Question: If I see the contribution of the friends, their work, does this mean that there is already a mutual guarantee? Is it my job to see it?

Answer: If there is a mutual guarantee (Arvut), then you are implementing it. If you are in mutual guarantee, each one of you nullifies himself with respect to a common goal and you form this common goal, that is, the property of mutual bestowal, mutual connection, and then you will gradually begin to feel the Creator in it.

Mutual guarantee is the Kli (vessel) in which we move forward and will be able to feel the Creator to the extent of our common unity. Therefore, the Creator says: “You build Me.”

Question: What are the practical conditions for building a vessel of mutual guarantee?

Answer: When you try to create conditions that exist in the spiritual vessel (Kli) between desires and intentions in your group, physical or virtual, then you create the Kli, that is, the soul.

You should think more about it and discuss it among yourselves so that this subject becomes closer to you.

Mutual guarantee is necessary precisely for each one of you to demonstrate to the others the greatness of the property of bestowal, how important and necessary it is, and how much one must be afraid of falling into egoism.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/9/22, “Working in Mutual Responsibility” Lesson 6

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Question: You often talk about future events. In particular, you predict unemployment, antisemitism, viruses, and other catastrophes. Two years ago you said that this coronavirus would not pass, it would be with us for a long time. I don’t think a lot of people were talking about it back then. Where do you get it from?

Answer: From the feeling that it is in nature. We receive data from nature, and based on these events we must change, but we do not change. So all this will continue. It is logical. There is nothing else here.

Everything bad will continue until we change it for good—we ourselves, with our rapprochement and our good attitude toward each other. If this trend does not exist, then, naturally, good disappears more and more from our world and is replaced by evil. We do it ourselves.

Comment: I understand the general direction. If humanity does not change, correct itself, and unite, it will be so. Nature has so many ways to make us come to a good state. But you were talking specifically about the virus.

My Response: A virus has a modern impact on humanity.

Comment: But the virus could last for two months, and then it could be replaced by, say, an earthquake or other problems. But you said the virus would remain.

My Response: Any influences on humanity on the inanimate, vegetative, animate, and higher levels come gradually. If there has already been an impact at the level of viruses (these things exist and connect people to each other), then this is a big problem. I think that viruses will not pass for a long time and they will force us to start thinking differently.

It is a natural mechanism that affects our relationships. It divides some and unites others.

Question: How does a Kabbalist determine how long a virus will last? Does he sit, study it, and proceed from his understanding?

Answer: The Kabbalist is in this. Of course, in his knowledge there are limitations in height, in depth, and in the axis of time. But in general, he is familiar with this based on his comprehension. This is part of his life, part of the picture of the world that is revealed to him.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 12/21/21

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My new article on Linkedin “The Freedom Convoy Is a Power Struggle”

The Freedom Convoy was originally created to protest vaccine mandates for crossing the United States border, but later turned into a protest about Covid-19 restrictions in general. While many of the drivers and activists partaking in the convoy do it in good faith, the forces behind them have nothing to do with freedom or health, and everything to do with power and wealth.

It is very sad that such an important issue as our health has been hijacked from the public, as well as from health professionals, who are the ones to whom we should listen. Instead, each side, for and against compulsory vaccination and mask mandates, pulls its way not because of health concerns, for most of the time, but because political and industrial entities are paying top dollar for people to push the agenda that benefits them financially or politically. As for people’s health, it is inconsequential. Since there is no profit in caring for the public, there is no reason to promote it.

As I see it, the only benefit from the struggles erupting over vaccine and mask mandates is that we will realize our true nature. In the end, each side is so focused on winning that it is impossible to know who is right, who is wrong, or even if there are right and wrong in this clash.

The solution to the questions of who is right and what is the right thing to do will come only when we change human society from the basis. The virus is dissolving the fabric of society precisely in order to force us to rebuild it, and rebuild it right.

Reconstructing society must begin where society is weakest—in our attitude toward others. Only when we begin to treat others with consideration first, and finally with concern, other aspects of society will begin to improve, as well. Until we initiate this transformation, matters will continue to deteriorate. If we do not reverse course in time, society will collapse.

