Entries in the 'Israel' Category

New Life 720 – The Splitting Of The Red Sea

New Life 720 – The Splitting Of The Red Sea
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

The development of humanity cannot be described without the Torah that influences it dramatically. Kabbalists don’t relate to the Torah as a description of the phenomena of nature, but as an inner description of a person according to “A person is a small world” (Midrash Tanhuma, Parshat Pekudei, Siman 3).

The truth is that there is no world outside of a person, everything that we see around us is a projection of our interior. 100 years ago we didn’t imagine that there would be television, and in the future, technology will insert the viewer into the movie realistically. When we approach a spiritual perception we understand that reality is portrayed within us. The wisdom of Kabbalah is the wisdom of perception.

The Torah describes how the upper thought, the higher program, directs all of the theater around us. A person lives within himself, yet he has the possibility of connecting to that higher thought, the upper force. Some of us believe that there is a higher power that demands that a person fulfill Mitzvot (commandments) and accordingly gives us a reward in this world and in the next world. Others say that the higher power expects us to want to become aware of it, to resemble it, to love as it does.

Those who are concerned about their privacy in this world and in the next world, remain in the ego, with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And those who are concerned about love of others, to be like the upper force, which is good and does good, leave Egypt. When they want to break away from the control of the ego, egoistic thoughts again “pursue” them, which are called, “He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh” (Exodus 9:20), and they seem to tell a person to fulfill Mitzvot, to receive a reward and be satisfied with this.

The Exodus from Egypt reaches its conclusion with the splitting of the Red Sea (Yam Suf), detachment from the egoistic intention. It is called this because it indicates the end (Sof) of the control of Pharaoh in Egypt. The egoistic intentions in a person are not able to agree with disconnection. Therefore they sink in the sea, and this is their correction. The sea symbolizes the waters of Gevura, and they are opened only for those who are truly ready to break away from self-interest and thinking of oneself as a law of nature.

The splitting of the Red Sea describes what goes on in a person internally. The miracle happens through the power of faith when we are ready to go above our reason, and according to the force of love. The splitting of the Red Sea is detachment from the ego and association to the total system, and this is the answer to all the questions of existence.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 720 – The Splitting Of The Reed Sea,” 4/21/16

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New Life 548 – The Holocaust And The New Jewish Identity

New Life 548 – The Holocaust And The New Jewish Identity
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

How has the Holocaust affected our development as a nation? What should we understand from what happened and what is the Jewish identity we have to build so that we will become a model and a source of affinity for the whole world?

The world is advancing not only technologically; we also need to develop a new awareness, a positive attitude to everyone. Today it is clear that we can achieve anything technologically and there is great abundance, but the relations between people are getting worse.

This process started a hundred years ago. We were given a chance to return to our land and to re-establish the connection between us. But because we didn’t do so, the world was thrown into maelstrom of wars, revolutions, and finally the Holocaust.

After the Holocaust we were given the chance to build ourselves in the land of Israel. Today, the world is collapsing and the ego is destroying everything. Before the Holocaust we survived in exile and kept the religious customs. But because we did not advance to a new consciousness of leading the world to love, we receive a negative push.

All the afflictions we have undergone since establishing of the State of Israel stem from the delay in our advancement toward a new consciousness. The true internal Jewish identity is that we are all one bundle. We have to correct our egoism.

Our nation has been divided into two groups in Israel, religious and secular, and there are numerous factions within each group. We have to build an umbrella that will protect us from hatred, rejection, and detachment. We must awaken the connecting force. Let’s spur the positive force in the nation above the negative force of egoism and hold the two reins.

The revelation of the force of connection and love between people is called the revelation of the Creator. This is the goal of our life. When we were in exile we kept the traditional Jewish way. But in Israel, the negative force and hatred erupted. Today we have to add the positive force that will lead the nation to connection. We need people who can lead and educate the nation to this end. Then the positive force, the force of love, will spread among us and will put in every human’s heart the care for the well being of others.

