Question: Recently I took part in a conference which among other things discussed the alternative to the current system of graded matriculation exams. The previous methods are outdated, but still, don’t students have to be evaluated somehow?

Answer: Let’s get right down to the essence of the problem. The only thing we want from a person is for him to be able to correct his soul. This is why people are born and why they live, and if they don’t achieve this, they continue in the next life cycle. Therefore, a child’s recommendations or record should be written only from this standpoint.

What’s really important is not what grades a child receives in physics, chemistry, history, biology, and other subjects. Maybe he’s not very quick on the uptake in these subjects, or maybe he has the qualities needed to be a circus performer. Some people are drawn to music but aren’t very good at math.

Yet we put children into a classroom and stuff them all with the same material instead of developing their uniqueness and individuality. We place everyone under one standard, pack them into one stencil, and the press of the education system churns them out without any analysis.

This system was necessary 100-200 years ago to reforge simple farmers into factory workers. But today we are entering a new era. Production and agriculture will require just a few percent of all humanity. We will divide this burden between us, but mainly we will focus on the inner work. The time has finally come to develop man as an individual, to enrich his inner world. The level of attainment in various “external” subjects cannot be a criterion here. We are all different and this approach is simply incorrect.

As for the grading system, it has discredited itself completely. It forces a person to make bitter pittances, “Here’s what you need. Take it, choke on it, and leave me be!” After all, it’s not me developing, but others forcing me to demonstrate my knowledge orally and in writing.

A person’s formation cannot be approached by the common standards. It requires an individual approach. Therefore, the main subject should be the development of the individual: an understanding of life and interpersonal relationships. Who am I? What kind of world am I living in?

A person has to find out about this through conversations and discussions. His eyes have to be opened, showing him the pieces of the general puzzle and explaining their essence. It’s time to stop sitting children down with textbooks that give them knowledge but not understanding. This completely stupefies and disorients them. In the future people won’t be able to tear themselves away from the TV and will continue to live as if under hypnosis. Maybe this would be good for the authorities, but at the end of the day, there is nothing good about this.

Thus, grades have to be revoked. Every instructor and educator will provide his own response about a student. Classes will turn into groups and will take a joint path of study, unification, mutual activities, and most important, upbringing. A person should not be worried about grades, but on the contrary, if you have prepared him, then he checks himself by the right values, understands what he wants in life, what he belongs to, what he is capable of, what he can enjoy and how he can make others enjoy.

Then he will choose a profession that he is drawn to and in which he will be successful. After all, you teach and raise him ahead of time. You take him on trips to different places and show him life in its diversity and unity. During the school years he can already try his hand at different things and find his calling.

In the past people started learning a profession from childhood and learning from the adults’ experience. There has to be personal contact with professional instructors, rather than the formal relationships that exist today.

When people learn to find a profession that suits their personality, the number of people entering universities will decrease, and the universities will change as well. Today many people choose an academic profession by mistake or out of necessity, and then they suffer their whole lives. The education system has to give people more freedom. We are being destroyed by dry grades and study programs that are not adapted to modernity. From childhood they pressure people and limit their development.

Yet a person has to develop towards society and the environment, transitioning from self-evaluation and self-analysis to an analysis of the world. By harmoniously entering the world and society, he will feel that he is an absolutely integral part of it. This is the correct result of upbringing. A person will simply feel, “I am responsible for the world and the world is mine!” He will feel good in the world and the world will also recognize and value his contribution.
[58811]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/26/11, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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Today marks 20 years since the day of my Teacher’s passing. Baruch Shalom Halevi Ashlag was the last great Kabbalist in the lineage of sages from Adam until our days: Adam – Abraham – Moses – Rashbi – Ari – Baal HaSulam – Rabash, and many thousands between them.

Rabash showed great bravery by transmitting the Kabbalistic method to us so that in this generation we would be able to bring it to the whole world. Without his work we would not have this opportunity. I saw how firmly he abided by this principle: The revelation of the science of Kabbalah to the world is above all other calculations.

