It is said about the people of Israel: “The Creator chose you.” He chose them by giving them a bigger and more developed desire to enjoy. This would make them feel the need to engage in the purpose of creation and correction and find an answer to the question about the meaning of life.

Such questions were revealed in a small group of people whom Abraham took from all the Babylonians and formed as the group of “Israel” (Yashar-Kel – directly to the Creator). This is how their inner desire, received from above, was directed.

After the breaking of Adam’s soul from the tree of knowledge, all pieces fell and mixed. But under the influence of the reforming Light, the lightest and less broken parts of the soul begin to rise first. The people of Israel seem the most egoistic, but this is because egoism reveals itself in them. In fact, the greatest egoism lies in those souls that ascend later.

First, there was a shattering and mixing of all parts, and then it filtered from this sediment, from all its layers, and was distributed according to the degrees of egoism. The same order applies to our world. There are very intelligent people, scientists and inventors, and there are technical specialists and engineers who implement these inventions in practice. And then these innovations are transferred to people to use.

It is the same way, in the wisdom of Kabbalah, there are scholars who are Kabbalists. Then there is the “technical staff,” the students who take these ideas and bring them to the people. And when people receive it, then everyone uses it to the best of their ability.

For example, when one buys a car, he does not care what is inside the car, the main thing is to learn how to drive it. But there are specialists who built this car and understand how it works. The wisdom of Kabbalah is organized in the same way as other sciences.

Our generation is in crisis because it is time for us to know how nature works and to get to know all of its systems. We have already fully realized ourselves in the material form: What else can we do, add a few more buttons? A person will still remain the same inside.

Throughout the history of development, man has tried to build external systems that will give him happiness, joy, and tranquility. And we built a material paradise around ourselves, but we see that it has not brought happiness.

On the contrary, we hit a dead end. Material well-being does not free us from problems and does not fulfill us. It is now that we reveal that we are completely empty, although we are in the midst of complete abundance. This is called the realization of evil in which we understand that we need to correct ourselves within ourselves, because this is where the problem lies. Therefore, the time has come for this correction.

As once we were engaged in the correction of the external world, so now we need to turn to the correction of man’s inner world. And in this, too, there are “scientists,” “engineers,” and “users.”
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/18, Lesson on Topic: “The Israeli Nation’s Day of Unity”

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The law of development leads us to an ever greater mutual connection which requires us to have good relationships with each other. But the more communication systems we build, the higher the opposite side rises: diplomatic games, war, and the breaking of relationships.

On one hand, according to the development of nature, we will always strive to unite because this is demanded by advanced technologies and modern life. We switched from connection in small groups that existed thousands of years ago among cave people to complete disunity, and now we must unite again at a new level.

Also, humanity is striving toward connection, trying to create it. An example of this is the European Union, and various international organizations and unions. But it does not work out; they are all doomed to collapse and enmity, even greater than before unification started. After all, they cannot realize the law “love your neighbor as yourself.”

In order to realize their dream and become a truly united Europe, there is not even at least a small rapprochement between the nations, a mutual spirit and attraction. In a natural way, there is hatred, rejection, and separation between all nations. Therefore, we need to create a mutual attraction, but this cannot be done. After all, the method of correction can come only from Israel.

If Israel does not provide a method of correction, then tremendous anti-Semitism will break out in Europe again. All the “united Europe,” all of its three dozens of states, will be like Nazi Germany eighty years ago. The same future also awaits North and South America.

Everyone is ready for this. The time has come when Israel should show the method of connection. If we do not do this, the nations of the world will instinctively blame us again and again.

Anti-Semitism was born at Mount Sinai. Moses descended with the method of correction of egoism, and in parallel, at the same time, hatred toward Jews descended to the nations of the world. It is necessary to use the Torah in order to correct the hatred they receive from above, from the Creator.

The people of Israel are in the middle between the Torah and the nations of the world and must set one against the other. If we do not fulfill this mission, then we are bound to it from above and from below.

Therefore, one should not think that the State of Israel was created as a refuge for Jews. Of course, it serves as a refuge, but the question is: What for? What are we living for? This question about the meaning of our life should awaken us to find the right answer. We live in order to realize the law “love your neighbor as yourself” and to become a light for other nations, that is, to teach the whole world how to do it.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/18, Lesson on Topic: “The Israeli Nation’s Day of Unity”

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 2/24/18

3 thank you messages for what made the World Kabbalah Convention the most powerful spiritual event ever held.

