Entries in the 'Group Work' Category

Ten Miracles For The Nation Of Israel

Dr. Michael LaitmanMidrash Sefer, “Beshalach:” When the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea the Creator performed ten different miracles for them.

  1. 1. The decline of the water to the sides.

The first miracle is the decline of the water to the sides when the obstacles the Israeli nation faced on its way to attaining spirituality are divided into the left and right lines.

Crossing between the water that withdrew to the sides means walking along the middle line, which doesn’t really exist, since it is a person who stabilizes it by himself through the proper combination between the right and left lines.

What is more, the right and the left lines don’t exist either. There is only a big chunk of desires before you and you have to divide them by yourself, by your own attributes. I can work with this for the Creator’s sake (the right line), but I cannot work with the other attributes (the left line). And you pass in between by using both lines. This action is called the decline of the water to the sides.

2. A sheltering cover that resembles a roof was created above the Jews’ heads.

A roof symbolizes the Surrounding Light.

3. The water was divided into twelve separate passages (a passage for every tribe).

Each property of a person sees the passage between the right and the left lines differently and in a totally different perspective through its ego, according to its own powers. This refers to a person’s internal attributes that now enter the spiritual world and are born into it.

4. The ground beneath the feet of the children of Israel was completely dry.

Passing on dry land means distinguishing between the attribute of receiving and the attribute of bestowal.

5. The ground beneath the feet of the Egyptians resembled mortar. This was the revenge, an eye for an eye, directed towards the Egyptians who enslaved the Jews and forced them to produce mortar.

The Egyptians cannot distinguish between land and the upper water, the attribute of receiving and the attribute of bestowal, and therefore sink and get stuck in the mud.

6. The water becomes solid, like rocks, and injures the Egyptians that chase after the children of Israel.

It refers to the forces of Gevurot (the attributes of Dinim). Therefore the water that should be soft and a source of life becomes the opposite, a rigid force with regard to the Egyptians (the separate egoistic attributes).

7. The water that became solid formed a wall that was decorated by a mosaic.

All the unsolved egoistic attributes within a person, that are subconscious and are uncorrected, are connected to the altruistic attributes but which as yet are clarified nor classified. They are a type of knots of strings below their feet, setting sharp obstacles over which he cannot cross. This whole mosaic is inside a person.

8. The walls that were created by the water that turned into solid were transparent, which enabled each tribe to see the other tribes advance (which gave them a feeling of trust and confidence).

“The walls that were created by that water that turned into solid were transparent,” means that all the attributes can see one another, since they advance together.

Thanks to their connection, the different attributes are considered one whole. This means that they are connected and at the same time they are also separated.

Every tribe has its own role, and therefore, despite the common movement, they advance on their own. But one way or the other, the movement causes everything in the system to disappear and become one whole that is made of all the twelve tribes.

Thus the movement is common, but each tribe has its own way. It isn’t by chance that it was forbidden to intermarry between the tribes, since by that, one breaks the prohibition and the attributes. Each one can be corrected by itself.

It is only after the destruction of the Temple that the intermarriage between tribes was allowed, since there was the fall from the spiritual level.

9. If a Jew felt thirst while crossing the Red Sea, it was enough for him to stretch out his arm and the wall would melt that would provide him with wonderful drinking water.

Everyone could grow infinitely strong by the Light of Hassadim (Mercy). All he had to do was to stretch out his hand. A hand is a desire to receive and everything depends on the intention with which a person fulfills this desire.

A lack of the attribute of Hassadim, which he wants to add to himself, is felt by a person as thirst, “I want a greater attribute of bestowal. I need it like life now, like water.”

What is more, it isn’t about salt water, since we take out all the Gevurot from them, all the evil inclinations. If you advance with the right intention, the salt water becomes pure water and there are no additions left within it.

10.  The moment the Jew quenches his thirst, the wall becomes solid again.

By his prayer, a person seemingly melts the wall of the frozen water, since without that, it would go back to becoming the upper attribute, the upper force.

It is interesting to compare the ten miracles to the ten plagues of Egypt, since both symbolize the same action, but on different levels. Everything depends on the desire for which it is intended: an unprepared desire, without a Masach (screen), without a yearning to advance in the direction of bestowal, which typifies Pharaoh and the Egyptians, or the opposite, the desire in order to bestow. The same action from Above invokes different outcomes.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 4/30/14

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When The Desire Agrees To Connect

Laitman_115_04Baal 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. 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, as we have shown above.

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. They promise to pay the shopkeeper the desired price, meaning attain the goal by it. And he says about them, “All who wish to borrow may come and borrow.”

