Entries in the 'Israel' Category

The Secret Plan Of The Jewish People

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In general, how do you see the situation that the Jewish people find themselves in today?

Answer: We must understand the current development of mankind, understand why we are so hated in the eyes of the world, why we are, at best, pushed into a corner, and in the worst case, mankind wants to annihilate us.

All of this has been determined by the historical role of the people of Israel, and especially in our time we must be an example of the correct unification for humanity, making it possible to move to the next stage of our development.

Today, the dead end of human development has been revealed, the dead end in familial relationships and in different areas. This exists on the scale of individual nations and also the entire world. The time has come to ascend to the next level, but we still don’t understand this. In the meantime there is no solution in our world, so everyone is suffering from not having found it.

Philosophical outlooks are collapsing, plans are upset, and everything is coming to an end. In the past, humanity aspired to something, but today parents no longer have hope for a better future for their children.

An Alternative Possibility

And here the Jewish people should understand their purpose: Specifically now, we must show and provide an example of the method of connection and unification to humanity. For it is precisely through this that humanity will connect according to our example. It will unite in a good way through which we will come into line with nature, its general law and its evolution. And then we will develop further, not just to survive but to ascend to a new level.

The key for this is latent in the Jewish people. This is the secret of the people of Israel, that secret plan that they attribute to us. And we must finally reveal it to ourselves and to the whole world. This is the order of the day.

I hope the Jews will understand that the time has come to implement the stimulus program that has been waiting for thousands of years, to apply it to ourselves, and in this way to provide an example to everyone. We must transform into a “Light unto the nations,” as it is called.

If we don’t do this, the general course of things will press upon us so much that in the end, we will need to act in spite of it all.

And conversely, if, for a start, the Jews will at least discover and know why they are hated by the world and what their destiny is. This will make their lot much easier. After all, this knowledge itself is a rudimentary, albeit passive, participation in the general process derived from the thought of creation.

Even though people still don’t understand its general meaning, even a first contact with the truth, the beginning of a familiarity with the real state of affairs, can change the situation for the better. And the contact itself opens channels to a new power and new management of the world.

There Are No Accidents

The main thing is to explain to every Jew what their mission is in this life, in the world, and why humanity displays such a negative attitude towards them. The reason is that they are not carrying out their role.

It is not by chance that they attribute bad intentions to us and explain that all troubles come from us. We must examine and analyze these eternal slanders. We are talking about a natural phenomenon, not about spontaneous unconnected outbursts. Even those peoples with whom we were never actually in contact are experiencing this same real feeling. We must understand that there are sources and a basis for this natural phenomenon.

The wisdom of Kabbalah describes the inner mechanisms of what is happening and explains to us how we can actively implement our role.

First of all, the people are right in their hatred towards us. For we have really turned off the faucet to the abundance that must come into the entire world. Of course, I am not justifying the haters, but I am saying to the Jews, “Come, let’s implement what has been imposed upon us by nature itself. Come, let’s do this as quickly as possible.”
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 From KabTV’s “Like a Bundle of Reeds” 1/11/15

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It’s Time To Roll The Stone From The Well’s Mouth

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Torah, “Genesis,” 29:7- 29:8: And he said, “The day is yet long; it is not the time to take in the livestock. Water the sheep and go, pasture.”

And they said, “We cannot do that, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they will roll the rock off the mouth of the well, and we shall then water the sheep.” 

There are better times and there are less pleasant times in the history of humanity. Therefore the time that “all the flocks are gathered together” hasn’t come yet.

There were times in the history of humanity and the Jewish nation when we were very close to attaining the goal. There were several breakthroughs in the time of ancient Babylon, during the exodus from Egypt, and during the days of King David’s wars, until we finally have reached our time, which is exactly the time that “all the flocks are gathered together.” We have to reach connection because this is the only way we can influence the upper force and begin to change our reality.

The problem is in convincing ourselves and others and in actually realizing and feeling that fulfillment is only through connection. There is nothing but that. We reach a form that resembles the Surrounding Light only to the extent that we connect, and only then can we influence it, work with it, and direct it.

We begin to perform independent actions because we awaken the Upper Light and oblige it to operate in a special way. It is because we discover the need to unite in our connection and thus convey a perfect, ripe deficiency for the Light. Then the Light performs the last action and connects us.

