Entries in the 'Collective Soul' Category

On One Skewer

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I check if my appeal for correction is correct?

Answer: The appeal is correct if a person wants to unite with the friends and connects to this his desire to attain the Creator. Everything should lie on one single line, on one axis: me, the united group of friends, and the Creator. In this case all desires are in the correct order.

Find out if you can clearly draw this picture for yourself, if you can skewer together all the necessary factors.

Then you will move on to the other form to circles: outer, middle, and inner. The outer circle is you. You contain the second circle, the group, which in turn contains the third circle, the Creator. In the end they all merge into one whole. Then there is no difference between you, the group, and the Creator. Everything is one.

In this way every person, every soul comes to perfect attainment.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/12/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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Shock Treatment

Dr. Michael LaitmanThere is nothing but the soul, the one “round” desire to receive, that is full of Light. The Light begins to operate inside; it spurs the desire and “warms it up,” puts it out of balance, and is revealed to it gradually. Throughout the process, the Lights and the vessels influence one another and descend from Ein Sof (Infinity).

Let’s take a system, any system, mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic. If it receives an electric shock, it is put out of balance in “one blow,” and begins to gradually quiet down until it returns to the previous balanced state.

This is what happened with Malchut of Ein Sof: the system received a “blow” when it discovered the contrast between the Light and the vessel, the horrible gap between the infinite minus (vessel) and the infinite plus (Light). This nightmare is terrible for the desire, and it cannot bear and digest this. Therefore it restricted itself and moved on to the next chain of actions. The desire won’t calm down until it performs them. After the decision that has been taken in Ein Sof, all the other decisions come automatically, all the way from top down, until our world.

Now our work begins; the work of ascending back to Ein Sof. The way back totally matches the descent that preceded it: We go through the same stages, but in an opposite order and according to our will, as we request the correction (MAN) first. This is the whole difference.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/12/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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The Integral Of Desires

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn Kabbalah, as compared to other sciences, it isn’t enough for a person to simply study and understand the studied material, even if he feels it in a regular, commonly accepted manner. The uniqueness of the wisdom of Kabbalah is that a person feels internal changes in it. Actually, he changes the foundations of his desire, mind, and heart. A new desire is revealed to him, consisting of 613 desires and 613 connected and corresponding thoughts enabling the realization of the desired. In general, these desires and thoughts comprise the person’s soul. That is what the studies reveal to us.

Before that, a person only had a point, the smallest Reshimo (informational gene) existing in him from previous stages of development, which we’ll attain afterward. In all our work, the only thing that can facilitate our self-development is drawing and increasing the force of the Light influencing the point concealed within us to the maximum, developing it as quickly as possible.

That doesn’t mean we can just turn on the faucet so the Light will flow more quickly. In order to hasten our development, we need to be prepared to change.

We don’t hold a knob in our hands, which regulates the Light coming from the Creator to the Menorah. I can only turn that knob from within the point in my heart. Try to discern if the point in your heart is connected to the switch. You don’t control it, and the only option is to be included in a group. That is because in this system, comprehensive and abstract Light from Infinity flows. Thus, in order to regulate it, there must be a total (∑), integral (∫) of efforts, reaching infinity. Only by being included in all the friends further and further, will I be able to turn the switch and increase the Light in accordance with the law of equivalence of form.

What is that law? I’m not in equivalence of form with the switch, the absolute force of the Creator. However, at my degree, I can operate it to a certain extent. The difference (∆) between us remains, and some sort of adaptation or equivalence exists in all.

Question: Is this switch personal for each one or common to all?

Answer: Common. What operates is only the prayer of many, the common desire.

Question: How can we create a permanent connection between the point and the switch?

Answer: It’s impossible. Because being permanent symbolizes lack of motion, in such a case you won’t develop. You will always be driven away from the path by evil desires.

In the “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 17, Baal HaSulam brings the words of the Talmud: “If thou cometh across this villain, pull him to the Beit Midrash (seminary),” to a place where we all demand the Creator, meaning a group, the collective force concealed amongst the friends.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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The Secret Of The Collective Mind

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How does the Creator arrange all the situations for the billions of people in the world in each and every moment?

Answer: It’s reasonable to assume that you have seen how birds or fish move in flocks and schools. In the sea there are millions of fish communities, and all of them are in synchronized and compatible movement. It looks like they all have one common mind; indeed, they are connected to each other. Also birds don’t fly following the first bird, but fly together at the same time. Watch the clip Birds by my student Vladek Zankovsky.

When tigers go hunting, they maintain constant connection between themselves and feel each other in the same common movement. What one tree in the forest feels, the others feel, and we are not talking about the connection through a system of roots, and in general, not a physical connection. And in nature a society produces a special mind, a special sensation of common order. And this mechanism operates equally in everyone, and it’s not limited in distance, time, or in any other way.

