Question: In April this year, Itzik Saidyan, a 26-year-old disabled soldier, set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Ministry of Defense Rehabilitation Department. This event has awakened public discourse and brought up awareness of those suffering from PTSD and other emotional trauma. Many of these people feel that they are invisible because their handicap cannot be seen.

Let us say that same person would meet you a few moments before he goes to set himself on fire. What would you say to him?

Answer: I would tell him that human life has a much greater purpose than what he can even imagine. Even when one finds oneself in this difficult state, eternal, whole, perfect, and joyous states can be reached.

Question: Many people among us are suffering from trauma on one level or another. How can we act, as a society, to strengthen them and give them hope?

Answer: We have no other choice but to learn how to approach and reach out to them, to listen and explain the process that a person must go through. In this way we can help them reach the truth.

Question: What is the truth Dr. Laitman?

Answer: The truth is that each one of us exists under the general plan of nature and every situation we go through, is all predetermined within it. If we can come to agree and discover the fact that this is how things are, this will give us great satisfaction.

Question: Can one rise from this shattered rock bottom state?

Answer: Yes, for the general correction of man brings him to a state where he rises above himself and is included in the perfection and harmony of nature.

Question: What allows him to grasp eternity and perfection when he is at rock bottom?

Answer: Precisely that this care and understanding, is all that one has left in order to prevent “being buried alive ” so as to heal these traumatic and post-traumatic situations. And in general, all events in a person’s life can be changed because we all go through such traumas in life, with the reason being that everyone needs this to push us into changing.

We only need to understand that the correct care is that we rise above our current nature to that of bestowal, love, and connection.

Question: Is this the remedy for everything?

Answer: There is no other remedy!

Related Material:
The Purpose Of Life Is The Revelation Of The Creator
Understand The Meaning Of Life
Where Should One Seek The Meaning Of Life?

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My new article on Linkedin “Israel at the Bottom of America’s Priorities”

The United States used to consider Israel a strategic partner, a primary matter in their international agenda. Not anymore. Israel needs to get its act together and realize that its fate depends solely on its willingness and ability to strengthen within, before it is too late to regret its inaction.

U.S. President Joe Biden met with Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House in the midst of the Afghan debacle. The fact that their first face to face meeting was postponed but not canceled despite the crisis was interpreted by some as a good sign that the relationship between the two countries is strong. Biden said, “We have become good friends,” and assured “Iran will never have nuclear weapons.”

But besides the photo opportunity and formal official statements, the summit between both leaders has no real meaning, no substance at the moment. Biden is preoccupied with his faltering mandate and does not consider the Middle East of utmost importance at all.

The U.S. has its own priorities and urgent crisis to solve at multiple levels, so it is not surprising Israel would come last. They seem to be taking the same stance with other regions of the international arena. Americans are leaving Europe alone for a while, and releasing their pressure on them.

They see the Russians faltering and weakening, losing their voice, so they do not care if Russia deals with Europe. And regarding China, Americans can do nothing against it either, they are not in conflict and do not feel them as an immediate threat. China could take Taiwan and even Japan tomorrow, or absorb the regions in Russia bordering the Far East, and the U.S. would not care, it would not be its primary concern.

The U.S. and Israel’s meeting was just a gesture to show everyone that the United States is connected to Israel, and no more than that. Why? Because who knows today what may unfold tomorrow. Who can guess what will happen in the next round of foreign affairs and if the rules of the game will change? So, it’s worth spending fifty minutes on the presidential agenda.

A significant change has taken place in the last six months in leadership from the Trump-Netanyahu era to the Biden-Bennett period. Jews in America rejoice that Biden is in power but that joy stems from a lack of care for Israel.

Otherwise they would have backed Trump, our friend, who openly supported Israel, helped strengthen our ties with the Gulf states and raised our position internationally. He also performed many positive actions behind the scenes, but today we are in a free fall, left alone, without any real lasting support.