We must convince ourselves that at this point our goal is to gather all the flocks together and to connect the people in the world in whom the desire to fulfill the goal of the wisdom of Kabbalah has ripened. This is the reason we were given the wisdom of Kabbalah, since we will discover everything else along the way when the Upper Light begins to operate in the connection among us. Then we will realize what the Light is, how it operates, discover its effect on us, and begin to ascend the spiritual ladder.

All of humanity has to go through this path but in an easier manner. Israel has to go through it first and then the whole world. People should understand that there is nothing but the connection between us that awakens the Light that Reforms to change humanity. To the extent that humanity changes, it will begin to discover a new world through its new senses that were corrected by the Light that Reforms.

It is because the reality that we feel is totally dependent on our perception. If our desires are egoistic and separated, we feel a shattered world in that shattered vessel, just as we see the world as it appears now. It is not surprising that the situation is growing worse to hasten us to reach connection.

To the extent that we begin to work in correcting our senses, we will feel a new reality. Just as we feel the shattering now in our corrupt vessels, we will feel a perfect world in our corrected desires that are governed by one force, by the Light that operates in our desires, connects, corrects, and fills them.

Therefore, everyone speaks about connection and mutual guarantee these days. It is because it is the only action we have to perform from now until the end of correction, and it must be performed by both the nation of Israel and the nations of the world. The sooner we do this, the sooner we will reveal the Light to humanity and thus fulfill the goal of creation.

It all depends only on the connection between us. We consistently and persistently have to work on this and constantly convince ourselves that this is our only goal. No matter how much a person knows, it has nothing to do with the true reality. The only truth is his yearning to connection and bringing others closer to connection.

“Every man shall help his friend!” We have to explain to everyone the importance of this action and that our future depends on it. Many years go by until a person begins to understand that his ego is doing everything to deceive him and divert his attention from this, as if it is a trivial matter.

Therefore a person listens, but doesn’t hear; so  one rejects and forgets this idea time and time again. But the time comes when we all have to start acting and telling ourselves and the Upper Light that we must reach connection no matter what. Then the passage for the revelation of the soul will open.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/08/15, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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The Roots Of Anti-Semitism, Part 4

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In the world today, we feel a very negative attitude toward Jews, but it is not related to anti-Semitism, nor to the hatred that appears naturally in the other nations toward the Jews. Rather it is related to politics, the fight between Arabs and Jews, and to anti-Zionism. These seem like understandable reasons.

Answer: A Jew born and raised in Israel can’t understand what anti-Semitism is.

Question: In America there are even Jews that act against Jews and repeat the accusations of the anti-Semites.

Answer: It has always existed and especially today. The survival instinct obliges them to act like that and to distance themselves from the sufferings by identifying with the anti-Semites. It has always happened to the nation of Israel.

It’s also because in our spiritual work, there is a constant struggle when we try to enforce the force of bestowal and love over the force of receiving and hate. This struggle exists inside every Jew in order to elevate to the top, where only one force rules, the force of love and unity.

But in order to reach this top, we constantly need to fight. Therefore, inside man, the forces of rejection, hatred, and egoism constantly grow more and more. And each time, he must cover the increased ego with love and connection.

Therefore, a Jew always feels that his ego grows. He is searching for all kinds of inventions that allows using this ego in a more comfortable way. He feels that he is closer to the nations of the world and is willing to adhere to them and blame Israel and other Jews, and so he becomes anti-Semitic.

Examples like this are known from the Middle Ages, from the period of the inquisition. The chief inquisitor in Spain was a Jew. And there are many like this throughout history. Even Hitler had Jewish advisors. He tolerated them because he needed them.

That’s how it was and will be, but I don’t want to go too deeply into it. Our mission is to investigate the root of anti-Semitism because it does not change. It is eternal and will remain so until final correction of the whole of Creation.

Therefore, I don’t wonder about those Jews that identify with the nations of the world and their hatred toward Jews. In addition, if we investigate those that are the organizers of terrorist organizations, we will be surprised to find many Jews.