The future Jewish identity is to lead humanity to love and connection, and will thus become a spiritual nation.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 548 – The Holocaust And The New Jewish Identity,” 4/7/15

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New Life 547 – The Covenant Between God And The Jewish People In The Mirror Of The Holocaust

New Life 547 – The Covenant Between God And The Jewish People In The Mirror Of The Holocaust
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

How is it possible to understand and accept what happened in the Holocaust, what kind of covenant exists between us and God, how can we go back and establish it, and thus bring all of our troubles to an end?

The history of our people is full of terrible events, pogroms, murders, and the like. The Holocaust divided people into two, some became more devout and some generally moved away from religion.

Religion doesn’t look for answers about what happened in the Holocaust because there really are no answers for it. The Holocaust, and in general all of our troubles, are derived from our not understanding how God behaves with us. God is the law of nature. His program is this: we were created with an evil inclination and our goal is to transform it into a good inclination. It is up to us to transcend the ego and love others. If we do this, we get help. If we don’t, we suffer.

The covenant is an obligation to be a light to the nations. This means that we must provide the world with an example of connection and love. We did this at a particular time in the past. Today we must take the entire world out of the crisis that it is experiencing. The wisdom of Kabbalah is the method that will save the world from general destruction and ruin, from the eruption of egoism.

The part of God in this eternal covenant is to help us reach connection for better or for worse. Before the Holocaust, Baal HaSulam called for all Jews in Eastern Europe to emigrate to Israel, to build a society here, to connect as a single person. After two thousand years we got the opportunity to return to Israel, and we disregarded this and the connection of hearts. The covenant is eternal; we must realize this program of creation and connect above egoism.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 547 – The Covenant Between God And The Jewish People In The Mirror Of The Holocaust,” 4/7/15

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New Life 718 – The Exodus From Egypt Is True Freedom

New Life 718 – The Exodus From Egypt Is True Freedom
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

What can be learned from the relationships between Moses and Pharaoh in the story of the Exodus from Egypt about the relationship we must develop with the ego, what do the plagues in Egypt affirm, and how do we become free people?

A person who wants to transcend his ego begins to identify how much he is totally controlled by his ego; he sees how the reality of his self-interest encloses him within a “bubble” that doesn’t allow him to feel the complete reality.

“Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1) means the search for how to be freed from the dominance of my own ego. Moses wants to break through the limitations of the narrow perception of the ego and see the illumined world.

The reason for this served to convince the public that his power, that it is up to the good forces under the control of Pharaoh, and show them how weak pharaoh, sod and not really in control.

Moses needed to convince everyone that the power was in his hands to show the good forces under the control of Pharaoh how weak and despicable Pharaoh was and that Pharaoh really had no control in order to elevate the good forces. With every plague Egypt receives, Pharaoh frees additional characteristics that are found under the control of the ego, which awakens more difficult plagues.

The ten plagues correspond to our ten inner characteristics called Ten Sefirot. Each plague represents a blow to the egoistic perception of reality. For example, the plague of blood (Dam) is from the word “Domem” (Still); it symbolizes Malchut, which is the lowest desire to receive and represents stillness.

The goal is to transcend the ego, to stop thinking only about myself and to think about everyone together. That is how we reach the complete perception of reality, unlimited spiritual life, and adhesion with the Creator.

Pharaoh symbolizes the general desire to receive, which includes unique desires called the children of Israel. These desires can leave the control of Pharaoh and the ten plagues help them detach from him. The Creator is the power of bestowal and love that is found outside of the desire to receive. When we depart from the desire to receive, we feel free; this is the future of the human species, this is the correction of the world.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 718 – The Exodus From Egypt Is True Freedom,” 4/19/16

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One-Third Of British Muslims Are Anti-Semites

Laitman_727Question: According to the results of a poll that was arranged by the ICN company, more than a third of the adherents of Islam in Britain believe that the Jews have acquired too much control in Britain and influence over the communications media, financial institutions, and the economy. In addition, more than one-fourth of them are convinced that the Jews are responsible for most of the wars on Earth.

Unlike the other citizens in Britain, 27% of the Muslims who were questioned, acknowledge that they hate the Jews simply because of their behavior. So has anti-Semitism been more pronounced among Muslims than anyone else historically?

