Question: What is the quality of Queen Esther in us?

Answer: This is the quality of Malchut, which is ready to be in concealment so that we can get closer to receiving the upper light.

Question: If Esther is a beautiful desire, ready to connect with the Creator, then how can it be in concealment?

Answer: We all have a simple physical property: if our desires are similar, then we understand each other; if they are different, then not.

Esther’s name comes from the word “Astara”—concealment. People who are not in this desire do not see it. Therefore, no one understands or feels it, except Mordechai because he offered her qualities to his master the king.

Question: Is concealment her role?

Answer: Yes, in women this quality manifests itself differently, especially in the spiritual world.

Question: What is it, and how can we use it?

Answer: We narrow our Kelim and try to restrict them so that they are not accidentally filled with light because then we will be forced to receive it for ourselves. Therefore, we must praise modesty, that is, to do everything as to be far away from egoistic reception.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/24/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Haman Pockets”

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The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is the vegetative degree, and Haman is the next animate degree.

Haman intended to use this tree to oppress people, but in the end, the tree, the vegetative quality of the soul, made it so that he was found guilty, and he was hanged precisely on this tree.

Question: How can we identify Haman in the group and correct him?

Answer: There is no need to focus specifically on this. We just need all together to come closer to the Creator. Haman is a quality that exists in each person to some extent. We must unite in such a way as to separate this egoism from ourselves and hate it to the extent that it disappears from our horizon.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/25/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Haman from the Torah, from Where?”

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Question: In the initial stage of spiritual correction, we try to connect to the vessels of bestowal. What does it mean that at this stage Haman is revealed to us, and in the next stage we cease to discern him?

Answer: If we strive to be above the level of Haman, we seemingly change our choices and attribute everything to the Creator.

Question: But we start the work from being in the vessels of bestowal and then simply rise above Haman. Or does he change somehow on his own?

Answer: Haman changes in this process. This is called help against him because he is the one who leads us to the goal. This is how we ascend into the vessels of bestowal.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/25/24, Writings of Rabash “Purim, and the Commandment: Until He Does Not Know”

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Uniting is an action that in itself causes joy. After all, when a person feels another person and connects with everyone, this creates a feeling of great confidence and mutual connection, and this is how we attract an illumination from above, which awakens joy in us.

It is said that “Joy is a ‘reflection’ of good deeds.” Good deeds mean unification; there simply cannot be anything else that is good. Therefore, we need to reach unification, and it is absolutely necessary for the whole world because we see how it is being destroyed before our eyes more and more, day by day.

Therefore, at our convention, we must try to aim as much as possible toward unity and joy, that is, toward the right line, which is perfection. A person who is in a state of perfection is similar in form to the Creator, who is perfect, that is, now a person cleaves to the perfect, as it is said: “The blessed clings to the blessed.”

This means that the more joy we feel and attribute to the Creator, the closer we are to Him, the more strongly we will feel the light of Purim in response—the light of unity, the light of celebration, the light of unification. During the entire year, there is no higher state than Purim. On this day, we are illuminated by the light of the end of correction, which unites us and is capable of leading us out of any difficult condition no matter what we find ourselves in.

Everything depends only on our unification, unity, and joy, that we managed to rise above all our thoughts and all calculations. To multiply joy in the month of Adar means to unite around one common joy for everyone.

On this holiday, we leave all our calculations behind and think only about how to bring joy to everyone, that is, how to achieve a feeling of perfection, to come to similarity with the Creator, at least at the very first minimal degree, and then feel how a huge light of joy, which is called Purim, spreads among all of us.
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From the Lesson 1 “Increasing the Joy” on Unity Day for Purim 3/23/24

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The holiday of Purim is approaching, symbolizing concealment, the custom of dressing up in carnival costumes and wearing masks. Where does the tradition of wearing masks on Purim come from?

The main character of Purim is Queen Esther, who represents the kingdom (Malchut), the system that governs the entire universe. This kingdom is called “Esther,” which means “concealment.”

In fact, in our time we see that everything is concealed. We do not know who governs us and we are unaware that there is a program in nature that controls our lives. We exist in a realm where some upper force controls everything, which manifests as various forces like a vast network that oversees the entire world.

Science is only now beginning to uncover that everything in nature is interconnected, and the world is an integrated system with global connections. We only perceive a small part of reality. We are not talking about some unknown dark energy in the universe, but about a reality completely concealed from us, which we do not even guess about. Our entire world is a complete concealment.

Inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature is governed by instincts and therefore does not ask questions. But humans must understand why they live. If they cannot find an answer to this question, they feel greatly limited, disappointed with life, and unsure of what to do with themselves. The animalistic body continues its normal life and gives birth to offspring, but a person feels unhappy.

