My new article on Linkedin “Israel-Poland Relationship—We Should Focus Only on Correction”

A few days ago, the Polish parliament approved a Holocaust anti-restitution law “designed to end claims for property restitution and compensation for property confiscated by the country’s Communist regime in the 1940s and 1950s, including that of Holocaust survivors,” wrote Jeremy Sharon on The Jerusalem Post. Two days later, Israel recalled its envoy from Poland to protest the new law, and the US and Israel declared that they were coordinating their response to the anti-restitution law.

We needn’t be familiar with the details of the restitution arguments to know that antisemitism is widespread in Poland. It is also well-documented that Poles participated in killing Jews during World War II. At the same time, I think that focusing on the guilt of the Polish people and downgrading the level of the diplomatic relationship with Poland over this issue will not make Poland less antisemitic or help commemorate the Holocaust.

I think that if we want to do some real good to ourselves and to the world, we should focus on correcting the future, which means, first and foremost, correcting ourselves. This is the only step we can take that will yield good results. Everything else will have negative outcomes.

The people of Israel, whether they are aware of it or not, were once in possession of a method that changed human nature from the evil inclination that is in us from our youth, as the Torah writes (Gen. 8:21), into a nature of giving and bonding. This method enabled Abraham to unite the nomads who had gathered around him to hear his teachings about kindness and mercy. This method helped Moses turn the Israelites who had fled from Egypt into a nation after having committed to unite “as one man with one heart.” This method made us “a light unto nations” in the 3rd century BC, when Ptolemy II, king of Egypt, invited seventy sages from Jerusalem to translate their wisdom from Hebrew to Greek.

At the same time, the abandonment of this method had brought upon us Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the First Temple and exiled the people of Israel to Babylon. The abandonment of this method also brought upon us the Seleucid Empire, whose Hellenistic culture threatened to dissolve Jewish unity, and which inflicted upon us a bloody civil war.

In the end, the abandonment of this method of unity brought upon us Titus and his Roman Legion, which destroyed what was left of Jerusalem after we destroyed each other within the city walls. Had we not relinquished Abraham’s method of connection, which transfers self-centered individuals into caring human beings like Abraham himself, our chronicles would have been very different.

But we should not wallow in our sorrow; we should fortify our future. As then, so now, our strength lies in our unity. If we rise above our (intense) hatred for each other, no enemy will persecute us. If we seek to cover our hate with love, as King Solomon had suggested (Prov. 10:12), we will forge a solid union that will shine as a beacon of hope for all of humanity to see that foes really can become friends.

When our example brightens up the dimming light on humanity’s international relationships, the world will justify our presence in the land of Israel and will support us in every way it can. At that time, we will not need to fight for restitution; we will fight against our own egos, to raise unity over hatred, and the world will support our struggle to guarantee that we succeed.

The Holocaust claimed millions of our people, including most of the members of my family. If we want to do justice to their memory, to give their lives a lasting meaning, we must make the legacy of our people a living reality—a reality of union over division, love over hate, and be a living proof that people of different cultures, tongue, values, and goals can become one solid nation. We will be a proud and respected nation only when we prove that “Love your neighbor as yourself” is not an empty motto, but our everyday reality and our life’s purpose.

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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Hiroshima Remembrance Day commemorates the victims of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima that occurred 76 years ago; it makes one think and feel horrified at the possibility of a new nuclear war. Baal HaSulam writes that if we do not come to unity through which we would draw a positive force into the world from above, then third and fourth world wars may break out and at least one of them will be nuclear.

There are many movies about what would happen if nuclear war breaks out: a world in ruins and a handful of people miraculously survivor and wander the earth and don’t know where to go.

If it comes to such a collapse, people will loose their human appearance and will turn into animals. They will use all the strength they have left only to survive and suffer less. And they will behave toward each other accordingly. I do not envy those who survive such a war.

Many countries today possess nuclear weapons, and what can be done to prevent those weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists? There is only one solution: connection and unity between all.

