New Life 549 – The Connection Between The Nation Of Israel And The State Of Israel
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Abraham gathered people around the attributes of Hesed and the love of others and realized that the physical location for them is in the land of Israel.

The physical land of Israel has a spiritual root.  Everywhere on Earth where people sit down, they get progressively take the form of the geographical place.

The State of Israel couldn’t exist anywhere else but in the land of Israel.

We are not considered the nation of Israel yet. The nation of Israel is a group of people who are united as one. Our life here in Israel gives us a chance to build ourselves as the nation of Israel, to build love on top of all the differences between us.

Israel should be organized as one body that is led by wise men who will lead all the people to unity. We came here in the past as an escape from trouble and problems in the Diaspora, a Jewish haven. Today, all of us together have to turn into a nation!

The future Israel is a state in which everyone relates to others as members of his family and we all live in harmony.
[157589]
From KabTV’s “New Life 549 – The Connection Between The Nation Of Israel And The State Of Israel,” 4/9/15

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Filed under: Israel, Nations of the World, New Life - No Comments →

Question: Who is Haman in our time?

Answer: Haman is the force that divides us and thereby weakens the nation so that it is easier to manage us. In the Book of Esther, Haman told king Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separate among the peoples throughout all the provinces of your kingdom…”; they are weak because they are divided, and therefore it is easier to destroy them.

This is the reason that we must unite above all of our differences, including every part in the nation, in spite of everything that divides us, without any arguments as to who is right.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is directing us toward this unity, to unity above all of our differences, so that, as it is written, “Love covers all transgressions,” since this is the only kind of unity that there can be in the nation of Israel, which otherwise would remain as a gathering of exiles, as a collection of immigrants from different counties.

Haman is the force that tears the Jewish nation into pieces. We can identify him in every part of society, religious and secular, left and right political streams, etc. Kabbalah is the method of uniting opposites, above all rejections. It is the only method that has the force of correction, the force of Esther and Mordechai.
[179765]

Related Material:
The Characters Of Purim: Haman
Haman’s Irrepressible Desires
Destined To Unite

Filed under: Holidays, Israel, Israel Today, Nations of the World, Q&A - No Comments →

The problem of the world is that a correct connection between people doesn’t exist. A correct connection is a system in which all the parts are found in mutual relationships between them and in harmony, where all are concerned about the welfare of the entire system and nobody is concerned about his own welfare. In a situation like this, the system is perfect.

When people attain a connection like this between them, they begin to feel nature and not themselves. The nature that they begin to feel is called the “Creator” because they discover its mind, program, and purpose.

Beginning from Abraham, people began to attain the harmony of nature in the connection between them, they discovered the Creator. The students of Abraham behaved according to the general laws of the world, to the extent that they discovered the Creator. This behavior came to be expressed in daily activities and in the relationship with the environment, and it was derived naturally and directly from their sensations. The activities that the members of the group of Abraham implemented seemed like they were only mechanical actions to someone who didn’t belong to this group and didn’t feel nature and the system of connection between people.

A harmonious mutual connection between people is called “love,” so it is said: “I created the evil inclination, I created the Torah as a spice.” The intention of the word “Torah” is the power of the Creator that is designed to correct the relationships between us, the relationships of egoistic mutual rejection. Involvement with the correction of the egoistic nature of a person is called keeping the Torah, and learning the Torah is called learning the possibilities for correcting the ego.

The general Mitzvah (commandment) of the Creator is correction of the ego to the level of “and you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). When a person mechanically performs the associated activities without correcting himself, his ego, this is called maintaining the customs. Since the days when the people of Israel fell from the level of “and you shall love your friend as yourself” to the level of “unfounded hatred,” they have been found in a state of maintaining the customs.

In their internal essence, the people of Israel are a group of people who are found in mutual Arvut (guarantee), yearning to be “as one person with one heart,” and filled with mutual love.
[179543]

Related Material:
The Method Of Good Connection
The Revival Of The Ancient Wisdom
The Role Of The Nation Of Israel

Filed under: Commandments, Israel, Nations of the World, The Creator, Torah - No Comments →

In the News (pewforum.org): “Israel’s Religiously Divided Society”

“Nearly 70 years after the establishment of the modern State of Israel, its Jewish population remains united behind the idea that Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people and a necessary refuge from rising anti-Semitism around the globe. But alongside these sources of unity, a major new survey by Pew Research Center also finds deep divisions in Israeli society – not only between Israeli Jews and the country’s Arab minority, but also among the religious subgroups that make up Israeli Jewry. …

“Although they live in the same small country and share many traditions, highly religious and secular Jews inhabit largely separate social worlds, with relatively few close friends and little intermarriage outside their own groups. In fact, the survey finds that secular Jews in Israel are more uncomfortable with the notion that a child of theirs might someday marry an ultra-Orthodox Jew than they are with the prospect of their child marrying a Christian. …

“Moreover, these divisions are reflected in starkly contrasting positions on many public policy questions, including marriage, divorce, religious conversion, military conscription, gender segregation and public transportation. Overwhelmingly, Haredi and Dati Jews (both generally considered Orthodox) express the view that Israel’s government should promote religious beliefs and values, while secular Jews strongly favor separation of religion from government policy.