Humans feel there is concealment—a system, Malchut—secretly controlling them, like a vast “Queen Esther.” Esther does not appear in the image of a woman, but of the entire kingdom that governs us so that we do not understand where we are going and what we are doing.

Many times throughout history, the Jewish people have faced “Purim” situations, which means a threat of annihilation. This threat arises to awaken us and to remind us of our purpose and to not continue living like the other “127 nations” mentioned in the Scroll of Esther.

We must reveal Esther and compel concealment to unveil. All other nations within which we live act to awaken us to this mission. After all, good cannot awaken a people or their egoistic desire and make them think about spiritual life.

Jews try to forget their mission and bury themselves in corporeal values where they strive for achievements in science, culture, and especially where there is money and power.

To awaken us, King Ahasuerus and his aide Haman appear. In reality, they do not understand what they are doing because, above Ahasuerus, there is another king, entirely concealed, a king who guides everything to bring all of humanity to the attainment of the Creator. This is possible only through the Jews because within them lies the secret, the spiritual gene, that enables them to do so.

Haman is an egoistic desire that cannot be corrected, but can only be destroyed. Haman and his ten sons represent an evil system, unfit for correction, a system that opposes the rule of the upper force and the desire to bestow and love thy neighbor as thyself. Haman cannot accept this, so we need to eliminate such desires within us.

The immense egoistic desire Haman is preparing to kill everyone including Mordecai and King Ahasuerus, in order to rule the entire kingdom himself. This huge egoism cannot cooperate with other forces, but seeks absolute power over all. Therefore, today Haman manifests everywhere: in religions, beliefs, and the leadership of countries if they are claiming that they alone should govern the world.

But the Scroll of Esther tells us that by the king’s decree, Haman is hanged on the tree he prepared for Mordecai, and the city of Shushan celebrates its deliverance. Thus, we come to a point where evil no longer exists in the world because we have destroyed and nullified it.

In essence, the Scroll of Esther tells us how humanity reveals all evil in the world and understands the need to eradicate human egoism, the desire to receive for one’s own sake. This is how we achieve a completely good state and the end of correction where there is no evil left in the world.

This is what the Purim holiday is dedicated to, to celebrate and drink until “one does not know the difference between Haman and Mordecai” because there is no more Haman in the world and there is no need to fear egoism!

The evil Haman hides within each person and within all nations because it represents the egoistic desire to rule over others. If we can escape from this evil and distance ourselves from it, then we will approach the revelation of good, the upper system that governs us.

Without evil, it is impossible to reveal good or even approach it. Evil exists precisely to make us feel the need for good, and directs us toward it.

We need to identify this evil in every person, in every country, and in the world. Just as Mordecai, Esther, and Ahasuerus wisely acted against Haman, we need to bring about the disappearance of the evil force from the world. We must learn this from the Scroll of Esther, and I hope we will achieve it!
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From KabTV’s “New Life – 1094” 3/14/19

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Comment: Purim is an unusual, great, and magical holiday. It is known that Haman cast lots to determine the date of the extermination of the entire Jewish people at the beginning of the year, and the lot fell on the 13th of Adar, i.e., at the end of the year. The whole story from the very beginning suggests that it was staged.

My Response: Naturally. There are dates that work for various ascents and descents for both the Jewish people and the rest of humanity. All this is in dynamic connection with each other.

Comment: The Scroll of Esther (Megilat Esther) is the only book in which the Creator is never mentioned.

My Response: It is called Esther (concealment) because the Creator is hidden, and it is unknown who and what is operating there.

The queen is also named Esther, but she is revealed. And the King, that is the upper force, is concealed. The King does not manifest himself explicitly but only through figureheads and puppets.

Comment: Then let’s move on to these figureheads and puppets. We know that Mordechai never bowed to Haman. Haman had everything, but when he saw Mordechai and his behavior, it drove him crazy.

Answer: The fact is that Haman understood that Mordechai is a force set against him, and as long as Mordechai was alive, undefeated, or at least not subdued or disgraced, he, Haman, could not rule.

Egoism cannot rule the world as long as there is a force opposite to it that will not allow it. Therefore, Haman, who personifies all natural human egoism, could not tolerate the property of bestowal, love, connection, and reciprocity, which Mordechai personifies.

Question: Why didn’t he seek some compromise?

Answer: It is impossible to do this. They are opposites: it is one or the other. Therefore when they are in conflict, there can naturally be neither peace nor victory. So, they remain in conflict. Who can prevail? Only the Jewish people together with Queen Esther.

