New Life 440 – The Sukkah In The Heart
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

What does the Sukkah and its special structure symbolize? What is the meaning of the lights and shadows that are typical of this holiday, and what does it mean to build the Sukkah in the heart?

The Creator is the general force of all of reality and He is absolute love and bestowal. Every natural phenomenon is felt only after a person prepares the right sense for it. The Creator is the force of love and bestowal. If there is a little bit of love and bestowal in me, I will feel Him. The wisdom of Kabbalah is the wisdom of absorption and of how to tune ourselves to the same wavelength as the Creator.

The covering of the Sukkah symbolizes the Masach (screen), meaning that I don’t want to receive this illumination for my own pleasure but for the correction. The soul is not in the Sukkah that we build in the yard, of course, but it is our desire that is aimed at bestowal. How can we aim our desire at bestowal unto others? By the Lights, the forces of correction, called Ushpizin.

The four varieties (used in Sukkot) represent the four parts of the soul, י-ה-ו-ה – Yod – Hey – Vav – Hey. The etrog (citron) is very important since it represents the Sefira of Malchut, the foundation of our creation. We hold the four varieties together and move them from side to side. Other than the external custom, we also have to move the soul from side to side.

In addition to the custom of building a Sukkah in the yard, we also have to build a Sukkah around our heart. That’s the main thing.

Developing our love and bestowal, just like the Creator’s, is called building a Sukkah around my soul. Seven Sefirot separate me from my next state. Sefirot are the levels of the correction of the soul. The covering of the Sukkah symbolizes the fact that I don’t want to receive the abundance for my own pleasure but so that it will correct me. After Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and Chanukah comes Purim, the end of correction, when everything is permitted.

Building a Sukkah in the heart is establishing the conditions for our desire and our intention to be corrected to love and bestowal.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 440 – The Sukkah In The Heart,“ 10/2/14

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New Life 439 – The Lights Of Sukkot
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

What is the internal meaning of Sukkot? What do the lights, that are typical of this holiday, symbolize and how is that related to the transition of a person from evil to good?

On Rosh HaShanah we crown the force of love and bestowal. During the Ten Days of Repentance, we separate the desires in us that can be corrected and those that cannot. The seven days of Sukkot are seven special illuminations that turn the evil in us into goodness.

The lights that come are called Surrounding Lights. They symbolize the Sukkah and the Sukkah covering. The measurements of the Sukkah match the measurements of the soul. In the Sukkah, these are Amot (the length of a forearm), in the soul, it refers to desires and Lights.

A soul is a desire that is totally aimed at love of others. Repentance is the examination of the heart: which desires are in me and to what extent I am willing to work for the sake of others. Sukkot are the Lights that correct the evil in us into goodness until Shemini Atzeret (the eighth day of Sukkot) when there is nothing more to correct.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 439 – The Lights Of Sukkot,” 10/2/14

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From my column in Ynet, “The Soldier Is Not To Blame—We Are Responsible”

So fast, too fast, we sealed the fate of the soldier. However, as a society, we are all responsible for his guilt since it stems from negligence and our inferiority as a society facing the world. So, before we rush to sentence him, we had better judge ourselves first.

The story of the Kfir Brigade soldier who was accused of murdering a terrorist reflects the state of Israeli society. The moment that the video was publicized, the case upset the entire country. Social networks were seething and churning, and the debate about the values of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and its morality were at the center of the social focus.

A document called “The Spirit of the IDF” was published in 1994, which stated the values and norms that should be kept by the IDF. It included different values, including shared responsibility, personal example, friendship, a shared mission, credibility, and so on. It is surprising that these values are not part of our civilian life at all, and if they do come up, it is in actually in the military framework.

This case raises many questions. When did we lose our social conscience, according to which every individual is a representative of the state? When did we stop taking responsibility for what comes out of our mouths or our keyboards? What happened that we have stopped feeling that every soldier who goes out to battle is like our own son? Do these signs indicate that we have failed as a society?

No entry into politics

One of the most troubling phenomena is the speed by which different spokesmen stormed at this case. Those who know how to spread their promises when they are out of the influential circles did it best, but once they reached a position where they do have a say, they became more moderate and gave up the principles they espoused.

This isn’t the time or place for political gain, and certainly not before a decision has been made by those in charge. So, it would be better if public figures would refrain from public debate until all of the details are investigated.