And if you say, “What is the difference between the first type, whose goal comes to them from the law of development, and the other type, whose goal comes to them by self-enslavement to His work? Are they not equal in attaining the goal?” In that regard, he continues, “and the collectors return regularly, day-by-day, and collect from a person knowingly and unknowingly.” Thus, in truth, both pay their daily portion of the debt.”

It says that the righteous inherits double and the wicked lose double. After all you work and acquire vessels. You cannot remain the same way you are since the press of evolution is getting nearer whether you want it or not. If you are ready to run ahead in order to acquire the right vessel and discover the next world in it, go ahead. If not, then you are using an egoistic vessel that is very small. It seems that it is a great desire that can oppose the vessel of bestowal but in fact the size of our ego is not suitable for bestowal because it is isn’t deep enough. The Kilpot (shells) are merely a replica of Holiness.

Question: Can we say that paying the debt is the attainment of the ultimate goal?

Answer: Paying the debt is the ascent up the spiritual ladder. When a person ascends the ladder it makes no difference where he is exactly because he doesn’t take himself into account but rather takes into account how to delight the Creator. If, for example, the Creator prefers that he should remain in smallness now and serve others, that he should go through different states, then a person gladly looks for such an opportunity.

Spirituality is bestowal in which there is no egoistic account. Therefore, it makes no difference what state I am in. I value and measure everything according to the opportunity to delight the Creator, the group, or the friends. On the one side of my inner scale there is the group, the friend, and on the other side I measure my ability to do something for them. My self is actually to what extent I can bestow unto others. I only have a point in the heart and I weigh how I can delight the group, humanity, the general soul, or the Creator. The ego is erased and I disregard it, although my point is in it. This is the reason it is called the point in the heart, since my heart is an egoistic heart.

Question: I understand the idea of delighting the friends, but how do I take the Creator into account if I don’t perceive Him yet?

Answer: I begin to see my friends as one whole. When I get closer to the idea of one, I distinguish the force of unity in it.

We are all units (1). There are seven billion units living in this world (7 X 109), but I am drawn to unity, and if I reach it at least in a minimal level (1/125), I become equal to one, to the Creator. In other words, my vessel becomes similar to the Light.

It is because the vessel and the Light are the same. I don’t perceive anything on the outside. I always discover the reactions of my vessel, its impressions and its experiences. Therefore when the desire agrees to connect, it is the Creator for me.

Question: So why is it so important to delight the Creator and not the friends? Why is the emphasis on the Creator?

Answer: Because you have to discover His basis in the vessel, the force that operates in the created being, the one who operates your vessel. You have to adhere to it, to the Keter. We don’t attain Him and therefore we discover the commandment of love through actions. You attain something that is above you. When the human level adheres to the Creator it attains a much higher state. It isn’t just adhesion, but it is the internality of the idea of the Creator is revealed here.

We don’t know what comes after that, but apparently this is only the beginning of our evolution…
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/28/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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The Paradox Of Levels

Dr. Michael LaitmanWithin the connection an additional force is concealed. All ten of us together are equal to one Elyon (Upper One). That is how the law of evolutionary and developmental steps works in nature.

Through connecting everyone on a lower level, an evolutionary leap to a higher level happens, and there the connection is made again and again, followed by a leap in development and a breakthrough to the next level. This is how it is all the time. It is a physical law of nature.

Thus we  have emerged as human beings with all our strength, intelligence, with the human body and all of its fibrils and cells—only through the power of unity, the power of connection. Without it, nothing would have happened. Starting from the Big Bang and onward, only the power of connection has been at work.

Start to work with what you have, and you will see that you can convince people. Don’t say that you haven’t been given enough tools for the correction of the world. It is not true! In the meantime, if you don’t feel what sort of means you are holding in your hands, begin to work, and you will see that these means exist. The audience will agree with what you say even before you agree with yourself.

You will actually learn from the audience that this is the next stage. Even though you are on a higher level, in your lower part, in your AHP, you are more coarse than the people you are going out to. They are more refined because they are found in GE.

This is a paradox, an internal contradiction. You are on their level with your receptive desires (AHP), and they are on the same level with their Kelim of bestowal (GE). Although they are on a level lower than yours, they discover desires within themselves that are more refined than yours. You are coarser, and essentially, more of an egoist than they are. Yet, the fact is that you want the Creator and not mundane things.