Question: What does the Jewish people represent between these two forces?

Answer: It is the force that decides which way to turn the world. If Jews perform acts of love, bestowal, and unification among themselves, the whole world turns to follow them in the same direction.

Comment: When the Jews came out of Egypt, the Creator gave a decree to wage war against every Amalekite and destroy everything that belonged to him.

My Response: This refers to all the evil forces that are inside a person.

Question: There was a possibility of destroying all egoism multiple times in history. Is there some kind of loophole intentionally built into this scenario?

Answer: Absolutely. Until the Jews correct themselves and come to a common denominator—a common bond among them in order to pull all the nations of the world after them—Haman or his descendants will exist and will always interfere with the Jews. Basically their intrusion is their help.

Comment: You often give an example that when a negative force becomes threatening or destructive, it is helpful.

My Response: Naturally it is useful and helpful. How can you not have a plus or a minus? They complement each other and together spin the whole flywheel of history.

Question: Several women are mentioned in the Purim story: Vashti, Zeresh, and Esther. Were they just female characters, or did female power play a role throughout the story?

Answer: Vashti is the queen preceding Esther. When Vashti is concealed, Esther appears—the next female force. And most importantly, Haman’s wife is a negative, evil female force that practically stands behind him and directs everything.

Question: What do these three female images represent? What do they teach us?

Answer: They teach that in principle, female power rules the world. Egoism must surely be defeated. Haman’s femenine power, his wife, is much fiercer than he is. We should fear evil, bad women more than men.

The most evil force of nature is a selfish, bad woman. This is a terrible force that cannot be curtailed. It is insidious and can manifest itself in completely different ways and guises than she truly is.

Question: What powers do Vashti and Esther represent?

Answer: Vashti is just a small female egoism. And Esther is a concealed righteous woman, the property of Bina that men should follow. In fact, it manifests the property of the Creator, the power of the Creator, only in a hidden way. Therefore, she is called Esther, from the word “Astara”—concealment.

Comment: You often say that everything we see, all forces and images, are inside a person.

Answer: We see a theater before us being played out around us. In fact, according to the perception of reality taught by Kabbalah, what we see is inside us. Let’s say that I am sitting in the studio right now, talking to you, someone is recording something here, another person is managing something there, none of it exists. In fact, it is all in me, and I am going through all these states.

Question: How can a person who sees this story and knows these characters, recognize all the guiding forces within him and be able to choose one of them?

Answer: He should simply align himself with the positive forces and distance himself from the negative ones, and eventually reach a state when these forces begin to be revealed to him. Behind all the characters in front of him, he will see the forces controlling them. Let’s say there is a so–called angel behind you; this is nothing other than a force that controls you and does everything that is needed.

In fact, you are a completely disembodied object controlled by the force behind it as well as behind all people, inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature. This is all about the governance of our world. It happens with the help of the upper force which breaks down into all sorts of levels and sub-levels and thus controls everything.

Question: Is the story of Purim intended for the Jewish people or for everyone?

Answer: For everyone. The Jewish people have no history of their own. Their whole story is aimed at bringing all nations of the world to unity. This nation does not exist on its own; its mission is only to reveal the upper force in this world to all nations.

The fact that Jews have forgotten about this and do not engage in their mission is a liability, and they suffer because of this.

Still, we must fulfill our purpose. For thousands of years we have been stumbling on the same rake: we push it away all the time not wanting to fulfill our historical mission, which is very simple—our unity.

As soon as we begin to unite, the world around us will do the same and support us—not hate, but love us. To do this, we just need to unite among us. To the extent we love each other, the world will love us.

Everything is very simple. In fact, it is a very direct and simple covenant.

So, be good children, as everyone has probably heard from their mothers: do not fight, do not argue, be close to each other, and the world around you will become closer and warmer. This is what the great Purim holiday is about. This is the essence of the vast upper goal of development of all mankind.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/22/19

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Question: We have a holiday on March 8^th—International Women’s Day. It started as a struggle for women’s rights and then turned into a warm international, global women’s holiday. I remember buying my mom Queen of Spades perfume and a bouquet of tulips. We also bought flowers for the girls. And for special girls, beloved ones, maybe Bird’s Milk cake and something else. How was it for you? Do you remember?

Answer: No, I never gave anyone anything except for my mom.

Question: What did you give your mom?

Answer: I sent her a telegram.

Question: Although you were living together?

Answer: Yes.

Question: But when you were little?

Answer: Yes, when I was little, I went to the post office and sent my mom a telegram.

Question: What did you write?

Answer: Congratulations on March 8^th, wishing you health, and that is all.