Billions of people in the world exist under the influence of this collective mind that rules them as His parts. They do not exist on their own. All of them are activated by their desires, which are in the care of the upper force, the Light. One command is enough from Above and everyone begins to move.

You see, the Creator is the thought of creation. When I think about building a house, I first of all organize all the specifications, draft a blueprint, and only after that do I approach the building according to the plan. It’s the same with the thought of creation and all in all, it’s this plan that operates everything. We are absolutely subordinate to it.

The movements and changes in our desires and feelings, the actions, the thoughts and imaginations, all of these are not us. At the end of it all, it is feeling, meaning that which is felt in the desire to receive, that’s my “I.” Disconnect me from the feeling and I will lose all consciousness, I will disappear.

Each one of us is a small desire to receive which feels his reality. There is no substance; the substance is the desire. Thus there is no problem in managing the billions. Indeed, all of it is one system, one whole. A small change, changes everyone, like a school of fish.

The collective mind exists in every group: at the level of animate, vegetative, and inanimate nature. It also exists at the speaking level, only here we want and must create this connection on our own above our desire, in spite of our desire. And only then will we create the connection with the collective mind, the upper one.

On a large scale, psychologists and experts are familiar with the phenomenon of the collective mind: Governments use it at the animate level to form public opinion. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to control the country. And this doesn’t happen only in the form of demonstrations and other mass events, but also on the daily level through the media, through rumors that are purposely spread as if by chance. There are many channels of influence, and every government is well familiar with them.

From here we need to understand that the group is one whole, one desire, one thought, and no one can escape it. We see how ants surrender to the collective mind, but actually people also act according to the same principle. Go out into the street, and then watch the news broadcasts and look at the things from afar, and then the next day you’ll be convinced of it. When a person goes out in the street and becomes part of the whole, he already loses the control of himself. He runs along with everyone else, shouts together with them, and surrenders to the collective mind.

From this we see what the connection is. If we connect, a common force is created, a common desire, a common thought. And each one who is found in this framework, under this influence, is not able to exit it. You can escape this only on condition that you break the boundary of the group. In order to do that you need to receive such a great strength that it’s able to break the mutual connection of the group, similar to the way the particle accelerator breaks the connection between the particles. You must receive such an acceleration that allows you to break the borders of the defensive covering, and that’s not simple at all.

On the basis of this principle, groups are created that assist the person to become rehabilitated from addiction to alcohol and drugs: We try to erect this force of connection, the potential of the collective mind, against the potential of the force of destruction. Actually, it isn’t even a common brain. It isn’t composed from the connection between the various minds of the friends of the group. The common mind of the million fish isn’t the total of the minds of each and every one times a million.

No, what’s created here is a mind, which exceeds the every term by a million times greater. From where does it come? It comes from the connection between them. After they connect, they add to their connection the force of the Creator, and now He accompanies them in each movement.

Thus, the mind that is discovered above everyone is not our common mind meaning that everyone thinks the same thing. This mind governs us from Above. It isn’t resulting from us. But we, in our connection, invite onto ourselves the upper providence. And this happens at each level of nature.

In a similar way, revolutions occur. Suddenly everything bursts into this fire that the government is not able to stand up to it. Seemingly that isn’t clear: It isn’t difficult to oppose the commotion with force. But no, the leaders suddenly feel helpless, “impotent.” We are speaking more of the feeling of the upper force that is above the nation which they constantly degraded. Something higher is revealed here, not something lower. And it isn’t important how many people go out into the streets, their inner potential suddenly rises to the sky, and the leaders surrender.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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From Dry Seed To Fruit-bearing Tree

Dr. Michael LaitmanA person goes through different stages in his spiritual development. At the beginning, while on the still level, a person isn’t capable of independent action, he doesn’t understand where he is; therefore, he includes himself in the group and it begins to effect his development.

A few years go by until a person realizes that his active involvement is required. There’s work for him and he needs to be active. He always has to clarify in what direction he’s headed. From that moment on, he advances from the still to the vegetative level. He begins to grow as a result of taking care of himself, connecting with others, following the teacher’s advice, and paying close attention to the path he’s on.

He submits himself to the influence of the environment because he realizes that a group isn’t just a gathering of people but that it possesses a unique inner force, which he needs in order to develop. He becomes a “plant” and the group becomes his “soil” from which he draws the strength to develop and to further include himself in the group. He realizes that only an adult tree can produce fruit and that a tree can grow only if a person includes oneself in the group.