Our importance in the world is declining day to day, many leaders belittle Israel or maintain a cold relationship with us. We ascended the path of torment, a path that strayed far from our spiritual destiny. The deviation from the truth will only teach us that the people of Israel are not dependent on world leaders, not on the right or on the left.

The fact is that no global crisis today is being managed properly. The current circumstances with Covid-19, Afghanistan, waves of mass immigration to Europe, and the collapse of countries in the Middle East are only some examples of failed policies.

World leaders like Merkel, Sarkozy and others have stepped down from their historic places on the global stage, and the dust and fuss they leave behind should be an example for us, the people of Israel, to create an orderly and wise plan to realize that we cannot rely on any leader to successfully pave the way and solve our problems.

The solution is to unite in mutual guarantee and strengthen our inner bond, which is our very foundation. The people of Israel depend on supreme leadership, on the upper force, on the connecting power of nature. Currently, we are divided and conflicted, we throw blame at one leader or another, and falsely assure ourselves that if there were another figure here everything would be fine, but the division between us is what destroys us.

As our sages wrote, “If a person takes a bundle of reeds, he cannot break them all at once. But if he takes one at a time, even an infant breaks them. Likewise, Israel will not be redeemed until they are all one bundle.” (Midrash Tanhuma)
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My new article on Linkedin “Could the Middle-East Drown in Water-Wars?”

Global warming, back-to-back years of drought, and absence of investments in water saving and desalination technologies are pushing the already tense international relations in the Middle-East to the point of breakdown. If the water crisis continues, it will not be long before the arid land will be scorched by gunfire.

Iranian farmers cannot produce crops without water; the Kurds and Iran are at odds over the shifting of water lines; more than 12 million people in Syria and Iraq are losing access to water, food, and electricity; and in Syria, which is still torn by a civil war that began ten years ago, the drought this year is the worst in the past seventy years. Terror saws fear, but you can restrain it with arms. Thirst saws desperation, and nothing can stop desperate people.

Next to oxygen, water is the most vital element for survival. Without it, people will do literally anything to get it.

In a 2017 podcast, Peter Gleick, chief scientist and president emeritus of the Pacific Institute said, “Some of the earliest conflicts over water [appeared] about 25 BC in Ancient Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.” Even now, “In the last decade or so,” continues Gleick, “there have been more and more instances of violence related to water … [which] have been what we call subnational conflicts.” The drought has not improved over the past four years since the interview. It has only worsened, and its consequences have brought the region to the point of near breakdown.

The most distressing element about this crisis is the fact that it is absolutely unnecessary. There are proven technologies that can turn deserts into oases at a very reasonable cost. Israel, once a victim of accelerated desertification, has brought the problem completely under control by constructing desalination plants. Israel has already built several such facilities abroad and is willing to help anyone who wishes to use the technology. Regrettably, the leaders in many Middle-Eastern countries consistently focus on tightening their grip on the people rather than on improving their lives.

In fact, Israel is already channeling water to Jordan as part of the 1994 peace agreement between the two countries. It is more than willing to sign such agreements with other neighboring countries, but at the moment, it does not appear as though there is openness toward the idea on the other side.

While I do not believe that Israel’s neighbors will start a war with Israel over water, it is sad that people who could have access to abundant water are denied this most necessary ingredient because of politics.

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My new article on Linkedin “The Israeli Covid Hubris”

There is a famous anecdote that once, when President Richard Nixon met with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, he confessed in a moment of candor that it was complicated governing 200 million Americans. To this, she replied, “You may have 200 million Americans to govern, but I have 6 million prime ministers to govern.” To this day, we don’t know how Nixon responded to Meir’s quip.

What we do know is that she was right. In Israel, everyone knows everything about anything.

When Covid-19 came along, the whole world panicked, and we in Israel immediately knew what to do, and we voiced our opinion to anyone who would (or would not) listen. Indeed, we are an obstinate people.

There is a reason for it. Our ancestors were fierce and strong minded individuals who left their own tribes and peoples and joined Abraham to form a new nation that united above all differences. At times, they succeeded and profound bliss had spread among them.