If you examine the Pashtuns in Afghanistan, who form the basis of the terrorist Taliban, it turns out that they are Jews and part of the lost ten tribes. To this day, they keep Shabbat, light the candles, and at the same time, hate Israel. Throughout history, in the absence of proper care, their customs have become distorted, but they are still Jews.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 11/25/14

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If We Don’t Intervene

Dr. Michael LaitmanKabbalistic sources relevant to our era consider it as a kind of prelude to the War of Gog and Magog. About Ishmael, who is a symbol of today’s Arabs, it is said: And he will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be upon all, and everyone’s hand upon him, and before all his brothers he will dwell. (Genesis 16:12) In the wisdom of Kabbalah, the present trends are precisely and clearly defined.

Moreover, every stage is explained in the writings of the Kabbalists as to how it will happen if we don’t intervene and don’t “sweeten” the situation. Through the right actions, we can dramatically change it to the opposite situation.

But otherwise, we can expect very great, dangerous, and terrible wars between Russia, China, Europe, America, and the Arab nations. And of course, Israel will find itself in the middle.

But at the same time, this place will be the safest. So, we invite all of our Jewish brothers from France to come to us. We accept them with open arms and together we will carry out the correction.
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From KabTV’s “Like a Bundle of Reeds” 1/11/15

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Gathering In The Land Of Israel

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Can it be said that the Jews were scattered among the nations to provide an example and present the method of unification on the ground?

Answer: First of all, the people of Israel were scattered among the nations to absorb their characteristics and to insert its characteristics into them. The wisdom of Kabbalah calls this process mutual integration.

If the people of Israel hadn’t gone into exile, humanity’s development would have taken place completely differently. This is because all the areas of development be it finance, technology, economy, culture, and other areas all actually derive from one source. So, considering the modern means of mass communication, we have no need to remain “on the ground.”

Question: Does this mean that today it is preferable for Jews to gather in the land of Israel today and spread the wisdom of connection and unification from here?

Answer: I see that the higher supervision is arranging everything in such a way that whether we want it or not, we are compelled to come here.

I came to Israel during the Yom Kippur War, after four years of being refused permission to emigrate. Everyone in Russia, including the Jews, said to me: “What are you going to do there? After all, your situation here is excellent.” But over the years, I saw how even these people moved here. So therefore, it is only a matter of time.

In the meantime, I am not talking yet about North America, but the general trend is accompanied by pressure on the Jews, at least in Europe. The pressure will continue to grow so much that they will begin to seriously think about complete assimilation. But this won’t happen either, because there is a higher plan.

Ultimately, after many troubles, even though they might delay, from the lack of any other solution, they will need to flee from there in any case.

The same thing happened in the twentieth century with the Jews of Germany who supposed that they still had time, but ultimately, only a lucky few fled with nothing; and the fate of the rest is known.

Question: Why is specifically the area of the land of Israel so important to the Jews?

Answer: This is derived from the laws of cause and effect, of root and branch. A person who is attracted to Israel, is in fact drawn to spiritual development. Even though externally, the nation doesn’t seem appropriate as an example, nevertheless, despite all the negative phenomena and internal discomfort, this place is important to a person. It means that a connection with the program of creation, with the higher forces of nature, has been awakened in him.
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From KabTV’s “Like a Bundle of Reeds” 1/11/15

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Ideologies Of Anti-Semitism

laitman_222The Midrash, “BeShalach”: Pharaoh’s army advanced quickly. The Creator removed all the obstacles from the Egyptians’ path so that they would catch up with the Jews without any delays. The Egyptians cursed the Lord and swore while the Children of Israel who were ahead of them praise Him.

The Creator doesn’t help the children of Israel. He actually helps the Egyptians to move quickly to catch up with the Jews, but still they curse Him while the Jews praise the Creator and go back.

This shows to what extent we don’t understand the meaning of the actions that we perform, and thus slow down the advancement of our people and help the enemy catch up with us. There were many such cases in history.

The greatest anti-Semites were Jewish. The ideologies of the inquisition and other anti-Semitic streams were concealed Jews who may have not even known what their origin actually was. However, when all this is revealed, we will see that there is no one but them. Therefore, we should actually look for Jews among the greatest anti-Semites.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 4/23/15

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Don’t Fix A Rusty Engine

laitman_547_05Question: The issue of minimum wage reaches the headlines more and more often. This is a matter of growing interest not only in Israel but in other countries as well. We would like to examine this issue not from an economic  but a social point of view. After all, the minimum wage can say a lot about our society and it raises a number of problems that are related to the social relationships in our country.