War, any war, never leads to peace. A war ends when one or more parties lose, or when the parties run out of power, funds, soldiers, or any combination of the above. It does not end because the parties want peace.

The only way to turn enemies into friends is through explanation. Once people are too exhausted to fight, they will have no choice but to listen. Then it will be possible to talk to them about mutual dependence, the benefits of cooperation, the advantages of peaceful relations, and other ideas that pride and vanity shun while we are strong.

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for peace is “shalom,” which comes from the word “shlemut” (wholeness/complementation). It means that we are at peace only when we complement one another and together make up a whole. To do that, we must look at every problem from every angle, and embrace all perspectives.

Our sages expressed this notion in various ways, some of which are quite poetic. The book Likutey Halachot (Assorted Rules), for example, writes, “Vitality is mainly through unity, by all the differences being included in the source of the unity. For this reason, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ is the great rule … to include in unity and peace. The vitality, sustenance, and correction of all of creation are mainly by people of differing views becoming included together in love, unity, and peace.”

Similarly, Raaiah Kook wrote, “Any division between … one collective and another … builds worlds. Since everything is improvement and construction, there is no reason to speak bitterly, but to announce the greatness that both sides are doing, and that together, they are perfecting the everlasting structure and are correcting the world. Then, … the love will grow according to the intensity of the hate, and the connection will grow according to the size of the separation.”

Only if we approach our dispute with this positive and proactive attitude, do we have a chance of turning the deepening divisions in society into greater unity. If we insist on fighting through the end, our society will end before the battle ends.
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Medium published my new article “Covid, What Now?”

You can feel it in the air, you talk about it with your friends, the coronavirus is on the wane. Although there are still cases of infection in the world, one after another, countries are lifting restrictions, removing mask mandates, and allowing air travel.

Ministries of Health have updated morbidity data and report continuing declines in all indices, including morbidity rates and hospital capacity. To some degree, the current Omicron burden is under control. It appears that the fifth wave is coming to an end and we will literally be able to breathe again in a few weeks.

Whether the coronavirus subsides completely or not, we are not likely to get rid of nature’s blows so easily. Because if it is not this strain, then another strain, or new problems will appear that we did not anticipate. After all, how can we live without nature’s help?

Not that I wish for sickness and suffering, but as long as we have not implemented what the laws of nature require of us as a human society, we will not be free from problems, we will not be truly free from various limitations.

The current plague and every crisis we know are nature’s reaction to individualism, which cuts the bonds between us and does not allow us to merge in harmony with all parts of nature: other people, animals, plants, and the inanimate matter. Therefore, nature will continue to give us another blow, after blow, to bring us back to the right path.

I cannot ignore the good things that Covid has given us. We have become accustomed to living more at home, spending time with family, doing things together, and not running to different attractions in the world, but learning online and discovering the beauty in the simple things available around us.

The coronavirus has trimmed the superfluous fat of human society; there are fewer unnecessary businesses, less pointless “culture”, less absurd waste, and less pollution. It has taught us to live without going wild. And now, even if it is dwindling with some speed, we must continue the line of change it started and extend the work toward a good and balanced life by our own volition.

First of all, we must provide better education for our children, raise awareness of our human nature, the nature of the world, and the desired connections between them. Secondly, we need to see how we can create the necessary conditions for every person and every family, how we can provide for vital food supplies, and how we can prepare for the looming climate crisis and another series of diseases.

We have been so busy dealing with the Covid pandemic, now we need to put community recovery at the top of our priorities. We must use the breathing space to heal the real disease discovered in society and mend the relationships between us in all aspects of life.

The truth is that it is important to solve our problems together before we take care of all that we have neglected over the years. That in itself is half the remedy. The problem is the lack of good human connection between us; it is the natural disconnect that gnaws at us. If we only deal with the basic and necessary things that we need to settle now, we will probably find that the most important thing is the amicable connection between people and a sense of brotherhood and solidarity. In a close spiritual connection between us, new life is revealed, and when we come closer to each other, we really rise to a new level of existence.

