Entries in the 'Egoism' Category

The First Stage of Spiritual Development

115.06Question: The spiritual development of the State of Israel and the connection of the country of Israel with the whole world can be divided into five stages.

One of them is the awareness of the evil of our selfish nature. Do you think this is the first stage for further development?

Answer: Yes selfishness is our primordial nature, and we we cannot get out of it by ourselves. The only thing we can realize is its depravity, its doom for us, but nothing more.

Question: Baal HaSulam writes that our natural selfishness is the essence of every human being and it gives us a sense of self. As each develops their abilities, they are ready to enslave others, take over the whole world, and control it. Why did the Creator create mankind like this?

Answer: The Creator specially created humans this way so that in the end we would reveal our egoistic essence, want to change it, and start developing from selfishness to altruism consciously.

Therefore, our egoistic essence is the foundation from which we begin to grow. Thanks to it, we see who we are and do everything only for ourselves in our narrow animal egoism. From this point, we begin to rise.

There are several means by which we can rise a little above selfishness, explore it, and then change it.
We have been given the worst foundation, the worst condition on purpose, and we must rise to the opposite.
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From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 5/9/24

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How Can I Recognize My Inherent Nature?

202.0Question: Baal HaSulam writes that a primitive person uses his egoistic nature without being ashamed of anything. A more developed person already feels some kind of shame and tries to use others in a veiled way.

But he gradually begins to realize that and is ashamed of his nature. He is looking for where he can somehow correct it until sparks of altruism appear in him.

Do you think that in our country, in Israel, we are already at a stage when people recognize the evil of their nature and understand that it separates us?

Answer: No way! This recognition can be reached only through the study of Kabbalistic sources and with their help a person can expose himself to the influence of the upper light located in them, i.e., under the influence of a special quality—the quality of bestowal, love, and connection with all humanity.

If a person works in order to attain these changes within him, then they occur in him. Then he begins to see that he cannot bear his present nature and is ready to rush into the future.
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From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 5/9/24

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The Path Chosen by Humanity

272Question: Can we say that at some point in history humanity took the wrong path?

Answer: Of course! Since the time of Aristotle and Plato.

At one point they shouted: “Under no circumstances give science away to the ignorant! They will misuse it, they will sell it to the rich, they will put it at the service of progress!

But we need spiritual progress, not technological progress! We cannot open universities to everyone!

Science should be pursued only by people who with its help want to understand the meaning of life, the lofty matters that lie beyond the boundaries of our world!”

Science should develop only in the form in which it raises a person above our world! Anyone who might use it for evil purposes has no right to engage in it!

Even the invention of, say, a special meat grinder is also evil. You do not need it, and you can live without it! After all, in the end, it is by adapting science to our world that you begin its development.

There is no other way, either external development or internal. The world followed the external path of development. Historically, this happened 3,000 years ago.

Question: But was there another option for development? Or did we still have to go through this stage?

Answer: It is hard to say because in order to understand the answer to this question, you need to be in two worlds, in the duality that we are talking about.

Everything comes from the Creator, and at the same time depends on our freewill, on our choice.

We are not able to compare these two free functions; our mind is not adapted to this. To understand this, you need to be in both worlds: the spiritual one and ours at the same time. Then you will not have contradictions; you can perceive absolutely opposite facts and information as complementary and not mutually exclusive.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Dead-End Path of Human Development” 1/24/12

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Last Generation—The Beginning

963.4Question: A husband and wife ran a hotel for ordinary people. One day, a wealthy merchant came there. The wife saw his rich belongings and told her husband: “I have a powder called “forget everything.” I will add it to his rice, and he will forget some of his beautiful possessions.” So she did.

The guest had dinner, praised the hostess, and set off at dawn. The husband and wife rushed to his room to search for valuable things that had been forgotten. Suddenly, the husband shouted: “He forgot, he forgot!” “Forgot what?” his wife exclaimed joyfully. “He forgot to pay for the night.”