During the predawn hours we ascended into Jerusalem and visited his burial place. Of course, this place for us is no more than a symbol or custom because our connection with our Teacher is alive and constant. We all hope to become his worthy sons, which is why we named our group “Bnei Baruch”—the sons of Baruch Ashlag.
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From the TV Program “Conversations,” The Day of Rabash’s Memory

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In the past, Kabbalists who wished to reveal the spiritual world had to start in our world and work through it, through various sciences, with enormous efforts and suffering, meaning they had to pull themselves directly from matter itself to the revelation of the spiritual world and reveal the correct system of connections between people.

But then the compositions of the Ari were revealed, in which he explains about the inner connections that unite us through various special systems of relationships: ZON, YESHSUT, Aba ve Ima, Arich Anpin, and so on. By that he explains to us what forms of connection we can be in, how their different connections influence us, and how we can influence them ourselves and awaken these forms of connection. What happens there is the same thing as in our world, but in the quality of bestowal.

Just like in our world where we are able to activate certain types of connections so they would in turn begin influencing us, the same net of relationships connects us in the spiritual world as well, except that it is more internal. Thus, we go from materialistic psychology to the spiritual one, and then we reveal the true connection between the souls, the people living now and the people who lived before. It does not matter whether a person exists in this world right now or not. What’s important is to tune into this net. Then it’s as if our world evaporates, loses its importance because it is just an external imprint through which we have to enter inside.

The Ari described all of this, and the Baal Shem Tov taught how to work with all of the soul’s loyalty (Mesirut Nefesh), saying, “The Creator is your shadow.” And now, after all of this, by working in the group (which was restored by Baal Shem Tov anew, after Rashbi) we can draw the Light that reforms from this net. We do not simply attain it with our desires and forces, but attract an illumination called the Light that reforms, the Light of the Torah, the Surrounding Light, to ourselves from above, from this net.

After all, if we study the structure of this system and aspire to it all together, wishing to organize the same forms of connection among us, then it doesn’t even matter whether we understand it or not—our effort will awaken the influence of this force upon us.

It’s just like in our world: If we want to attain any system, then we become part of it, study it in various forms, and gradually begin to feel it. Suddenly, a picture of this system comes together inside of us and we understand what this is and how it is possible to connect and work with it. The same thing happens in the spiritual world: Only a person’s intention changes. When he becomes included in the upper system, he does it for the sake of bestowing himself to this system. The more he becomes included in it, the further he advances toward revealing it.

This requires great work with the teacher, the friends, the whole world, and the studies. All of this connects together.
[56245]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/2/11, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Should the dissemination of the science of Kabbalah in America differ from its dissemination in other countries due to the influence of the “American dream,” which we are supposedly able to achieve here—the dream of lots of money, a good life,…? How can we fight this stereotype?

Answer: I think that other countries still have fantasies that it is possible to attain this “dream” in America. Yet, I think all of this is becoming a thing of the past. People have to wake up from the dream. I don’t think this “dream” will last much longer, both for those living in America and for those living abroad.

Look at how Americans are losing respect in the whole world, how people are no longer showing a good attitude to them and are in fact starting to look down upon them. And soon this will even turn into hatred. This is happening particularly because people do not wish to tolerate America’s attitude to them, the attitude of a country that allows itself the liberty to do anything it wishes.

Therefore, I don’t think this “American dream” has any power. As the crisis gets worse, more and more people in the world will reveal that the “American dream,” which has already melted, was built at their expense because America shrewdly exploited the whole world. And this will come back to it as a very powerful boomerang.

To the extent we disseminate the method of correction, which lies in unity, equality, and mutual guarantee, we will save ourselves from blame and blows, as it is written, “Love will cover all sins.” We won’t try to settle old scores, but will create new, kind relationships. Whatever happened happened. It’s not worth raking up the past.

If we start settling old scores, then the whole world will come to America with complaints because that is how its economic systems are built: at the expense of other nations. Only the method offered to us by the science of Kabbalah will cleanse all the old scores until today, and from here on we will begin building something new, without remembering any of what happened yesterday.
[54425]
From the New York lecture #2, 9/12/11

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A person cannot exist separately from society. We are deliberately built in a way that obligates us to live among other people. This follows from the breaking of the common soul into many particular souls.

