Entries in the 'Egoism' Category

When Will The Masses Become Wise?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: The driving force of evolution is the discovery of the global network in humanity. In recent years, this discovery has become expressed in an interesting form called the “wisdom of the crowd” or “crowdsourcing,” when people connect not just in order to talk, but to produce a particular result. That is, this is a true connection that produces something. The result of this connection is always on a higher level than the sum of its parts.

What is collective intelligence, the wisdom of the crowd? Why is the intelligence of the group greater than the intelligence of one person?

Answer: Collective intelligence began to be manifested only recently.

In principle, a collective network that connects us has always existed among us. The entire universe has been considered by philosophers, physicists, and many other investigators of nature as one whole. How can the universe not be a unified whole if it was born from one point and gradually began to extend?

In nature, there is no chaos; it can exist only in our mind. When we examine nature, we see clear laws that operate in it, and if we don’t see these laws to the end, either generally or specifically, this only reflects our lack of knowledge. The more we discover about nature, the more we discover the absolute connection that exists in it.

This connection exists on all levels of nature. The individual and the society are no exception. They are a product of nature. We didn’t somehow create this and make ourselves like this, even though we would like to think that we are absolutely independent. Rather, the more we advance, the more the laws of evolution of human society are revealed to us. We see how objective these laws are. We cannot do anything about them; we can only specify the facts.

Therefore, the network that ties the still, vegetative, animate, and human part of nature is one. In our time, the last, most developed part of nature is being revealed. Human society is beginning to discover that it also is included in a global, integral network; this network is so interconnected that, if we see things through it, we see that it is even impossible to imagine the freedom of choice of a person. We can see that there is nothing accidental here, and so on.

Everything is included with absolute precision in this one program of evolution that shows us the absolute interdependence between us and, as we discover it, we understand that we are included within it and that requires us to act accordingly.

According to physics research, a person looking at something that is happening in outer space or within the microcosm brings himself into this event and, therefore, this event is subject to change. This phenomenon also testifies to the total dependence between the various levels—in this case, between the human and the still levels of nature.

This network of complete, mutual dependence has been discovered by us gradually and, thus it develops humanity, leading it to its integration. The moment this network is discovered, we must correspond to it. Otherwise, to the degree of our lack of similarity to it, to the degree that we differ from it, we experience all kinds of problems, which, in general, we call crises.

So, for the first time, we have reached a long-term crisis, which already has lasted for decades. The first ones who saw this perceived it around fifty years ago. They were members of the Club of Rome which began to publish various articles on this subject. Since then, the crisis has continued to evolve, becoming a crisis in the family, in education, in culture, and so on.

We are standing before a completely new integrated system. However, since we are individualists, egoists, we cannot accommodate to it. Here, changes are needed within the individual. Because these changes have not yet taken place in us, the crisis will continue, of course. We see how it continues to grow. The network of connection between us is discovered more and more, yet we still don’t understand how much we differ from it. Therefore, it is still too early to talk about crowdsourcing (the wisdom of the crowd).

When we gather together, we see that the sum of all our efforts and actions is much greater than the usual summation. A different type of addition is created here. Moreover, this addition is very meaningful. It is as if it is wisdom coming from the next level, as if it is a prophecy, which is to say, it is as if we are seeing a little higher, beyond time, beyond what we can see because, through our joint effort, we enter into a kind of similarity to the integral network.

This is happening among small groups of people who are still egoistic. If we could gather a group that was truly integral, meaning that the people within it were to rise to a level of integration with each other as is required by the network, then they would find themselves in another dimension toward which nature wants to push us.

After all, according to nature, we are still on the animate level of evolution and concerned only for our body. When we can be concerned about collective intelligence, collective attainment, our integral existence, then we can speak about a true wisdom of the crowd.