The conditions for fundamental social change are perfect now. In many cases, we no longer have to work physically, spend money as if there is no tomorrow, or even leave the house. With calm and prudent steps, with deliberate and stable thinking, we can transform our lifestyle without experiencing tragic situations. The fatigue, weakness, exhaustion, and burnout that we generally experience now are also to our advantage. They invite us to mobilize more inner forces than the outward connections between us, spiritual forces that will help us to create a happy, satisfying life for ourselves.
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My new article on Linkedin “Plenty More Waves in the Covid Sea”

There is an oft-said consolation after a breakup: “There are plenty more fish in the sea.” As we are bidding farewell and saying “Good riddance!” to the Omicron wave, we must remember that there are plenty more waves in the Covid Sea. Although Omicron was a mild wave compared to its predecessors, there is no guarantee that its successors will be as forgiving, or even of a similar kind. One thing is clear, we are attracting troubles to ourselves. The holes we rip in the fabric of the smooth reality will draw every passing calamity upon us until we are convinced that we must mend the tears and straighten out the dents.

Covid, as with the rest of the crises affecting us, is not a freak accident. It is a direct result of our mistreatment of everything around us. All the crises, including Covid, aim to slow us down and restrain our vandalism toward nature and toward weaker people and nations.

From the very beginning, I was grateful for the coronavirus precisely because it forced us to slow down. I have no doubt that without it we would have been much worse off today than we are now. The Omicron wave was the mildest yet, but we still have not learned the lesson; we are still waiting for the moment when we can return to our reckless way of life. If we do not learn to be considerate, nature will impose its shackles on us through pain.

At the same time, if we do learn to be considerate and see that everyone gets their basic needs fulfilled, and we can do that without adding a single cent to our collective spending, we will see an immediate relief from all the crises plaguing us today. We should take the opportunity that nature has given us, the break from the pandemic, and tend to the urgent needs of humanity. We should secure food provision for all, housing, schooling, and health. If we do that and establish a balanced way of life around the world, we will stop suffering from plagues, wars, and other crises.

To achieve balance, we must build trust and understand that we are all dependent on each other. If we realize that all of humanity is on a precipice, and if one of us falls, we all fall, then we will let no one fall.

Just as new strains quickly spread throughout the world, rendering vaccines useless, any problem that anyone has will immediately affect the entire world. If we come to feel this and live with this mindset, we are certain to avoid troubles and the waves of the sea will not crash on our heads.

Mending the tears means mending the rifts between us. If, instead of tearing each other up, we will help each other mend our lives, the fabric of reality will be smooth and straight, and our lives-peaceful at last.
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To advance toward the goal, I can demand  greater rapprochement and love from the friends despite all their negative qualities.

If we would unite with each other today, now, with all our negativity, rejection, distrust, unwillingness, and so on, we would definitely reveal the Creator all the way to final correction (Gmar Tikkun).

There is no other way out, so we are advancing in that manner. We have only one way— to rise, as we call it, above our sins, i.e., our neglect and distance from each other.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/8/22, “Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from the Friends” Lesson 4

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How can we recover from the coronavirus and generally cure our whole life? We wonder where we get this virus from. Yes, the time just comes, a state is reached, such relationships between people that all these microbes come out.

These viruses do not act against us. All of them come from one higher power with the aim of straightening us, connecting us with each other, involving us in a common action. It seems to us that the virus separates us, but in fact, there is nothing to separate because we have never been connected. And now, when everyone is suffering, this collective suffering somehow brings us closer to each other.

Therefore, it is possible to cope with the virus only on one condition: that we fix the relationship between us. Otherwise, the disease will flare up anywhere, just out of thin air at the North Pole or on an isolated ship where not a single sick person seems to have boarded. It does not depend on where people are, but only on their relationship to each other.

The more selfish our relationship is, the worse the viruses will be. Therefore, let’s fix them now, do not wait for the next viruses. The “epoch of viruses” has come; more cunning blows from nature, which, in accordance with our development, strike more sophisticatedly and accurately. Humanity, with our machinery and technology are developing, and viruses and diseases are developing along with us.