In order to reveal the Creator, we have to reveal the broken connection between us and correct it. Then, by attaining His actions, we will attain His perfection. This is why we are built so not one of us is able to live in total isolation. Otherwise he would slide down to the level of an animal. If a person has developed to the human level, then he has to live like a person, meaning use everyone else and also contribute his part to everyone.

The development of humanity should be viewed as the development of connections between us and of our dependence on one another. First only families existed. Then large familial communities began to develop, followed by tribes, then villages, cities, and nations. A few hundred years ago, active international trade began between many countries.

This is exactly why developed nations traveled to conquer other countries and to discover new lands, feeling that they lack connections. The egoistic desire always pushes us toward interconnection and exchange.

That is how we developed the economy, which is a reflection of our inner aspiration to be connected with one another. This is why the entire economy is built upon our egoism, on the will to enjoy that feels that it must win and profit at the expense of everyone else: I give to you, you give to me, and so on. One person was a farmer, another – a craftsman, and by uniting, everyone gained great profit.

It’s clear that it is impossible to stop the evolutionary development and to produce everything by yourself, maintaining a natural household, the way people once did in ancient times. That is how we built all the forms of connections between us. They all agree with our egoistic character, which developed over many millennia and generations until in our time, we suddenly revealed that this connection is no longer as simple as we thought when we looked at things from our ego! Today a different connection is being revealed – one that’s mutual and universal. That is how it is being revealed from nature’s end.

We built the connection in whatever way we wanted to, the way it seemed best for us for establishing profitable connections with one another. We built it by our free desire, following the demands of our egoism. This is what gave rise to politics, society, economy, family, education, and all of the vital systems.

But suddenly, some kind of new connection is being revealed, which is different and contradicts everything I have done until now! That is why a problem emerges and a crisis is breaking out.
[51610]
From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/17/11, “The Nation”

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When we are talking about spiritual concepts, if there is no hatred in the beginning, there will be no love later on. It is written, “I created the evil inclination and I created the Torah as a spice because the Light in it returns one to the source.”

The good source is love. But it cannot be revealed unless evil, hatred, and rejection are disclosed first. We should get used to the fact that love and hatred are always revealed and work together.

This is why we discover both hatred and love in our society, and we should understand that one is impossible without the other. We are not perfect angels, preserved at the inanimate level, but people with all of our cruel egoism.

To the extent that you yearn to feel love, you will discover only greater hatred. That is the only way you will become worthy of “the exit from Egypt” and will come to “Mount Sinai.” The mountain of hatred, “Mount Sinai” is the result of our previous work.

The Tower of Babel is only the beginning; nothing was revealed there. Therefore, 20 generations from Adam HaRishon until Abraham, being the first generations of Kabbalists, are called the forefathers. This is only the initial preparation because a strong desire was not revealed there yet.

The first time that the desire was disclosed was in Babylon, which is where the science of Kabbalah originated. There was already a small mountain of hatred there: “The Tower of Babel” above which it was possible to rise. The science of Kabbalah, the science of connection, was born there, and people who were capable of connecting emerged there as well. Thus, is always revealed above hatred.

Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of the fact that the world today is revealing hatred. We just have to let it be revealed naturally and precede the blow with a remedy so that hatred will be revealed with understanding consciously. And we have to be confident in the fact that we have the precise instructions on how to use it correctly.
[51392]
From the lesson on 8/15/11, Selected excerpts on The Day of Love

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Question: At a time when governments are unable to govern, economists are unable to regulate, and nations are in disarray, both on their own and because of the manipulation coming from virtual networks, the world is facing a threatening lack of instability. What can bring this ship that’s out in a stormy sea back into balance?

Answer: Right now the global, integral, universal interdependence between everyone is being revealed in our world more and more clearly, and it’s happening in all areas and dimensions of human activity. This global interconnection is paralyzing all of our efforts to regulate anything by the outdated, forceful political, economic, and social methods.