As an advisor in the field of employment, I can personally see how the middle class is gradually reduced to the category of those who live on minimum wage. Generally speaking we are talking about almost a third of the workers who receive minimum wage or a bit more than that. It is about a million people including people who are highly educated, teachers, young architects, social workers, etc. Today, many people find it hard to make ends meet because of the low salary that they receive.

There are many debates with regard to this issue that also include moral aspects: Is there a point in creating artificial, imposed equality? Or rather, should we keep the laws of the free market in every aspect?

Economists also find it hard to agree on this issue. Some claim that a high minimum wage increases unemployment and weakens the economy. Others believe that these claims have no basis. Seven Nobel Prize winners, for example, deny the connection between unemployment and minimum wage and hold that raising the minimum wage benefits society. What is your opinion on this matter?

Answer: I engage in a different type of systems. Different laws than those accepted in modern society control them. These are the laws of nature and not the artificial laws of this world that are imposed by egoistic rivalry.

Therefore, I find it hard to deal with a completely rotten structure of society where “dog eats dog” and everyone hates the other and sees others as his enemy. In such circumstances, it is impossible to give any advice on specific matters since the whole system is hopeless. The only thing we can do is to get rid of it and create something new.

On the other hand, we have already seen how the old world is being ruined without anything new being built that is better in any way. After all, the structure still remains with the same egoistic basis.

Today we are subject to the market economy that works according to its own rules. This means that the employer usually wants to pay less to his employee and actually give him zero wages for a 24-hour shift without any breaks or holidays. The employee, on the other hand, would like not to work at all but only receive a salary into his bank account and not the minimum wage for that matter but a maximum wage.

In such circumstances, a society exists on the account of the competitive potential of its members. They all try to obtain as much as they can by power games, negotiations, agreements, and many other factors.

For example, there are labor laws and law enforcement authorities, trade unions, and workers’ committees, etc., which operate between the employer and his employees. All the parties involved also want to benefit from what is going on and no one wants it to end.

After all, companies, groups, and organizations who are interested parties are still thinking only about themselves even if they try to fight for the rights of the workers and the employees and the lower classes, trying to win for them minimum wage, pension funds, and other benefits. These people have good jobs and get their share. and, in other words, also operate egoistically.

In that case, there is no one from whom we can demand a correction. It is impossible to correct only one part of the mechanism. If we have to change a certain part in this rusty engine with another part made of gold, which is perfect in every parameter, it will be useless at best and in the worst case scenario the fixed part will actually disrupt the whole system even more.

I remember when a girl I studied with decided to clean part of the window in the student flat where I lived with some of my friends. As a result, we discovered that now we have to clean the whole huge window, which was practically the size of the whole wall. Then the light came into the room and we found out that the whole room needed a good cleaning.

In short, if we intend to fix something, we have to take the whole system into account. It is a whole system and every part in it is mutually connected to the other parts, and it is impossible to isolate the minimum wage as a single factor of success. We have to approach the whole system integrally and to shake it well. In other words, we have to take it apart and put it together again anew. No single corrections will help the general picture.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 12/23/14

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On A Wave Of Calm

laitman_556Question: At the time of the Exodus from Egypt the Creator hardened the heart of Pharaoh and sent Moses to him. Is it possible to compare this to today with the relentless military actions of the past few months? How can one explain this process to the public?

Answer: An introduction is needed here first to explain the principle of “There is none else beside Him.” Everything is sent and caused from above; everything comes to us from the upper force. It is from “There is none else beside Him” and the “good that does good.”

So why is that so bad for us?

The problem is that we, the people of Israel, are responsible for the world. And all evil happens because all the good and the pleasure that comes from above are not received correctly in our Kelim. We don’t prepare the Kelim, the desires of all of humanity, such that they will be in equivalence of form with what is sent and reaches us from above.

The Light comes from above in precise amounts as if some kind of “clock” is ticking and secreting the Light according to a precise algorithm, a little more and a little more, every moment more and more for three thousand years until the completion of correction. And we human beings, gathered from all the ends of the earth, are responsible for it in order to accept it specifically as goodness and pleasure, as great abundance that is meant to fill us on every level, at every moment, with heavenly delight.