For example, if the United States, Russia, and China could unite, then these three major powers could keep the whole world in order and prevent anyone from starting a war. But today such connection is impossible because everyone is in their own egoism. We need a “virus” that will destroy our egoism, and then no one will think about war but will only dream of a quiet life.

Unfortunately, no one is interested in such a “virus,” but each seeks to raise their egoism as high as possible. Israel is obliged to give such a method of correction to the world, but so far, this is impossible because it is moving in the opposite direction. Therefore, the world is gradually sliding toward nuclear war.

If Israel does not bring people to connection, which is its duty, then it will cause their separation, which will become more and more aggravated until it explodes in a war.

We must change direction and take a course toward unity. In Israel, people who understand that it is necessary to lead the world to unity must awaken. We can only hope for such awakening.
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From KabTV’s “ A Look from the Inside” 8/9/21

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My new article on Linkedin “National Unity Day – An Alibi for More Division”

A suggested National Unity Day is garnering support on all sides of the political spectrum in Israel. The day, which started as an initiative to commemorate the memory of three teenagers who were kidnapped and slain by terrorists, has evolved into emphasizing the value of unity, giving, and mutual responsibility throughout the country and with all Jews all over the world. I am happy to see that unity is on the agenda, but in my eyes, dedicating a day to unity is nothing but a permit for division for the rest of the 364 days. Unity must be our daily work. Every day when we do not try to strengthen our unity is a day when we are not the people of Israel.

Unity is our motto. We forged our nationhood by agreeing to unite “as one man with one heart,” and all our struggles from the inception of our people to the ruin of the Second Temple were efforts to unite the people. Our nation did not arise the way other nations do. We started as an aggregate of strangers who followed Abraham because of his idea that kindness and love of others are the keys to a good life. Over time, as we practiced these qualities among ourselves, we forged unity. Gradually, the assortment of strangers became a nation.

But it was a nation like no other: Whenever unity prevailed among us, we felt as a nation and our unity shone as a beacon of hope that all of humanity might one day be united, just as we succeeded in doing despite our different origins. Whenever division took over, we became a throng of strangers pressed together against their will, and we reverted to mutual hatred that no other nation exhibited. In those times, we were the epitome of evil, the nations loathed and despised us, and wanted to do away with us. In the end, we succumbed to hatred and the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and exiled us for the next two millennia.

Now that we are back in the land of Israel and have established a Jewish state, it is our duty to work on unity every single day. It is our obligation to the world to reignite the beacon of hope, to show that strangers can form a bond that is stronger than any other connection, and that peace is not an empty slogan but a feasible aspiration. Dedicating one day a year to this most sacred task, to the vocation of our people, is a mockery of our calling. What will we do the rest of the year, hate one another as we do today?

A National Unity Day is an alibi for more division; we need the genuine article. Anything less than true bonding of hearts will not do. Unless we strive to be “as one man with one heart,” as our vocation mandates, we will not be the authentic people of Israel, the nation that hallowed the motto “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and which the entire world is anxious to see arise.
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Comment: Everyone believed that vaccinated countries such as Israel and the United Kingdom were protected. And suddenly, there is a virus in both the UK and Israel. In Israel, the increase in new diseases is at a rate of about 20% per day. 50% of the sick Israelis were already vaccinated.

And everyone looks at Israel: “We were hoping that they would slip through.”

My Response: No. In the end, Israel cannot slip through. It is Israel who is responsible for bringing the world to balance, to a healthy lifestyle.

It will be revealed to us that we cannot do anything with our brains, with our science.

The whole world will think: “How is it possible? It seemed like they succeeded.” No, it will not work. We will suffer more than others, not less than others. Because we are to blame for what is happening.

Because we must bring the world to balance, we are obliged to tell the world why all the suffering in the world occurs and where these terrible viruses actually come from. And every month and year they will get worse and worse in their manifestations.