Answer: Throughout many generations Jews and Muslims existed together more or less normally because they never had any religious opponents, there weren’t special contrasts between them.

The crisis in relationships began from geographic and political opposition, when England didn’t want to leave the land of Israel and began to incite hatred among the Arabs toward the Jews. This was the usual policy of “divide and rule.”

Islam in its essence is not at all opposed to Judaism; on the contrary, these have been two religions that have been close as a counterweight to Christianity.

Question: Why does the current radical Islam bear such intense aggressiveness toward the Jews?

Answer: Modern Islam is radical Islam, yet the foundation of true Islam is Sufism (Islamic Wisdom of Kabbalah). Arab Kabbalists (Sufis) have lived in all times, from which are great literary works.

Today a major clash of egoism is happening in the world. So it is natural and necessary for Israel to go out first and present the method of unity to the whole world. This exists only with us, and we don’t want to reveal it in us and begin to work with it. This method of unification is called the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is not mysticism, Tarot cards, or red strings, but specifically the true wisdom of Kabbalah.

If we begin to be involved with the wisdom of Kabbalah, all of humanity will immediately feel how serious our intention is to introduce corrections of the egoistic nature of humanity into the world and bring everyone to unity, establishing peace and tranquility. Then all the streams that are directed against us will disappear.

Question: What is the first current that will accept the wisdom of Kabbalah?

Answer: First everyone will be against the Kabbalists, including Judaism. After that, awareness and understanding will begin to happen partly among Christians and partly among Jews.

In the meantime, the matter is much more complicated among the Muslims even though inside they are closer to understanding. But there is a very big internal problem among them regarding their identity.

The best thing will be if we Jews unite and show the peoples of the world how to achieve global unity in our world.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/14/16

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UNESCO Against Israel

Laitman_417Question: The Management Committee of UNESCO passed a decision regarding Jerusalem which did not mention the connection of the Jews and Israel to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

The Temple Mount is mentioned solely and only as a place in which the Al-Aqsa Mosque is found and the area of the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall, Kotel) is called Al-Buraq Square, the square from which the prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven. In the same document they state that Israel is “occupying” that area.

The resolution formulates a demand for the Israeli government not to limit the access of Muslims to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and likewise condemns the Israeli government for “illegal actions against religious freedom.”

From your acquaintance with the Chairperson of UNESCO Irina Bokova, how would you explain their attitude toward us?

Answer: This is a completely legal attitude. Subconsciously, the world is demanding the method for the correction of its nature from us. Since we are not acting on this, they blame us for everything that is happening in the world.

We had to gather in the land of Israel to carry out our mission to become one people, as one person with one heart, and live according to the general rule, “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), thereby serving as an example to everyone. Throughout the 70 years of the existence of the nation we have not reached the realization of our destiny, so we have no right to this land.

Comment: When you met personally with the representatives of UNESCO, there was a good mutual understanding between you and warm meetings that were supposed to lead to changes in the attitude toward our nation.

Answer: The attitudes have only changed in a negative direction.

They heard from me what the wisdom of Kabbalah says and what our organization is about, yet reality shows them that the trend is completely the opposite!

Question: And where is their support?

Answer: About what?! Everything depends on us. We are the Jewish people; it is up to us to reach mutual agreement, a mutual link, friendship, love, connection, and unity, mutual support!

But with each passing day, more and more political parties arise in our nation; separation and division happens because we have not implemented the function for which we exist here.

We have received an opportunity from above to establish a nation here that will show humanity the future of the world, but if we don’t carry this out, we have nothing to do here! We have no possibility of claiming a right to this land because we don’t strive for friendship and love between us, the creation of the right society, and we are not an example for the future of humanity.

So it is natural that the representatives of UNESCO have stopped taking all of our claims to the land of Israel into account. They accept the Palestinians because they have no obligation toward them, but that is not so for us. The Palestinians want to live here, this is their land. They feel that they belong to it more than we do, and in fact, this is so.