At other times, their adamant selves would take over and they would revert back to their old, opinionated selves. Then, fiery hatred would burst among them. However, after some time, they would remember the principle that had made them a nation—unity above divisions—and they would reaffirm their nationhood.

Today, we still have those fiery divisions, but we no longer have the times when we rise above them. Hatred has grown so intense among us that we can no longer unite above it. This is why every issue that comes along becomes an opportunity for altercation.

The only time when we do show some level of unity is during war. All Israelis feel it, and many admit that if there is anything to be thankful for when Gaza fires rockets into Israel, it is that this is the only time when we stop fighting one another.

For now, I don’t see that this will change soon. But at some point, Israelis will realize that they must unite not only because they are being bombed, but because they have a mission: to set an example of setting divisions aside, uniting above them, and building a strong nation.

Precisely the example of a nation created from strangers is what the world needs to see today, since everyone feels estranged from everyone else. When Israelis unite, they set this example, and this is all they need to do in order to solve all their problems with their neighbors and with the entire world—unite among themselves.

For now, they prefer to unite with anyone but each other. At some point, they will have no choice and they will do it. I hope this point comes soon.

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Zohar for All, Lech Lecha, item 22: You should know what is the power of Nimrod over Abraham to throw him into the furnace, which is Ur [Aramaic: light, flame] of the Chaldees, and how he was saved from the furnace.

The king of Babylon, Nimrod, represents a great egoistic force.

If you gather together all modern leaders and politicians who are controlled from above as puppets, you will see Nimrod. This is egoism, which does not know exactly how to perform. It sees that everything is falling apart before it, as our current so-called leaders see.

The world is falling apart. Neither money, which disappears who knows where, nor the army will help. What should we do? Start a nuclear war? That’s pointless!

Today, world leaders are practically deprived of their power. They have nothing to lead with. The police are also very limited. What can be done with people?

The world is becoming unmanageable. This is Nimrod who feels that everything is slipping out of his hands. Abraham is revealed as the radical who seems to be organizing all this. As the saying goes: “These Jews again.” After all, Abraham is considered the first Jew.

Here we can draw a parallel between today’s Israel and everyone else in the world that will very soon treat us like this: “This is it, we have found who is to blame! We will destroy them and everything will be fine.”

Therefore, Nimrod throws Abraham into a furnace. The same will happen to us. However, we will overcome it, and because of that we rise even higher.

Question: Is it necessary to go through this stage historically? After all, we have already been through the gas chambers.

Answer: The fact is that we can go through this furnace internally and not externally. Externally, it is a very long way, decades of all sorts of problems. It is enough for us to go through some difficult state internally and to be born as a new person through it.

This is preferable to us as representatives of Abraham, to the entire world, and even to the haters from the side of Nimrod because they will feel bad themselves. Thus, you can go through everything in a quick, easy, pleasant way of the recognition of evil when you understand that there is evil in you, but at the same time you are already holding a cure for it in your hand.

Comment: The problem is that people want to live peacefully and not to worry.

My Response: They cannot continue like this. The crisis has only shown itself a little. It stuck out its head like a snake and then hid it. Now it will not only stick out its head, but also open its mouth.
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From KabTV’s “The Power of The Book of Zohar” #17

Related Material:
Nimrod Is A Property Of Selfishness
Confrontation Between Abraham And Nimrod
Two Systems: Abraham And Nimrod

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My article in Newsmax: “The Chosen One: Israel Can Rely Only on Itself”

The Taliban’s control over Afghanistan and the diplomatic crisis between Poland and Israel after a new Polish law will limit claims of Holocaust survivors on properties confiscated during World War II are two major international events that have raised concerns of repercussions for Israel. One conclusion is clear: we have no one to turn to, so we will only be able to navigate these tumultuous waters if we unite among ourselves and remain internally strong.

Israel should not consider the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan as a threat particularly targeting us. They are Sunnis and they want to erase the Shiites as much as they do us, so the level of hatred toward us is the same as toward other groups in the region.

We do need to worry about the message America is sending with its departure from Afghanistan, though. It demonstrates just how volatile their handling of foreign affairs could turn.