First and foremost, thanks to all the friends and students who came from 70 different countries and dedicated a week of their lives to take part in this special event.

Second, thanks go to the friends and study groups who could not make it but participated virtually and were with us through their screens the whole time.

Third, thanks to all the students and friends from Israel and to all their guests who participated in the convention for the first time.

In addition, the convention took place on the 70^th anniversary of the State of Israel, so we have put a special emphasis on Israel’s spiritual role in the world. We learned that in Kabbalah, an “Israeli” means one who yearns to discover the higher attributes of love and bestowal and wants them to prevail in all human relations. And people from all over the world identify with this sublime idea, whether they are Jewish or not.

Now, in the days after the convention, we must maintain the spiritual connection we created together. The special connection we had at the conference is a clear example of the spiritual bond that we must achieve and maintain between us at all times—until we merit such a connection that the Creator, the quality of love and bestowal, will be revealed among us in all its glory.

As the great Kabbalists wrote, I truly believe that we can reach such a connection between us and the whole world. The dedication of friends from all around the world and the great effort made in all the preparations for our annual event only indicate that we are laying the foundation for a new and corrected world.

Thank you!

(Image from the opening ceremony of the World Kabbalah Convention 2018)

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The attitude of the nations of the world is a projection of the internal state of the people of Israel. Even egoism of the nations of the world is caused by the fact that Israel is not corrected. If the people of Israel corrected themselves, then no evil would be left in the world. All the nations would be imbued with the good force of this correction, which would be enough for them.

However, as the people of Israel descend lower and lower, anti-Semitism rises. This is especially evident now, when the time has come to make corrections and we do not make them. Our desire to enjoy is already ripe for correction and has come out of concealment.

Egoism manifests itself as requiring correction, and instead, we drive it inwardly. We thus reveal hatred in the nations of the world. However, we created this hatred within ourselves, and we reveal it from the outside. There is no evil in the world. All evil emerges from us, and then we see it in front of us.

The whole world is a projection of my qualities. So how can I demand someone to become kind? I must correct myself so that kindness is inside me, then there will be nothing bad on the outside, only good.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/7/18, Lesson on Topic: “The Israeli Nation’s Day of Unity”

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From the writings of Baal HaSulam it is apparent what tremendous meaning he gave to the State of Israel, the people of Israel, and its land being united. In this union lies a very powerful spiritual charge. That is why it should not be permitted to separate the people of Israel from the State of Israel, from the land of Israel, or from our international, global Kabbalistic group, which represents all people and nationalities.

How is it that the entire world relates to the State of Israel? All acknowledge that the land of Israel is unique since it is considered holy by all three main religions. But why is the State of Israel, which just turned 70 years old, so important?

For Baal HaSulam, the concept of the state of Israel was holy, he even had a Shabbat knife with the inscription “State of Israel.” In returning to this land and to Zionism, he saw another very important step toward the revelation of the Creator.

It is because a place appeared where real unity and brotherly love “as one man with one heart” could be established. Initially, it applies to the people of Israel, who must realize this unity first in order to serve as an example for the entire world.

The world demands this from us without realizing it. This is the sole reason for the existence of anti-Semitism, which doesn’t disappear from history’s stage as time passes, but instead strengthens and becomes sharper. The success of the people of Israel and its existence in the land of Israel depends on this understanding. Without it, there is no place for us here.
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From a “Talk During the Meal” 2/2/18

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The largest portal Breaking Israel News published my new article “Kabbalist: I’m Bringing the Biggest Gift Ever to the Israel 70-Year Anniversary Party.“:

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.” – Deuteronomy 14:2

As Israel gears up for a massive 70th-anniversary party this Independence Day, I hope it will be ready to receive the greatest gift ever.

70 years is indeed a special period. It marks a person’s average lifespan—a period when we need to reflect on what we have accomplished in our lives. Likewise, the time has come for us to reflect on what we have accomplished as a nation:

Did we progress toward a tangible, unified goal?

Do our achievements in high tech, science, medicine, and defense truly benefit others?

Granted, any nation that has achieved the likes of what we’ve achieved with the means that we have had over the last 70 years would be very satisfied with itself.

However, the question remains: should we be measuring ourselves with the same sets of values as other nations?

We, the people of Israel, are unique. Whether it’s the Torah describing our uniqueness as a “chosen people” (Deuteronomy 14:2) and as a people who “bring Light to the world” (Midrash Rabba, Song of Songs, Portion no. 4), or the nations of the world pointing it out with increasingly intense anti-Semitic pressure, we are shown that we cannot simply rest on our laurels. On the contrary, we need to be alert to the fact that because of our uniqueness, we are held to a higher standard.