The only way we know to control things is egoistically, within a discrete system, by considering the source of pressure, the object of pressure, and the goal. But the world has acquired an integral, analog form of universal, mutual dependence. This is the expression of the next level of development in humanity—the state of total interaction between parts of one organism. This is the evolutionary plan of our development by nature, the plan of evolution.

The appearance of the altruistic image of our next degree of development within our egoistic, individualistic society is bringing to light our opposition to that image. This is the essence of the crisis, our lack of correspondence to the next level.

We will have to assimilate our next state either by the path of suffering or through realization and purposeful efforts. Either way, we will have to study it and change ourselves to suit its demands for the same reason that creatures that were unable to adapt to new conditions and demands from nature went extinct. But nature has planned our ascent to this level—the attainment of harmony with nature. To accomplish that, we have to become integrally interconnected as one whole, as all of nature. In our language this demand means, “everyone loves everyone,” and “everyone is included in everyone.”

The way to carry out this demand from nature is by applying the method of our egoistic correction called “Kabbalah,” which comes from the word “to receive or acquire,” to acquire new, altruistic qualities.

Many thousands of years ago, in every generation there were separate individuals who acquired these qualities and felt the new level of humanity’s development. This is described in authentic Kabbalistic sources. We cannot understand them because they describe a different structure of interconnections among people, their relationships of love and bestowal, called the soul, their sensation of unity and commonality, which is called the upper world, the following dimension.

However, we can use their instructions to change ourselves, to make ourselves suitable to the new conditions, and thus to start feeling the next level of the world—its harmony, eternity, and perfection. Then we will be convinced that nature’s goal is perfect just like nature.
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If we look at different history textbooks, we will see how different their descriptions are. It would seem that humanity went through the same history, including all of its problems, wars, troubles, and successes, yet every nation describes it from its point of view. As a result, textbooks that are supposed to reflect the truth end up contradicting one another.

Sometimes I speak with leaders of different movements in other countries. Each of them is absolutely certain that his movement has to lead the whole world. This includes religious and secular movements, organizations related to ecology, wildlife protection, and many others. While I am among them, how do I differ from them?

Without trying to answer that question, we bring the Kabbalistic message to people in a different form. We do not try to prove who is right and who is wrong, and we don’t dissect different opinions. We don’t try to examine things from the standpoint of history or a religious direction because in each of these areas every person can present his own rationale to justify his opinion.

We invite people only to disengage from everything there is – from the past and the present, and to look into the future from the present moment. In this point we see that nature obligates us to set up the right interconnection, to enter balance, mutuality, and harmony, similar to a single body, an integral, global, pan-human system that senses itself and functions truly as one whole.

Nature obligates and pushes us to this. There is a lot of research confirming this, and we can rely on it. Besides, we don’t have anything else. All we can rely on is science, as it is written, “A person is guided only by what he sees.” Today facts are all we need, and we have to advance according to them.

The facts indicate that whether we want to or not, we are becoming a global, integral society that is internally welded by interconnection and total mutual guarantee. Essentially, this is the tendency of all of nature, and from one day to the next we see how it is becoming expressed more and more clearly.

A question arises: What is our role in this process? Can we now invent anything artificial, following whatever idea some politician, sociologist, political scientist, or other party has suddenly thought up? The world has already tried out all sorts of ideas and humanity has suffered duly due to them.

Perhaps we should simply research nature and be guided by the results of our research, not considering anything else but this? If we advance based on our research, which is conducted in nature, then there is no doubt that out of all the opportunities that little people have on this tiny earth, forsaken at the edge of the galaxy, which is forsaken on the outskirts of the universe, at least we have this one, real chance.

So let’s not sink into philosophy and demonstrate irreconcilability. From experience we already know that when you stand your ground and I stand mine, this only leads to wars and self-annihilation.

