Entries in the 'Daily Kabbalah Lesson' Category

On The Intricacies Of Taxes

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Many economists suggest turning left toward socialism and raising taxes on capital in the entire world simultaneously. How realistic is this?

Answer: This will not help. Any action that does not facilitate unity among people will turn out to be disruptive. It will show you that you took the wrong course of action. The only action that can be beneficial is one leading to unity.

Today, in order to make any economic and government reform, you need to consider the laws of the integral system. You have to push and pull the world toward integrality, toward unity. This is the only way you can reach success. Otherwise, nothing will work out.

That is why it is not about taxes and laws, but about the approach. By taking money away from the rich and giving it to the poor, are you really strengthening unity? Let’s say you distribute all capital equally and even the rich were left happy. However, the very next day, you will see that what you have achieved is complete failure. On the material level, your reform was large scale and effective, but its spiritual effect has remained zero. This zero will return to you in a negative sense.

Today, the world only needs unity. It must become similar to the Creator. Have you helped it on the path to unity? This is what the whole question is about.

In the worst case, if there is no other way out, people will be led toward unity by means of misfortunes and catastrophes. During a war, everyone unites. This is well known. If you don’t want it the good way, you will be forced in the bad way.

This is the requirement of the forces of nature: Today, you have to be more united with others than yesterday. You haven’t united? Well, then you will be pushed by the corresponding amount. This pressure may appear as poverty or, perhaps, in war, epidemics, and other disasters.

Daily development is defined by the growth in unity that we have reached. This is the only criterion. The actions themselves are not important. The action even may look negative, but if it leads toward unity, its result will bring benefit, at the end of which you will gain a greater correspondence to nature.

Nature nurtures us toward unity either by suffering or by the kind path if you want it. So, taxation on its own has no meaning. The key is to support the mutual guarantee and to build your calculations in the same way that it is done in a family. We need mutual care for the well-being of the home and the world. Then, everything will be in order.

This means that first of all, you need to come to a consensus in the entire nation of those who are interested in the existence of the country including the rich and the poor. You can only move forward by way of education, without any pushing or forcing.

There is a place for everything: religion, beliefs, and the right and left points of view. Let everyone remain with his “heritage.” He must accept only one principle: We are all one family, one nation, and nobody is setting out to kill anyone.

You can have a different point of view than I do, but we still live in one home, and we only have one “pie” for all of us. So, let’s divide it with the maximum benefit for everyone.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/2011, “The Peace”

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Bringing The World To Unity

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen reading The Zohar, we should try to keep in mind that all of the corrections amount to unity between us. We should see everything taking place in the world today as the revelation of disconnection. At the end of the day, hatred, disorders, and all of the problems that arise are being revealed so we, and then the whole world, will feel that we have to fix the connections between us.

To the extent we work on dissemination and speak about the connection between everyone above the separation and opposition between all parts of the nation and the world, to that extent we prepare and demand unity during the study.

Therefore, the more we exert an influence and disseminate this knowledge, the more we talk about unification, trying to bring the nation to unity, the more we will demand it during the study, and then we will merit conducting this Light to us, and from us—to the nation and the world.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/10/11, The Zohar

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 08.10.11

Shamati #52 “A Transgression Does Not Put Out A Mitzvah”
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The Book of Zohar – Selected Chapter “Hukat (The Statute), “A Man Removed His Shoe,” Item 12, Lesson 2
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Talmud Eser Sefirot Part 2, “Ohr Pnimi,” Item 100, Lesson 7
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Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah, Item 55, Lesson 32
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Every Moment Hides Infinite Perfection

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: I remember that as a child, I was always dreaming about growing up faster and becoming independent. When I grew up, I suddenly started to appreciate things I had as a child. Does the preparation period also contain moments that we have to truly appreciate or do we need to go through it as fast as possible?

Answer: In spirituality things do not happen the same way as in the corporeal life since spirituality is perfection on every degree. This is where the difficulty lies: You have to find a deficiency on every degree in order to advance further.

Every spiritual state is part of Infinity. However, only this part becomes revealed to you while the rest remains in concealment. This is why it seems to you that it’s final, that it’s already the world of Infinity! You receive the full 10 Sefirot on your level.

First of all, you do not regret your past. Although there is a special state when we do that to help ourselves to move forward. However, usually we reveal how necessary it was to go through something in the past, how perfect was the upper governance, and how small we were by not realizing that even then we existed in the world of Infinity and did not see it only because of the lack of developed desires, organs of perception (Kelim).
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/28/2011, Shamati #50

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Repair Is A Delicate Business

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How much Light do I need to draw so I would finally return to the Source?

Answer: This will become clear from the revelation of evil. For example, when my car breaks down, I bring it to a repair shop. A specialist there says to me: “You cannot turn the steering wheel, but it’s not the cause of the problem, the steering rods are.” That is, first of all he finds the breakage and only then he decides how to fix it.

Only when you understand the cause of the malfunction can you see what needs to be done with your evil inclination. You have to see the problem. By doing this you attain the purpose of creation and understand who the Creator is, according to the principle of “we will know You from Your actions.”