This integral existence is the image of a unified Human, Adam. This is not a physical image. Rather, it is a spiritual image, a supra-egoistic gathering of all of our characteristics.
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From KabTV’s “The Wisdom of the Crowd” 5/6/13

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Poison On The Tip Of The Sword

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot” Item 19: The angel of death comes with a drawn sword with a drop of poison at its tip; the person opens his mouth, he throws the drop inside, and he dies.

The angel of death is our ego that cuts us off and distances us from spirituality all the time. And obviously, it does so according to that method, according to that general plan by which we must advance. It has to grow in order to justify its name, the angel of death.

We see that, in our day, a global crisis has been revealed. Humanity is gradually coming to understand that the problem is not in bad economy or finances, not in the broken family, but rather in human nature itself. This means that we will not escape the crisis through a simple change of the external system. Ultimately, we reach an understanding that the angel of death lives within us and is killing us. We must kill him ourselves before he kills us. Time after time, he intentionally cuts us off from the good life more and more so that we will feel that we have to kill him.

The sword of the angel of death is the influence of the Sitra Achra, called “Herev” because of the separation that grows according to the measure of reception, and the separation destroys him.

A person is not prepared to refrain from using his ego. We see people continue to behave egoistically even though they know that they are harming themselves. However, they are compelled to use their desire to receive, and finally: One is compelled to open one’s mouth, since one must receive the abundance for sustenance and persistence from her hands.

So, we are killing ourselves from generation to generation, returning to this world again and again with an even greater desire for pleasure and again, swallowing that deadly drop”: In the end, the bitter drop at the tip of the sword reaches him, and this completes the separation to the last spark of his breath of life.

People must finally understand that using the desire to receive kills them. No matter how much we burn with new hope of exploiting it, looking for different forms, and trying to overcome it, in spite of all this, we understand that our nature is compelling us to kill ourselves.

The angel of death kills itself by showing us what is causing us to die. It arouses us to fight against it. This is reminiscent of the story of the Egyptian exile. At first, it seemed that Pharaoh was good! With seven years of plenty, absolute abundance, it seemed that we had succeeded in controlling the angel of death and that was on our side.

However, in the end, we began to feel the seven years of famine. This was no longer the same Pharaoh. The angel that led us through life suddenly became cruel. We used to think that all of life is in front of us: With all the opportunities of the “American dream,” we would continue to progress and get more and more from life. It seemed to us that the entire world opened before us for our benefit.

Suddenly, we discovered that we are locked within this world. Every day becomes darker and darker, cramped and horrible, threatening to kill us and, at the end of the matter, we realize that the problem is not in the world. Rather, it is in us, in the egoistic nature that is found within us and inspires us to life, in our angel, meaning our internal power.

So, it essentially is fulfilling its role, like Pharaoh who brought the children of Israel closer to the Creator. This is that angel that, through opposition, carries out its faithful work. An angel is a force of nature that has no choice, a part of the overall program that operates until we finally feel that we have no choice and must flee from it.
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From the Men’s Convention “The Next Step” 4/26/13, Lesson 1

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Sensibility Instead Of War

Sensibility Instead Of WarWe gather in order to unite and help one another overcome self-love. Everyone has to think about canceling their egoism, stop worrying about their own fulfillment, and strive only toward loving their neighbor when it is possible. In other words, throughout the entire convention, from this moment forward, we need to think about rising above ourselves and exiting our egoism. This is the only way for a person to feel the need and the desire to acquire the new quality called the desire to bestow.

When egoists like us connect and I look at others, I begin to realize that my egoism is very wisely made. Essentially, it is made in a way that helps me come out of it. In reality, nothing in my personal life interferes with spirituality. With the right attitude toward my nature, I will reveal qualities in it that help me attain the spiritual world.

The rejection I feel for others is given to me to show me how far I am from having spiritual qualities. Moreover, there is envy in me. When I see how others connect, and how every person tries to come out of himself and become closer to others, I envy them. Envy is a huge, egoistic force but essentially, it begins to work to my benefit, helping me to rise above my egoism.