The endless struggle between the right and the left wings is also pointless in this case. Every side continues to adhere to its stands. Those on the right wing believe that we can win by force, while those on the left wing believe in the power of concession. However, even if the two ideologies could come together, they wouldn’t bring us to the state that we all wish for.

A Jewish soul yearns

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, every Jew is rooted in a sense of guilt, a kind of feeling of inferiority regarding the world, which obliges him to examine himself constantly. This phenomenon stems from an upper spiritual source.^[1]

The nations of the world are pointing their accusing fingers at us claiming that we are the source of all of the evil in the world, starting from imaginary blood libels, to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, to unfounded accusations alleging that Jews are behind the terrorist attacks in Brussels. It may sound unrealistic and irrational, but surprisingly, deep inside, we accept this feeling.^[2]

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the root of this inferiority complex stems from the fact that we must be a Light to the nations, which means to be united and set an example of a model society for the entire world. As long as we try to escape this mission, we will be blamed for all of the afflictions that the world undergoes.^[3]

Neither left nor right—mutual guarantee above all

The new golden middle road will begin on the crossroad between right and left. This middle road is paved when we succeed, even a little, to ascend above our egoism that separates us. This road is the solution. Without it, we will not be able to build a united society in Israel, and our state may crumble to pieces because of the internal war between us.

Just as the prophets said, the mission to convey the method of connection to the world and to connect it obliges us to implement the basic approach of “Love covers all transgressions”^[4] once again.

According to this method, it makes no difference which side of the political map one is on. Everyone can continue to adhere to his position, and at the same time, work for connection with others. The moment we begin to connect despite our differences of opinion and political parties, we will spur a force from an upper level that can balance and build a new level above the left and right wings. They will not disappear, and they are not supposed to, but when we connect above them, we create the golden middle road.^[5]

For the sake of unity

Deciding the fate of the soldier is deciding our fate, for his fault is our responsibility as a society since it stems from our negligence. It is better to judge ourselves first and only then sentence him. Just as parents sometimes disagree with regard to their children and still try to keep the family together, so we must rise above our disputes and look for any possible way to increase people’s awareness regarding the important value in our life, unity, and thus spare ourselves and the world any unnecessary suffering.^[6]

References:

[1] “Every man of Israel has an internal point in the heart, which is considered simple faith. This is an inheritance from our fathers, who stood at Mount Sinai. However, it is covered by many Klipot (Shells), which are all kinds of dresses of Lo Lishma (Not for Her Name), and the shells should be removed. Then his basis will be called ‘faith alone,’ without any support and outside help.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), Shamati, Article 199 “To Every Man of Israel”

[2] “It is a fact that Israel are the most hateful nation, whether because of religious reasons, racial reasons , capitalistic reasons, communistic reasons or cosmopolitan reasons, etc. because the hate precedes all the reasons, and everyone expresses his hate according to his own psychology.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “The Last Generation”

[3] “Israel brings Light to the world as it is said, (Isaiah 60:3) ‘And nations shall walk at thy light’” Midrash Rabbah, Shir HaShirim, Section 4, Verse 2

“The main part of the creation and of free will, and of the corrections and the corruption of the world—all depend on Israel,” Likutim 1, “Siach Isaac,” Part 2, Compilations A

“Also, it is upon the Israeli nation to qualify itself and all the people of the world through Torah and Mitzvot, to develop until they take upon themselves that sublime work of the love of others, which is the ladder to the purpose of Creation, which is Dvekut with Him.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “The Arvut,” “Mutual Guarantee”

[4] “Hatred arouses quarrels, but love covers all transgressions.” (Proverbs 10:12)

[5] “Peace is mainly meant to connect two opposites and so if you see a person whose views are totally opposite from yours and it seems absolutely impossible to be in peaceful relations with him and when you see two people who are complete opposites, don’t say that it is impossible to make peace between them, since this is the principle of the wholeness of peace, to try to make peace between two opposites.” Likutei Etzot Peace entry