He gave you a broken car, you understood the nature of the problem, and from that you realized how to correct it. As a result, you understood what it means to be corrected. This is what makes you a human being similar to the Creator. Without the realization of evil, you will not understand what Light you need and will not come to the true appeal about the correction, called MAN.

After all, MAN is the union between Malchut and Bina. I have to know what within me is uncorrected from the side of Malchut and what should be my corrected form from the side of Bina. When both of them are already connected within me, it is called MAN. Now I know what I have to come to, while the nature of the Light that will perform the correction is still unknown to me. However, it is clear to me that an external force which will perform this task is necessary here.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/6/2011, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 08.09.11

Writings of Rabash “What Is, ‘Anyone Who Mourns for Jerusalem Is Rewarded with Seeing It’s Joy,’ in the Work”
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The Book of Zohar – Selected Item
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What Proportions Does Pharaoh Have To Reach?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I stop myself and avoid making mistakes when I know I am being guided by my feelings and am not acting well? And on the other hand, we have to fall in order to grow….

Answer: Indeed, “A righteous man falls and rises a thousand times.” Only by going through the experience of many descents and disappointments, great pain and errors that we have to pay for, do we finally reach the final conclusion and understanding that we have to rise above our egoistic nature. At the end, we understand that we will never be able to unite the mind and feelings together as long as we are inside of egoism.

This is the picture we are seeing in the world today in every country. Mentally everyone understands that we are entering a horrible crisis, but we cannot stop ourselves. Egoism pushes a person forward, ending up stronger than the mind, and therefore, man continues to act according to it.

He cannot do anything with himself. No matter how much we address the world and warn it, no one will hear us. But we are doing that only in order to show everyone that there is a method of correction, Kabbalah. Later, when facing the facts, man will become convinced in practice that he is stumbling upon problems at every corner, be it in economics, upbringing, or anything else. And from that he will understand that Kabbalah talks about correction. Otherwise, you can repeat the same thing a thousand times and no one will listen to you.

The world will not accept this solution until it reaches total despair and the understanding that its mind and feelings are like two poles that will never unite. People will keep making new mistakes. And as long as this happens, nothing will be able to help them. The only solution is to rise above our material mind and feelings for the sake of the spiritual goal. There you will be able to unite your mind and heart in the middle line, and then you will succeed. That’s because they will start working together in one bundle. The heart will understand!

But in our world this never happens and we are always forced to choose: either the heart or the mind. One or the other!

We become more drawn into the crisis with each passing day. Today a new turn of the crisis is starting, and soon it will become apparent. One blow, another, and another—and eventually man will understand. That is how Pharaoh, our will to enjoy, our ego, brings us closer to the Creator, forcing us to understand that we have to hide from him.

It’s as if Pharaoh knows that the sons of Israel will eventually run away from him. So why should he place himself under the blows? But that is how he is built—he brings himself to the blows. A person suffers, and he does not have any choice left but to run away from this force of evil.

Pharaoh is the opposite reflection of the Creator inside of us. The only question is: What proportions will he have to reach so we will decide to run away from him? This depends on the dissemination of Kabbalah, on people’s understanding, and our unification in the group.
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/11, Shamati
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Common Problems Are Solved At A Common Forum

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In connection to the protest movement in Israel, it’s scary to see that people do not understand the essence of what is happening….

Answer: What we have here is a “festival” and nothing more. There are people who really do want to change the situation in the direction of social justice. But what is “social justice”? Let’s discuss this with politicians and economists. If you want to exert a real influence, then you have to go into politics—there’s no other way to go about it. We are all smart and even housewives think that everything has to be done differently, but that is no way to get things done.

Start looking deeper into the situation and you will see that everything is permeated by countless threads of interconnections. Every person has his own opinion and his own calculation. Every person is flaunting his own muscles; finding a solution is not simple at all.

There’s one thing that can’t be denied: We have to reach a consensus and create a somewhat different balance—take away a little over here and add a little over there. However, nothing will appear out of thin air. Any addition can be found only by cutting something off somewhere else. That’s why the head of Israel’s central bank is proposing that the demonstrators sit down at a negotiations table, since the issue at stake is a complex conglomerate of problems.

Besides, the situation is not nearly as horrible as some people are trying to make it appear. The economy is on the rise and foreign investors are investing a lot of money in the country, which is not typical for the modern world by any means.
Obviously, there are things that have to be fixed. So let’s act step by step. Let’s create an open forum where we will present a list of demands, and all together we will place things in the right order of priorities.

That is how questions are solved in a family: We sit down and start discussing the situation. Everything has to be considered: the number of children, the health and well-being of the parents, the monthly income, savings for an emergency situation, the necessary expenditures, and a priorities list….

And we have to act on the national and worldwide levels according to the same principle. That is why we need an open forum and a “familial” interconnection, built upon mutual guarantee. That is the only way we will make the right calculation, by understanding that everyone depends on everyone and by supporting bonds of love and unity among us. No one wants to profiteer off another person. On the contrary, we review all of the possibilities and look for a way that will satisfy everyone as much as possible.