Also, ambition—my desire to be higher and more successful than others—works to my benefit. I see the success of others and feel ashamed. I want to have what they have, at least not to fall behind, but to surpass them. It turns out that there is not a single quality in our egoism that we could not use to liberate ourselves from our egoism. This inner work is called “help against him.”

We need to delve into this work with our friends, but in reality we discover that there is nothing in our lives that we need to fight. Overcoming is spending every moment trying to be sensible toward heading in the right direction. Then, we will see how all our natural qualities help us attain the goal in a direct or an indirect manner.

There is no need to fight any of our inclinations. Instead, we need to study how nature plays us. If we use all our impulses wisely, we will be able to break through into the spiritual world.
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From a Talk on The Importance of Gathering 5/10/2013

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A Horse In Anticipation Of A Rider

Dr. Michael LaitmanWhen we begin to investigate our nature, the major breakthrough in discovering the truth is to stop focusing on our animal degree with which we usually identify ourselves: with our body and all its desires, thoughts, and longings. This is a primitive egoism, inherent in the whole human race, and every inhabitant of this world feels its manifestations to a higher or smaller degree, in various forms—everyone according to his nature.

We need to consider the history of humanity not as a life of animal bodies, but as the development of desire on the speaking degree. When we look at the world, we see how difficult people’s life is, how much they need to fight for it and apply efforts. Everyone is fighting for his existence. But why is it arranged so? It is all so that we understand the futility of our desire.

It’s no accident that we complain about life and suffering so much. This life intentionally forces us to suffer so that we decide that our egoism—our desire to enjoy—is killing us, and we then want to rise out of it to the next degree. If we don’t pay attention to bodies but look at the common desire, we will see that it grows from epoch to epoch and as it grows, it suffers more and more, more qualitatively.

Although a person has all the material things, his desire has grown to a more human level, and he doesn’t feel the satisfaction of a well-fed life. If once people were fighting for a piece of bread, today they don’t die of hunger but suffer from other causes.

In this way the common desire of which we are part develops and advances and, as a result brings us to the need to solve this problem. It’s impossible to continue living inside of this egoism that is born only to suffer. There is nothing else to do but to decide that we desire to rise above it, to grow in a different direction.

We don’t want to increase this desire further so that instead of a hundred we will want two hundred, and according to this, will double our suffering, then will want four hundred and will suffer even more. We need to use our desire differently, not to try to fulfill the animal body, but our true body that is outside of this animal: to rise above the animal—above the horse—to the level of the rider. This task should be the goal of our life.

Humanity reveals this and is now at a crossroads. It gradually begins to realize that it will bring itself to total destruction if it doesn’t change its nature. And we have the knowledge and understanding as to what needs to be done. We have the method that we try to realize for ourselves and to use as an example for the entire world, becoming a light to all the nations.

We want to break away from egoism that states “I will reign!” and forces us to serve our animal body; we want to rise from its degree and connect to the human within us. This human being within us does not exist; there is only a point from which we must develop it. This spark, called the “point in the heart,” exists in every person. But there are people in whom it burns and requires its realization. That’s why, around us around throughout the whole world, there are people who are able to realize this opportunity and build from this point the rider, the human, meanwhile hidden within it like in a drop of semen.

It’s necessary to implant this drop in the womb, which is the group. And when we adhere to the group, like a drop of semen to the uterus, then from this adhesion we start to get the upper force, the revelation of the Creator. There are three components: my drop, my group, and the Creator, who is revealed in it. Then I start receiving nourishment nourishment and strength through this group, and thus I grow.

In reality, I grow due to the fact that through the group I receive the force of the Creator; my desire to enjoy is also growing and seemingly wants to intercept me. But due to the fact that I draw the Light that Reforms to it, this raw, formless material begins to acquire the form of man, Adam, similar (Domeh) to the Creator.

