force that created us. We were like an embryo in the womb of his mother. The concealment was made to make it possible for us to grow, to understand who and what the Creator is and to be like Him. So a person doesn’t see the Creator. And one must try to locate Him, like in hide-and-seek, within and around himself. The partition that separates a person and the Creator is composed of five worlds (Olamot), concealments (Ha’alamot), 125 levels.

On every level we transform lack of understanding and feeling into understanding and feeling. We acquire the characteristics of the Creator. The concealment is found within my heart and mind. I expand and transform the characteristics of my heart and mind. Everything that I think and want comes from Him. There is none else beside Him. And I am only a point that discerns this. Discovering the Creator is the role of a person in the world.

Kabbalists who have already discovered this exist to help him. In every generation there are those in whom an urge is awakened to discover the Creator. Some of them have left writings for us.

Today is a unique time in which there are many people who want to discover the Creator. Searching together is much easier. In the levels of attaining the Creator, the level of difficulty always increases, but the Kabbalists help.

The futility and emptiness that is felt today is designed to bring the person closer to a search for the Creator. The Sukkot Holiday is when those who search for the Creator begin to feel waves of warmth and embraces from Him.
[145176]
From KabTV’s “New Life 441 – The Tishrei Holidays: Searching For The Creator,” 10/5/14

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Question: Suppose people I don’t want to be involved with try to come into contact with me, should I overcome my feelings and start building relationships with people I don’t feel comfortable with?

Answer: At the very least you should make sure you communicate with them in a proper way. You should not repel people. You should try to overcome yourself and try to be polite.

This doesn’t mean that you should love people on the level we are now, but you should aspire to have neutral feelings regarding every individual and then also try to befriend him. This will correct your soul! I am speaking from the perspective of the soul and not from the perspective of your good relations with others. This is how you correct your soul and advance toward the general correction of the world.
[193621]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 5/1/16

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