The question is this. We always want to let down one’s trust, which is our condition—a smile, good actions, deeds, and so on. A person can sit with an aging father or relative knowing his property will become his. Women marry millionaires, and so on. All soap operas are built on this. A person is not punished for that; this is how he receives. It is our world. In the parable, they are punished—the merchant forgot to pay.

Please tell me whether a person is still punished for this because he is trying to put another to sleep and take something from him.

Answer: Naturally, he is punished.

Question: Even though he maybe does not feel it?

Answer: Nature does not care that he does not feel it. In nature, all this is perfectly balanced.

Question: But all of humanity is this way. We smile the same way to get some position and befriend people to get something out of it. Is this human nature?

Answer: Yes, of course.

Question: And we are still punished for it. By what? By having this world?

Answer: Yes. It is our punishment. This world is a punishment.

Question: So, is everything that happens, including wars and all this suffering, caused by our attitude?

Answer: Yes. We do not wish happiness and kindness to anyone, or anything of this sort.

Question: Simply to wish. But it is not our fault, is it?

Answer: Go to the one who created you and tell Him: “Look how You created me! What can I do? I only scatter seeds of hatred around me. And it was You who made me this way.”

Question: And He expects us to go to Him with that?

Answer: He is waiting for us to reveal it and say it to Him, and then He will fix it.

Question: How do you feel about the proverb, “Don’t dig a hole for someone else; you’ll end up in it yourself”?

Answer: I do not particularly believe in this proverb.

Comment: Although you just said that we are being punished.

My Response: Yes, but it is all relative. How many holes have we dug for others and then not noticed that they are coming to us? If they came, it would be good. We would learn quickly.

Question: How does this match? You first said that we are being punished in some way. So, are we still being punished?

Answer: Yes, but we do not know what for, why, or how. It is a problem.

Question: If we did something wrong and got it right away, we would understand it was terrible. So we do not get it?

Answer: No.

Question: But it is good like this: what if I did something terrible and got it right away? Is it good or bad?

Answer: No, this is bad. It would not educate us. We would be like soldiers.

Comment: But a person would realize: I do something terrible and get punished.

My Response: He would do this because he realizes his actions were wrong.

Question: But in reality, how should it be?

Answer: Not to want to do evil in the first place.

Question: Not to want to hate? Should this be our main request?

Answer: Yes.

Question: I must feel that I want to do evil and hate?

Answer: Yes! Necessarily! I feel bad that I discovered this and asked the Creator to change this property in me.

Question: Will we ever get there?

Answer: Necessarily!

Question: So, is this the ending one way or another?

Answer: Yes.

Replica: If I can now somehow pull myself together and feel that I…

Answer: You cannot.

Question: When that hour comes, what can I do? You say that they are taking us there.

Answer: This is called the “last generation.” We are at the beginning, still only at the beginning.

Question: What is the last generation?

Answer: It is when humanity reveals its evil nature, opposite to the Creator, and passionately desires change.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/4/24

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Movement toward the Recognition of Evil

115.06Question: How can a person discover that he desires the force of bestowal if he was born with the desire to receive, and sees only that around him?

Where is an example of a permanent desire to bestow so that humanity could notice and appreciate it?

Answer: Of course we see that the whole world is in egoism, in the desire to receive rather than to bestow. But alongside this, we also see how egoism is constantly progressing in the world, and with it, so do pain, sorrow, and death.

In other words, egoistic desires manifest themselves as a source of all sorts of problems. Therefore people may not see a way out of them, but they understand that egoism alone is their enemy. Gradually, humanity is coming to realize that there is nothing to replace egoism, and therefore it sees no way out.

However, at the very least, it understands that our nature itself leads us to such unpleasant states.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/9/24, Writings of Rabash “The Need for an Act from Below”

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The Power of Faith above Reason

115.06Question: What does it mean that the power of faith above reason cancels out all the forces that exist in the world?

Answer: Faith above reason is a special force that raises a person above his reason. It can only be increased with the help of actions above reason.

If a person is in such faith, then it indeed cancels out all forces that exist in the world that could influence him and turn differently.