They agree with what you say to them more rapidly and more easily than you agree with the statements yourself. About this, it is written, Talmud Babyli, “Ta’anit,” 7a: I learned much from my masters, more from my friends, and even more from my students.” You receive back from them precisely what you said to them yourself. They bring you evidence, intelligence and emotion, and you finally will begin to understand, feel and be stimulated by what you told them.
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From the 2nd part of Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/6/14, Writings of Rabash

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Developing Correct Communications In The Virtual Environment

Dr. Michael LaitmanIngenuous Hatred

Question: Contemporary means of communications created a new pattern of how people deal with each other, structuring a new social environment that lacks the former “ceremonies,” pretentious manners, and posturing. People’s interaction became direct, straightforward, plain and business-like. Pretentiousness was replaced by straightforwardness. Do you think we went overboard in this matter? Is it good that we have lost etiquette?

Answer: In other words, should we reanimate the lies that previously held our society together? No, that is in the past.

Comment: Still, the old style of communication somehow protected us from each other.

Answer: Yes, it distanced us and created an impregnable personal circle with rigid boundaries. This was done to isolate our egoistic hearts that are unwilling to tolerate anyone whatsoever.

Comment: However, unpretentious straightforwardness also triggers serious problems.

Answer: It is natural at the intermediate stage and it stimulates us to change ourselves. This is how the revelation and recognition of evil occurs. It is an essential stage in correcting the evil. Otherwise we wouldn’t acknowledge that there is an obstacle in our way, nor would we admit that we must take measures against it. Maybe I can continue to live as before?

Humanity was not any better off some 200 or 2,000 years ago. The only difference is that today our negative side became more obvious. We have lost gracious manners and stopped using pretentious and beautiful words. Previously, we would say: “Sorry, I have no time. Let’s talk later.” Today, there is no place for such courtesies. Our fingers text, “Go away. I hate you.”

Regeneration

It is very good since we approach the moment of truth! The truth is that we are liars and egoists; we all hate each other and we suffer because of our animosity. Nature requires a worthy connection among us to ensure our advancement.

What can we do if we are placed in a limited, closed sphere? Today, the whole Earth is too small for us. All of a sudden, we realize how much all of us depend on each other.

The nodes that bind us together will grow even tighter. Let me give you an example. Let’s say that a harmful enterprise is built in some country. The entire world is breathing in its stench and suffers because of the consequences of its activity. However, the government of the country where the enterprise operates says. “It is our territory. Here we are allowed to do whatever we want. We apologize for the inconvenience, but there is no other way to handle it.”

It turns out that we really have no other choice but to unite and bring the whole world a a new kind of relationship based on unity and interdependence. That’s when communicating in a virtual environment will, in another way, truly bind us, but not as it is today.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 1/20/15

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How To Assemble A Perfect Humanity

Dr. Michael LaitmanAll of humanity is divided into an internal and an external part. In order to bring the creature to the state of perfection on one hand, we need the creature to be completely independent, separate from the Creator, but on the other hand, being independent allows the creature to change and become like the Creator. That is, the creature must attain Creator’s main qualities so it can figure out what belongs to it and what belongs to the other, since nothing else exists besides the Creator and the creature. It must absorb the Creator’s qualities, understand what is important, sort and select things using freewill not force, and reach a state where it changes its own egoistic qualities, the qualities of reception, for the Creator’s qualities, the quality of bestowal. In this case it reaches equality and similarity to the Creator, and ascends to the level of eternity and perfection.

This is attained by dividing one big desire into many small desires, like a cardboard image of a puzzle that is cut into pieces. These pieces represent parts of one creature whose pieces are distant from each other and do not feel any connection; this is why every piece assesses and perceives its own state, its own life, separate from everyone else. This perception of a private life exists in each of us. There are many other people around us, other elements of this common picture, that we do not perceive due to a lack of connection between us, and this is why we do not perceive the actual universe, its enormous, whole life.

For example, if we were to divide the human body into a multitude of pieces, which existed separately, then every piece would exist on the vegetative level perceiving only its own consumption of beneficial elements and the release of its unnecessary elements. But when these parts connect and begin to interact with each other as one collective whole, they become the animate nature instead of the vegetative nature; they rise to the next state, level, and perceive the movement of all of the parts. Thus, the connection of each organ with the others provides each one with the perception of existence on the animate level.

In other words, the existence of separate elements is characteristic of the vegetative level of nature. But when they connect and work together in harmony, support each other, and when each part is concerned with connecting to others, understanding their needs, providing them with common elements, functions, and the nourishment necessary for a mutual existence, then they perceive this collective harmony and attain their shared interaction in the next level of existence—the animate level.