“We are not required to be neutral but to be united, to be united in common mutual guarantee and mutual responsibility, and mutual influence. We are required not to blur the areas between the unions…but to show common recognition in the common reality and sharing the mutual responsibility when being tested. The separation of the hearts is the illness that today’s nations are afflicted by and those who wish to heal it by forcing people to unite are mistaken. We lack the unity of the organic structure. At the moment there is no remedy for it but for people from different circles who have different views to need each other with a pure heart and who take the trouble to discover the common basis together,” (Martin Buber, “Education and World-View”)

[6] “The success of our nation depends only on brotherly love, on our connection as members of one family.” Shmuel David Lutzato

“We cannot manage without unity, love and peace that will include all of Israel together in love and unity.” Likutei Halachot, Hoshen Mishpat—Halchot Erev

“We did not open our eyes to see that only unity can save us: only if we unite will our efforts be fruitful.” Eliezer Ben Yehuda, “We have not Learned our Lesson”

“For the matter of social unity, which can be the source of every joy and success, applies particularly among bodies and bodily matters in people, and the separation between them is the source of every calamity and misfortune.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “The Freedom”

“The secret of the unity of the world resides in Israel.” Rav Kook, “Orot Hakodesh” 2
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From Ynet 3/28/16

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New Life 434 – The Meaning Of Israeli Holidays
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

What are the spiritual meanings of the holidays of Israel, how are they connected to realizing the goal of our lives, and what is the difference between them and the holidays of other nations?

Abraham studied the trend of developmental in ancient Babylon. He understood that everything advances toward connection. Abraham discovered that humanity must come to identity with nature, balancing and harmonizing with it. To be balanced with nature, we need to understand this enormous system. It is profound.

Abraham discovered the law by which all of reality evolves toward general unity, and humanity is a part of this. The process of rapprochement of mankind’s union has steps, such as during the course of human life. The connection is expressed in “What is hateful to you, do not do to your friend” (Shabbat 31a), and after that, “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Abraham told this to the Babylonians. Most of them didn’t want to hear it. Tens of thousands followed him to love of others. The stages of development on the way to connection can be given the name, “The Annual Cycle.” It repeats on every level.

It follows that the holidays of Israel are spiritual and not a commemoration of historical dates as with other nations. The holidays of Israel are determined by nature as states of development on the way toward complete connection.

• From the start, we are within the connection and harmony of nature in an opposite state of division and destruction. It is necessary to do some soul-searching. This is called the month of Elul.
• Crowning the power that connects all parts of nature—to rule over us: Rosh HaShanah
• Connecting all of humanity to this, not just us the people of Israel—Yom Kippur—the reading of the book of Jonah.
• On Sukkot: we connect the four species together, corresponding to the four stages of correction of the egoism that separates us.
• Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah)—we are happy that the upper force connects us.
  Chanukah–a spiritual holiday above the ego.
• Purim—we correct the entire ego, all of the bad tendencies that were in us, and we can celebrate.
• Pesach (Passover)—symbolizes how we always depart from the slavery of egoism to freedom.
  Counting the Omer —we count how many of our desires we have already corrected.
• Shavuot—the giving of the Torah, the power of correction. Through the Torah we build ourselves, but we cannot hold onto this and shatter.
• Tisha B’Av—from this we learn the depth to which we truly must correct ourselves through complete connection.
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  From KabTV’s “New Life 434 – The Meaning Of Israeli Holidays,” 9/14/14

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New Life #485 – A Wisdom That Guarantees Success In Life
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

Summary

Question: Only two groups of people are interested in the Creator: religious people or great scientists: naturalists, people like Einstein, who try to know if there is an upper force and want to find it. But as for the rest, the Creator doesn’t interest them at all. How does He affect an ordinary person’s daily life?

Answer: This question has nothing to do with whether a person is religious or not. A person lives and goes through different phases of development along with all of humanity. If he discovers and knows the laws according to which he  and humanity evolves, he will be able to lead his life in a better way.

By knowing what awaits him in a day or two, where everything is going and advancing, he will be able to manage better. Suppose you want to know what profession is better for your son? Everything will be clear: how to study, what to study, what is better to buy. You will know everything in advance because you will discover the general plan according to which you develop, and you will flow with it.

Therefore the revelation of the Creator is necessary for each person. We experience so many disappointments and failures today because we act blindly. All of humanity—with all the advanced technology we have, with the sufferings we have undergone, and the great bitter experience we have accumulated—acts blindly because it doesn’t know nature’s plan.