By rising with the help of this force, we reach the level of Bina.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/12/24, Writings of Rabash “He who Hardens His Heart”

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Don’t Expand the Burrow or the Cat Will Come In

626Question: A mouse found a treasure and widened the entrance to its burrow to fit the treasure through, with it, came a hungry cat.

The story is about a mouse. Does it follow that we should be content with cheese and a burrow and not seek to find treasures? Should we draw such a conclusion from this?

Answer: The conclusion is simple. What you have is enough, you do not need more.

Comment: But it even warns you of the danger that widening the entrance for the treasure will result in a hungry cat coming in.

My Response: Yes.

Question: So it is even dangerous for us to accumulate, to want more?

Answer: Hoarding is definitely harmful.

Comment: But wanting more, more, and more than enough; I was fine with cheese, but I suddenly found a treasure.

Answer: If you have enough for today, you will have more for tomorrow, don’t worry.

Question: Do you state this as a rule? If I have a piece of cheese today, will I have it tomorrow too?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And you should not seek anything above it?

Answer: Nothing.

Question: Is it possible to appease humanity this way? It is always in search of better “cheese.”

Answer: I have nothing to say here, that is the nature of man. But in general, you should not.

Question: Can we find the treasure, but not let the hungry cat in?

Answer: What are we going to do with it?

Comment: I don’t know: put it in the bank to generate some income.

Answer: No, you will have to deal with preserving it and protecting it so it does not diminish, and so on.

Question: So a lot of money requires care and maintenance?

Answer: Of course.

Question: Do our lives pass in pursuit of this?

Answer: Yes.

Question: This is a rather Kabbalistic parable about growing desires that require fulfillment. It is human nature. How does a person limit these desires? They keep growing.

Answer: You need to convince yourself this will never make you richer, you will never become more confident or at peace. On the contrary, your life will turn into an endless pursuit of everything.

Question: Should I feel some danger in this?

Answer: Yes, we must try to somehow distance ourselves to protect ourselves from this.

Question: And you should convince yourself that what you have is enough?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is the upper law the same if we are speaking of spirituality?

Answer: Calmness, the main thing is to calm down concerning all material acquisitions.

Question: Then in this calm I don’t want anything, or do I still want something?

Answer: No, I only want what I have for today, what I need. That is all.

Question: And do you think that if I come to this thought I will have enough for tomorrow?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can we calm everything down, all revolutions, wars, and so on?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can a person achieve this, or is it just a fantasy to work with our nature like this?

Answer: A person can achieve this.

Comment: So the correct conclusion is to bring into the house only what fits in the burrow. Not to widen it.

My Response: Yes.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/15/24

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The Path to Happiness Lies through Sodom

294.1When you get older, you will understand that you can somehow live in the world only under one indispensable condition: you must understand that selfishness is a natural property of man.

When you come to terms with the idea that everyone lives only for themselves, you will be much more lenient towards your neighbors. They will stop disappointing your hopes, and you will begin to treat them more mercifully. People strive for only one thing in life – pleasure. (Somerset Maugham,Of Human Bondage).

Comment: We need to come to terms with the idea that everyone is an egoist, that everyone lives like this, and from this everything will calm down.

My Response: Of course, if everyone accepts this condition.

Comment: If we understand that everyone lives in their egoism—and I do, too—everything will calm down.

Answer: Yes, sure.

Question: “What is yours is yours, what is mine is mine.” This is still the law, right?

Answer: This is the first law on the path to real peace, that I accept all the weaknesses of others. It is called “what is yours is yours, and what is mine is mine,” and we do not interfere with each other. We respect each other.

It is not yet talking about convergence, merging, or “love your neighbor as yourself,” but about understanding our general law of nature.

Question: So, do you think this law is fair? Is this the law of our world?

Answer: At some stage, yes.

Comment: But Sodom was built precisely on this principle.

My Response: Why do you think that Sodom is evil? If today we were offered Sodom instead of our state, then having understood this, we would gladly accept it. We would be content. There would be no war, and there would be no atrocities. We would simply peacefully coexist.