And it’s the same on our level. When each of us exists on our own, then our organism exists as an animate body; we do not think about the way it exists. But when we feel the need to connect into a single system, when we support one another, care about having harmony between us, when every person thinks about helping others in a system of mutual support so that our body, community, will exist in harmony, then we begin to perceive a harmonious life in this one body, the next level of the universe called Adam (Man). And this level of existence gives us the perception of the upper force of nature, its next level, and the next dimension.

This is what nature is now pushing us towards; however, we have developed gradually. Once we were minerals, then we began completing one another through connection, by grouping according to special characteristics. We started making certain connections, which acquired new qualities, and through their interaction live molecules appeared. In other words, a certain system of mutual support appeared in them that already contained a certain program of its development, and thus the vegetative nature developed from the inanimate nature.

Next, the animate nature developed from the vegetative nature on the next level of connection. And in our time, the animate nature is now connecting on the social level in a new quality, and when we connect properly, then the next level, the human level will appear from us.

Nature pressures us hard whenever it pushes us to develop. We constantly experience huge problems, pressure, and are obligated to look for solutions to somehow avoid the suffering, and this forces us to develop. As evolution continues, we are reaching our next state, which is causing us to suffer, not allowing us to remain in our current state, and this is why we must abandon it.

This time, our next state will be born not only under pressure from the force of nature driving us from behind, but also by the need for us to understand what is happening. We’re not just unconsciously being pushed towards our next state like in our previous stages of development. Today we must choose it and come to it consciously. In other words, we must evaluate our current state, understand that nature is offering us a perfect state, and try to create it on our own. It’s not nature giving us this goal, pushing us in the right direction as it did in our previous stages of development because we must now reach the next state consciously. We need to develop a conceptual tool; we are required to prefer the next stage of our development with the understanding of why we must come to it.

Our egoism pushed us to develop in our previous stages; we did not resist the next state, it was desired. Nature showed us that the next state was a better state, and we strived towards it; we built our societies, created revolutions, developed technologies, and because of this we have reached our current state through thousands of years of development. But today, there are two opposite forces that develop us: One is the force of development, which pushes us through motivation; we don’t want to remain in the same place, but a contradiction arises, we don’t have the desire to develop in the direction that nature proposes.

It is proposing that we should develop in a direction opposite to our current state, our current egoism. It’s showing us that we must connect together with absolute care for one another, an absolute connection, a mutual composition, and create a picture, a scheme, a system where everyone thinks about the others, supports the common homeostasis inside this system, so it harmoniously exists as our animal body.

But in our animal body, the elements and the organs have gathered this way and operate automatically. And we must come together against our egoism. In other words, there are egoistic forces that manifest in different types, forms, and qualities between us that are constantly growing and pushing us apart.  And we must use these egoistic forces to build our addition precisely against them, put our plus where there is a minus, in order to have a proper input of negative and positive, convex and concave pieces in this puzzle, and make one common picture.

This is very difficult because every one of us must act against his egoism. I need to understand that the egoism in me is either convex or concave, that when I take from another without giving to him, it creates convex or concave pieces out of our forms, like pieces of a puzzle that can be put together. I must arrange for my egoistic, positive (giving), and negative (receiving), impulses and possibilities to connect harmoniously with the egoistic, positive and negative qualities and movements of others.

And if everyone takes each other into consideration, then we will mutually add up and create a common continuous picture of our new state. This is very hard work. In the process of this work we must clearly understand who we are, the forces that operate in us, the location of our convex and concave pieces, the desires and qualities that exist in us, we must fully understand our entire nature.

Moreover, we also need to understand the nature of all the other elements of creation, not just the ones I’m in contact with, like in my puzzle picture where I only connect with my neighbors. It turns out that when we all connect together, then we create a certain n-dimensional image where absolutely everyone connects with everyone else. In other words, we are not just a flat image; we are an n-dimensional image: each of us has an enormous number of dimensions, and everyone must connect with absolutely everyone else in these dimensions.

It’s a very complicated and complex holographic system in which everyone really examines his nature, the nature of everyone else, and his nature in relationship to everyone else; only then do they begin to connect to the others properly. We end up interconnected in all the projections and planes, just like one holograph; everyone acquires the quality of the entire image at the end. We achieve perfection this way, each of us, and all of us together. We must come to this.

This is a special development; no examples of this exist in the past. We must learn, attain, feel, and plan everything, see our mistakes, analyze and synthesize our every movement, and compare it to what exists in nature. And this way we correct ourselves and make ourselves fit into this mutual picture.