Nothing will help us: no science, no brains, no diligence, nothing! Only our connection and correct attitude to each other, exactly as it is written. In Kabbalah, everything is explained very simply: if we do not do this, these viruses will consume us.

Question: So neither high-tech nor the development of our healthcare, which is so sharp, nothing will help?

Answer: No. Only correcting our relations with each other!

Question: And then we will show an example to the whole world?

Answer: Yes. This is why the Jewish people and the State of Israel exist.

Question: Until we understand this, will the troubles continue and became worse and worse?

Answer: Yes. But here is what is interesting. Everyone usually listens to something bad about Israel with pleasure all over the world, but they do not hear this! How long have I been talking about this? The Jews are to blame, let’s put pressure on them to fulfill their destiny.

The tragedy is in that this is exactly what they do not hear! They do not pay attention.

Question: How will they hear then?

Answer: I don’t know. But I am doing what I can. How else can I scream? Try to get into the UN?

I would go; I would come out with pleasure. Let’s tell the whole world, the international community, explain to everyone and to Israel itself what our whole purpose is. Getting rid of all these viruses, of all the evil in the world—it is only by forcing the Jews to enter into good mutual relations with each other.

And then their good relations will influence all the nations of the world so that they would begin to connect with each other through this small group of Jews, or not only Jews, this is already a united group. And then there will be balance and peace in the world.

Question: Who do you include in the concept of Jews?

Answer: Everyone who is with us. By the same principle as in ancient Babylon: those who took upon themselves the duty to achieve love for their neighbor.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/28/21

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We look at Jerusalem and see a beautiful city, streets, and houses. But if we could look at it from the inside as one looks at the reverse side of embroidery, we would see the knots and stitches, meaning, the hidden connections that exist between all parts of this beautiful picture.

Then we would understand that it is called to exist purely for the sake of the upper force, at the expense of our strong desire and request to be pressured to unite so that love would cover all crimes.

If we can connect with ties of love, unity, and fellowship, we will make Jerusalem the spiritual center for all of humanity. It will become a source of strength for all people and will spread the energy of unification and brotherhood throughout the earth.

The light of Jerusalem illuminates the whole world. It all depends on how much we want to see it. If we want to connect, through this yearning we will be able to reveal and witness the true Jerusalem. All we have to do is help each other remain aimed toward peace, perfection, and unification.

It is said that “Anyone who mourns for Jerusalem is rewarded with seeing its joy.” That is, anyone who regrets that Jerusalem was destroyed and cannot be restored, that it is unable to convey its power of unification and love, the union of corporeal and spiritual worlds, to people.

This is truly a great misfortune. Everything depends on the people, or rather, on the Jews living in the land of Israel, and especially on those living in Jerusalem, on their willingness to make efforts and their desire to ensure that all parts of this city become united and all hostility ends.

The Jews living in Jerusalem have been in constant strife for thousands of years until the present day. In addition, there are disputes between all other nations who inhabit Jerusalem, which tear this city to pieces.

However, everything depends on the people of Israel. If the Jews living in Jerusalem want to unite over all differences or traditions, then this city will again become the city of peace, a whole city as its name “Ir Shalem” (Yerushalayim) implies.

The unification of the people of Israel in the land of Israel, in Jerusalem, carries a special power due to which all nations will also want to unite around us, provided that we want it to happen. After all, it is impossible to give pleasure to the Creator if we are not united and do not strive to connect all the nations of the world to ourselves.

The people of Israel came out of ancient Babylon where the 70 nations of the world lived in order to unite among themselves. 3,500 years have passed since then, but we are still not ready for this unity between us as a result of which peace will reign on earth for all people. Everything depends on the unification of the people of Israel.

The problem is only in us, and therefore, it is not surprising that in our time, which Kabbalah calls the last generation, the time of final correction, all the nations of the world are beginning to put pressure on the nation of Israel to oblige them to unite. Once the center of unity is established in the land of Israel, in Jerusalem, we will be able to provide this point of unity for all nations to unite around us. So the whole world will come to peace and perfection.