As I have said many times, under Biden’s administration we have no one to rely on. It has no desire to deal with Israel and is not in our court, so it will be ready to sell us out in a moment.

We need to realize that the state of Israel is slowly entering a situation where it has no one to turn to. We are losing those we called friends — Russia, America, everyone. We are becoming increasingly isolated in the international arena, vulnerable against our enemies without any true ally to watch our back.

Who knows this fact the best? The Poles.

They already understand that we are helpless to back up demands for compensation from them for families whose properties were stolen during the Nazi occupation and under communism, as was confirmed by the recent Polish approval of a law limiting those restitutions.

The world has long been waiting for the moment in which Israel would be cornered and alone, a desire rooted in antisemitism. Although we have repeatedly witnessed how quickly everyone turns their backs on us if an opportunity presents itself, we prefer to either ignore it or look in another direction thinking that our fate will depend on other nations.

Israel only needs to do one thing: to be cohesive inside. By achieving that, we would strengthen ourselves and ensure success.

If we unite, we will win. Otherwise, we will experience further problems reminiscent of those we experienced in the past and throughout our painful history.

As long as we are perceived as weak and divided, we will be easily defeated in a sea of enemies. But if we strive for increasing unity within, then Israel will sail smoothly forward and reach safe harbor, a good and calm destination.

In our attempt to forge unity among ourselves, we evoke a strong connecting power, a supreme force of love and bestowal that will cover all the differences between us, regardless of how deep they are. Such a force is the only partner which will protect us from all the threats we face.

In other words, we cannot rely on anyone to solve our problems or defend us because help will not be forthcoming. If we want to see positive change for Israel, we should start working toward a substantial transformation within ourselves, toward warmer mutual relationships. That is our only guarantee of a good future.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What were the justifications of Barcelona FC to insist on playing against Beitar Jerusalem, not in Jerusalem?“

There was supposed to be a friendly football match between Beitar Jerusalem and Barcelona FC, but the game was canceled. Why? Barcelona decided that they did not want to play in Jerusalem because of pressure put on them by various pro-Palestinian bodies who stated that playing in Jerusalem would disrespect Barcelona’s Palestinian fans, who want Jerusalem as their capital. Beitar Jerusalem owner Moshe Hogeg since canceled the match stating that

a game against Beitar Jerusalem deserves to take place in Jerusalem, and if the motive for its not taking place in Jerusalem is political and I submit to it, I will not be [at peace] with myself. I cannot betray Jerusalem.

Now the way I see it, it was the right decision to make. It is respectful toward Israel, and in general, I think that we need not concede to anyone in this regard. It has nothing to do with the game. If you look at things from a broader perspective, the international arena is applying more and more pressure on us.

It seems as if the Palestinians are doing better and better in their explanation, and we are doing worse and worse. Why?

It is because we are failing in our correction of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” First of all, we lack this correction among each other, Israelis. If we reach a common state of love, where all of Israel are friends, then we will see how the entire world will start treating us positively and favorably.

Can we separate the terrible attitude of Israelis toward each other inside Israel, the relations between us and the world, and between us and the Palestinians? No. We cannot put our attitudes toward each other aside.

We cannot separate what goes on inside of Israel and what goes on in the world, Palestinians or no Palestinians. This is because we are a miniature model of the world. Being Israeli is not a nationality. Israel is a gathering of the nations of the world who have since forgotten about the special connection they shared.

If we connect with each other lovingly and with mutual assistance, then we will project positive forces to the world. The positive force of love and connection that we would draw to ourselves and pass on would compel others to think and act positively to one another.

The world would then relate favorably toward us. Everything and everyone would calm down. It all depends on Israel. In the meantime, in Israel, we are always in each other’s faces. That is the problem. It is why so many people hate us and want to do us harm.

It is up to us. The forces of the world will not change. The laws of nature are absolute. If we aspire to make our connections positive, then we will draw a positive influence onto ourselves, and become a conduit for that positive influence to spread throughout humanity.