Moreover, when we really examine nature and the way we must match it, we actually examine the Creator because our combined nature is the Creator. Through the mistakes we make while matching ourselves with others and the Creator, an interesting phenomenon occurs. While trying to connect, we compare ourselves with Him and connect together with Him simultaneously—a simultaneous connection between us and the Creator. This way we reach the state called unity, the state we must attain.

Our corporeal social development has brought us to this current point; we see that we need to seriously start achieving this. Our global crisis is pushing us towards it and is beginning to show us this broken picture. We don’t understand it yet, but we feel that we must start corresponding to one another inside it.  We can no longer continue to exist as a separate element of this puzzle or try to somehow egoistically connect with others; this will no longer help. It is necessary to find certain connections, the proper ones.

But we are unable to build the proper connections between us because we only know how to consume or use each other egoistically as much as we can. We either receive everything from others, or give to others in order to receive from them in return; reception has always been our objective, our goal. We have always done things to benefit us by receiving more than we are willing to give. This is what gave us the energy to move.

And now we do not have the strength to move because we cannot even imagine what we would gain by connecting with others in order to attain mutual harmony. And this is why our egoistic nature does not give us any energy to make this move. It follows that whenever I make any move today, whenever I do anything, I do it only out of my egoism; in other words, I move in the wrong direction. So how can we move correctly?

A group helps us learn to move correctly. A group can be tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people like us that come together with this objective: to find a proper form of connection, to find the upper force, the Creator inside this proper form of connection, inside our connection with others. The Creator will help, He will give us energy to form altruistic connections, to understand how to connect together inside this enormous picture that consists of seven billion separate egoistic beings, to know how to act in general, to find those who are closer or more distant, but to connect with everyone in the end.

It is the first time humanity is facing such interesting, difficult, and creative work. And the wisdom of Kabbalah has become revealed precisely for this reason. Without it we cannot even imagine how we could ever approach this problem. I hope that humanity will avoid suffering and advance without a “sharp stick,” without evoking harsh blows that come from behind in the form of enormous suffering, wars, illnesses, geological problems, ecological problems, and various other problems that will force people to understand the “reason” they need to identify the proper picture, the program, the plan in this model, and then we will be able to move according to this plan.

It’s the same as assembling a puzzle. When we look at separate puzzle pieces without seeing the entire picture, then we don’t know how to assemble it. Where do the pieces go? This is why we need to see the whole picture first in order to assemble it.

It is necessary to identify the Creator in order to see the entire picture. The Creator is the collective plan of nature, the common goal, its mind, dynamics, quality, and movement. When we begin to see the overall picture as depicted on the puzzle box, then we discover the method of connection with others. We reveal the order of connection, the strength to connect to become closer with each other inside this picture; we start assembling the pieces together, the convex and concave pieces in a way that allows us to connect in a proper manner, to connect altruistically based on the correct combination, balance, and unity between them, instead of connecting in an opposite egoistic manner.

The proper connection between us is called the mutual guarantee; it’s when we convey the mutually necessary forces, which must attract us to each other and not repel us in spite of our egoism. We must reveal this action that is hidden in the manual inside our box of puzzle pieces. This is why the Torah is called a manual, which comes from the word “Orah.” The Torah is our manual of the proper mutual composition, which we must now realize between us.

Naturally, there is a certain order in this act of assembling the entire scheme that consists of seven billion pieces. Where do we begin? This is why Baal HaSulam says that everything is divided into the internal and the external. First we need to see the internal pieces.

The internal pieces are those friends and members of our group from all the countries and continents who are experiencing this movement, maybe even subconsciously, still undesired.

They are thinking about entering this new state on the next level, rising from the animate level to the “human” level, but they may not realize that they need to work against egoism for this yet. They talk about connection, but yet they are unable to imagine how we can really connect. In general, we have these problems before us, and we must gradually solve them between us. And of course the solution is the connection and the realization that our connection is only the foundation, the basis for all the other members and parts of this picture; the entire puzzle pieces join us.

And it turns out that this inner part that we represent is the main part of the brain. When it assembles itself, all the strings of control, incentive, explanations, and the revelation of all the other parts come from it. And then they begin to understand, develop, come closer to us, and assemble together with us. Like a magnet, we begin to attract them to the extent that we are able to connect between us.

Everyone will continue to gather tightly together in bigger circles, a greater, more magnificent combination, which in the end reveals the perfection of the creature. As we gradually reveal this perfection on the 125 degrees of consecutive actions, we’ll reveal a greater manifestation of this plan, this force called the “Creator” that exists within, inside it, and moves everything forward. This force emerges gradually. We will see our entire history: how we initially appeared from a small force of Light that created the inanimate level of life.