I don’t know what it means to be like the Creator, and I feel various disturbances. But these very disturbances show me the form in which I should resist them, to ask adherence to the group and demand the influence of the Creator. Due to this, my desire begins to take a human shape. It’s just as the embryo passes through the different stages of its growth, undergoes all kinds of changes and takes different forms until it finally looks like a human being. Thus, we reach a state of readiness to be born in the spiritual world. And the very first stage is to adhere to the uterus, that is, the group, and to try to get nourishment through it from Above, the Light that Reforms.
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From the Men’s Convention “The Next Step” 4/26/13, Lesson 1

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Creditors

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “The Peace”: Rabbi Akiva depicts two kinds of people: the first are the “open store” type, which regard this world as an open store without a shopkeeper. He says about them, “The book is open and the hand writes.” Meaning, although they do not see that there is an account, all their actions are nonetheless written in the book, as explained above. 

We exist in a general system, and we influence it through all our actions. No matter what I think about or what I do, everything immediately influences the whole, of which I am an integral part.

This is done by the law of development imprinted in Creation against humanity’s will, where the deeds of the wicked themselves necessarily instigate the good deeds…

How is that possible? How can an evil deed correct me and generate good deeds? The path of suffering exists for this purpose. If I generate a series of troubles, if I don’t keep the direction of the goal of creation in order to judge myself and the whole world to the scale of merit, then my bad deeds and opposite goals bring the system to such distortions that as a result, it influences me like the source of evil and forces me to change my state and become a good and useful part.

This means that eventually, my bad deeds will surely come back to me twice as intensely as the harm I have caused to the system and will force me to change for the better.

The path of suffering is undesirable. It is prolonged and continuous since all my deeds go through the system until it responds. This takes time, but it surely will happen since the system doesn’t change.

So, my bad deeds surely will influence me eventually and correct me. However, they correct me only so that I will understand that I am a negative factor in the general system, and thus, I feel bad. It doesn’t change or correct me. It is said about this: “The Creator Himself puts one’s hand on the good fate and says to him, ‘Choose this for yourself.’” I am only brought to the place where I can choose, but the system doesn’t choose anything for me. It only brings me to the decision that I must do good deeds.

“The second type of people is called “those who want to borrow.” They take the shopkeeper into consideration, and when they take something from the store, they only take it as a loan.”

So, where do such good and clever people come from? Like the first type, they also have undergone suffering since no one receives any special treatment, and the same force of good and evil exists in everyone. If your evil inclination is big, then accordingly, you have enough brains, wisdom and persistence. So, at the end of correction, no one will feel that he is deprived as compared to others, but rather that everyone has his own special attributes and that they are compatible with each other, whereas in the ideal relation they are equal.

There are people who have been through great hardships in this or in a previous life and have become wiser—not in their minds, but in their internality. They already have the inner preparation that allows them to understand that they are in a general system and that they must be considerate of everyone since there is no other way. This is worthwhile since we will suffer less this way.

They want to heal the system or even to tie it to the Creator, depending on their current level which eventually is determined by the level of pain they have experienced. So, no wonder that relatively, the nation of Israel suffers much more than others. This is determined by the conditions of the general system.

“They promise to pay the shopkeeper the desired price, meaning attain the goal by it.”

This is the price. I ask, I demand, that the Creator give me a mind, feelings, and the power to do exactly what He demands of me. I will force myself, I will succeed in convincing myself, and then, I will see that it really is worthwhile to behave precisely this way. In the meantime, I advance under the pressure of the blows I receive, but later on, I gradually will change my perspective as I reconsider what is happening and will not advance “under pressure,” but for the uniqueness that is in bestowal, in love of others.

Thus, I ask for a loan. I ask for help, which is called raising MAN, a request for correction, as I want to fill the desire of the upper one. This always requires an ascent above reason. I make a decision that is not based on my egoistic desires, but on the desires that are above them.

The first type, whose debt is collected by the collectors of the development, pay their debt unknowingly, but stormy waves come upon them, through the strong wind of development, and push them from behind, forcing them to step forward.