Question: Why did the Creator not like this Sodom and overturn it?

Answer: This is not the end of creation. It is not the purpose of creation. The purpose of creation is for everyone to live in caring for each other.

Comment: That is clear. And in Sodom, those caring for each other were punished. But in any case, it would be suitable for the first step.

My Response: I am not saying we need to take these steps exactly. The Torah shows us that such a society will still be destroyed.

Question: That is, does such a society have no future?

Answer: That is correct. But as an intermediate, it exists. Here we are given an example.

Question: We have not even gotten to that first half step yet.

Answer: We are still a long way from Sodom.

Question: Before “What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours”?

Answer: Yes. You see what happens between neighbors, states, countries, and everywhere in general.

Comment: “What is yours is mine” is the main principle today.

My Response: We are at the lowest stage of egoistic development.

Comment: It always seems that this has already passed, that we are already somewhere…

My Response: No way!! Look what is being done! How people treat each other, what thoughts they have!

Question: If let us say we come to this step: “What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours,” is the next step “I do not harm another”?

Answer: Yes, by no means do I harm anyone else.

Comment: Do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself.

My Response: Yes, but this is also not good.

Question: This is like the second step. And the third?

Answer: The third step is to imagine myself in the place of another and do good to him as I imagine what they would do to me. This is called “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Question: That is, we have three steps: first Sodom, as you say, “What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours”; second, “Do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself; third, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And what do we come to then if we take these three steps?

Answer: To ensure we all have the same desire: to do only good things for each other.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/4/23

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Do Good without Thinking about Yourself

294.3Question: One day a lot of starfish came in with the tide. When the tide was low they were left to die on the sand. A boy began to throw the stars into the sea so that they would survive.

A man came up to him and said: “This is stupid. There are a million starfish here, and your attempts will not change anything.” The boy picked up the next starfish and said: “No, my attempts will change a lot for this very star.”

Today, many people are suffering, as we know. Is trying to eliminate or reduce this suffering for one person the right thing to do?

Answer: In general, yes. It depends on what calculation you make. You are dealing either with the Creator, or with the suffering of this person, or with yourself, and so on.

Question: If I am dealing with the Creator, then where is the suffering coming from?

Answer: From the Creator.

Question: And they are given to this person so that he could go through it?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And, by and large, do I not even have the right to interfere?

Answer: This is also taken into account by the Creator, so it does not matter, you can do it. You want to save others from suffering so that you can feel better. Egoism has not gone anywhere.

Question: Do you still admit the possibility that I want to save a person from suffering?

Answer: No, you cannot be in his shoes.

Question: So what is empathy for another person?

Answer: This is because you empathize; that is, you imagine that this is all happening to you, and therefore you must make him feel better.

Question: And are you still thinking about yourself?

Answer: And nothing else!

Question: How do we get out of this impasse?

Answer: There is no way out. No way!

Comment: That is, all the people who do charity work…

My Response: Of course, they are doing it only for themselves!

Question: Is the only way out to turn to the source of all suffering?

Answer: Turn to the Creator, and if the Creator puts you in a very special state where He eliminates your egoism, your desires to enjoy, then you will be able to do something for the sake of others, and not for yourself. But these are all exceptional cases.

Question: Let ‘s take such an ideal case. What does it mean to do something for the sake of another person? The Creator gave this opportunity. What does it mean?

Answer: Imagine that you have to cut yourself off from all connection with another person. Disconnect yourself from him and do good to him.

Question: Without thinking about yourself at all?

Answer: In any way! This is called that I disconnect myself from another person.

Question: Is this the help of the Creator if He gives such an opportunity to a person?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So is a person not capable of this in any other way?

Answer: No, he is not. It is not our nature.

Question: How is all this veiled and covered up so that we have the feeling that we are really doing good?

Answer: This is what we do in this life. Nothing can be done to us, we are so unusual

Question: Then the key question is, should you still do good to others or not? Should I try to do this or not?