The inanimate level began developing into the vegetative level and the animate level of life, and today with our awareness and our conscious participation, it is turning into the “human” level of development. The wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed throughout this entire time so we would not have the opportunity to connect or we would have assembled this picture egoistically, incorrectly, the wrong way, and it would have turned us into horrible monsters. This is the reason why Kabbalah was concealed.

It is specifically being revealed today because the time has now come. We see that we can no longer continue to remain on our level, our degree, in our current state; the forces of nature, as usual, are beginning to push us from behind in an unknown direction towards our next state of perception and understanding. I hope that we will manage it, and at the same time show the way to the others who will gradually come closer to us and join us.

Our preliminary state in which we exist is called “a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.” In other words, it is an egoistic state full of rejections, disagreements, and contradictions, but it is very necessary because we’re able to change our egoism through its manifestations. We change the convex for the concave pieces and the concave for the convex pieces, and thus, we very gradually examine and change our egoistic nature to an altruistic nature within us, within all our desires, impulses, thoughts, and qualities. This way we use ourselves to create the next level and attain the Creator’s plan in its entire depth and capacity—to attain Him.

By participating together, we can achieve this very quickly because the next level that we consciously attain will pass very quickly. When the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels of nature must change on their own, then they operate under the stimulating, compelling force of nature, and changes are very slow and constrained. We can see that the inanimate level of nature took billions of years to develop, the vegetative level took hundreds of millions of years, and the animate level took hundreds of thousands of years, and what we refer to today as a “human” has existed in its animal state for around fifty thousand years.

This is why what we are experiencing today is the contraction of time from the inanimate to the vegetative, animate, and human states. We see time accelerate from day to day. For this reason as soon as we begin to work correctly on our proper connection, then we’ll see and realize an enormous amount of actions in it every second. And we will be able to reach this entire enormous unified structure literally over a few upcoming years. So, we are facing a very interesting and intense time, and it is the greatest and the best that could be.

We must value the fact that we are in a state when we can speak about it; we understand where we are, what our mission consists of, that we must try to carry out this program to correct ourselves, and help the others do the same. This is our motivation today, but it does not push painfully from behind, obligating us like animals, it is an incentive that directs us forward towards building our next beautiful state.

It is written in The Zohar that Rabbi Shimon cried because he wanted to give the people everything that he had prepared, but he couldn’t because they were like fruit that is not ripe yet. In other words, mankind would have gathered in an incorrect manner, and then they wouldn’t have been able to “get themselves out” of it.

This is why this book was written in this special “concealed” way and hidden away. It was gradually revealed over the course of many centuries until it finally became revealed to us in our time through the “Sulam Commentary.” Only today are we actually beginning to talk about its proper use.

I hope that we will really come to this realization and will experience all the advantages of this method, this guide called the “Torah” (“guide” – “Orah”), or the Light that exists in it, the revelation of the Creator that happens inside us when we use the group and what the Kabbalists have written for us correctly. Essentially, their books tell us about the proper connection between us and how the Creator becomes revealed inside this connection.

On one hand they speak about the correction of desires, the so-called proper connection between us, and on the other hand, about the way life begins to manifest in this proper corrected state. At first the connection on the inanimate level is small until the vegetative movement appears, then the animate connections, and finally the human connections. Everything depends on the quality and the quantity of the connections between these separate, egoistic elements in one common altruistic system.

We study all these actions and degrees in Kabbalah. Each of the 125 degrees represents maximum unity according to its degree; the ten Sefirot is the complete connection between them, the proper synthesis of each of the separate parts and the Light that manifests in this state, the essence of the Creator, His program, the common force of life. Individual parts can exist separately like in our body, but when they connect together, they form one single organism. But it’s not just one animal or organism because the perception of life manifests inside it, and then suddenly, the purpose of life, certain actions, a certain inner and external world is perceived. Why does this happen? It happens because the entire body is working in unison.

And once we assemble the inner part of this enormous puzzle we’ll be able to begin to add the external pieces to it since this single creature consists of the inanimate – the most external part, the vegetative – an inside part, the animate – a more internal part, and the human – the innermost part. We represent the most internal part. In other words, all those who have an independent aspiration for attaining the purpose of creation represent the inner part. And everyone else follows the circles that branch away from us: the animate, vegetative, and the inanimate.

As we very gradually disseminate Kabbalah, it’s why we have to reveal it to all the other parts, to help them connect to us. This is because the other parts have a very small part that will also have to realize the program of creation, attain the plan of creation, the plan of correction. They will need our help, just like a body that has both major and minor organs.