Unfortunately the people of Israel are not carrying out their destiny and so there is no place for them here.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/18/16

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New Life 546 – The Threat Of Extermination From The Holocaust To Now

New Life 546 – The Threat Of Extermination From The Holocaust To Now
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

Jews the world over fear another Holocaust. How can the right understanding and perception of what happened in the Holocaust be implanted in people? What can we do as a people to prevent history from repeating itself?

We are in a process where we need to recognize our egoistic nature as bad and want to correct it. The people of Israel are unique in that they were created on the basis of “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).

According to the program of creation, we will be compelled to return to brotherly love and lead the entire world toward this. The inner Torah, the wisdom of Kabbalah, teaches how to stitch together the rifts and splits between the people and the world.

Despite all the pain, we should investigate the reason for this: we are in the system of nature that operates with permanent lawfulness. Abraham discovered it. The Holocaust was part of a continuing destruction that was caused by unfounded hatred, a lack of connection and love among the people. The people in general are not maintaining the general rule of reality, “Love your friend as yourself.”

“There is none else beside Him” (Deuteronomy 4:35). “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). There is no other power that is operating, not even during the time of the Holocaust. Until we want to connect with each other through love, we will absorb more and more difficult blows. This is a predetermined law. We are not required to rise above our egoistic nature, but only to develop a desire for it. In each and every generation they have stood against us to destroy us to bring us closer to this correction so that we would want to connect with each other.

If we want to be connected with each other as brothers, a new reality will be opened before us, heaven. The Jewish people will be compelled to lead the world to connection, even if most will become extinct. We have no choice. It is possible to stop the waves of anti-Semitism only if we establish a system of explanation and education about love for others. In the connection between us we expect a happy life, for us and for the whole world. That is the way we will gain the sympathy of the world.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 546 – The Threat Of Extermination From The Holocaust To Now,” 4/5/15

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New Life 545 – The Holocaust As A Turning Point For The Nation Of Israel

New Life 545 – The Holocaust As A Turning Point For The Nation Of Israel
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

What is the reason for the desire to annihilate the Jewish nation? How can we prevent another Holocaust and how can our connection as a nation change all of reality?

There have been pogroms throughout our history, but the holocaust is notable for the desire to totally destroy the whole nation.

My family are Holocaust survivors and most of my family perished in the Holocaust.

If we want to prevent further disasters, we have to carefully study the laws that operate here.

The wisdom of Kabbalah has discovered that the world is supposed to advance toward perfect connection between people. The nation of Israel descend from Abraham who discovered the method of how to connect different people.

We connected in the days of Abraham and reached a peak of connection during the time of the Temple, and then fell into unfounded hatred.

The exile could have ended in the 16th century when the Ari revealed the wisdom of Kabbalah, but it didn’t happen.

At the beginning of the 20th century Rav Kook and Baal HaSulam called people to come to the land of Israel and build a model society. Baal HaSulam wanted to organize the Aliyah from Poland, but he was excommunicated. Finally he came to Israel on his own and everyone else was killed in the Holocaust. Baal HaSulam wanted everyone to come to Israel in order to build a society based on the principle of love thy friend as thyself and thus be spared from the afflictions.

Today we are at a very critical point in history once again. The world is desperate for the connecting force that the Jews have.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 545 – The Holocaust As A Turning Point For The Nation Of Israel,” 4/5/15

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Earthquakes In Japan And Ecuador

laitman_738Question: As a result of the series of earthquakes in southwestern Japan, close to 40 people were killed and more than 2,000 were injured. The same thing also happened in Ecuador; there the number killed reached 233 people, and more than 1,500 injured.

Why in these peaceful and harmless nations do terrible tragedies like these occur?

Answer: It is very difficult to explain this because everything depends on the general distribution of humanity on the surface of the Earth. Why does a disaster like this suddenly happen specifically to these people and not others? What is the connection to Ecuador?

If we seek a reason for what is happening, soon everyone will say and write that the Jews are to blame for all the disasters. For every problem that appears in the world they will only blame the Jews. Through their incorrect behavior, the lack of union among them, such behavior is aroused both in nature and in the nations of the world.