No one is asking us to bow to the upper force like in religion. We have to discover it and get to know it in order to ease our lives and to prepare our children for a better life. Otherwise, life will become increasingly worse from one generation to the next.

There is no doubt that our children’s lives will be worse than ours. Fifty or sixty years ago we thought that life would only get better with time, that humanity would reach new discoveries and achievements, that there would be no more wars, and that the world would be a wonderful place. Suddenly we see that it is exactly the opposite.

Attaining the Creator is attaining nature, attaining the general plan. It opens our eyes and allows us to see what kind of world we are actually living in, who manages it, and the network we are in. All this helps us become more successful, which is what is needed by humanity today because it is suffering.

We feel that we are increasingly more interconnected by global ties, and we don’t know how to break free. The EU now wants to break apart after all the unsuccessful attempts to unite, but the countries involved will be badly affected by this. And all this is because they don’t know how to unite correctly so that everyone will feel good.

The plan of how to connect to the good is called the wisdom of Kabbalah. I advise everyone to study it.Everyone wants to succeed in life and the wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us how to do so. And it will be a complete success, not harming anyone, not like today, when we are successful at the expense of the failure of everyone else.

The Chosen People are the people who have the plan of correction, and we must recognize it. What is more, we are the chosen people because we have to draw all of humanity to this plan, and as long as we don’t do it, we will be hated and increasingly greater pressure will be put on us. The global pressure has just begun.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is intended for the most ordinary people and has nothing to do with religion: not with Judaism, Christianity, Islam, any Eastern faith, or any mysticism. It is only about the revelation of the upper force to every man.

Thanks to this revelation, a person will not go wrong in his life. In addition, he will begin to discover the upper dimension and will realize that our life isn’t over when the corporeal body dies. What is the point of an existence that is limited to several decades that is undergone in pain and wars.

The meaning of this life is to rise to the next level during our lifetime. This isn’t a level of the physical world anymore but a new level of consciousness, a new level of feelings. We ascend to another dimension and discover new horizons, a new world.

This is what the wisdom of Kabbalah invites everyone to, and this is what the revelation of the upper force, the attainment of the Creator, the revelation of eternity, and the perfection in nature is about.
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From KabTV’s “New Life #485 – A Wisdom That Guarantees Success In Life,” 12/28/14

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New Life #484 – Choosing Discovery Of The Creator And Concern For Humanity
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Tal Mandelbaum ben Moshe

Summary

Question: Besides the heavy obligations, does belonging to the “chosen people” give the Jews any advantages, benefits, or “concessions”? What is good about being the chosen people?

Answer: We cannot simply refuse and reject our mission: neither those who belong to the Jewish people today nor the twelve tribes who were lost almost 2,500 years ago. We cannot hide from our role; we are obligated to carry it out.

Being or not being chosen doesn’t depend on us. We only have to look at where it is possible to add our independent participation, thanks to which we will come to a good and calm life so that everyone will understand and appreciate us. This is not in the sense that we will be superior to others, but that they will aspire to the same goal and become included in the same process.

We cannot escape. In any case, we must carry out our role. Nothing will help, not hiding from it or dying, but only fulfilling our mission.

Question: Does this mean that being chosen signifies that we discover the plan of development of life and act accordingly, making it possible to achieve success in everything? In what way is the daily life of someone who discovers the plan of development distinguished?

Answer: A person like this will understand where he is, how to connect correctly with people, how to build a more and more secure basis at every moment for an even greater revelation of the upper force. He constantly advances toward discovery of the upper force within him, and this fills him with higher knowledge and emotion. All of his desires and thoughts will be directed only toward it.

Even today we unconsciously yearn for and only aspire to the revelation of the upper force. We think we supposedly want food, sex, success, family welfare, money, honor, and knowledge. But in fact, in all of this we are searching for the unique taste of the upper force.

And now thanks to this we are alive; we feel the taste of the Creator in everything. Everything, every object that brings us pleasure contains a microscopic detection of the Creator. But if we want to feel the full extent of this so that it will fulfill all of our desires and thoughts, revealing the entire perspective of the future, to do this we must prepare ourselves, meaning we must connect with the environment correctly.