Answer: I would tell you, do it just in case. 🙂 What an egoistic answer, isn’t it?

Question: You will get credit for that, right?

Answer: Yes. You would say that I once did something, here and there…

Comment: That is, one way or another, you claim that I gain these points for myself.

My Response: You do not gain them.

Question: So I do not gain them as a result. And yet, should I try to do to others what I consider good or not?

Answer: Do it, but at the same time, think that by doing this you are not doing anything for yourself. Then it will actually be more or less clean.

Question: That is, do I not gain anything from this, as it were?

Answer: No. I do not gain, I will not gain, and I do not want to gain.

Question: What if it hurts me so much that there is no way for me to get out of this nature?

Answer: Then you are a good egoist. A good egoist means that I would like to rise above my egoism, but I cannot. And that is why I suffer.

Question: Is this a good state by and large?

Answer: No, this is a wretched state. 🙂

Question: Can this state be called a prayer or not?

Answer: Any state can be called a prayer.

Question: Which prayer is correct, in your opinion?

Answer: A correct prayer is when I am looking at a wallet lying on the ground and I imagine that there is a bank note for a million dollars in it. 🙂

Question: And I ask that it be so? That is, after all, one way or another, it is for myself?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And if it makes me feel bad, and I want to get rid of it?

Answer: No, when you understand that this is your nature, then you will not feel bad.

Question: Coming to the conclusion that this is my nature, precisely understanding this in my heart and mind, is this practically the starting point?

Answer: Yes, from this you can start moving.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/18/23

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 202Comment: Today the state of the world is such that the Creator, the Creator, who created this entire universe, increasingly seems to need a lawyer. Why did He create this? Why did He do this? I have divided the entire history of human relations into ten stages and would very much like you to act as a lawyer. Or in the role of the Creator: Why did You create this? How did it all happen?

Chapter One—The Primitive World

Question: Let’s start with the primitive world. We are interested in examining relationships that have already arisen. Everyone lived as one family. I killed a mammoth and brought it to the fire; everyone ate and everything was very good. There were simple relationships, and there were simple concerns. They lived, and it didn’t matter how long they lived. They didn’t bother with high philosophy. Man and nature—what could be better?

Tell me, please, how did nations appear with their own characters, with their own territory and borders? What was the Creator’s intention?

Answer: The Creator’s intention was to bring humanity to a state where it consisted of many opposing peoples, distant from each other internally and externally, so that they would begin to gradually realize as they developed that they needed to overcome their animal nature.

Question: Is it more comfortable for you, perhaps, to speak from the Creator?

Answer: I can speak from the Creator. I need to raise creation to the level of the Creator.

Question: Is this Your thought, the Creator’s thought?

Answer: This is my thought. And this was done gradually so that people would begin to realize themselves and their opposition to the correct nature and coexistence with each other.

Question: So you created these good “children” who sat around the fire, and everything was fine with them, more or less normal, man and nature. And you wanted to set them apart, right?

Answer: Yes. So that they confronted their nature, so that they counteracted it.

Question: What was their nature?

Answer: An egoistic nature.

Question: These people sitting around a campfire?

Answer: Yes. Little by little they tried to overcome each other, to resist, and to fight. What is mine is mine, and yours is yours.

Question: Did you introduce all this? You, the Creator? Intentionally?

Answer: Yes.

Chapter Two—Wars

Question: Nations, borders, character, clothing, music—differences appeared. In general, all this appeared. And wars.

Again, You, the Creator, why did You pit the nations against each other? Was it impossible to live within borders? We have already separated them. Why was it necessary to bring peoples and countries together?

Answer: It didn’t all start with nations. It started with wild animals, with all kinds of bugs, cockroaches, everything.

Question: Did you also put these wars in them?

Answer: Of course! Into all living things! Every living thing must fight for its life.

Question: Why did you decide that it should be this way?

Answer: Egoism was growing. This is mine-mine, yours-yours. And then mine is mine and yours is mine. And thus development continued. Wars, countries, walls, and fortifications arose. I take everything from you. And from here egoism continued to develop within a different framework.