Nature begins to become unbalanced, which is expressed in climate change, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and additional disasters. We arouse the lack of balance in nature and human society in all its forms. So we are to blame for everything!

Question: But the direct connection is not visible to the eye and a person doesn’t feel guilty. So why does the upper force behave with us like that?

Answer: To see a direct connection, you must reveal the upper system of management. Otherwise it is impossible because you would then behave because you were coerced, trying to avoid blows. But it is up to you to behave differently; it is up to you to carry things out independently, without the goading of the main law of nature, the Creator, the law of unity between all of its parts.

This is in your hands. It is up to you to move toward this by yourself, through wanting to elevate yourself to the level of Adam (Man) and not remain on the level of a “beast.”

Question: And for this purpose thousands of people are killed?

Answer: Billions of people innocent of crime! Imagine what kind of guilt rests on your shoulders.

There is nothing else. Read what is written in the books of Kabbalah. All the great representatives of our people have talked about this, beginning from Abraham and on.

We are responsible for all the problems of the world and also for all of its happiness, if we behave appropriately.

I believe that it is up to us to think seriously about what is happening and about what the wisdom of Kabbalah says. Otherwise, we will be taught through even more terrible bloody methods than we witnessed 70-80 years ago.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/18/16

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The Failure Of The Belgian Security Forces

laitman_547_05Comment: The reasons for the failure of the security forces in Belgium have been exposed. The first reason is the ongoing division and mutual animosity between the Flemish in the North and the Walloons in the South. The second reason is the pathological unwillingness to recognize the character of the war that Islamic Jihad has declared on all forms of the free world.

Answer: That is why there is such underestimation of the danger of terror: it will not be published anywhere, there is nowhere for it to be illuminated. Governments pressure the press; for a long time already in all nations the media and the governments work in partnership. This is no secret.

Journalists operate precisely according to the instructions of the state and say: “We have no terrorism. There are individual terrorists whom we must expose and isolate from society. This is irrelevant to the huge mass of Muslims who are filling our nations.”

Comment: This mass has actually declared war on Europe.

Answer: They claim: “There is no war!” “These are people who are friendly and whom we need. It is just that there are extremists among them sometimes. We only have to get rid of them, while all the rest are very good people.”

Comment: As has been clarified, there is an additional reason for the failure of the Belgian security forces, which is again what you have been talking about all the time.

The Israeli television host, Ya’akov Eilon, interviewed a high level Belgian politician from the Socialist Party and asked him to comment on the terrorist activity in Belgium. The politician claimed that Israel is to blame for the wave of terrorism that has flooded Europe because of the occupied territories and not implementing the program for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Answer: Yes, they say very clearly: “You have transformed the Middle East into a terrible powder keg, you sow famine and misery there. People flee from there like crazy wherever possible. Look at what you did in Iraq and Syria….”

Question: But what is our connection to this? Where is the logic?

Answer: “No, this is you, you. This ‘Mossad’ of yours intentionally organized this so that they wouldn’t fall on you with their justifiable fury. And after the population that supports peace and the poor flee from these places, we are forced to receive them and suffer because of your aggression.”

Question: And where is the “Islamic State” here that is slaughtering the Muslims?

Answer: “There is no Islamic State! There are only a few crazy extremists there and the cause is not in the millions of refugees. It is only because you are sowing misery throughout the Middle East.

Through your clever Jewish methods you have undermined all the neighboring nations and it is not known at all how you influence them politically, economically, and especially psychologically. People simply don’t know where to flee from you.”

Question: Does this mean that you are still convinced that these individual voices will become the one voice of Europe?

Answer: Certainly. Hitler was alone and all of us have seen what he did.

The ground exists, it is just “waiting” for the seed to fall into it. Then the whole world will flare up against Israel! This is our future if we don’t wake up and begin to behave in such a way that summons the upper force, which arranges all of these circumstances for us so that we will begin to work in the opposite and positive direction. The Creator is managing all of this. This is His true action. The hand of the Creator is in everything. There is none else beside Him.

We are to blame for not balancing the two forces that exist in the world, the positive and the negative. So this is what happens.
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