Question: What would you like to wish for our women now?

Answer:
Dear Women!
From the bottom of my heart, no twist, I love and respect you very much for your huge contribution to fixing the world that your men distort and disfigure.
So let’s continue our work together until the world is fixed. And then all men will understand how much they owe to their women—mothers, daughters, wives. And the world will become calmer and better.

Question: How do women fix the world?

Answer: With their gentle attitude, by not wanting suffering.

Question: Do they intuitively think about their children, that is, this thought immediately arises?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Then why do troubles continue and continue?

Answer: It is all because men do such things to the world.

Question: All these games?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So women are not inclined to play games?

Answer: Absolutely not! Women are ready to forgive everything just to have peace. But men are not ready for that. They do not feel like they are achieving anything unless it is through fighting.

Question: What should women do now to come together and raise such a prayer, a cry to stop all of this?

Answer: If women could, then they would make men leave their childish games of war, become more thoughtful, and compel everyone to focus on peace, nature, humanity, and children. But for now, I do not see it.

Comment: But still, you say that women are involved in correction.

My Response: They are involved in correction, but it is very small. They are afraid to step forward.

Question: Do you still have a desire for them to step forward?

Answer: Yes, definitely! They should start governing the world, and the world will become a better place. Exactly then.

Question: Is it due to the fact that they have motherhood in them?

Answer: Yes, They give birth, they want everything to grow, to move forward. But men do not have that.

Question: But still, we both think. A thinking man, a thinking woman.

Answer: A man does not have that deep need for peace in the world. And a woman, she feels with her womb.

That is why this holiday, March 8^th, is truly a special holiday. A holiday of hope for correction.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/4/24

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Michael Laitman on the Times of Israel: “What Are Your Happy New Year Wishes for 2024?”

I wish for humanity to come closer to realizing the root cause of the deep mess it is in, and to seek a way out. Indeed, the more we feel responsible and accountable for what happens this year, the closer we will come to a harmonious and peaceful world.

What is the root cause of our troubles? It is our egoistic human nature that has grown so much today that excessive desires for benefiting ourselves at the expense of others and nature are wreaking havoc.

I thus hope that the wisdom of connection will reach more and more people so that humanity will come to feel that by adjusting our attitudes to each other—prioritizing positive connection and the benefit of others over our divisive drives that emerge from our inclination to benefit ourselves at others’ expense—we will find a way out of our destructive nature.

Every person who expands their minds and hearts to embrace a positive, kind and caring connection to each other above the quagmire of greed, the thirst for power, and the cutthroat will for recognition over others, can become a source of light and blessings in the world.

The more this unifying consciousness spreads atop the ever-growing divisive drives that surface from one moment to the next, the more we will balance ourselves with nature’s laws of interconnection and interdependence. This alignment with nature will then serve to draw the positive forces of connection dwelling in nature into our connections. That is how we can make a significant breakthrough into a world free from wars and malevolent influences.

We would thus be wise to learn from those who have applied the wisdom of connection to themselves, to cultivate positive human connection above our egoistic nature, and to direct ourselves at our more unified state where we click into harmony with each other and with nature.

I thus wish the happiest new year that everyone could possibly experience, that we will fuel each other with an ever-blossoming vision of the most perfect kinds of relations that could manifest, and by doing so, draw nature’s more unified states that await us already into our lives at this time.
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Question: What kind of effort is it in our work when faith constantly protects us from the entry of strangers into holiness?

Answer: This effort is aimed at preventing egoistic thoughts from interfering with us. We must protect ourselves from egoistic attitudes toward each other.

If everyone in the ten pays attention to this, then you will succeed.

Question: So we can assume that in the end this effort will benefit us?

Answer: This will be of benefit only when you selflessly love others and do not pay attention to whether they love you.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/12/23, Writings of Rabash Letter No. 44

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Question: A person fights with his ego for connection with the friends. I just do not understand why I should pause here, and what happens at this pause. Will I fall if I pause?

Answer: No, at this pause neither retreat nor cessation of military activities take place.

You simply begin to better understand where you are, who you are fighting with, and why. This is a forced pause to reassess your strengths and goals. This is Hanukkah.

You must realize that with the understanding that you are now gaining, you again need to connect with the Creator and with all your friends in one single desire for love, bestowal, and mutual assistance, and with this go to war against our common egoism.

Question: What if you do not fight the war, but pray constantly?

Answer: This is, in fact, conducting the war, because we choose between two forces of nature: egoistic and altruistic. Any fight occurs only in our desires, intentions, and internal and spiritual actions.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/23, Writings of Rabash “Greeks Have Gathered Around Me”

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