Question: Sandy leaves behind not only great damage but also certain “vibes” in the air. After all, it has touched millions and made their hearts beat faster. What is the message they can learn from this?

Answer: First, I don’t expect them to search their hearts as for the upper governance: “Why is this happening to us? What have we done? What didn’t we do?” Here everyone has their own account.

But generally speaking, Americans must understand that something is happening with the US. Once it was a dream, a model of democracy, and the search for something better. Despite all the dirt that our ego brings, no matter what it touched, there was also something good. But the positive aspect came to an end long ago when it turned into the exploitation of the whole world in order to satisfy the needs of Americans who are also proud of this situation.

Lately this phenomenon has reached such dimensions that in the current circumstances the US has no right to exist. So it turns out that in everything that you do, you harm others, and it is only in order to gain a bit more, even if you actually don’t need it. This approach is unthinkable since it is totally opposite from nature and doesn’t lead to correction.

The upper governance accepts all forms of human behavior that enable people to learn something and to come to the right conclusions, to understand what is good and what is bad. But the circles that govern the US have crossed this line last summer when they stated the “Arab Spring” in Israel, wanting to bring about the destruction of the state of Israel by revolution. I felt and saw it with my own eyes in everything that happened.

They make their people believe that Israel has no right to exist. This is the intention of those in charge (except for a few intelligent people—to shift the public opinion in this direction. By that they pull the carpet from under their own feet.

If they continue this trend, we will suddenly see how quickly the disintegration can take place. After all, the advanced and sophisticated infrastructure is actually a weak spot, and if you destroy it there will be nothing left.

For instance, what is the city of New York without the vital subway that brings million of commuters to work? Modern technology is a two-sided coin. It is sign of progress and at the same time a vulnerability. We can draw an analogy to elementary forms of life that can survive in harshest conditions while developed organisms are weaker in the face of threats. So it is very easy to shake the foundations of modern man.

Americans don’t understand what the laws of nature are. Today, according to the general plan, any state that wants to be prosperous has to help the nation of Israel in the process of correction. Of course, they have to pressure this nation since otherwise nothing will come of it, but the pressure is only one of the conditions that together with others have to spur the people of Israel to act: “You have to perform the correction, this is what we expect of you.” Ideally, this is exactly how the process should take place.

But the Americans act in an opposite manner and actually block their “infusion” by themselves, cutting the branch they are sitting on. Thus they will not advance, although at the moment it seems that their situation is improving. It will not improve. The figures can be wonderful, after all the “bubble” has been inflating for decades, but it won’t take long to puncture it.

I foresee difficult times in the US. Of course they will try to pass on their difficulties to the rest of the world, as they have been doing for many years, but still, this state will encounter great difficulties if their attitude will remain the same. I hope that it will change if Mitt Romney wins the elections. If not, things will get worse and the path of suffering will truly be revealed.

I am saying all this only from the perspective of the plan of creation, and there are no other considerations involved here.
[91802]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/12, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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Question: I am writing to you, frightened by the howling wind and rain; outside the window is a hurricane. What is happening to us?

Answer: We are caught in a trap that was prepared for us by our egoistic nature. Under the influence of its nature, a person tends to 1) satisfy basic (reasonable) needs and 2) satisfy the desire for excesses that emerge in him under the influence of his environment. Rather than striving to become similar to nature, making humanity as one family, we engage in competition, individualism, and protectionism.

The self-interests of producers impose a consumer society on us in which everyone aspires to excess in everything. However, they never reach happiness because this feeling of happiness does not incite them to make new purchases and it annuls the cult of consumerism.

All of this is done to replace the spiritual values with the material ones. People are limited, brought up on soap operas, and are duped by mass culture; it is easier to sell to those and it is easier to manage them. The increasing contrast between humanity and integral nature creates different kinds of imbalances that manifest in the form of social and natural disasters.
[91817]

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Question: A priest has already said that super storm Sandy was caused by Obama and Romney’s sins. Major disasters are always blamed on someone’s sins. How do we avoid falling into this trap when explaining to people what is happening?

Answer: Basically, there are two options: the path of the Torah and the path of suffering. And if we do not tend towards the positive, then we tend towards the negative.

In general, everything good and bad that a person feels in this world is part of the general management. It is not possible to say that any phenomenon is detached from spirituality and has nothing to do with it. It has.

Now, imagine that the qualities of judgment (Gevurot) that are revealed today are clothed in mercy (Hassadim). Due to this power, the world could move forward nicely. After all, the force of bestowal would gain the power to open up in the internal properties of judgment, which are now manifested today in a storm. Social divide would be diminished around the world, the value of unity would grow, integral education would develop…

However, in reality the opposite is true, and the storm is the consequence of this. Only it was not sent as a punishment. There are no punishments; these are the actions of the same forces that we did not correct at the time, according to the program. They accumulate, and if we had done everything right, they would have raised us to a higher degree. Now, this degree, on which we were supposed to be, is manifested in the opposite form, in the form of a natural disaster.