Question: What was your plan? Was this how to pit nations together, destroy borders, and so on?

Answer: It was so that they would consciously make sure that they could not be against each other. So that they would come to the conclusion that they must coexist in peace and unite with each other. And this must be achieved through increasing egoism.

Question: Was it impossible to immediately determine this point?

Answer: No, you can’t. Otherwise you won’t have an equilibrium system. You need one and the other, two opposing forces. And the person between these two forces would have to control them.

Comment: That is, You, as the Creator, placed man as a yo-yo. The toy that moves up and down.

My Response: No, not a yo-yo! A person must always choose for himself the highest level, which is the overcoming of altruism over egoism.

Chapter Three—Strange People

Question: Wars, showdowns, and deaths began. Things went well; history started unrolling. And at this moment 4,000 years ago, the Creator, that is, you, decide that another nation should appear in the world. Another nation whose fate was determined from the very beginning. Subsequently, this nation will be called Hebrews, Israelites, the Jews.

Tell us about this plan of yours, the plan of the Creator. Why is there suddenly a need for this nation?

Answer: A group must appear that would understand that it is imperative to prefer peace to war.

Question: But it was possible to take some kind of people because nations already existed at that time. Was it possible to identify these people?

Answer: They all existed in continuous wars. It was necessary to find some people who would realize that other principles of human existence are possible in the struggle over hatred in oneself and toward others, without wars.

Question: So there is hatred toward others?

Answer: Yes, it is natural. And in this case, by rising above this hatred, nations would develop by looking at this nation. Therefore, a nation appeared that should have been an example.

Question: So there are nations that arose in the territories thanks to language, geography, and so on. Are you now talking about a nation that arose from an idea?

Answer: Yes, the idea of rising above hatred. These were the Jews.

Question: Did other nations also join it? Was it so composed?

Answer: Yes, gradually a collection of people gathered who called themselves Yehudim, from the word “Yehud—connection. And then they called themselves Israel, from the direction of movement toward the Creator—IsraEl. “Isra” means directly (straight to). “El” means the Creator, that is, directly to the Creator. And thus the whole story began to develop around them.

Chapter Four—And the Nation Began

Question: So, the Jews appeared. As you know, they appeared in Babylon and followed Abraham. It was his idea.

They entered the world and went to the Land of Israel where the Creator indicated to go. Along the way, they had to experience what slavery was, emerge from this slavery, and receive the Torah.

Please tell us about these stages: movement to Eretz Israel, slavery, and receiving the Torah. Why did you, the Creator, need to lead these people through all these sensations and states?

Answer: In order to bring them to full awareness and acquaintance with the Creator.

Slavery makes man dependent on man. And at the same time they must come to a state of only dependence on the Creator.

Question: That is, if I am a slave, I depend on the master. And did the Jews need to feel what that was? Precisely these people?

Answer: Yes. That is why they were in Egypt so they would feel that they depended on others and to get in touch with the supreme, with the Creator.

Question: Then they left Egypt and received the Torah. For what?

Answer: They received a clear list of instructions about what people should be like in order to rise even further to the Creator.

Question: So this was a list of laws, instructions. Did they demand it? Did they need to get this list?

Answer: They guessed that there was some kind of, if not a written list or a list carved on something, then at least a set of laws.

Question: Did they know that there was a set of laws?

Answer: Yes, of course. This is natural human behavior in society.

Question: What does it mean that the Torah was given to them?

Answer: Through several people, the knowledge was received that one must live exactly according to this code, to this principle. And they accepted it and moved toward the land of Israel.

Chapter Five—Temples Rise and Fall

Comment: The Jews entered the land of Israel, in which seven nations already lived. They seized this land, built a country and its capital, Jerusalem. King David, King Solomon—all these are well-known stories.

My Response: In principle, there was a capital. There was Jerusalem.