The unification of the whole world on the human level is possible only around Israel and together with the people of Israel. Therefore, all eyes, all attention, is drawn to the land of Israel and to Jerusalem more and more. And it will not subside; on the contrary, it will grow more persistently and will oblige us to achieve unity among us and lead to world peace.
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From KabTV’s “The Peace” 5/25/21

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My new article on Linkedin “Israel’s Startup: Light Unto the Nations”

Behold the glittery world of Israel’s booming tech industry of recent years. Young people, mainly between 25-35 years old, have suddenly become ultra-wealthy as their startups become “unicorns”, privately-owned companies with a value exceeding a billion dollars.

This phenomenon is not the sideshow of a lucky few. Today, it is considered one of the main engines driving the Israeli economy forward. These new rich have become a role model for many young people and the dream-come-true of the Israeli Jewish mother: the high-tech entrepreneur who makes a fortune.

With the money that the young high-tech entrepreneurs receive, they buy apartments and luxury vehicles, invest, initiate and are freed from economic worries. But they do not stop engaging in regular life by going on permanent vacation. They also do not stop working just because of the huge additions to their bank accounts. The reason for this is that money is not the main driving force for their work.

Their source of attraction to the industry is the exciting competition, the pleasure of the game and of creation, the joy of invention and innovation. These are the things that fill them with utter satisfaction, and economic gain is only a nice bonus, albeit a welcomed one, but not one that will fundamentally change their occupation. We can understand them.

Technology is an intriguing and interesting field, and in a sense it is as if they feel like the industry gives them a spark of divinity—able to create and change the world, upgrade life and influence society through a few taps of the keyboard.

The tech field today does have the power to generate tremendous change, and for the Jews, all the more so. Therefore, it is not by chance that Israel is positioning itself as a world leader in this industry.

The Jewish mind is built for innovation. If we explored the Jewish mind through brain imaging, it would not show any special areas that are exceptional, and yet, it is wired differently: it has a tendency to combine contradictory discernments into one, the ability to combine the opposites in one whole, harness plus and minus to the same cart.

Since the formation of the Jewish people in the ancient times of Abraham, the Jewish mind was designed to bring spiritual solutions to the world when they are needed: to unite hatred and love and tie them together into an exciting creation, the pinnacle of human society’s development. But in the meantime, until this goal has fully matured, the Jewish mind dabbles in high-tech. Not just in software creation, but in development and research in order to strengthen the Israeli nation as a high-tech power so that we are on firm footing in all areas, especially militarily where protection and the ability to attack are necessities in order for us to continue to survive as a small country.

In saying this, I am not suggesting that all members of the nation sit in front of a computer screen. Rather, we can anticipate that in the near future approximately 30% of society will work in high-tech, while the rest will engage in other professions essential to society, such as medicine and engineering, agriculture and teaching.

It is also worthwhile to prepare for the smooth integration of an influx of new immigrants to Israel in advance. There is no doubt that their contributions will benefit the high-tech industry and give it momentum. When the time comes, when the State will prosper even more in fulfilling people’s needs, we will identify and discover the one main thing we still lack: spiritual meaning—to know who we are, what we live for, what our role as a people is in relation to the world. These will be the questions that will float naturally to the surface when the ceiling of material development is reached. A clear answer to those questions will give us complete meaning in life.