Our history, both inside and outside the boundaries of the State of Israel, is tainted with genocide, war, exile, and anti-Semitism. Even today, a UN vote on the existence of the State of Israel could very probably eliminate the State of Israel just as quickly as it was admitted in 70 years ago.

Therefore, we need to explore our ideology, our Torah, our history, our destiny, the attitude toward us from all the nations, and then examine whether we are making the right introspection in this special year.

Why don’t the same sets of values apply to Israel as they do to other nations?

While Israel continues to seek global recognition for its progress in high tech, science, medicine and agriculture, Israel stands for a completely different set of values. Therefore, no matter how much Israel exports cutting-edge technology to the world, the world’s stance toward Israel just becomes all the more bitter and harsh.

The Jewish nation was established in ancient Babylon by Abraham the Patriarch. Abraham united the people in Babylon who came to him to join the first ever “unity above differences” movement. People who refused to simply flow with the decadent Babylonian zeitgeist, and who saw the truth in Abraham’s call to “love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) gathered around him. Abraham united that first group of people called them “Israel” (Yashar El) (Drush, Ramchal), and guided them to the land of Israel, the land of Canaan.

The unique vision of that group was their willingness to unite based simply on common brotherly love. It was very difficult because each individual’s ego was burning with its demands. Nonetheless, they put in efforts to unite according to the tenet, “love will cover all crimes.” (Proverbs 10:12)

The method Abraham taught is called “the wisdom of Kabbalah.” This is a method that guides people through a process of uniting above differences. Once unity is implemented in one group, it can then spread wider and wider until it reaches humanity as a whole.

However, after we returned to the land of Israel, we failed to accept the unifying principle of “love your friend as yourself” as the essential method we needed to continually sustain and grow, that this unifying principle is what identifies us as the people of Israel in the land of Israel. We left it, and it disappeared over the generations.

In our times, when the social division is rampant and unity is needed more than ever, we don’t know how to show the world the method of uniting above our differences, the method that can fix not only ours but humanity’s problems.

Why does the world hold a growing grudge against Israel?

Since unity is a growing need, and our identity is based on being given the method to implement and pass on unity, then by not fulfilling this function for humanity, we attract a negative attitude from the world.

Subconsciously, the nations of the world feel that we hold a special key for success, which we are withholding from them. On face value, it might be seen as a disproportionate power in finance, politics, business and the media, but the deeper root of these feelings, which both Israel and the nations of the world cannot yet point directly to, is that we’re expected to bring the method of correction to the world. Therefore, anti-Semitism will only continue compounding until we do.

So, where’s the biggest gift ever for Israel’s 70th-anniversary party?

Along with the celebration, we can add awareness of our true identity, our purpose, and role in the world. We can concentrate on what is needed in order to make progress in our ability to unite in the future, thereby adding unity to all the progress we’ve made up until today.

The wisdom of Kabbalah, a method for uniting people and nations, is really the biggest gift we can give to the Israeli people on its 70th anniversary, as it holds the solutions for literally all the problems we’re experiencing: solutions to unite above our internal political, religious, and social divisions; solutions to our complicated security situation and relationships with other countries and peoples; and all the way to solving our domestic and personal problems.

Moreover, by uniting, the nations of the world would stop feeling that we are withholding something from them.

They would start feeling an upgrade in consciousness, a positive change in their lives and the tendency toward anti-Semitism would invert: we would be treated with reverence as we would be felt as the conduit of the good that fills people’s lives.

The gift is the wholeness, abundance and boundless fulfillment we can feel when the light of unity enters our lives. And the means to receive this gift is to cover all of our differences, divisions, and conflicts under a common umbrella of love.

My organization, the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute (Kabbalah L’Am in Israel), will also be conducting its own celebration of Israel’s 70-year anniversary with the World Kabbalah Convention on February 20-22, 2018. The convention will be a celebration of unity above differences, with over 7,000 people attending from over 50 countries in the Tel Aviv Convention Center. I warmly invite anyone who wishes to experience the true essence of Israel’s identity, culture, and uniqueness to join us. Anyone who feels even the tiniest curiosity or attraction to the wisdom of Kabbalah or unity as a solution to any problem is welcome to attend.
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If a person has a choice and does not use it, it leads to disaster. After all, the Creator always emanates a positive force that is meant to raise us to the next degree. If we do not want to accept the Creator’s invitation to rise to this stage, then we feel the same states in the reverse form.