Today we desperately need a common denominator, which can only come from the inviolable laws of nature. Based on these laws, we can build the integrated society that is aimed at creativity rather than destruction.
[51150]
From a conversation about a new book on 7/11/11

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Question: What do you think about the current events and the current tendency, and in particular, how do you feel about the events that have unraveled over the last couple of days in England and Chile?

Unfortunately, the whole world will soon be enveloped in a fire of chaos because there is no remedy for what’s happening, and no one will find it either. Why don’t you wait it out until people see that nothing helps, and will then agree to listen to you?

Many years ago, during his post as Great Britain’s PM, the historian Gordon Brown along with many other influential individuals said that the world is one. They understood that only the unification of all people will give this world the solution to all of its questions and crises. Why, then, didn’t they resolve these questions through unification, by introducing a new kind of upbringing and promulgating the mutual guarantee, as you are doing?

Answer: Throughout all of history, humanity was nudged forward by the egoism that developed individually within every one of us. We aspired to realize and fill it. Our entire existence amounted to this. But in our time nature is not guiding us to develop our egoism further because it has developed to the maximum and has been showing us its emptiness for 50 years now.

Our egoism has become interlinked and that is why we are revealing that we are interconnected. This is what we call “the global world.” In reality, it’s not the world, but us who have become global. And therefore, as scientists ascertain, we should not develop egoistically, but globally, meaning we should correct the connections between us.

That is where all of the world’s scientists came to a halt because no one in the world knows how to do that. And the more disorder surfaces in the world, the more it will signify that the world needs correction more urgently.

Once the world became integral and interconnected, it started being governed by two forces: not just the force of egoism, which pushes us from behind systematically, by nature’s program, the way it did throughout all of its history; but also by the force of attraction toward the goal – to our unified state. However, we have to compel this force to influence us similar to how a child would remain an animal if he did not aspire to become an adult.

The method of Kabbalah is intended to evoke upon us the influence of the force that aspires “forward,” toward unity. Otherwise we will be pressured only by the negative force “from behind,” which will continuously evoke greater global suffering, down to wars. That is why Kabbalah is being revealed precisely at this time. All Kabbalists wrote about this. For example, see Baal HaSulam’s articles “The Revelation of Godliness,” “Mutual Guarantee,” and “Peace in the World.”

Besides, we have to understand that the more suffering is expressed in the world under the influence of the negative force that pushes us forward, the more it indicates that the world needs a force pulling it forward so our movement forward, toward unification will not occur as a result of suffering that chases us on, but by the good path, the good force that sweeps us forward.

Because the nation of Israel was created based on the method of uniting people, according to the principle, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” therefore, even after falling from this moral level it retained an “altruistic gene” that can evoke a force that accelerates progress and sweeps people forward, toward unity. But if Israel does not evoke this force and the world moves toward its goal pressured by suffering, then the nations of the world are right to assert that the nation of Israel is the source of all of the suffering in the world.

Although this nation did not choose to be the conductor of the method of correction, it is unable to free itself from this mission. The suffering of the nations of the world will evoke such great pressure from their end and such fury at the nation of Israel that this will obligate Israel to become the leader in the world’s correction.
[51163]

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Question: Where do the rioters and pillagers in England and earlier – in France, get such a huge force of aggression?

Answer: For the first time in history, the young generation, along with the previous generation – their parents, both realize that the young generation will have a worse life than the previous. And moreover, it’s uncertain whether it will live at all and for how long.

People have always believed that “our children will be better off than we are.” Particularly from the middle of the 20th century on, the following generation lived much better than the previous. But this tendency ended with the completion of egoism’s growth and its closure into an integral system, which we do not correspond to. Therefore, we do not know how to live from here on.

An enormous feeling of uncertainty has emerged, which evokes feelings of fear and then aggression, and the willingness to make any actions just to bring what is happening to light. The solution to the problem lies in upbringing, meaning an explanation of the fact that if we become similar to nature, we become omnipotent like it.

Equivalence to nature means bringing our involuntary, egoistic unification to a voluntary, altruistic, mutual one, until we reach universal love. Inside that love, we will reveal our eternity and perfection, which are present in nature’s very foundation.
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