Based on a talk between Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi, “An Inside Look.” Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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My new article on Linkedin “What Poland Knows about Israel (that Israel Doesn’t)”

There is going to be a lot of fallout from the retreat of the US Army from Afghanistan. The Chinese have already sent a stern message to Taiwan that “it could face the same fate as Afghanistan if it continued relying on the United States as an ally.”

But the message that the United States hurried withdrawal sends to Israel is even more forbidding: Israel has no one to rely on. Already, Israel is isolated in the international arena. Now, with the rise of another Islamic emirate, and the US’s declining credibility in the eyes of its allies, Israel should know that its future is very bleak if it intends to rely on Uncle Sam for support. It is still there, but it is waning fast.

A good example of Israel’s declining international status is its recent altercation with Poland over the anti-restitution law that the Polish government has passed. The law exempts Poland from assuming responsibility for its part in the killing of Jews during World War II, and therefore from financial restitution.

Israel, who sought support from its only remaining ally, the US, got the following indeterminate response from Secretary of State Blinken: “The United States reiterates our concerns about amendments to the Code of Administrative Procedure….severely restricting restitution and compensation for property wrongfully confiscated during Poland’s communist era. Further,” adds Blinken “we urge the Polish government to consult with representatives of affected parties [omitting their identity] and to develop a clear, efficient, and effective legal procedure to resolve confiscated property claims.”

As if that message was not thinned enough, Blinken went on to commend Poland’s president Andrezj Duda’s statement supporting “freedom of expression, the sanctity of contracts, and the shared values that underpin our relationship.” Indeed, we are alone. Poland knows it, and now the world knows it. It remains to be seen whether we know it, too.

Clearly, our only hope is our unity. If we have not realized it, our growing isolation will leave us no choice but to acknowledge it. And if our unity does not seem like much to lean on, it will soon be our only option, so we’d better begin to buttress our solidarity.

Inner cohesion is not new to our people; it has been our “secret weapon” since the inception of our nation. In fact, it is our legacy, the one thing we have committed to pass on to the nations, and the one thing we haven’t passed on to them for the past two millennia, since we succumbed to inner hatred and division and became the world’s pariahs.

Had we been united, our sages say, no misfortune would have come to us. “The prime defense against calamity is love and unity,” states the book Maor VaShemesh (Light and Sun). “When there are love, unity, and friendship between each other in Israel,” the book continues, “no calamity can come over them. … [If] there is bonding among them, and no separation of hearts, they have peace and quiet … and all the curses and suffering are removed by that [unity].” Similarly, the book Maor Eynaim (Light of the Eyes) stresses, “When one includes oneself with all of Israel and unity is made … at that time, no harm shall come to you.” Likewise, the book Shem MiShmuel (A Name Out of Samuel) adds, “When [Israel] are as one man with one heart, they are as a fortified wall against the forces of evil.”

The Polish people know that we are isolated. Their overt contempt for us proves it. If we stop looking for the world’s approval and begin to nurture our internal union, no one will deride us. Union is the only thing that the world does not have. It is also the only thing that we can develop and that everyone will want from us. If we establish it, not only will we stop being isolated, we will be welcome everywhere since we will realize our ancient vocation to be a light of unity unto nations.

For more on this topic, refer to the book The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism, Historical facts on anti-Semitism as a reflection of Jewish social discord.

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My new article on Linkedin “The Soil Does Not Want Us Here”

Over the past three days, there has been a massive forest fire (in Israeli proportions) raging in the hills around Jerusalem. The fire is already the largest in recent decades, and perhaps the largest since the establishment of the State of Israel. There are rumors as to how this fire started, but there is only one reason that it got so big: The soil does not want us here. If we do what we must do in the land of Israel, we will receive a different “treatment” from the land, as well. Otherwise, it will reject us and eject us.

It is summer, and summertime is fire-time. This summer, there have been unprecedented fires all over the world. However, while fires across the world happen mostly naturally, most of the fires that erupt in Israel are the result of arson perpetrated by our enemies.