In a whole perfect organism, every cell matters because otherwise there is no perfection. Naturally, the crucial part in the process of creation and the repair of an organism is its major parts. In other words, the most important thing for us right now is to first correct ourselves.

I hope that we will be able to achieve this fast. Everything only depends on us.

We went through all the previous stages of our development unconsciously, without knowing where we were going. Our egoism was pushing us somewhere and we tried to develop this way, constantly colliding with one another, pushing each other, but now we need to develop another way. The main thing is to direct ourselves inside towards connection and greater adhesion with one another, instead of directing ourselves ahead somewhere.

This is why we need to simply move inside, towards unity, an inner aspiration towards a single, continuous connection. It will reveal the Creator inside us, and then we will have the inner strength to correct everyone else.
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When All Physical Considerations Disappear

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the form of existence of the last generation that lives in order to disseminate?

Answer: The wisdom of Kabbalah is a science that is attained through practical experience. Nothing in it can be spelled out in advance.

Even if there were such cases in the past, then they were recorded in any form, on any level: the still, vegetative, animate, or spiritual, and so we can use them.

When we pass through the Machsom (barrier) and feel all of the spiritual states from personal experience, then everything will be clear and known to us in whatever states Malchut is found with Zeir Anpin, which Reshimot (reminiscences) must be brought up and whatever Light we get from this.

We understand the relationships that appear between us, one relative to another. This one is the receiver, the female. The other in relation to the first is the male. And that is how it is mutually. There are no men and women here in regard to physical sexual characteristics.

A spiritual sign is only one of mutual integration: I am within him and he is within me. And who are he and I? We are simply two souls. Male or female, it makes no difference. Contact is contact. All kinds of physical considerations vanish here.

The wisdom of Kabbalah doesn’t talk about there being some wondrous city where the Kabbalists gathered together and decided to establish, let’s say, a new society of free Kabbalists. It doesn’t talk about how they connected with each other or on what basis they built their community. There is nothing like this!

There are spiritual laws that are written mostly in the articles of Rabash, although they are found in other sources as well, but infrequently. You should try to adapt to these laws, apply them to yourselves.

We have regulations, and then everything depends on how much I am constantly thinking about how to elevate the importance of spiritual work, how through all of my inner drives I summon movement to the Creator or movement from the Creator to me, and this determines everything that I do.

So all of us must very clear in directing ourselves toward the right connection between us, regardless of age, gender, or seniority in our participation in the world group. Everyone must be identical, completely equal, and felt as another small part of our collective soul.

Accordingly we build all of the individual conditions.
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From the Sochi Convention 6/9/14, Lesson 1

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A Tool For Directly Influencing Fate

laitman_938_03Question: In all the sources it is written about the importance of connection. So why is there a kind of blindness that does not allow people to see those things?

Answer: Man needs to be able to feel what it is about. Otherwise, it will stay only as important words that don’t have anything realistic behind it for him.

But if he will participate in a workshop in roundtables, then suddenly he will be impressed as if he never heard until now that connection can awake such feelings.

Suddenly he will understand everything. Before he only heard, and in the best case he thought about it for a moment. But the person lives in a feeling, our matter is a desire to receive; therefore, we grasp everything through the heart. As long as our words do not touch the heart, they have no meaning and they stay as philosophy and empty slogans. Therefore, we need to bring a person to excitement and for that we need to attract him to a special workshop with questions that will excite him and he will understand that here lies a special force.

He will want to be in this special state all the time to continue it more and more according to his desire. We need to bring him to this feeling a few times so it will live in him.

And later he will not just receive a pleasant feeling; rather, he will reveal the force of unity. And we will be able to teach him to use this force to correct his life, the situation, in order to get rid of the evil. Meaning, they are certain stages in the recognition of the intensity of the connection.

Let’s do roundtables in the country and try to connect, to awaken ourselves to connection in order to attract the Reforming Light that will spread between us and correct everything. No doubt, this will improve the situation. In addition to the good feeling, it will cause meaningful changes in the area on the corporeal level.

If we will do all of it, then it will awaken a positive shock in the whole country. It will improve the relations between us, and the behavior of drivers on the road. Try it once and you will see.

This is called true prayer. When we raise a deficiency through connection, the unity between us, it directly awakens the Reforming Light and becomes the “prayer of many.”

We have in our hands, a tool, that with its help we directly bestow to the Creator and activate the upper force; therefore, we don’t need politics. We have an opportunity to make practical actions that awaken the Upper Light. He is always ready and is in complete rest. We only need to activate Him.

At the time of the workshop, people need to feel that they awaken the force of unity between them, which will help them. We only need to explain to them that inside the force of unity between us is concealed the inner force of nature.