Thus, their debt is collected against their will and with great pains by manifestations of the evil forces, which push them from behind. But the second type pay their debt, which is the attainment of the goal knowingly, of their own accord, by repeating the actions that hasten the development of the sense of recognition of evil.

It is clear that they receive the positive force that pulls them upward toward the goal, but they are the ones who awaken it as if they actually advance according to their own freewill.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/3/13, “The Peace”

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The Convention In New Jersey: United Into The One

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: The unity convention in New Jersey is coming soon. We understand that everything depends on preparation. How do our friends throughout the world need to get ready for this meeting?

Answer: First of all, we connect in the convention in order to reach unity, Arvut, merger between us—all those conditions are required to discover the upper force that controls the world and constructs all of reality. This is the goal of learning the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is designed specifically in order to find this upper force. The wisdom of Kabbalah is the revelation of the upper force to the created beings, as Baal HaSulam writes in the article, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”: “This wisdom is no more and no less than a sequence of roots, which hang down by way of cause and consequence, by fixed, determined rules, interweaving to a single, exalted goal described as ‘the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures in this world.’”

This is the reason that we gather at a convention: to build the conditions through which the Creator will be revealed. The discovery of the Creator to the created beings is the goal of the wisdom of Kabbalah. This is realized through the unity between us. This is what we want to attain at a convention, and we must think about this.

The force that we discover is the force of bestowal and love. The “Creator” is the foundation of bestowal and love. He is the good and benevolent because benevolence is the characteristic of someone who does good. And “there is none else besides the good who does good.”

To reveal Him, we also need to acquire two details  of perception:

·       There is no one except us, united as one person with one heart;
·       Each one of us is good and benevolent for all the others.

In this way, we create a “place” where the Creator can be discovered according to the law of equivalence of form. When relationships between us are adjusted to the principle of the “good who does good,” then the upper Good who Does Good will be manifest among us. This is how we will reveal the Creator in the created beings by becoming  Shechinah, meaning the “place” where He dwells.

This is what we want to discover throughout the world in the convention that will be held in another week. This is what we must prepare ourselves for.

It must be said that the convention will be unique in its scope. A wide variety of participants will be gathered there, and this is good. Diversity gives power to unity.

I hope that we can connect properly and that all of us feel that we belong to that unity to which we must return; to be integrated, to be like one again. Then, within this common unity, the one Creator will be discovered, and the discovery of this upper force will solve all of our problems, both physical and spiritual.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/1/13, “The Mutual Guarantee”

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To Wash “Our “Garments” In The Light Of Hassadim

Dr. Michael LaitmanAnd all the people answered together, and said: ‘All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.’ And Moses reported the words of the people unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Moses: ‘Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee forever.’ And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Moses: ‘Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,

And be ready against the third day; for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. (The Torah, “Exodus,” “Jethro,” 19:8 – 19:11)

We begin to come in contact with the attribute of bestowal, to be attracted to it, and to absorb it from its highest point that is called “Moses” (from the word “Moshech” or ” to move,” to pull”), which pulls itself from within the ego. In this way it receives upper energy, an upper attribute, and thus begins to feel in what way it is now possible to continue to work for the bestowal to the Creator.

He begins to acquire the same absolute attribute, like the Creator, Whom he is now facing. He feels the Creator, but still doesn’t belong to Him. They are joined, but in an external way.

A person understands that he now needs all of his egoistic attributes so that as much as he is able, he will pull them to him, to strongly pull within the point in the heart which is in contact with the Creator, to enter gradually within it from his ego, to connect, to add the entire nation, those attributes that he left for a while, within the point that is called “Moses.”

For this reason they need to go through a certain period of final preparation: three days of detachment from their ego and correction of their external attributes, so-called “garments.”

In each one of us there are five levels: the root (Shoresh), the soul (Neshama), the body (Guf), the clothing (Levush) and the palace (Eichal). The inner part, the root, soul and body, we already corrected. Without that, we wouldn’t have departed from Egypt, the point in the heart wouldn’t have detached from the ego. And now, we need to correct the clothing, so-called “garments” on the soul, and afterwards also the palace, the rest of the attributes of the world.