Question: Yes, that is, they conquered Jerusalem and made it their capital. Temples were built: the First and Second Temples. It is said, by the way, that the time of the Temple was the happiest time both for the Jews and for the world. But the Temples were destroyed.

What was the Creator’s intention? After all, the Temples were built at the height of love for one’s neighbor, at the height of this whole idea.

Answer: In a continuous struggle with oneself. Thus, they still developed and moved forward.

Question: Let them conquer the land, give them a capital, build temples and suddenly start destroying them! For what?

Answer: Building and destroying is generally the only principle of moving forward. It is impossible to move forward without destroying the old. We can see this from the time of the first king, King David, who fought for 40 years.

Question: Such a pearl was built. It may have been a struggle, but it was built. Temples were built. Why did You need to destroy them? Let everyone, as You said, begin to be like this; everyone began to build temples for themselves. After all, what You wanted had already been done.

Answer: Yes, but the principles of the existence of people in this state were, in general, built on love your neighbor. And in other nations it was on the terms of the reign of some family.

Comment: I see. It was, on the contrary, on other terms: I rule over others. Well, that’s good. Let them start to be like Jews.

You said that these people included the idea of love, and all nations had to become like these people, little by little. Why not…?

My Response: How could they perceive this idea?

Question: So could they not accept this idea? They were not able to look and perceive that “Oh, we want to live like this.” They were not able to?

Answer: No, this is all very difficult.

Chapter Six—Exile, For What?

Question: What happened is what happened. The Second Temple was destroyed, the Roman Empire began to rule, cleared this area, and the Jews were sent into exile for 2,000 years. The world at this time was pagan, one might say barbaric, with wars and the same thing, hatred.

Why was it conceived by the upper force to scatter the Jews, to lead the Jews through the world? They had their own state, and now they were led through the world.

Answer: It was to absorb this idea of ​​monotheism, love your neighbor as yourself, and so on, so that all of this can gradually come closer, enter, and take root in all of humanity.

Question: So You say that when there were temples and humanity saw that there were temples there, it could not perceive it. And was it necessary to destroy the temples in order to let the entire mass of people, Jews, through humanity? So that they would bring this idea there?

Answer: Yes.

Question: How did they carry it? There is a record in them that there were temples? Was there such a law among the Jews? How did they carry it?

Answer: When people mixed with each other, some kind of connections were formed. And the Jews began to create the Bible and their own books. And these books and this teaching gradually penetrated into other nations and took on all sorts of other forms in them. Those who, in principle, were perhaps far from ideals.

Question: Are You now hinting at the emergence of religions and spiritual movements?

Answer: Yes, of course. That is why.

In principle, other nations passed through this instruction, the Torah, and gradually became closer to the ideals of human love, connection, rapprochement, and so on.

Question: But did these religions still correspond to the characters of the nations?

Answer: Of course. We could see it.

Comment: But the source was the instruction, the Torah. The commandments were the source.

My Response: But they didn’t deny it; it was natural.

Question: No, no one denied it, everyone referred to this source. And was this the Creator’s idea?

Answer: Of course. Today, the whole world has, of course, altered all the conventions of the Torah to suit itself, but somehow it still more or less orients itself according to them.

Chapter Seven—Hatred and Expulsion of the Jews

Question: Jews would enter a certain country, begin to settle there, and lived in their own community, even tried to assimilate, or did not. The most famous period was the Middle Ages. This was Spain, and at a later time, Poland and Germany.

Why did the Creator need to lead the Jews through the nations, so that they would not be loved, so that they would be kicked out, so that all this would happen? To take the best from these people, for example? But why were they always being persecuted somewhere?

Answer: Yes, this is a very serious question.

Because according to human perception and human nature, hatred is perceived faster and closer than good relationships. It turns out that if you want some of your principles and rules to be internalized, they must go through rejection and hatred.

Question: Do You think resistance and hatred is first? No matter how high and good an idea is, at first I hate it? Why don’t I feel like this would be good for me?

Answer: Because everything comes from egoism. So there is nothing you can do. That is, human egoism began to resist this idea. And since the bearers of this idea were the Jews, they suffered from it.

