Remark: Before the people of Israel received the Ten Commandments, there were Seven Commandments of Noah: six before the Flood, and one more was added after the Flood.

Answer: According to the Talmud, God gave them through Adam to Noah, and he passed them on to all humanity. Then a group emerged from this humanity, called Yehudim, which means “aspiring to the Creator.” Therefore, additional commandments were added to them.

Question: Why did the seventh commandment of Noah, which was added after the Flood, oblige creating a fair judicial system?

Answer: Because before the Flood everything developed instinctively, and people did not need to be corrected. And after the Flood, when a huge, terrible egoistic force was revealed, which, as it were, caused the Flood, this additional commandment was introduced.

That is, before the Flood, people were at the elementary animal level, they did not need judicial laws, lawyers, courts. And when the ego grew, then a judicial system to correct interactions and everything else was necessary.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/26/19

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why is it written in the bible to honor your mother and father?“

The fifth commandment is “Honor your father and your mother, in order that your days be lengthened on the land that the Lord, your God, is giving you.” What does this mean, and who are the father and the mother?

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, which describes the Bible according to the language of branches, where corporeal people, phenomena and objects in our world point to spiritual phenomena, structures and processes in the upper world, father and mother are the forces of Hassadim (mercy, bestowal) and Hochma (wisdom, reception).

The Creator is the upper force. He is followed by two lower ones: Hochma and Bina. Hochma is the force of the father and Bina is the force of the mother. Then there are another six derivatives that compose Zeir Anpin: Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod and Yesod.

The last Sefira is Malchut, which completes the process of creation.

The phrase, “Honor your father and your mother,” means that we should give Hochma and Bina the opportunity to create so that everything they have would appear in the six Sefirot of Zeir Anpin, the six lower forces.

“To honor” means to wait for their revelation in creation, because Hochma and Bina, father and mother, exist before and above the creation. The Creator creates through these forces. Therefore, the six Sefirot of Zeir Anpin are created by the father and the mother, which gives form to the creation.

“Honor your father and your mother” thus means to let these forces act within us. For instance, in our world, can a fetus in its mother’s womb make any decisions on its own account? Also, how much can a small child do? Their parents do everything for them. Thus, here we discuss the correct attitude of the lower one, the created being, to the upper one, the Creator. We in our world need to let the upper forces act on us and form us.

Based on the talk “Spiritual States” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 26, 2016. Written/edited by students of Dr. Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What does “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” mean?“

A week is a cycle, and every seventh day is a break that as if stops then restarts the universe.

It is written that the Creator worked for six days and rested on the Sabbath, the seventh day.

This means that we should also work for six days and rest on the seventh day. However, our work differs from the Creator’s work.

The Creator’s work is creation. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the weekdays represent the six Sefirot of Zeir Anpin—Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod and Yesod—six directions.

On the contrary, our work is to change ourselves in accordance with these six Sefirot. When we finish that transformation, we reach the last Sefira. However, the last Sefira becomes revealed in us by itself. Here, we have nothing to do, just to not interfere.

If we correctly attract the six forces upon ourselves, then the seventh force of the Sabbath, Shabbat, from the word Shvita (a break during work), does all the work by itself because we embody no interference to the Creator’s actions.

We receive everything possible in the six stages, the so-called “six days,” which connect in us, and then on the seventh day, we receive their result. In other words, we work during the six days to resemble the Creator’s qualities of love and bestowal, and on the seventh day, we need only let the Creator perform upon us the conclusion and outcome of our six days of work.

Based on the TV show, “Spiritual States” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 26, 2019. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What does the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” mean if not what it says?“

The sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” means to cause no detriment whatsoever to others.

The previous five commandments explain a process that leads to us receiving the forces called Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod and Yesod, and we need to become a receptacle that lets these forces act correctly in us, not interfering with the effect that they have on us.

Using these forces correctly means to use them for the sake of bestowal, and thus “Thou shalt not kill” means the contrary, that we use these forces for self-benefit.

In other words, if we use our connection with the spiritual forces, with the Creator, for self-benefit, then this act is called “killing.” By doing so, we kill our desire, which is the fundamental matter of our existence. Our desire gets killed because it becomes filled with pleasure; the pleasure aimed at self-benefit kills the desire, and the desire becomes extinguished.

Based on the TV show, “Spiritual States” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 26, 2019. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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The eighth commandment: “Thou shalt not steal” is the same as “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” The only difference is that adultery belongs to the animate level and stealing to the inanimate level.

That is, this is a different level of desires when you shift from one permitted state to another, from one given state to another.

And when you commit adultery, you use a person himself, not the inanimate, vegetative, or animate level, but the human level.

There are four levels of desire within a person. If “Thou shalt not commit adultery” is the highest, human level, then “Thou shalt not steal” is all the other levels: inanimate, vegetative, and animate.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/26/19

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Comment: The Ten Commandments are the laws of interaction between people. Some of them look like that, and some of them don’t.