Our goal is to become a united society, a spiritual power, a “light unto the nations.” If we anticipate developing such a tendency as this, then we will make an eternal fortune. The fruits of such an industry will provide new impetus and intellect to propel us to discover and realize a whole new phase in human development: a millennium of peace.
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My new article on Linkedin “The New President’s Very Important Mission”

The new president of the State of Israel, Isaac “Bougie” Herzog, has taken upon himself a very important mission, not only for the State of Israel, but for the Jews all over the world, and indeed for the whole world. In his inauguration speech, on July 7, 2021, he made two very important announcements: First, when speaking about the Israeli society, Herzog addressed the division that has spread throughout Israeli society. Instead of hating those who dispute us, Herzog suggested that were it not for them, we, too, would not develop and grow. In his words, “We must stop seeing the differences between us as an obstacle; they are the source of our strength. Thanks to them, Israeli power is revealed in its full intensity. After all, we would not be who we are without the vast range of human and ideological diversity that has gathered here.” Herzog also added, “I still believe in us. I believe that this is possible. … Let’s choose us, each day anew. We will choose to win together, and not only to win out over each other. We will choose to be kind, to extinguish the fire and the hatred with the Israeli spirit, to be plentiful in our love … to be united…. We will choose to bid farewell to the schism that is destroying us. All of us, together.”

Next, Herzog addressed the plague of antisemitism. He stated, “In my role as President of the State, I undertake to … assist in the battle against antisemitism and hatred of Israel.”

On the surface, there seems to be no connection between the two challenges that Herzog pointed out, namely Jewish unity and Jew-hatred. In truth, however, the two are intertwined, and the latter cannot be solved without first solving the former.

Throughout the ages, our sages have linked between our unity and prosperity, and our division and decline. This Sunday, we commemorated the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, the date when both Temples were ruined. As every Jew knows, while those Temples were ruined by foreign armies, their success was made possible by our prior Jewish decline from unity into hatred, derision, and finally, mutual self-annihilation.

It is beyond the scope of this short article to cite the countless Jewish sources that speak of the paramount importance of our unity, but I would warmly advise the newly sworn president to refer to them for validity, as they support every word from his speech, which I just quoted above.

As I wrote above, Jewish unity is important not only for the well-being of the Jews; it is important for the entire world. Anyone familiar with the roots of the Jewish people knows that our ancestors came from various nations in ancient Mesopotamia, and were not an organic clan or a tribe that had evolved into a nation. Anyone familiar with our roots also knows that at the foot of Mt. Sinai, we united “as one man with one heart,” and thereby received the onus of being an example of unity. Being able to see our differences as the “source of our strength,” as Herzog put it, is indeed what made us special at that time, and “seeing the differences between us as an obstacle,” as he stated, has caused our downfall every single time.

Here, too, I would warmly advise referring to our own sources for validity. For example, in the portion Aharei Mot, The Book of Zohar writes about our unity, division, and its importance to the world: “‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together.’ These are the friends as they sit together and are not separated from each other. At first, they seem like people at war, wishing to kill one another … then they return to being in brotherly love. …And you, the friends who are here, as you were in fondness and love before, henceforth you will also not part from one another … and by your merit, there will be peace in the world.”

Our sages have always known this to be true and wrote about this throughout our history. Ramchal wrote about it in his commentary on the Torah, the book Kol Mevaser stressed it, too, but perhaps one of the most eloquent writers about the role of Israel in modern times was the great Rav Kook. In Orot HaKodesh, he wrote, “Since we were ruined by unfounded hatred, and the world was ruined with us, we will be rebuilt by unfounded love, and the world will be rebuilt with us.”

Indeed, when we rebuild our nation through unity and love, there will be no wars throughout the world, and certainly no antisemitism.

For more on this topic, refer to the book Like a Bundle of Reeds: Why unity and mutual guarantee are today’s call of the hour.
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A poll conducted after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict showed that Jews in the USA are against Israel. They think that approval of the ultra-left will save them from pogroms, as was the case when Nazis first came to power in Germany. 100 years later, history is repeating itself!

@WHODirector-General @DrTedros: “The mortality rate is rising again. The #Delta variant is rampant in the world. The #pandemic is not over anywhere. It will take collective action to defeat it.”