The same factor appears not positively, as it should be, but negatively. However, we switched the rails from the path of the Torah to the path of suffering. The “switch” is in our hands.

So, it is not a punishment, but a natural consequence that we have caused ourselves. There is no need to imagine as if the Creator decides to punish us one way or the other. It is nothing like that; we are dealing with the law of nature: You do not realize the revealed Reshimot (informational genes), they accumulate in a large account, a “fine” that we get.

This “fine” is like a warning. And the question is, whether we accept it correctly.

It is said that punishments soften and cleanse the body. So maybe that’s for the better? “I was punished, a disaster fell upon me, and I became cleaner. I have suffered, but become purified…”

This is an absolute lie, an unprecedented mistake. I myself have brought upon myself what I have gotten because I had not realized the Reshimot properly. In fact, I am given a chance now. Until now, going through the sequence of Reshimot, I did not understand how to behave. I played, I was confused in my own egoism and mood swings.

And now, having found myself in a difficult situation, I finally got a “gift”: I have the opportunity and ability to judge correctly. In other words, the disaster came to help me, to shake me: “Wake up! It can no longer continue like this! You cause yourself harm.” In this case, a disaster is a remedy, though bitter. Similarly, a child could be treated in a tough way to keep him out of trouble.

That is why the storm should be seen on the one hand, as a warning, and on the other hand, as a situation that can help us make a correct calculation and move forward.

So this is great! We ought to say, “Thank you!”

The approach is simple: Everything that happened before had to happen. We do not look back. “If” does not count. Now, a blow is manifested; hence, we must continue to make a calculation, the calculation on how to correct corrupt desires, the property of judgment.

Note when this happens: a week before the presidential election. So let’s see what happens: Will Sandy help the reassessment of what is happening? If not, we will see worse hurricanes, severe disasters. It depends on the events of the next week how the US will survive the winter.
[91839]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/31/12, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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Question: In what way is the ego good and how is it possible to beneficially use it?

Answer: The ego is good because it’s the only energy that exists in us. It’s what pushes us forward, raises us. Throughout evolution, it has been constantly lifting us from the beastly level to the present level.

And today we are at a meeting point where we actually change. We begin to understand that the previous form of ego that we used has exhausted itself. We’re not able to work with it any further, thus it shows us the present crisis.

This is the crisis of the former ego, when we used it and it seemed to us that all was well, everything was normal, and it was possible to continue in this way until the end. But suddenly it was revealed that it had closed, had encompassed us into a single system, to complete interdependence.

And if we are completely dependent upon each other, how can we use our ego? Gradually we become like one family in which everyone is dependent on each other, and I need to use my ego, calculating my dependence on others. This means that in this way I need to use it differently, meaning already in an integral manner, according to the ego of others.

It turns out that we need to begin to use the general ego that is shared by us: to connect it together and rise above it so that our unity, connection, and support will be higher than our personal ego, that is, so that our ego becomes mutual, social, and collective.

This means that our group needs to have a shared goal, and we need to attain this mutual goal by each one pushing towards it with his personal ego. Then everyone will be ready for a mutual goal, a mutual connection, and in the end we’ll begin to measure our success to the extent of our connection. That is very important. Thus our ego isn’t annulled, but simply is utilized in such a way according to how it’s revealed today to humanity, meaning in an integral way.
[91296]
From a Virtual Lesson 10/21/12

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In the News (from BBC News): “The debate came after Greece…announced that unemployment in Greece hit a record 25.1% in July, with the level among young people reaching above 50%.

“And the nation predicted its economy will shrink by 6.5% this year, much more than previously estimated this year, worse than a previous estimate of 4.8% in March suggested to its bailout lenders.

“Greece also said its economy will shrink for a sixth year in 2013.”

My Comment: How can new jobs appear if they are not needed in the economy? This suggests only one solution: to produce as much as necessary, instead of producing unnecessary goods, which harm the environment.

The calculation of production will have to start from “the bottom”: What goods and services in what quantity are needed FOR EVERYONE. And then production and services need to be built according to this calculation. The pursuit of fulfilling one’s ego will be shifted to the right leisure: integral connection, which gives the feeling of higher contentment.
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Opinion (Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund): “The head of the International Monetary Fund has urged world leaders to take immediate bold action to stimulate growth. Christine Lagarde warned that the global economy was decelerating and said both Europe and the United States were taking too long to come up with solutions to their debt problems.”

My Comment: People are beginning to become aware of fate, upper management, the lack of the ability to control events. Humanity is starting to bend down its head, “come down from the tree,” and lose pride and the sense that it is higher than what is happening.