“Most Jews across the religious spectrum agree in principle that Israel can be both a democracy and a Jewish state. But they are at odds about what should happen, in practice, if democratic decision-making collides with Jewish law (halakha). The vast majority of secular Jews say democratic principles should take precedence over religious law, while a similarly large share of ultra-Orthodox Jews say religious law should take priority.

“Even more fundamentally, these groups disagree on what Jewish identity is mainly about: Most of the ultra-Orthodox say “being Jewish” is mainly a matter of religion, while secular Jews tend to say it is mainly a matter of ancestry and/or culture. …

“When asked whether halakha should be made the official law of the land for Jews in Israel, majorities of Haredim (86%) and Datiim (69%) say they would favor this change. By contrast, most Masortim (57%) and an overwhelming majority of Hilonim (90%) oppose making halakha the law of the land for Jews in Israel.

“The disagreements over what it means to live in a Jewish state are not merely hypothetical. The survey asks about numerous concrete policy issues in Israel – including marriage, divorce, conversion, military conscription, transportation, public prayer and gender segregation – and finds deep divides.”

My Comment: The separation will only grow and will be manifested in more and more extreme forms. There are two possibilities: either the separation will split the society and it will disappear along with the nation, or we will be forced to consider that the Jewish nation can only exist on condition that it yearns for the general rule, “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) and “Love covereth over all transgressions” (Proverbs 10:12), as was customary 2000 years ago during the period when our nation existed. The moment we violated this principle, the nation ceased to exist.
[179479]

Related Material:
Udi Alon: “Israel Is A Fascist State”
“Allah Gave This Land To The Jews…”
Incessant War

Filed under: Israel, Israel Today, Nations of the World - No Comments →

Question: Why do we have to drink a lot and rejoice in Purim?

Answer: When it says that we have to drink, eat, and be happy people usually don’t ask questions. On the whole, what brings our body pleasure raises no questions, but in Purim this is raised to a level of a Mitzva (commandment), which means that we have to be happy and to get drunk “until one doesn’t know.” This isn’t meant literally, of course, but when we say “to get drunk and be happy” we refer to the maximum receiving of the Light of Hassadim (Mercy) symbolized by eating and of the Light of Hochma (Wisdom) symbolized by drinking wine.

Once we receive these two Lights, the joy appears and all of a person’s attributes participate simultaneously. All the attributes that a person has acquired are included in this joy starting from the lowliest and most negative attributes to the most sublime and highest attributes. Thus, by using all of our capabilities in this state we attain the Creator.

It is actually in this state that the holiday is considered successful. Thus, we should reach a state where a person actually loses control, “loses consciousness,” until he cannot tell the difference between good and evil, because all the evil has already been corrected and is aimed at goodness.

This doesn’t mean that he has to fall unconscious, but simply reach a state in which he realizes that the Creator has not created anything that is evil. The state in which all the evil is corrected into goodness actually gives a person the height of his attainment, which is expressed by joy and gladness. In this state there is a sharp encounter between the lowliest attributes and the most sublime ones and they support and justify each other.

This is the end of correction. In Kabbalah it is called a state in which “love will cover all transgressions.” It’s when all the sins, the evil, the oppositeness, the hate don’t disappear but are revealed and on top of them love appears. Therefore, the first commandment is the commandment of fear, and above it there is the second commandment which is the commandment of love. This is the only way by which the contact between a person and the Creator is attained, the understanding and the identification with Him and with what He has done for a person. At the same time all the barriers disappear and everything becomes for the sake of unity.

Comment: What a pity that Purim is only one day…

Answer: No, it is a state that lasts forever. We can attain it in one day and then it continues forever, since a person understands and perceives that it was all done by the Creator in an opposite manner, as it says: “I have created the evil inclination, and I have created the Torah as a spice,” in order to reach the state of the end of correction called Purim, which means the uppermost level of the Creator.

This is the ultimate, ideal, and perfect state. We have to help one another yearn for the end of correction and do our best so that everyone should reach this state as soon as possible. This concludes the revelation of the wisdom of Kabbalah. It is only according to this method that we can reach such a high level among us called Purim.
[179855]
From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 3/16/16

Related Material:
Drunken From Wholeness
Purim Symbolizes Existence Without Deficiency
The Beneficial Days Of Purim

Filed under: Holidays, Israel - No Comments →

New Life 533 – Beauty And Women In The Scroll Of Esther
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

What do the female characters in the “Scroll of Esther” symbolize, why is the value of feminine beauty emphasized in the scroll and where is true beauty found?