Upon growing, he wishes to receive the fruits, which are connection, love, and the revelation of the force of mutual bestowal, where the Creator is revealed. For the time being this is all on the vegetative level.

Then there is the animate level. This is when a person can influence things and partially takes it upon himself to care for the connection between everyone. He is no longer a “tree” that’s stuck to the ground and that is passive in relation to the one taking care of it.

The human level within a human is where one takes care of the tree. But the animate level within a human is more than a tree because it also strives to grow and actively participate in the whole system. A person sees general flaws and tries to fix them. He sees not only how to correct himself and to passively include himself in the system, but also sees how to help others; thereby, he enters into general connections and corrections. This can be attributed to the animal level.

The human level is where one adheres to the Creator as a result of his actions. So it turns out that the basis for our development is in caring for the “tree”

Primarily it’s enough to divide your life into corporeal and spiritual. You should give to the corporeal what is necessary, no more and no less, and give the rest to your spiritual work without any limitation.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/8/12, Writings of Rabash

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Leave Your “I” At Home

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: I want us to carry out the work at the Convention in the Arava desert in the best possible way. How should we act on the inside to attain success?

Answer: This is difficult. I must constantly conduct an analysis, ask questions and look for answers to them, fall and rise. And I must solve all problems only by uniting with the friends. In this way, I want to show an example for everyone.

Success is impossible for one person. It must be achieved for everyone together. And that means I only care about the common desire. What’s important is not what I feel, but what we feel. It’s not me who rises above something and reveals something, but we rise and reveal it. It’s always we, while I do not exist at all. I want to live in this “soup.” The word “I” and the sensation of oneself must be left behind at home.

Moreover, we is not just a gathering of friends or a “special forces unit.” All of that are toys, while in reality, “we” is a soul. It does not have any parts that join with one another; everyone in it are fused together into one. And this bears no relation to what we are today. This is a new creation that has just been created.

After all, the spiritual essence that we want to form did not exist before. Previously there was only a broken Reshimo leading to it. And today, with our efforts we are trying to form a soul from the world of Nikudim, which was supposed to be corrected at this phase, but was deliberately broken for our sake.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/8/12, “Introduction to the Study of Ten Sefirot”

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A Game Arranged From Above

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can you make a faster decision, see what matters, and not waste more time on it than is necessary for its analysis?

Answer: For this we need the power of the group; a person alone is incapable of it. This is exactly why one person was not enough to correct the breaking, and he had to be divided into many pieces to learn what connection is from the lack of it.

Now we need to do this around the world. Today Pharaoh is being revealed in the world: the power of our breaking. We simply need to have the right attitude towards it, and then we will know what we need to do.

On one hand we need to reveal the breaking, and on the other hand, we need to understand that it is a tendency of nature; we can find the power that will correct it all and achieve connection. We are given all the means for this.

A person alone is incapable of this, but next to him he has friends and a teacher, whom he listens to. And this will awaken him and properly aim him toward solving problems, so he won’t treat them as personal problems, but instead, will only perceive them in the form of a subject for correction, as a revelation of the breaking, the Pharaoh.

Everything that happens is only given with the purpose of solving problems and reaching a corrected form. And under no circumstances should he delve into different egoistic calculations: Conversely, this will lead to even greater breaking.

It happens that not just one person, but an entire group can become so confused that it is unable to come out of its problem state. But there are other groups and a teacher to help them. It is impossible for them to remain in their same state if they are studying: The Light will still illuminate and evoke changes in them, and eventually they will understand that this is a game, which was arranged for them from Above. But if they are unable to come out of this state, they are probably not studying or listening to what is being said during the lessons.

Otherwise this would not be happening. Because when a person studies and does not deviate from his usual schedule, the Light influences and awakens him, and the Creator gives him the right point for analysis.

But there is nothing that can be done when people do not want to listen. They will go down the path of suffering, and then a part of them will leave and stop studying, a part will grow, and a part will drown in this swamp. This happens when you do not return to the principle of: “There is none else beside Him” and you do not go with Him to Pharaoh.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/6/12, Writings of Rabash

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One Reward For Everyone

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe laws by which we are moving toward the goal of creation, are not similar to those laws that are moving people without a point in the heart. They belong to the AHP (Awzen, Hotem, Peh – Ears, Nose, Mouth), whereas we belong to GE (Galgalta ve Eynaim – Skull and Eyes).

We must attain feeling and intellect; we need to know the system, understand it, and know how to operate it, imitating the laws similar to the Creator according to the law of the “head,” in order to attain the thought of creation. We need to manage the entire creation as if from the position of the Creator. This is the task of the head.