All nature is one, a united mechanism; therefore, when we are united, we awake this special force that connects us to Him and fulfills us. In such a form we become one body, where everything is in balance because nature is global.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/18/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Sparks Of Hope Above The Garbage Pile Of The Ego

laitman_937Question: What is the difference between the conditions of connection during the giving of the Torah, during the transition through the 49 gates of impurity, and the exodus from Egypt?

Answer: The 49 gates of impurity are all our vessels, all our desires, our hearts, which are all totally in order to receive, this is garbage dumped at the bottom. Only a point in the heart, a spark of bestowal, comes out of every heart and all these sparks are connected into one.

These connected sparks are called Moses. They want to be connected to the Creator and therefore ascend to the top of the mountain, while all the hearts remain in the 49 gates of impurity. The revelation of the Creator that took place during the exodus from Egypt was necessary in order to detach the sparks from the hearts, in order to take them out of the ego.

Once the sparks are detached from the hearts they can unite into one vessel in order to receive the Torah. After all, when the Light of the Torah is received, each time it is necessary to take a select portion of the hearts and correct them, prepare them and raise them to the height of the sparks.

This is the first phase called to bestow in order to bestow, the raising of the desire to receive to the height of bestowal. Then there is more work with the intention of in order to bestow.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/3/14

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Exposing The Hearts

Dr. Michael LaitmanDo Away With Covers

We are going through a necessary stage of human development that is helping to expose everyone’s true “I.” In the future, we will have to rebuild the old false system of relationships. Generally accepted conventions and courtesy were nice, but misleading.

Today nature requires us to be sincere and match its mechanism, which is mutual cohesion that is true, straightforward, and heartfelt.

Therefore, we can no longer cover our relationships with false politeness. On the contrary, pretense disappears and no one wants to listen to lies that are dressed in fancy clothes. We’ll have to tear off all the covers and talk directly from the heart, as it should be in a single social mechanism.

From Heart to Heart

In this context, modern means of communication such as computer screens of various sizes and resolution are, in fact, preparing us for the next stage. They bring people together and expose everyone. No matter how much I am hiding behind my display, everything about me is known and I am uncovered and known.

There is nowhere to hide and everything can viewed: my bank, my family, my job, my connections, my friends, my conversations and their statistics, my preferences, the size of my clothes and shoes, my tastes, and my leisure time activities.

Everything is known about everyone, a person is naked and others see what he himself does not know about himself. His data is studied by psychologists, sociologists, analysts, and professionals who understand the laws of human society and human psychology.

All of this will lead us to a state where we will want to become naked, that is, to unite into one without hiding anything, where everyone will be integrated with everyone else, where there are no curtains and screens between us, including the liquid crystal display of a monitor, and we all will feel everyone with our hearts. We are all one heart.

Only such unity will absolutely correspond to nature that is still giving us these screens, wanting us to keep in touch through them.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 1/20/15

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We Must Not Miss The Opportunity

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam,”The Nation”: It is clear, save for relying on miracles. That our existence as individuals or as a nation is hanging between life and death. And the salvation is, if we can find the required ploy, that great scheme who’s way is only to be found near danger, and which can tilt the scale to our favor—to give us a safe haven here for all the Diaspora of our brothers, which everyone says is, at present, the only place of salvage.

Then, the road of life will be open to us, to somehow continue our existence despite the difficulties. And if we miss the opportunity and do not rise as one, with the great efforts required at a time of danger, to guarantee our remaining in the land, then the facts before us are greatly threatening for us, since matters are evolving favorably for our enemies, who are asking to destroy us from the face of the Earth.

This was written at the beginning of WWII when people had not yet seen the real danger and the Holocaust towards which they were being led.

But Baal HaSulam says that although we had reached such a terrible state that the destructor was given permission to destroy us, we can still change the ratio between the forces of good and evil if we wish to improve our situation. It is all in our hands.

Although time operates against us, we can actually succeed during this time and bring about great and rapid changes.

Instead of waiting for afflictions, troubles, and  dangers, which means for the negative effects to push us forward, we need to advance by ourselves and turn the path of our natural evolution, in its time, to the path of, I shall hasten it. Then we will be able to advance without any blows at all. It all depends on whether we wake up as a result of the blows or whether we wake up as a result of our work.

Awakening by the blows isn’t very useful since they only change and spur us on. We need to change a great deal in order to recover and advance after such blows. So wouldn’t it be better if we advanced along a smooth path? Then it would really be our awakening to the goal of creation and to a rapid escape from the blows.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/19/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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