All of the characters in the Megillah (scroll) and in the Bible in general, represent forces found within a person.

-Vashti is an egoistic queen, thinking about her own welfare, whereas Esther thinks about the welfare of her people.

-Like Vashti, all of us are egoists. Each one draws things to himself. Haman came and forced us to connect.

-In wild nature, the female is not as beautiful as the male. So a woman has to work on her beautiful appearance.

–Nature created us this way because a woman symbolizes a person’s natural desire, which is the ego and is not beautiful.

The entire story about Vashti and Esther shows the work that a person must do with his ego.

-The female side in every person represents the ego. It is ugly, only for itself, at the expense of others.

-It is up to the person to correct (to beautify) himself, concealing his ego and the conflict between people. This is what Esther did. She told the Jews: in order to be saved, you must gather, connect.

-Esther was afraid to approach the king without an invitation. She doesn’t rely on her external beauty. She requires a different beauty. The ultimate beauty that she requires comes from the efforts of her people to gather, to connect, and love each other.

Connection between people creates the ultimate beauty. Connection corrects all the defects that there are in everyone.
[155229]
From KabTV’s “New Life 533 – Beauty And Women In The Scroll Of Esther,” 3/3/15

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Filed under: Holidays, Israel, Nations of the World, New Life - No Comments →

Esther is the secret force that connects the king and the Jews. The King refers to the Creator from which the force of Mordechai and the force of Esther stem. These two forces correct the Jews so that they can stand against all of Babylon in their corrected state.

The first time the Jews left Babylon was under the leadership of Abraham, about 1,500 years BCE. A thousand years later they find themselves in Babylon again and then Mordechai with the help of Esther take them out of there. Esther remains in Babylon and bears a son to King Ahasuerus who later helps the Jews build the Second Temple. These historic facts are described very nicely in our sources.

Esther is a good example of a Jewish woman who sacrifices herself: She is modest, quiet, and clever; she can foresee the future and wisely advises the whole nation. When the people do what she tells them, they break free of the ego. The name Esther stems from the Hebrew root of concealment, which also symbolizes the concealed female force which we have to look for in our generation. It exists.

Esther is a collective figure of the right female force that exists in the nation just like the force of Mordechai. It is by these two forces that the Creator gives us, through these figures and the way they dress in the forces of nature, that He manages us, brings us closer to Him, and turns us into a nation, since in Babylon we were merely a group of people. And the moment we become a nation, the Creator takes us out of Babylon.

Today there is no need to take us out of any place in the corporeal sense but only in the spiritual sense. In order to do that, we have to unite so that we can be one unique network in which the Creator is revealed and present that to the whole world.

Although we lack the two forces of Esther and Mordechai, they do exist within us and today the Bnei Baruch organization is revealing them. The wisdom of Kabbalah is already revealed as a method which Mordechai and Esther wanted to offer the nation back in their time. Only if we can turn to the people who are on a very high egoistic level now, and if they listen to us, will they be able to unite and we will all be able to come out of the spiritual exile. Then heaven will open up and the Creator will be revealed, and the nations of the world will turn to us and carry us to the spiritual Jerusalem.
[179754]
From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 3/14/16

Related Material:
The Characters Of Purim: Haman
Haman And Esther: The Two Desires To Receive
Haman’s Irrepressible Desires

Filed under: Holidays, Israel, Nations of the World - No Comments →

Question: Among the heroes of the Purim holiday, who is Mordechai?

Answer: Mordecai – is a mysterious person, but not a “dark horse,” a light person.

He is completely invisible because he doesn’t usually stand out. The only person he annoys is Haman who realizes that if the Jews have a leader, it will not be easy to control, subjugate, and annihilate them.

Question: What does Haman see in Mordechai? After all, Mordechai is sitting quietly by the gate.

Answer: Mordechai is indeed sitting quietly by the gate, but he is calm for the time being. As soon as Haman starts taking serious actions, the power of Mordechai and his stubborn and firm manner is immediately revealed, and this will not be good for Haman. Since Mordechai isn’t siting at the city gate but at the king’s gate, he bothers Haman. After all, in order to approach the king, he must evade Mordechai somehow.

Mordechai represents the potential force that exists in the Jewish people, which once allowed them to unite and rise above egoism. This power still lives and exists in us.  It can attract additional positive forces from the outside that exist in creation, in nature. So Mordechai is a danger to Haman; it is necessary for him to subjugate Mordechai. Therefore Haman comes up with various schemes, as when he turns to King Ahasuerus, etc.