Question: Throughout the history of the Jewish people, there have been many sages in every generation who sought and explored the upper force. This was the lot of the greatest minds of the generation, the elite. But is it possible that now every person on the face of the Earth can attain the Creator, all seven billion people?

Answer: First the seven million Jews in Israel must reveal the Creator and show everyone that they have this power. All of the people will feel it. The moment the people of Israel begin to advance toward the revelation of the Creator, all of humanity will freeze with tense expectation, understanding that after the Jews achieve this discovery, it will pass to all the peoples.

Question: So what is this “chosen people”?

Answer: The chosen people are a people who choose the revelation of the Creator and a concern for all of humanity, for this is the purpose of the discovery,: the revelation of the upper force, the general power of nature, to all people. This is our obligation, and then everyone will truly be happy. They will transcend the concept of time, movement, and space, thus exiting to another dimension.
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From KabTV’s “New Life #484 – Choosing Discovery Of The Creator And Concern For Humanity,” 12/28/14

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Question: Does it mean that it is a mistake to think that there is God above who is watching our actions and from whom we need to ask for forgiveness?

Answer: A person goes through various stages of development. Therefore, it is impossible to say that some of his beliefs are correct and some aren’t. He thinks this way today, but gradually he corrects his perception, rising in knowledge and feeling.

And then, of course the concept of “I and the Creator” changes completely. I feel more and more that the upper force is the result of my connection with other people and doesn’t exist outside of it. Only the essence of the Creator (Atzmuto) that is absolutely inaccessible to me exists independently.

Therefore, we must firmly grasp that the Creator exists only in the connection with people. There can be no appeal to the Creator except from our unity; after all, we create the place for His revelation through it.

Then each one must judge himself: how much he is connected with others? This is his entire redemption. It is impossible to judge a person individually. This is an immense mistake that we always make instinctively: thinking about ourselves, counting on ourselves, and acting alone.

This is a fatal mistake that we  have continued to make for thousands of years. The separation from the Creator is the reason for our terrible forgetfulness.

Comment: Regrettably, it sounds very relevant, because separation, disagreement, and hostility between various currents and factions.

Answer: The people of Israel already went through such states during the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Jews were killing each other then, not only with words, but also with real weapons, shedding brotherly blood in the civil wars. I hope very much that today we won’t come to that. We haven’t taken out our swords yet, but we earnestly fight with each other by all other means.

This is because we have forgotten who we are, what the foundation of our nation is, and our responsibility to move toward unity; although, in fact, this is our own correction and the correction of the entire world.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 9/27/16

Related Material:
Whom To Ask For Forgiveness And For What? Part 1
Repentance Before Rosh HaShanah
Repentance

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In my column on Ynet—“Anti-Semitism: The Same Tune Over And Over Again”

70% of the Europe’s Jews will not celebrate the coming holiday season together because of the fear of anti-Semitism. “Our nation is used to being persecuted, the excuse for hating us changes, but it is the same tune over and over again.” Rav Laitman explains the law of anti-Semitism, why it repeats in every generation, and how we can avoid the next wave of hatred.

The wave of terrorism raised its head again last week in Israel and reawakened the preparedness and the tension again. But the fear doesn’t permeate only Israel but also our fellow Jews in Europe.

According to a new troubling survey conducted by the European Jewish Association and the Rabbinical Center of Europe 70% of the European Jews are afraid of coming to the public prayers and celebrations on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur because of the rise in anti-Semitic incidents, despite the increased security measures and policing around Jewish institutions. “The challenge has doubled during the last months” says the union CEO, “we are also coping with the increased harassment of Jews by Muslims and a significant increase of power of extreme right-wing movements.

The Muslim refugee crisis has been troubling the 27 EU leaders over the last year. It is the main cause of the rise of the radical right-wing parties that call out to deport them and which is terrifying the Jews living in Europe. The Jews are currently exposed to large-scale attacks, incitement to violence, and verbal abuse, and despite their promises, the European leaders simply cannot ensure their safety. Half of the racist incidents in France are directed toward Jews; in Germany the president of the Jewish Council Dr. Joseph Shuster warned people not to wear a yarmulke in Muslim regions; in Holland Mezuzahs were removed from doors, and the British media is engaged in an unprecedented anti-Semitic attack against Israel and the Jews, but interestingly 85% of the anti-Semitic incidents are not reported at all…

