Entries in the 'Group Work' Category

The Force That Arises From Opposites

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How do we prepare internally before going out to disseminate externally?

Answer: We must aspire to unity above all differences and chasms between us. I perceive certain people as completely antagonistic, others as hating me, and still others as distant in terms of their worldview, beliefs, and sensations. But I put a restriction on all of these feelings; I don’t use any of my negative responses. Instead, I want to build a feeling of connection and unity above it all.

It is written: “Love will cover all sins.” This means that the negative (–), the ego, all the transgressions, are below, and they are covered from above by the positive (+), which is love.

The difference or discrepancy between us creates a force of resistance and the ability to overcome, or to use Kabbalistic terms, the screen and the Reflected Light. It appears from the opposition of the two poles within me.

That is why we don’t eliminate our ego, but cover it with love. The sin remains—now we merely need to use the method of correction and add a screen.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/12/2011, The Zohar

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Support And Example

Dr. Michael LaitmanHumanity is sick. However, it is not enough for us to simply cure the patient without him knowing about it, the way it happens in our world when a person takes medication without knowing how it affects him. On the spiritual path, every person must acquire understanding and perception and attain the depth of the entire universe. Every person must connect to himself the entire, enormous desire of all the souls, learn about the common system, and start bestowing to them. In other words, we must come to the realization of all of reality.

This is why our organization’s primary goals are education and enlightenment. We must build a drop of semen into a person similar to the Creator. We must help him, support him, and provide him with all the necessary tools and instruments. Then, every person will build himself and acquire similarity to the Creator in their qualities.

Our objective is to lift every person, open and shape him, and help him with his development. He must act on his own, but we help and support him.

However, for now, we must be patient toward everyone who goes against us and only provide them with proof and materials to get them acquainted with the situation according to their level of understanding. We need to bring them out of being in a state of individual “short-circuit,” and give them an opportunity to look at themselves from the side. This is our objective.

To realize it correctly, we first must unite above all the differences, disagreements, and discord, regardless of what goes on inside, as it is written: “Love covers all sins.” We need to set an example for the people and show them how we work with each other in harmony, love, and unity.

All this is for the sake of the goal. Nothing else can unite us. If not for the goal, we would not connect with one another. However, the goal obligates us. This is why we all unite and invite the entire world to do the same. Scientists discover, common sense points out, and world tendencies show that it is only possible to build a safe future in an integrated interconnected world through common unity, and not by fighting.
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From Lesson 3, the Germany Convention 8/6/2011

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Kabbalists On Spiritual Work In The Group, Part 12

Dr. Michael LaitmanDear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

Principles of Spiritual Work in the Group

There should be careful watch in the society, disallowing frivolity among them, since frivolity ruins everything.
– The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “Purpose of Society (2)”

Only one’s friend can uplift one’s spirit, turn around one’s bad mood so that one begins to acquire confidence and wealth once more in life and feels that the goal is now near him.
– The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “They Helped Every One His Friend”

To be integrated in one another, each person should annul himself before the others. This is done by each seeing the friends’ merits and not their faults. But one who thinks that he is a little higher than the friends can no longer unite with them.
– The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “Purpose of Society (2)”
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Good Environment – 08.18.11

My Good Environment – Dr. Laitman’s Advice and Principles for the Week

Rise Above All Differences

Dr. Michael LaitmanRather than existing in this tiny part of reality, when a person wishes to break through to its second part, the eternal and perfect part, then he has several means to do it: teacher, group, and books. The teacher explains that such an opportunity exists. He explains that it can be realized with the help of a group where everyone strives toward the perception of the true, perfect reality, and with the books that speak of the same perfect reality.

When we try to be together, it’s as though every person comes out of himself, out of his ego, because he must feel that he exists in the others. Then, when he tries to be above himself, in the others, connected with them, and he reads about the perception of reality in bestowal, this is the way he makes himself similar to the future state, as if he were already there.

To the extent of his aspiration, he evokes the second force from there that exists in reality, the force of bestowal, besides the small force of reception given to him from nature. Then, the force of bestowal comes and makes the changes in him.

A person can perceive these changes as an additional force of reception that comes to him, instead of the force of bestowal that changes him, and this type of perception is also correct. However, besides that, he attains the same force of bestowal. In this way, man advances, sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left, but driven by the same force of bestowal.

He must attain this force of bestowal together with the force of reception. These two forces begin to be revealed to man as two lines, the right and the left. Then, man advances, sometimes in a state of descent and sometimes in a state of ascent. He does not know yet what descent and ascent are exactly, and so far, he identifies them by his current sensations.

However, as time goes by, he begins to feel that he needs to use these two lines by being between them. In this way, he takes control of them and begins to combine them in the middle line.

Essentially, our entire work consists of studying together, wishing to connect with one another in our hearts, and aspiring toward unity above all the disagreements and differences because all of these things only concern our animate existence, which stays here in this world. We want to connect together in our desires, our points in the heart, above these things.

When we read The Zohar with this intention, the book speaks of our corrected states, about the way we reveal the quality of bestowal in the connection between us which is the same as the Creator, the Light, the spiritual world, the upper world. For this reason, every person must imagine this state when reading The Zohar.
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From the lesson on 8/12/11, The Zohar

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Kabbalists On Spiritual Work In The Group, Part 11

Dr. Michael LaitmanDear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Power of Bonding

However, by assembling a few people who agree that they have to achieve love of others, when they annul themselves before one another, they are all intermingled. Thus, in each person there accumulates a great force, according to the size of the society. And then they can execute the love of others in actual fact.
– The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “According to What Is Explained Concerning ‘Love Thy Friend as Thyself’”

The greater the number of the collective, the more effective is the power of the collective. In other words, they produce a stronger atmosphere of greatness and importance of the Creator.
– The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “The Agenda of the Assembly”

A person has a desire for spirituality within him, but his own desire is probably not big enough for him not to need to enhance it so he can work with it to obtain the spiritual goal. …This is done by bonding with people whom he sees that also have a need for spirituality. This way, in addition to the desire that he has from within, he receives a desire for spirituality that they beget in him, and then he acquires a great desire with which he can reach the goal.
– The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “Mighty Rock of My Salvation”
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Good Environment – 08.16.11

My Good Environment – Dr. Laitman’s Advice and Principles for the Week

Kabbalists On Spiritual Work In The Group, Part 10

Dr. Michael LaitmanDear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

The Power of Bonding

If one does not have any desire and craving for spirituality, if he is among people who have a desire for spirituality, if he likes these people, he, too, will become imbued with their desires, and…he will receive new aspirations and powers.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 99, “He Did Not Say Wicked or Righteous”

The advice for one to be able to increase his strength in the rule, “Love thy friend,” is love of friends. If every one is nullified before his friend and mingles with him, they become one mass, where all the little parts that want the love of others unite in a collective force that consists of many parts. And when he has great strength, he can execute the love of others. And then he can achieve the love of the Creator.
– The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “According to What Is Explained Concerning ‘Love Thy Friend as Thyself’”
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Good Environment – 08.15.11

My Good Environment – Dr. Laitman’s Advice for the Week

Why Do We Judge Others?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Is it possible for one to strengthen oneself and the environment in order to stop falling into the trap of constantly judging and comparing others, whom I still see as separate from myself? Or is this part of the Creator’s plans for us to realize the error of our egoism and take the opportunity to correct ourselves?

Answer: You have to rise above all of the negative feelings and try to see everyone as righteous men, justifying them by the fact that you are seeing everything inside of your egoism. All of this judging is happening precisely to enable your ascent.
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