The first three discernments are: the root, the soul, the body. That is, if we express it in a picturesque way, then in the beginning we correct all that exists in my body, in the flesh, my inner part. And the clothing is what is on me. That is what I exchange, what I can take off and wear. The palace is the rest of the world.

“And they washed their garments” means to wash the uncorrected attributes with the Light of Hassidim and to correct them.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 2/4/13

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A Game With Surprises

Dr. Michael LaitmanA person is composed of two components: his own “I” and his existence. We can forego our own existence by bringing proof to our ego that it’s worth it. We see that the world changes, its values change as well, becoming less and less materialistic. The desire to receive changes not only quantitatively but also qualitatively, and therefore prefers more subtle fillings.

Besides this, there exist many types of people, and each enjoys different things: music, art, or sports, which are considered to be more “spiritual” than simple “materialistic” occupations. But essentially these are all types of materialistic egoistic fillings, and they are all the same in relation to a person’s spiritual development. The only difference is in this is how much a person prefers personal preoccupation in comparison to collective preoccupation. This determines his development.

There have always been people who loved to work for the good of all. They provided inspiration to people to make social revolutions, stood at the head of charitable movements, and helped the needy. Ten percent of all humanity have an inclination towards bestowal, their ego enjoys bestowal. This lets a person feel superior, to respect himself, to be proud of himself, even if nobody knows about his good deeds. This is a special type of egoism.

But to forego “self” is already impossible. It’s possible to do something like this only through the Light that Reforms and even this is not directly, but indirectly. The person invests himself in a society, tries to be included in it, and then the Light begins to influence him and to change him through the society.

Only in a form like this is change possible. This is a unique patent since in truth, we don’t want this to happen. It’s impossible to desire this for real, but since we nevertheless are able to act in this way, the change in us happens. This is called “I have labored and I found.” We are prepared to make a particular effort to be included in the environment, as if we have the desire to bestow, as if we want to discover the Creator and bring Him contentment.

All this is “as if,” but in this game there is a kind of condition for all of these efforts to enter into the system for “fun” but for real, as if we truly desire it! And the system begins to react to us. While the person isn’t really asking, yet suddenly he finds an answer. And he always finds something that he didn’t expect at all, and therefore this is called a “find.” This is always discovered as a surprise, quickly, abruptly. Thus through external corrections we reach internal corrections, through correction of the existence of reality we correct reality itself.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/13, Writing of Rabash

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Dispersion Is Good For The Wicked And Convention Is Good For The Righteous

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Writings of the Maggid of Koznitz, “The Work of Israel”: The sages said: “Dispersion is good for the wicked and convention is good for the righteous.” That’s because a wicked man separates himself from the Creator, thinks that he manages himself according to his own desire, and thus says “I will rule,” which is the source of the shattering.

Thus the wicked, each feels that “I will rule” and so they are in the world of separation and cannot connect like the circles because they cannot sit together, and so the dispersion is good for them. However, although the righteous each work the Creator in a different style, they all still aim at one thing: at their Father in Heaven, and they gather and assemble as one man with one heart.

When each one lowers himself and praises the work of the Creator, it gives him power and the mind to work for Him and so he doesn’t feel superior to his friend, and in the world of truth they unite with one another.

A person must convince himself as quickly as he can and not let time go by until he finally listens and believes that the spiritual world is not beyond some distant galaxies or in some faraway dimension. He is indeed in a different dimension, but this dimension is in his heart, in the desires and thoughts of his heart. Everything is in a man’s heart, in his desires: “the heart understands,” the heart thinks.

Only by controlling the desire is it possible to reach the upper dimension in which the upper one dwells, where He is the one who bestows with regard to the lower one, the one who receives in his thoughts, desires, and intentions.

One can have thoughts that are aimed at and operate for unity only by self-annulment and submission; that is, the thought of the righteous can unite since they are all aimed at one source, towards their unification with the Creator. The thoughts of the wicked, however, are each for his self-benefit, and so they all are separated and cannot attain anything.