In the old days people were simpler, and therefore did not suffer from modern diseases like migraines and depression. And in our time, even animals have begun to suffer from human ailments. We are moving forward in development. Therefore, we must correct ourselves, otherwise new, even more terrible viruses will be revealed. And we will have to invent new drugs all the time, but I do not think that we will be able to win this race. After all, viruses will become more and more cunning and specialized.

A person develops, but at the same time he cannot grow wiser and begin to correct himself. After all, the egoism of a person grows all the time and covers his eyes. He cannot admit that he himself is to blame for everything and that he is looking for a way to get rid of the blow instead of correcting it in the bud.

Nature tells us that we need to correct ourselves. Instead of the government, instead of the state education program, a tiny virus comes that you can’t even see and it educates us all in a wonderful way. We have not bowed to people, to society, but we have bowed to a microscopic virus and are ready to obey it. The virus decides how we live and work.

Let’s hope that gradually we will gain reason and feelings in order to understand who we are and in what baseness we live that is unworthy of people. Maybe it will lead us to repentance.
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From KabTV’s “A Conversation with Journalists” 1/6/22

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We all originated from a single desire that was shattered. Therefore, none of us has a feeling of wholeness, understanding, desire for the right state, and for being filled with the Creator.

Our goal, our work, is to internally combine all desires into one common desire called Adam (man) from the word “Domeh” (similar to the Creator). Then we will truly become like Him. To the extent of our similarity to the Creator, we will draw closer, feel, and understand Him until complete unification with Him.

And all this is only through the merging of our desires, intentions, and everything that we have inside each one of us and in all of us together. Moreover, both good and bad properties and desires are necessary to achieve the highest goal. Thus, this goal will gradually force us to use all of our properties.

Nothing is created in vain or to damage or to harm. Our worst, most harmful properties remain for later. And when we have the strength and understanding of how to work with them, they will start to emerge, and we will already know how to work with them correctly and will turn them into good.

We study this in the wisdom of Kabbalah, starting with the fact that we perform a restriction (Tzimtzum) and then correct ourselves and attain the property of Bina (bestowal). Then we simply rise above our egoistic desires and do not want to use them. We sort of detach from them, move away, and do not want to act at all with our desires because they are all selfish.

And then, when we rise above them and reach the property of Bina (faith above reason), we can start attracting the property of reception (Malchut) to the property of Bina. We begin to raise Malchut to Bina. And then, in those properties of Malchut that we can raise to Bina, we will receive the light of Hochma that comes from Keter, the upper light, receiving for the sake of bestowal.

As a result, all our most selfish, terrible, and most ugly properties must be gradually corrected. It is thanks to them that we can fully feel the Creator and be sure that nothing was created in vain and that everything has meaning, purpose, and benefit. It all depends on the preparation we make for their use.

But the most important thing for us now is to rise at least somewhat above egoism, to make a restriction on its use, and to break out of this circle we were born in, developed, and are in now, from an internal connection with egoistic humanity. This is only possible if we cling to a group where there are other values, properties, qualities, and goals.

I cannot create the greatness of the goal in me by myself. There is no way! It may seem to me that I am able to do this, but I will not achieve it in practice. Therefore, I need the opinions and support of my friends, because I am just an egoistic desire.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/8/22, “Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from the Friends,” Lesson 4

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Medium published my new article “A Good Slap to Calm Us Down”

The latest strain is really turning everything we’ve known about handling the pandemic on its head. It is super contagious, generally mild, and no vaccine seems to protect against it. In short, it has taken two years of unprecedented efforts and unmatched investments and made a mockery of them. It is just the slap we needed in order to wake up from our delusional efforts to maintain our previous way of life. Instead of fighting a doomed war, we should put our heads together, and design a safer and calmer way to live.

I don’t regard the virus as an illness; I regard it as a cure. The healing process must begin with rethinking about our lives: what we want to achieve, what will make us happy, what is truly meaningful in our lives, and how to build a society where people do not undermine others’ dreams but support them, so that everyone can realize their dreams instead of only a select few, at the expense of everyone else.