Like in an amicable family, we have to insert optimality into the formula of the solution. And here we won’t manage without an open forum where the government and the nation will reach a mutual agreement. However, the instigators who are manipulating the protest pose an obstacle to this, and the government still isn’t “concerned” enough by what is happening.

Eventually the course of events will spur them to this, but even now it’s already clear what the right solution is: an open forum based on just one principle of mutual guarantee. Here we will discuss how to divide the “common pie” between all members of the family. Let’s take all of the circumstances into consideration, put everything in their places, and see who needs help and to what extent. Then, by mutual agreement, we will start solving the problems one by one.

If we want to receive funds at the tycoons’ account, then we have to invite them to the forum as well. Let’s show them respect. After all, people receive salaries by working at their corporations. If we force them to leave the market, then major investments in the economy will run dry. Blaming the rich man for all the troubles is the last thing we should be doing. He will simply close up his factory and go away, and you will be left without work, but with your nose proudly up in the air.

Why should a rich man be ashamed of his wealth? That is how the world is arranged. Do you want to turn it upside down? Then you will be left without food.

At the end of the day, everything depends on upbringing. But in any case, the most important thing is dialogue. There are simply no other alternatives.

Many people today want to “ride” the wave of the protest, and that includes the politicians who have brought the country to the current state of affairs. “We also think that the housing situation is unbearable.” But wait a minute, weren’t you the ones who made the decisions back in your time? Wasn’t it you who sat in the legislature and government for years, facilitating the exacerbation of the problems?

The only thing that will help us is an open forum under the common roof of mutual guarantee.
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/11, “The Peace”
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Reason And That Which Is Above It

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Light raises us to faith above reason. But to enter there, a higher, previously unknown dimension should be open within you, and that is why it is called the “salvation of the Creator.” And to the extent of that opening within, you first start to get the “reason,” “knowledge,” and understanding what “above reason” means.

These two concepts are revealed simultaneously. Prior to that, we are at the level of animal consciousness, as it is said: “Everyone is like a mortal animal.” But a “human” begins from this moment. A human being is the one who rises above reason. We get reason from nature, and “above reason” is what is higher.

The Creator is above reason. The one who gets this opportunity is called a “human,” Adam, meaning “similar to the Creator,” and the wider the gap is between reason and faith above reason, the higher is the level of man.

A person does not know in advance what faith above reason is. He has no control over its revelation: It is given from Above, as aid from the Creator. Although of course, this is a result of the person’s entire previous effort and requires completing them fully. But as to when this will happen, a person does not know.

He just feels that he advances: understands more, feels more, becomes smarter, can somehow control what is happening, and analyze it deeper. But he does not have a spiritual sensation, a new desire, in which he could understand and feel the Creator. And thus he advances until he reaches the starting, zero, point, and from it, slightly pushes forward, towards that higher dimension.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/2/2011, Shamati #207

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Direct Channel Of Light

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 1,“Table of Answers for the Meaning of the Words,” Question 47: What is Kav (line)? Kav indicates a discernment of up and down that was not there before. It also designates a much frailer He’arah (emanation) than before.

“A line” is a feeling of constraint. I feel lesser than someone who is above me. Besides, a line is the restriction of my receiving, according to “size” and “weight.” That is, I am limited by two conditions: the qualitative height of the degree I am at and its quantitative value that I can uncover and accept.

It’s a feeling that above me, there is another whole staircase, higher degrees and more exalted properties. On the other hand, I feel that I do not receive infinitely on every side, but am limited and can communicate with the Creator only in the form of a direct channel, a tube extending from the top down, which is called a “line.”

In other words, we should visualize not a geometric line, but rather the restrictions that the desire to enjoy experiences. All the concepts have to be translated into feelings. But there is no emotion in the shape of a line. A line is an agreed upon signal of what feeling I am supposed to evoke in myself.

Suppose I work at a factory or in an organization. And in my position on the job and in the place that I am in, I am under the whole hierarchy of chiefs more essential than I. And so, I feel beneath them in properties. Moreover, there is a difference in their ability to act or get all sorts of benefits and salary (fulfillment) at work, meaning that relative to them, I am limited in quantitative terms. Therefore, I feel vertical restriction, depending on the height (from upward to downward), as well as a quantitative restriction in this very place (horizontally).

A line indicates a discernment of up and down that was not there before. That is, I feel what it is to be “above” ​​because I have “recollections” of them, the informational data (Reshimot). And so, I can compare it with my current state. I understand the difference between the line above and my position which I currently feel. This yields a restriction on height, that is, with respect to the Creator and compared with His properties.

It also designates a much frailer emanation than before. After all, previously, he was receiving with no limitations at the top (the head) of the line, whereas now, at its end or in the middle, he is restricted in reception.

These are two totally different experiences. The feeling that you are at the bottom of the line is due to the lack of adhesion with the Creator. A sense of how small my ability to receive is due to the lack of the ability to bestow. This means that one limitation is qualitative and the other quantitative.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/7/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

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