Therefore, we should discover as quickly as possible in a true and decisive manner that the first spiritual level stands for self-annulment, connection with others in any way possible. We shouldn’t fear that it’s too honest and that someone may get scared and run away. The Creator gives us an example by showing us that the entire world is in a terrible crisis that spikes despair and helplessness in people’s hearts.

Thus, as a result of all our efforts to connect egoistically and to find spirituality not where it actually is, we must discover this helplessness. Then, out of helplessness, as it is written, “and the children of Israel sighed from the work,” we will be forced to turn to the upper force and demand that He save us.

The faster and more correctly we discover the fact that it isn’t in our power to reach self-annulment, the faster we will be able to reach the truth. This is possible only through connection, unity, and the strive for one root.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/13

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On A Deserted Island And In Manhattan

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: We say that we want to correct a person. What part within us is called a human being?

Answer: If we separate man’s three main physical needs that are related to the physical (animal) body—food, sex, and family—then the fulfillment of these desires is the satisfaction of normal animal needs. The next level of desires—wealth, power, fame, and knowledge—belongs to human aspirations, and you have to fulfill them only in accordance with the social environment that surrounds you.

You can satisfy your animal desires in the family, regardless of where you live: on a farm, in a small village, or on an uninhabited island. You have a family, a wife and children; you have enough food and live in peace. If your desires are greater than food, home, and family, then you cannot live on an uninhabited island. You want to be in Manhattan because only there do you have the opportunity to realize your aspiration for wealth, power, fame, and knowledge.

Question: However, what would be wrong if I were a famous doctor and earned a hundred times more than others?

Answer: If you are in your animal state on a separate island, in balance with the environment and consuming as much as you need, you do not harm nature. You eat and reproduce, and everything is fine.

However, in Manhattan, with desires for wealth, power, and knowledge, you too must be in balance with the material nature that surrounds you. You find yourself in a new “jungle,” but are you in balance with it? The question arises: What is “balance” in today’s society, not somewhere on an island or in a village, but in Manhattan?

This means that you give as much as you receive. This is the basic law of nature, the law of equilibrium.

This law also applies to our bodies. All that exists—the still, vegetative, and animate nature—aspires toward equilibrium. And if balance suddenly disappears, this is a temporary condition, an illness, like in our body, when there is a difference between various internal parameters.

The question is whether all of it is established correctly. If we consider our natural internal system, then we can measure the health of society as the health of the body. According to this system, you can learn how we should behave in the environment, that is, with our own kind.

The fact is that wolves, bears, or tigers do not destroy the environment. They take as much as they need for food and no more. Being in dis-balance with nature, we destroy it and thus we destroy ourselves.

Imagine if a healthy bear killed all the rabbits with his paws. What would he do tomorrow? He would die from hunger. Thus, nature instinctively creates in animals a protective reflex, and a well-fed bear wants nothing more. He can play with these other bunnies.

A hunter’s instinct awakens in it only with the sensation of hunger. The bear is not an enemy to someone whom it kills; it does not do it to dominate others. It does not yearn for power as it is usually shown in cartoons. It is absolutely not true! The bear views other animals as a source of energy and nothing more.

However, the human being sees in the other person an object whom he can dominate. As much as I humiliate him, to that extent, I feel better. I am willing to subjugate the entire world and I want that. I want to know more than anyone else, to have more influence than anyone else, so that everyone bows to me, so that I am the richest. I want my “Self” to exist. All the rest are just tiny insects, crawling around me.

Of course, a person cannot be blamed for this because nature develops all these desires within us. For what purpose does it develop them?

Even if we don’t know why, we at least need to understand the cause of all our suffering. This is only in the fact that we must come into balance with each other. Any unbalanced state brings about big problems, and they lead us to destruction.
[105698]
From KabTV’s “The Medicine of the Future” 4/7/13

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