Nevertheless, not every arson becomes such a major forest fire as this one. It is no coincidence; the ground itself is telling us to leave; we have worn out our welcome.

We came here, specifically to this land, the land of Israel, to be the people of Israel, the people who wear the motto “Love your neighbor as yourself” as a crown over their heads. The world supported our coming here. It voted in favor of our coming here on November 29, 1947. If the vote were held today, no one would vote in our favor.

We have exhausted the world’s support through our insistence on internal bickering instead of forming a united nation that sets an example of bridging differences with love. Instead of living out our legacy, we have become an example of the opposite. This is why the world has turned against us.

Now, the land itself has also turned its back on us. It will make our lives here progressively unbearable. Our neighbors, too, will haunt us with the world’s support, and we will feel that we have nowhere else to turn but to each other.

We need not wait for matters to become so dire. We’ve always felt that unity will carry us through anything. This is why we have always united when war broke out and our enemies sought to push us out to sea. Now that our daily lives are becoming warlike, we must continue to employ this tactic or our lives will become a losing battle.

We needn’t come to it. If we use crises as springboards to enhance our unity, we will see that this is why they happen in the first place.

Israel is always at the center of the world’s attention. If we unite in the face of hardship, the world, too, will unite in the face of hardship. If the world unites in the face of hardship, it will overcome anything and people’s lives will be peaceful and meaningful.

Then, the world will know that it was right in placing us together in our land, that we have earned the right to be here. Then, too, the soil will welcome us—its long lost children who have been away for centuries due to their own division.
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My new article on Linkedin “We Can’t Uproot Hatred for Us Unless We Uproot It from Within Us”

Just recently, the semi-official Iranian outlet Tasnim News Agency reported that Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated that Iran is “confident that the decline and collapse of the Zionist regime is beyond a wish and is a reality that could happen in the near future.” With this statement, Iran is trying to boost its own, as well as its Palestinian proxies’ spirits after the latest military campaign in Gaza. But such announcements do not reflect strength but rather weakness.

However, military might is not what this post is about, but rather the intense hatred that Iran exhibits toward Israel and what Israel can do about it. In truth, we have tried most everything we can to appease the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world but nothing is working. In fact, experience shows that whenever we give our enemies what they demand, they add contempt to their abhorrence rather than become more peaceful and friendly.

We should already know that we will uproot the hatred in our enemies’ hearts only when we uproot the hatred from our own hearts. That is, because we hate each other, our enemies hate us. This has been the case with the Jewish people since its inception, and it will never change. As long as we keep hating one another, the world’s hatred toward us will not diminish.

The “decline and collapse” that Salami talked about are not only weakening us from within; they are fueling his, and everybody else’s hatred toward us. It is a social collapse, not a physical or an economic one. It expresses the collapse of our cohesion and solidarity, our sense that we are one nation that is bounded by mutual responsibility among its members.

Our sages wrote that when we feel alienation from each other, the world attacks us, and when we unite, no harm comes to us. For instance, the book Shem MiShmuel states, “When unity restores Israel as before, Satan will have no place in which to place error and external forces. When they are as one man with one heart, they are as a fortified wall against the forces of evil.”

But our vocation is not only to unite, but to set an example of unity for all the nations. This is why whenever we quarrel among ourselves, even if only verbally, the nations punish us. The Talmud (Yoma 9b) explains that Nebuchadnezzar conquered Israel and destroyed the First Temple because the people of Israel spoke to one another “with daggers in their tongues.” But when the people of Israel display unity, everyone wants to learn from them how to unite. accordingly, the book Sifrey Devarim writes that in the days of the Second Temple, during the three festive pilgrimages, gentiles would “go up to Jerusalem and see Israel … and say, ‘It is becoming to cling only to this nation.’”

Once again, we see that our own division, our social decay, is our only problem. If we return to the motto of our nation, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” by simply trying to implement it, we will dissolve all the hatred toward us. As long as we are obstinate and regard being right as more important than being together, we will have no future in the land of Israel or anywhere else in the world.
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