There is a clear contrast between the two characters. Haman represents the attitude of the ego according, asserting that egoism was created to fill a person, to elevate him, to benefit him, and to move forward. In other words, it is a healthy capitalistic approach to life. But Mordechai says the ego is given to us only so that we can rise and work above it, that specifically by rising above the ego it is possible to discover the upper world, the next level, the next dimension, in which humanity must exist.

Therefore there are serious ideological contradictions between Haman and Mordechai. Ultimately it is discovered that even though Haman is right about the ego being the power that motivates us to move forward, it is specifically the characteristic of Mordechai that is the force that corrects and raises us to the level of the Creator, saving and leading all of humanity toward the goal of creation.

Even though the Scroll of Esther tells the story of what happened in ancient Babylon 2,500 years ago, it is applicable for our time more than ever because we are found in exactly the same situation today. The difference is that we have already left the exile, the terrible state of darkness, and now it is up to us to attract and lead all of humanity after us.
[179751]
From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 3/14/16

Related Material:
The Characters Of Purim: Haman
The Great Light Of Purim
Feeling Purim

Filed under: Holidays, Israel, Nations of the World - No Comments →

Question: Who is Haman, one of the antagonists of the Purim celebration?

Answer: Haman is a vivid historical figure, an amazing spiritual example for modern humanity

Comment: But he was evil.

Answer: Stalin and Hitler were also evil. There are many such people in our history, Haman surpasses them all. His name can be called absolutely all the villains of the world. This is a collective image

Haman is a scientist, astrologer,  and an intellectual, who understands things. He did a lot for mankind and eventually he and all his family, his ten sons and his wife Zeresh, his many concubines, and all his courtiers were put to death.

Everything he did was in order to awaken the Jews, who were dispersed in 127 countries in the ancient Babylonian kingdom of Ahasuerus, so that they would not sit tranquilly but would rebel, unite, and return to their homeland.

It is thanks to Haman’s efforts and the afflictions he brought upon them that the Jews began to unite. The threat of death forced them to unite, to rebel, to destroy all their enemies, and to eventually return to the land of Israel and build the Second Temple.

It makes no difference whether Haman is a positive or negative figure, he moves history forward. Our evolution is mainly under the pressure that negative figures create because people are stubborn, and the most stubborn are the Jews. Enormous negative forces called Pharaoh, Haman, Amalek, etc. rage inside us pushing us toward happiness by a stick that beats us because we don’t understand anything when we are treated nicely.

The wisdom of Kabbalah that is revealed in our times shows us how we can reach the goal in a good way and how to help the whole world develop correctly and bring it to unity. The unity of the world is our ultimate goal, the last phase in our development. Let’s hope that we will be able to fulfill it without wicked figures like latter-day Haman, Ahasuerus, Hitler, or new Pharaohs.
[179748]
From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 3/14/16

Related Material:
Destined To Unite
Haman And Esther: The Two Desires To Receive
Haman’s Irrepressible Desires

Filed under: Holidays, Israel, Nations of the World - No Comments →

New Life 534 – The Book Of Esther: Who Is The King?
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

We are used to a powerful figure of a king who rules bravely, while Ahasuerus is described as a strange king, Ahasuerus is a king that is managed by others. This is meant to teach us that the upper force allows us to manage our world.

When the word “king” is mentioned, it refers to the Creator, to the upper force of nature, to the general plan of the evolution of reality.

If we approach the king correctly, we can improve our situation. There is a clear consistent predetermined plan of nature that operates like computer software. The plan is to bring the whole world to correction, to bring all of reality to wholeness.

The Jews during that time were dispersed in 127 states. They didn’t care about anything, and each one cared only about himself. At the peak of their separation, at the peak of their disconnection from unity and love that was supposed to be felt between them, Haman arrives.

They have no connection with godliness, with the force of love and giving. Our nation was founded on love of others, on mercy, on the connection between people, in order to discover the upper force. The moment we descend to the lowest point in our relations, an external enemy arrives and threatens to destroy us. This is how Haman, Hitler, and Stalin appeared. If the relations between us had been good, they would not have appeared.

It is a simple equation and it repeats itself: separation leads to Haman, connection leads to wellness. Connection means being incorporated in one another by mutual caring and consideration, through “love thy friend as thyself.” Despite the big ego that everyone has today, we can summon a miracle that will connect us. We can choose how we want to arrive at the predetermined goal, and this is the reason that we have the wisdom of Kabbalah.
[155231]
From KabTV’s “New Life 534 – The Book Of Esther – Who Is The King Here?” 3/3/15

Video: Play Now | Download

Audio: Play Now | Download

Filed under: Israel, Nations of the World, New Life - No Comments →