If only European Jews had listened to Baal HaSulam’s warnings in the 1920s … He urged Jews to leave Poland and move to the land of Israel immediately because their destruction was about to begin and of the 3 million Jews who lived in Poland, not a single one would be left. But they did not listen to him.

They had a choice, but they did not use it. We all know what happened next, and we still remember it today.

Afterward, Baal HaSulam tried to talk with the leaders of the state of Israel, urging them to introduce the correct education system to create a spiritual state of Israel. This is how it should have been after we got the right to return to this land.

Today, the State of Israel is 70 years old, but it has still not become what it is supposed to be. Inevitably, this will not end well because we ourselves turn others into our enemies by how we relate to the purpose of creation. In fact, this is our only free choice, and everything depends on it.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/15/18, Writings of Baal HaSulam,“Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 17

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Question from Facebook: Does “Love your neighbor as yourself” only apply to Jews? Is it important for a Jew who studies Kabbalah to love all the people on Earth, for example: Ukrainians, Russians, or only Jews?

Answer: The Torah speaks about the general structure of the world. As it is written: “My house shall be called the house of prayer for all peoples.”

Question: So, you call the Torah a world book?

Answer: Of course. It is a world book and it is a world religion that was provided to all of humanity in ancient Babylon in the form it existed at that time. But only a small group of people accepted it; they were a few thousand people from all over Babylon who joined Abraham. Therefore, we can say that it exists not only for Jews and must apply to everyone.

The law of “love your neighbor as yourself” is the main law of the Torah. But first it must be realized by the followers of Abraham’s group, and then the whole world will accept this idea. The world has no other choice because everything is so connected in nature that we will still have to act in this way among ourselves—to lead ourselves to good mutual understanding.

Question: Who should love the one who studies Kabbalah? Who is the neighbor?

Answer: The neighbor, in the end, is everyone. But the realization of this idea should begin with a small group that will expand more and more.

At the same time, nationality is not important. After all, a Jew is not a nationality, but a gathering of all the small nations who lived in ancient Babylon and followed this law. This is an ideology.

Therefore, today, if a person, let’s say a Frenchman by origin, becomes Jewish, how does he change? He becomes Jewish by his spiritual purpose.

Yehudi (Jewish) comes from the word “Chibur,” “Yichud” (Unity). Israel means straight to the Creator. If a person aspires to it, he can be called a Jew. It is enough for him to accept this law. Nothing else is needed.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 11/9/17

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Question from Facebook: You are always talking about the egoism of Jews, about the Jews being chosen to bring all nations to the love of others. But we are not that bad. We help each other in military conflicts, we sympathize with those who are victims of terrorism. Our military helps everyone. Right now we are saving people’s lives in other countries. What else is required of us?

Answer: The thing is, if we are choosing how to act according to our own understanding of what is “good” and what is “bad,” then, ultimately, we will achieve nothing. We see that the nations of the world continue to hate us more and more, no matter how good we are. We can help other nations, but they don’t take that into consideration and do not welcome it, they take it for granted.

It’s true, we try to get along with each other, and we fight to protect our country, our nation, our land. But all of this is merely self-preservation: I do good not for others, but for myself, for my children. That’s why none of this counts as altruism; it is not what is referred to when we speak about the quality of bestowal and love of others. This is simply self-preservation, an absolutely clear egoistic action.

Therefore, I urge you to understand what it really means to “love your neighbor as yourself,” what altruism is, what nature demands of us, in what manner it wants us to start interacting with each other; then all will be different.

We cannot live like the rest, because first of all, I don’t even see that the rest are living so peacefully. It is not pleasant for them either. But because we are responsible for the overall correction of the world, there is a special calculation with us. It is demanded that we settle the account first and to a greater extent than all the rest.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman,” 11/9/2017

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 12/24/17

There’s a drought in the Middle East. But Israel, The Startup Nation, seemed to have found a solution for that. While most countries in the region are drying up out of lack of water, Israel is in a more encouraging situation, leading the way in desalination facilities, which greatly alleviate the shortage of rainwater, bringing desalinated water to one third of Israeli homes!

So perhaps Israel should work to solve the water crisis of neighboring countries and help build their technological infrastructure for water supply? Simply put, this is not Israel’s role. Our role is to provide a very different kind of technology: one that enables all people to unite above their differences. To be a “Light unto the nations,” or as The Book of Zohar describes it: “Israel is the first and foremost recipient of all the abundance, and from them it will spread to the entire world.”

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