My Comment: Nature will bring us, against our will, to the need to unite in order to survive, if we don’t wish to unite on our own! #COVID19

Everything depends only on our aspiration to be united, “Love your neighbor as yourself”
This is the mission of the Israeli #government!
Otherwise we will bring ourselves to exile again.
It says so in all our sources.
This should be the directive for our government!

We have to realize that this land will belong to us only on the condition that we correspond to it, that we strive to be the nation of #Israel, similar to the Creator in the quality of bestowal and love.
Otherwise we will bring ourselves to exile again.

Up to 34% #Jews in the USA think that #Israel is an #apartheid state! Just like in Nazi Germany, they will have to learn the truth through their personal experience…
From Twitter, 7/13/21

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My new article on Linkedin “When I Look at Them I See My Fault”

I look at the state that our nation should be in, “as one man with one heart,” and the state we are actually in—unwilling to recognize each other—and it pains me. When I look at our politicians, I see the state of our nation. Since they represent the people, their relationships reflect the relationships among the people: No one is friendly; no one even bothers to be politically correct.

Look at the Knesset, our parliament, and see where we are: Each with a knife behind the back or in the pocket, very similar to the days preceding the ruin of the Temple. This is what unfounded hatred looks like, and we know where it is leading.

Even worse, when I look at what is happening around the world, at all the hatred that prevails the world over, I know the ruin among them points to the ruin among us. When I see what is happening in Russia, Germany, or Poland, at the yelling and corruption that we see in every government, I see that I am the cause; I am the cause. I don’t look at them and say, “It’s not so bad; we have that, too.” No, I know that I am the reason it is happening to them, and I must be the reason that they will connect “as one man with one heart” through the example that our people should give them.

I have no grievances against anyone but myself. I know that I, and the whole of the Jewish people, can tilt the world for better or for worse through our internal unity or separation. This is what our sages have always told us; this is what our history throughout the centuries has shown us; and only our obstinacy prevents us from recognizing the obvious truth.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What will bring peace to Israel and the Middle East?“

Peace will come when we realize the method for correcting the human ego, which is running rampant in our day and age.

What does “correcting the ego” mean? It is the shift of our inborn egoistic attitude toward each other and nature, to an opposite altruistic attitude, where we wish to benefit others. Also, our ego’s correction involves feeling how our happiness and fulfillment in life stems from our love, care and contribution to others.

Israel holds the method for correcting the ego. It first realized the method around 4,000 years ago when Abraham led a group of Babylonians, who had a desire to discover the meaning of life and reach peace among the divisions of that time, to a state of the ego’s correction called “love your neighbor as yourself.” It is a state where everyone meshes together in a single connection, through which the positive force dwelling in nature emerges.

Since Abraham’s time, Israel lost contact with the positively-connected state it once had, and largely lost awareness of the method of correction that it once learned and implemented. In place of the connection Israel was supposed to attain at various times, antisemitism emerged as a negative goading force. As a natural phenomenon, the purpose of antisemitism is in order to pressure Israel to wake up to realizing the method of correction that it possesses. When it does so, peace will ensue not only in the Middle East, but in the world at large.

The method of correction has only recently started becoming disclosed in our current era. That is why people the world over have started taking interest in the wisdom of Kabbalah. Several kabbalists have pointed to our era as the one when there would emerge a growing need in humanity for this method, which has the power to reconcile differences, unite us above divisions, and shift the world’s course to a positive direction. A positive direction is one where we prioritize benefiting others over self-benefit, and as a result, discover a state of perfection and peace both in the Middle East and throughout humanity. On the contrary, if Israel fail to wake up to the method of correction that they possess, then antisemitism will continue rising to overblown proportions, and they can expect terrible outcomes. Moreover, the threat of destruction would sweep over the world, as a third or even a fourth world war could become an unfortunate reality.

In essence, what is now happening in the Middle East is the hotbed of a global-scale problem. If we resolve this problem, if Israel wakes up to realize the method of the world’s correction, then it will solve the world’s problems, and peace will also come about in the Middle East.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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