Thus, humanity will gradually begin to feel that it is not above nature and can do whatever it wants, but that nature is above it and does everything according to its plan. Fear and uncertainty will quickly make people come around. It’s a pity, if this happens at the cost of blood and suffering. Similarity with Nature, the search for harmony with it, this is the only task of humanity. It will find itself in a new dimension through this search.
[91217]

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Question: Do you know that only 4-12% of American Jews consider the existence of Israel as their important issue? What does it say? (Source: AJC 2012 Survey of American Jewish Opinion)

Answer: First, it shows that representatives of the Government of Israel do a poor job in this regard. Second, there is a complete lack of understanding of how much the fate of American Jews is linked to the existence of Israel. They believe that it’s more convenient for them to be considered as American citizens, belonging to no one, like, for instance, African Americans. In this case, no one will complain about them.

But complaints will persist in any case, and “I will find you on the edge of the earth,” says the Creator. “You will not be able to escape and will be forced to fulfill your destiny to become the Light for the nations. You will not succeed in hiding, disappearing in the mass of humanity.”

We will witness how the connections between all the Jews of the world will be discovered, the ten lost tribes will be found, and they altogether, consciously or involuntarily, will fulfill their purpose.

For now, I think that from all the nations of the world we need to gather people who are aware of the purpose of humanity, the so-called “Isra-El,” with the point in the heart, aspiring to reveal the Creator. And all the rest need to vote for Romney and be nurtured by the method of integral education.
[91429]

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Opinion (Andrew Sheng, President of the Fung Global Institute, adjunct professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing, Xiao Geng, Director of Research at the Fung Global Institute): “Given the crisis weighing down the world economy and financial markets, it is not surprising that a substantive reconsideration of the principles of modern economics is underway. …

“The British economist Fritz Schumacher understood that human institutions, as complex structures with dynamic governance, require systemic analysis. He defined meta-economics as the humanizing of economics by accounting for the imperative of a sustainable environment; thus, he included elements of moral philosophy, psychology, anthropology, and sociology that transcend the boundaries of profit maximization and individual rationality.

“Similarly, Eric Beinhocker, at the newly established Institute for New Economic Thinking, argues for ‘a new way of seeing and understanding the economic world.’ Such an approach requires incorporating psychology, anthropology, sociology, history, physics, biology, mathematics, computer science, and other disciplines that study complex adaptive systems.

“We believe that the framework of ‘micro-macro-meso-meta-economics’ – what we call ‘systemnomics’ – is a more complete way to analyze human economies, understood as complex living systems evolving within dynamically changing complex natural systems.”

My Comment: This is a move in the right direction. Really, it is not simple for economists to change their approach of “maximum profit at any cost” to some unaccountable values, such as connection, care, and love. They will have to develop a system of complete interconnectedness of humanity engaged in meeting its reasonable needs, from the point of view of the rational economy, the maximum output with the minimum cost and destruction of society and the environment.
[91291]

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Question: There is a new global phenomenon, a sort of “time banking.” They receive investments not in money but in work hours. For example, someone invests in hours of gardening and another donates an hour of teaching math and so on. Could it be that humanity has identified the problem of inequality, when a person’s abilities determine his wellbeing?

Answer: I don’t think that this is the right way to go. As usual lack of understanding leads to distortion.

A professor can do things that are a thousand times greater than a plumber, for example, and a million times greater than a simple worker. He can build an instrument, for example, or invent something that millions can use.

In spiritual terms on every level there is a state of Hafetz Hesed, but these states are different and each is on a different level. You build bestowal above your desire to receive and someone else above his desire to receive. So you are not equal.

People who exchange services according to this formula, annul competition and ignore the desire to receive, and yet, without it, it is impossible to exist. It seems that everyone is generous and all is divided equally. But history proves that all the attempts to create artificial equality lead to collapse and even greater competition. So such ideas will not succeed in the long run.

The true advancement is in three lines, not in one. It is a great wisdom, which can only be received from Above with the help of the Light that Reforms. It isn’t simple. The middle line cannot be conveyed from one to another. It needs someone who understands how to manage it from Above. You connect to him and learn from him and attain his approach—only then will you be able to act on your own.

Eventually, no one will understand why the “time bank” will suddenly go bankrupt. People will check themselves and look for reasons and will then come to us and beg for help. They will understand that there is a special “patent” here, although they don’t quite know what it is yet. “You have something that really works,” they will say. “So lead us to it!”

There are quite a few such initiatives that people have to go through. Otherwise humanity will not feel helpless and will not cry out from the level it is on—like the outcry of the children of Israel in Egypt.

Then humanity will realize that the solution that we offer stems from the Creator. They will come to us because we have a connection to the spiritual root that is drawn through the wisdom of Kabbalah. This is what will attract them. Today they are repelled by it and tomorrow they will be attracted out of despair, out of an internal breaking point, when they try to reach bestowal their own way and fail.
[91183]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/24/12, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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