As Usual, The Jews Are to Blame

Europe is used to signaling out the Jews. It is the stronghold of the BDS movement, which operates against Israel, and incitement campaigns like “Israeli Apartheid week” are launched in European capital cities, and tens of thousands of anti-Semitic statements are published daily online accusing the Jews of all the evil in the world. With the rate things are happening, it would not be surprising if soon a new international committee were appointed with the “initiative to formulate a strategy to impose peace in the Middle East,” that would conclude that the solution to Europe’s problems is the de-legitimization of Israel. They may suddenly decide that the operative solution to the refugee crisis in Europe is to resettle them by our side in the land of Israel, the country they themselves assigned in the UN Partition Plan in November 1947.

Don’t let politics fool you. What is happening in Europe now is merely a new external expression of the recurring pattern of hatred that has been part of our history for ages. Unfortunately history teaches us that the anti-Semites have won this struggle as attested by the millions of Jews who have been murdered inspired by blood libels since 1144 to the present. Today the main expression of anti-Semitism is anti-Israel, “modern blood libel” under the guise of anti-Zionism.

Why don’t rational explanations about the situation in the Middle East convince any intellectual? Why will we never be able to escape our identity? Why will the hatred of Israel continue to raise its head just as it has for ages? Why is it that unlike any other nation in history, the more they try to destroy us, they will not be able to complete the job?

The Law of Anti-Semitism

According to Kabbalah, anti-Semitism is not a passing phenomenon but a law of nature that can be measured. When we unite over all the disputes and disagreements, the positive force that can do wonders spreads in the world. On the other hand, when we are divided and emotionally distant from each other, we invoke the negative force in the world, which returns and hits us with a burst of anti-Semitism.

Even if they are not aware of it, deep in their hearts anti-Semites feel that we have the key to their bright future, but our ears are deaf and we don’t even hear when some of them openly say that if we only connected, their attitude toward us would improve dramatically. Henry Ford, one of the greatest anti-Semites in history, wrote in his book The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem, “The Jew has been too long accustomed to think himself as exclusively the claimant on the humanitarianism of society; society has a large claim against him that he cease his exclusiveness, that he cease exploiting the world, that he cease making Jewish groups the end and all of his gains, and that he begins to fulfill, in a sense his exclusiveness has never yet enabled him to fulfill, the ancient prophecy he boasts that through him all the nations of the earth should be blessed.”

The irrational hatred arising then as it is now reminds us the hard way that we have a role, and although we would be glad to be rid of it, it is impossible. Even if we assimilate or try to hide our Israeli identity, we will always remain Jews. We are a nation that carries an idea, a social ideal of love of man, of our nation and of the world. We became a nation on the basis altruism expressed by the rule “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” and only the return to love can defeat the hatred the world feels toward us. Kabbalists tell us that we Jews decide the fate of the world. “Just as the organs of a body cannot exist even for one moment without the heart,” as it is written in The Book of Zohar,” neither can the nations of the world exist without Israel.” Through the unity between us, we oblige the world to unite and the abundance begins to flow. While we are divided, we separate them and this clogs the pipes of abundance and leads to wars and hatred.

Baal HaSulam, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, the great 20th century Kabbalist wrote that “the nation of Israel was installed with a transmitter, and to the degree that Israel are connected, they transmit their power to the other nations of the world.” He also wrote, “We are the sons of the ideal,” and only when we fulfill it and unite will we be able to live in peace.

There Is Nowhere to Run

The pressure that can be put on us by Europe and through it by all the nations of the world may take us back to the years in which we wandered from one place to another, at best, or to our destruction just like 80 years ago, at worst. Although it may seem that the Jewish people have a home in the land of Israel today, “The whole Zionistic ideas will be annulled,” wrote Baal HaSulam in “The Last Generation.” With great sadness he describes the process of the decline of our future if we don’t fulfill our role and transmit the force of connection to the world through us. “This state will be very poor and its inhabitants will suffer greatly and many of them or their children will undoubtedly gradually leave the country and only a negligible number will be left, who will also eventually assimilate among the Arabs.” Then there will truly be nowhere to run.