The fact that the virus is disrupting our previous way of life is nature’s gift to humankind. We were drowning in hubris, and now we’re shown our limits. Nothing is healthier than knowing the truth. If you know the truth, you can start building better from it. But if you don’t know who you are and where you live, everything you do will come out crooked and collapse.

Because we want to show everyone that we are the bosses, nature shows us who is the real boss. For this reason, until we bow our heads and get in line with all other elements of creation, nature will continue to forcefully and painfully “explain” to us the truth.
In fact, we are witnessing the collapse of our old way of life. The fact that nature is destroying it is proof that it was unsustainable. If we are smart, we will take the hint and not try to go where nature will not let us.

Governments have already spent trillions of dollars on rescue packages and other relief programs. They can continue doing so and take advantage of the fact that people are quitting their jobs by the millions every month to install countrywide, and even worldwide, programs that re-envision human society. On every level — personal, community, national, and international — we should rethink the structure of our society and our relationships with others.

Science will not defeat the virus. It mutates faster than scientists can develop vaccines or medicines. Even if scientists were able to develop new vaccines every few months, what kind of life is it if you have to get a booster shot against a new variant three times a year?

Worse yet, these viruses are our own making. We are basically walking-talking bags of microbes, and there are so many we don’t know yet until they become pathogenic. If you take the multiple cases of cruise ships whose crews and guests are all fully vaccinated, yet repeatedly suffer from outbreaks, and the (absolutely bizarre) case of the polar research station whose crew is fully vaccinated, checked frequently, quarantined, and located in the North Pole, hundreds of miles from other human beings, yet two thirds of them have suddenly come down with Covid, you will realize that the virus is within us, not outside of us, and this is where we need to find the cure.

The element within us that is noxious and generates every noxious element in reality is our attitude. Our abusive and exploitative approach to everything and everyone around us makes everyone sick. It warps every level of reality and turns it from benign to malignant.

If you look at every other part of creation, you will not find that any of them is evil, ill-meaning or malevolent. All parts of nature function just as nature has created them. We are the only element that consciously aspires to take more than we need, to deny others what they need, and not in order to sustain ourselves, but for the joy of making others suffer and the feeling of superiority.

Because we want to show everyone that we are the bosses, nature shows us who is the real boss. For this reason, until we bow our heads and get in line with all other elements of creation, nature will continue to forcefully and painfully “explain” to us the truth.

When we stop being abusive, we will not be abused. When we stop wishing harm to others, we will not suffer nature’s harm. If we seek to live calmly and pleasantly with everyone around us, this is exactly the life we will have. This is nature’s lesson to humanity.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why are there so many conspiracies that the Jews are behind the coronavirus?“

The many conspiracies discussing Jews as behind and benefiting from the coronavirus emerge as part of a more general pressure on the Jewish people that exists in nature, which ultimately aims to lead the Jewish people to unite: to reach mutual love and care for one another, in order to become a conduit for unity to spread throughout humanity.

When we, the Jewish people, will unite with common threads of love between us, then the lies and the pressure against us will subside, and in its place will form a blossoming harmonious connection.

The Jewish people were established when a group of ancient Babylonians gathered around a unifying ideology, to reach “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, we are not a nation that shares a natural biological connection, but we were formed when we attained connection around a deeply unifying ideology.

The further we are from realizing the ideology that initially made us a Jewish people—a common love among us—the more pressure and hatred arises against us. On the contrary, the closer we come to realizing a common love in our connections, the more we will find not only calm and peace, but moreover, an inversion of the hatred against us into one of love and reverence for a people who bring peace, love and harmony to the world.

As Rabbi Akiva said, “Love your friend as yourself—this is a great rule in the Torah.” We need to implement this great rule among us here on earth. At the moment, we are far from realizing it, and this is exactly what we need to do: to bring the law of “Love your friend as yourself” to everyone—to implement it among each other, and it will then spread to everyone. Then, the world will stop hating us.

Based on the video “Why Are There Covid Jewish Conspiracies?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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