Question: How did they justify the Creator, may I ask You? Burned in public squares, killed by hundreds of thousands—how did they hold up?!

Answer: What were they supposed to do?

Comment: They remained people who believed and had the Torah.

My Response: This is where it becomes clear how the Creator held them. On the one hand, hatred, on the other hand, strengthening of faith.

Comment: I understand the connection when they beat you and you stop believing. This is a direct connection. But here, on the contrary, they beat you, they burn you, and they kill you, but you believe, believe and carry this standard.

My Response: It is all the Creator.

Chapter Eight—Catastrophe, Creation of Their Own State

Question: So little by little we approached the Second World War. The Catastrophe of European Jewry. On the one hand, this was a huge tragedy, naturally. On the other hand was the push for the creation of the state of Israel.

It is known that the great Kabbalists Baal HaSulam and Rav Kook accepted this state. What did this mean for the world—the creation of this small dot, barely visible on the map—the State of Israel?

Answer: It doesn’t matter that it’s a small dot. The main thing was that this was again an indication in the world that this was the spiritual center of the world.

Question: So the world felt it?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And this strange vote at the UN. Was all this in general the feeling of the world that this place should be created?

Answer: They raised their hands and created it. I think it was done instinctively from above.

Question: But did the world need this place? And again it became a place of struggle and clash.

Answer: Naturally.

Chapter Nine—The Central Problem of the World

Question: Almost immediately with the creation of a state, wars began the next day. And these wars were for the existence of the state. That is, the Jews were fighting so that they had the state of Israel.

Why did the Creator not give the Jews this piece of land and let them live? Why was this place becoming almost the central problem of the world?

Answer: According to the state at that time, the opposition between the Jews was such that they naturally created hatred of the surrounding nations toward Israel.

When they clashed with each other, the Jews themselves aroused hatred from outside nations.

Comment: As You say: “We won’t be able to live in peace as long as we hate each other.”

My Response: Yes. We ourselves create such hatred between us. And by doing this we call upon ourselves the corresponding external forces.

Question: So, do you think that it was impossible for Jews to live here peacefully?

Answer: No! They could not live peacefully among themselves! They argued with each other all the time. This is your synagogue, this is mine! These are the left, these are the right, these are the Moroccans, and these are the Yemenis. And so on.

Comment: But you said that this was a people in which an idea lived. These people were coming with this idea.

My Response: These were people who were not yet ready for this idea. They were not ready to rise above themselves, above universal egoism.

Chapter Ten—It Is Not Simple

Question: This war, which began on October 7, 2023, is the murder of Jews, barbaric and terrible. Please tell me, can it become some kind of turning point in the life of Israel and the world?

Answer: I don’t know. It all depends on how the Creator wants it.
I’ll be honest. I do not see forces in Israel itself that can change it. We hate each other; we are in constant disputes within society.

Question: So do we have to understand this? Is this what should come into us?

Answer: Yes. This problem still remains. Look what happened before the war. Where were all the generals?! Where were all the border guards who cleared the way for all the Arab crowds?! And so on. What is it?! This speaks of the general demoralization of society.

Question: After all, we started with the fact that 4,000 years ago a nation was created who followed an idea. They passed through time, passed through countries, came here, and as you say, continue to hate each other and so on.

Please tell me, when will this point work, what is this idea that these people followed? After all, it exists somewhere! How to grab onto this point?

Answer: That is not known yet. I’m not pessimistic. I just look ahead and do not see this point.

Question: The great Kabbalist Baal HaSulam said that a nuclear third and fourth world war are possible; do you suddenly feel that this is possible?

Answer: I agree with that, yes.

Question: If yes, then what is all this for?

Answer: So that, in the end, Jews and all humanity as a whole will realize the need for a complete correction from egoism, an ascent above this hatred.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/2/23

Related Material:
The History Of The Jewish People
The Destruction Of The Temple: Do Not Despise The Fallen
Under The Rule Of The Nations