The Creator created the world of Ein Sof (infinity) and we, in our work with the line and circles, build the head surrounding Ein Sof where the thought of creation is found and is concealed from us today. We work within Malchut of Ein Sof and build our desires in it. By this we move on the line; we constantly build new heads in similarity with the Creator, until after all the acts, we attain Him.

Then all these individual heads combine to a general head, which is the attitude, the thought, the beginning of creation. We reach this point from which everything begins and is included in it. This is the work of Galgalta ve Eynaim.

The desires of the AHP help us with this ascent. They constitute the same “matter” from which we ascend until we complete our task. Of course, they are included in the shared system with us, and they have all that they need. But in this system there is a part that makes decisions and a part that executes them, until finally at the end of correction (Gmar Tikkun), all the differences will disappear. And then all will merge into a whole through the collective action called “Rav Paalim ve Mekabtziel.”

In the meantime, we don’t understand how the parts that belong to Galgalta ve Eynaim and AHP will connect to each other. In the meantime along the way, there is a clear “division of labor”: The reward is the same for all, in that we are all equal. Moreover, in Gmar Tikkun the greatest lights will enter the greatest Kelim, the desires of the AHP.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/24/12, “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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The First Barrier To Eternity

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt is hard for a person to overcome the “barrier” (Machsom), an obstacle, and adopt the approach that Kabbalah teaches which is so contrary to his habitual, egoistic perception. But if he rises above his egoism to bestowal, love, mutual responsibility, and guarantee with respect to the fellow person, it would mean that he has acquired spiritual power.

If he really were able to rise above himself, it would mean that he is above the restriction because he diminished his egoism and achieved a spiritual attitude towards fellow man, spiritual perception, the upper world.

A person does not understand and does not feel that through this path he can reach the eternal, perfect upper dimension instead of the limited reality, which he now feels. All this is quite close to us, and that is why it seems so simple and primitive: Any love towards the other, which we instill in our children is to prevent them from fighting with each other.

This is the first obstacle, which takes years to overcome. But we have to understand that each stage of spiritual work requires time until we learn and accept it. It depends on how much a person can be included in the group, through which he accelerates his development.

If he is impressed by others and strives to absorb as much as possible from them, enters the group with the eyes closed, then he begins to see how effective this tool is. In this way, he can get the desire of the higher dimension.

A spiritual vessel is built by the quality and quantity of relationships with others. The quantity is determined by the fact that eventually a person must unite with all souls because all together we make up one soul: Malchut of the world of infinity.

And the quality is determined by the fact that he must unite with them through complete reception and bestowal, so that everyone’s desire is linked with the others like a cogwheel, and turns all of them; everyone depends on him, and at the same time, he depends on everyone else.

Connecting in this form, everyone is transformed into an integral part of the overall system. Everyone depends on him and he turns everyone, but he turns them according to the overall program, their collective desires, and everyone’s individual desire. This is the perfect system that we must achieve.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/3/12, Writings of Rabash

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A Play Without Extras

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: It is difficult for us to wake each other up by means of external actions, but the internal ones are slipping away from us. What should we do?

Answer: The point is that each one of you falls asleep and despairs. This is natural, and this will continue until you feel that each one depends on the others and must care about the others. I must understand that my desire depends on you, and yours depends on me. Only then will we arrive at the real desire.

Today, you are searching for this desire personally, individually, but not together. Each one thinks about how to increase his own desire, but this is incorrect. You will not be able to do that. On the contrary, you fall asleep, counting on indulgences from above. Nothing else can possibly happen, while a person makes the calculation only for himself. Alone, nobody is capable of establishing even the smallest contact with spirituality since it is absolutely opposite to him. We still cannot imagine the depth of this divide.

However, we have the opportunity to make this leap across the distance separating us from the spiritual world. This depends on the group, on how we play within it, how we play such a game from which we simply have nowhere to escape. In this “play” of the group, I must constantly demonstrate this environment, its continued staging: all of us on stage together in every act, in every scene. No other means will help without this.

It is said: “A hero will not save himself by his own strength.” The power of the Creator is needed for this, but it can only be summoned through the group. We must think in this direction and play, like in the theatre. We need to build this play, where everyone will participate without exception. In our play, we give the mutual guarantee to each other; we display our participation, attention, and the need of each one for everyone and everyone for each one. We will not come out from Egypt otherwise.

If you are working on this and encounter obstacles along the way, then we can go out to the Arava desert, since we will have something to go with, we will have the suffering of the whole Kli that is not able to unite. It is said about this: “And the sons of Israel cried out from the work!” For their egoism, they have built the wonderful cities of Ramses and Pithom, while they have found themselves to be in poor cities, threatening not to let them out from the exile.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/26/12, “Study of the Ten Sefirot”

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