My Response: In principle, these are the laws of the universe. But since they are determined by the relationships between people, and our relationships are determined by all the other laws of nature, then, of course, everything comes down precisely to the relationship between us.

Question: The first commandment is, “I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” As far as I understand, only the Creator can lead a person out of his egoism. But why did the Creator have to declare this particular commandment first?

Answer: Because this is the cornerstone commandment that there is only one force in the world that is above all. It raises man from the inanimate, vegetative,  and animate levels of nature to the level of Adam, Man.

Adam is the one who understands the connection with the Creator. Almost all of humanity is at the level of  animal  no matter how much it knows or how much it has developed the sciences and arts.

“Animal” is when a person thinks about himself, he is in his egoism. Therefore, the exit from this state to the level of “Man,” Adam, similar to the Creator (“Adam” from the word “Domeh,” similar to the Creator) can be accomplished only under the influence of a special higher power, called the Creator.

This power is called the Creator because it creates man.

Question: In other words, the Kabbalists discovered the law that the change of the egocentric perception of the world to the integral one can occur through the higher force of nature? Is that why it says: “…brought you out of the land of Egypt”?

Answer: Yes. This is a change in the state of a person in our world. It is about spiritual ascent, about comprehension.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/26/19

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Question: The second commandment says: “…You shall not make for yourself a graven image, nor any manner of likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

Is this because people who have attained the spiritual world say that there is only one force, and no other?

Answer: Everything that you can imagine is a derivative of the single upper force. Therefore, if you think that there are some other secondary forces besides it, which produce, realize, or decide something in our world, then this is your mistake. That is, you should know that you are not at the highest level of attainment.

In order to keep this commandment, you must see the single force behind all objects of our world, including people. If you treat everything like that, then you are fulfilling this commandment.

Question: Is it not that I believe in some kind of monotheism?

Answer: No, it does not talk about faith at all. This is precisely about attainment.

It is said, “Do not make any image,” because this force cannot be portrayed. Of course, I can draw an arrow indicating a vector, but we cannot depict this force in the form of a picture, as we depict something in our world. It is the power of bestowal, the power of connection, the power of integration, the power of emanation.

In our world we depict even physical forces as vectors, nothing more.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/26/19

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Question: Does the third commandment: “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain” mean that you cannot attract the force of the Creator in order to perform any egoistic action?

Answer: You can act by the force of the Creator only to the extent of your similarity to Him, to the extent of your uniting with Him.

Question: Can you not summon its influence upon yourself or use it egoistically for your own sake to defeat nations, enrich yourself, and so on?

Answer: This is out of the question!

Question: And if I do not correspond to Him, then I can ask or not ask, but He still will not influence me?

Answer: You can ask. But it is precisely that the Creator helps you be like Him. For this purpose, it is always possible and desirable to appeal. Such a request will be granted.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/26/19

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We are in a society, surrounded by many different people. Regarding spiritual work, when a person wants to merge with the Creator, which is achieved precisely in the intention, society can be divided into three parts.

One part is the people of Israel (Isra-El), which strive directly to the Creator.

The second part are the “Egyptians,” that is, a society of people who do not care about spirituality at all. They naturally do what they feel is good for them. They may not understand what I am doing, and it does not matter to them. The main thing is that they feel good.

The third part is the “Erev rav” (mixed multitude), i.e., people who believe that one should obey the commandments without intention.

The intention is a completely different picture. A person must rise above his egoism, attract the upper light to himself, convert egoism into altruism, and to change absolutely everything within oneself and to begin to feel the Creator, the higher world.

This is huge and very difficult spiritual work. Therefore, there are people who believe that it should not be done. They once fell from the level of correct intentions for the sake of others and for the sake of the Creator into egoistic intentions for themselves.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/22/19

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Question: In Kabbalah, the absence of actions for the unification of the people is considered a sin. At the same time, Kabbalah says that there is no freedom of choice. Where does the sin come from?

Answer: The freedom is only to move toward the goal correctly and much faster than it is determined by nature.

Question: If I pray for myself, it is a sin according to Kabbalah. On the other hand, what choice do I have?

Answer: Your choice is to pray that you relate kindly to others and for the Creator to help you with this. In this way, you accelerate your movement and your development.

Question: Do I have the freedom of choice to ask the Creator for help?

Answer: Yes. It depends on how much you enter the group that inspires you, helps you, and pushes you forward. You use their mutual support and thus turn to the Creator through taking a certain number of impressions from the group.

Question: What is sin, from the point of view of Kabbalah?

Answer: Sin is the wrong use of those conditions that are given to you in order to move correctly toward the goal and achieve it quickly and painlessly, during this lifetime.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 1/14/20

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