And in the next minute, the “hardness of the heart” comes again and we must again go to Pharaoh. In this way, time after time, we must correct the hardness of heart and receive the abundance in it.

Ultimately, the troubles and plagues come and don’t pass over the characteristic of “Israel” in us but over the egoistic characteristics of “Egypt” and “Pharaoh.” What is called the “Sitra Achra” (other side) swallows them again. And that is how it must be, and later it will “vomit” out the abundance that it swallows, which is called, “He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again” (Job 20:15).

So we are responsible for the world. Nobody has freedom of choice except for us. We are the ones who left Babylon, who fled from there and were molded as a people who became connected among us and connected with the Creator. We transformed ourselves into a transitional link between the Creator and the entire world. This means that we need to become the “light” for the whole world and give it the method of correction so that at every moment what comes from above will be revealed truly as a paradise on earth.

But we are not doing this. And so we look at everything that is happening and we must understand that, in fact, it is all kindness; the Creator is still frightening us from a distance and playing with us. Thousands of missiles fall on the land of Israel with minimal consequences.

The problem is that this doesn’t wake people up; instead it relaxes them. Look at what a blow we can take. So come, let’s feel the blow as if it didn’t happen, and on the other hand, understand that the Creator is protecting us so that we will approach Him in a good ways, so that we will have the strength for it.

But the people are indifferent. So what else is there? What must the Creator do?

And so we, the people who understand this and have freedom of choice, must go out to the people and bring this message to the people with all our might. The message is that we must change, that through the connection between us we will bring about the connection of the whole world.

That is specifically what we are prepared to bestow to it. It is because we want everyone to be connected with each other well, the far and the near, including our enemies. So our connection is required for this, and we will see that it will pass to everyone.

Unity and the connection begin from the center of the group and will extend to more and more external circles. And then we will see how everything relaxes, as if a wave of calm passes over the world. And everyone will look at the people of Israel and will finally understand that they are prepared to bring goodness and pleasure.

“Previously the evil stemmed from them and so we hated them. But now they live with love. So let’s go and help them with this! Come, let’s carry them on our shoulders and bring them to the goal. If they have such an intention, then we are with them.”

This is what must happen, and we are the key for this.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/22/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Anti-Israel Hysterics In The ICC

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (The Huffington Post): “The State of Palestine’s strategy of joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a qualitatively new approach to the bilateral negotiations with Israel and the US brokerage of the “peace process.” This strategy does not undermine the pursuit of a two-state solution, which is the title of the international consensus for a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Rather, the strategy puts everyone before the test of choosing between the earnest implementation of the two-state solution, or putting the Israeli occupation and settlements on trial before international courts.

“What is new is that the Palestinian side, which is traditionally considered weak and has been forced to submit to dictates, today has the right to go to the ICC to sue Israel for war crimes and other practices related to occupying another country, from building illegal settlements to forcibly deporting Palestinians.”

My Comment: Appealing to reason, justice, and independent investigation is useless. Everything is planned in advance by the Creator from above because we do not prevent the inclusion of the negative forces of our development. We anticipate them by our desire to unite, and this desire can cancel out all our enemies, changing them into our friends!
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Europe’s Concerns

laitman_926_02In the News (from The Times): “The French are turning to tranquillisers as never before to overcome the anxiety provoked by last week’s terrorist attacks. Sales of anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills were 18.2 per cent higher than usual between Friday and Tuesday, researchers said yesterday.

“French shoppers are staying away from the seasonal sales, too — not only because they are afraid of more attacks but also because they are too demoralized to buy new clothes.

“Only 49% of the French made purchases in stores in the first week of sales, which began on the 7th of January – on the day of the shooting at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

“Experts call this situation unprecedented not only for France, but also for the whole world. … There is also an increased demand for psychotherapist services.”

My Comment: Unfortunately, this is only the beginning. After all, to make Europe “come round,” to act according to the plan of creation, to understand the necessity of real unity, not just one event like this but more “serious pressure” on French Jews will be required.

I can only urge anyone who understands the meaning of what is happening to try to convey it to all his friends. This can effectively reduce the suffering!
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