In times of crisis, no country, not even the US, will support us or receive us. It was the same in the days of Nazi Germany when the Jews who felt threatened by anti-Semitism tried to escape fearing the great disaster that was approaching. Some even sailed the infamous St. Louis to the South America, but when they reached Cuba the government told them that they were not welcome and refused to receive them. They sailed to the US where they were refused again, and having no choice they returned to Europe and most of them were killed in the Holocaust.

The Writing Is on the Wall

Baal HaSulam, who knew the law of anti-Semitism and all the laws of nature that operate in our reality, warned people that the Holocaust was approaching, “I have already published most of my views in 1933. I have also spoken to the leaders of the generation, and my words were not accepted then. Although I screamed and warned that the world was going to be destroyed, it did not impress, but now after the nuclear and the hydrogen bomb I believe that the world will believe that the end of the world is very near and that Israel will be the first to get burnt, just the way it was in the previous war. Therefore it is the right thing to awaken the world today so that they will receive the only remedy there is and will live and survive” (“The Last Generation”).

The loud cry of Baal HaSulam is still echoing today and is more relevant than ever before. Even then, when Europe was prosperous, the Jews preferred to complacently dance to the tune of a waltz in Berlin or tranquilly chew schnitzel despite the great impending danger. The waves of modern anti-Semitism washing Europe today should serve as reminder of our role: to unite and to be light unto the nations of the world, to be an example of the corrected society in which everyone lives in brotherly love above all our differences. Today we are also nearing the fatal choice, and just as we did when we became a nation for the first time at the gathering at Mt. Sinai and were faced with a similar decision, when placed before us was an unequivocal choice: to unite or here will be our burial place, mutual guarantee or unfounded hate, all or nothing. We made a huge effort, conquered the mount of hatred between us, and connected as one man in one heart.

The message is clear—we must blame only ourselves for the hatred the world feels toward us. As long as we are cruel to each other, the world will be cruel to us. Deep down inside, every Jew feels that “All of Israel are friends.”

If we connect as one bundle, we will harness anti-Semitism to our advantage. Since “the main protector against calamity is love and unity, when Israel feel love, unity, and brotherhood toward one another, there is no room for disaster to affect them (Maor VaShemesh).
[194230]
Ynet 9/22/16

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In the News (The Jerusalem Post): “A poll released Tuesday claiming that 70% of European Jews won’t go to synagogue on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur due to security concerns, has been met with skepticism by prominent Jewish leaders.

“The online survey, conducted last week by the European Jewish Association and the Rabbinical Center of Europe had 78 respondents, who the EJA says are a representative sample of 700 capital cities and peripheries throughout Europe – spanning from Britain to Ukraine. …

“Participants were asked if there was an increase or decrease in the number of registered individuals in their Jewish communities in comparison with last year; whether there was an increase or decrease in the number of Jews expected to attend synagogue on the High Holy Days in comparison with last year; how concerned they and their community members are by the increase in antisemitism in their countries; and whether there was heightened security at Jewish institutes in their community in light of the increase in terrorist attacks in Europe. …

“The poll also found that 80% of respondents are concerned about a rise in anti-Semitism in their countries. …

“This poll is conducted annually, and having analyzed the results and compared them with previous years, the groups deducted that the drop in synagogue attendance is a direct result of increased antisemitism. Margolin told The Jerusalem Post that while other factors do come into play, such as secularization, a comparison with previous years shows that security concerns are the main factor. …

“He cited an increase in attacks on Jewish individuals, institutions and communities, which he partly blamed on the influx of refugees to Europe. He also pointed to a growing influence of the far Right across the continent.

“‘Currently the focus of the extreme Right and their activity is focused on Islamophobia, but testimonies of rabbis and community leaders show a great deal of concern about growing nationalism and xenophobia, also against the Jews of Europe,’ he warned.”

My Comment: It is not possible to escape the hatred in today’s world. Soon the Jews will feel that they are being cornered. The only way out is through developing and study of the method of unification, i.e., returning to building one single people. In this state, to the extent of our efforts, we immediately get the support of the Creator through a feeling of a good attitude toward us, first and foremost from the anti-Semites!
[193827]

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In the News (Sputnik News): “France has opposed the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal between the European Union and the United States. French officials insist that the deal will be beneficial for the US economy while ruining businesses across Europe.

“The TTIP deal establishing a free-trade zone between Europe and the US will not be signed in 2016, Harlem Desir, Secretary of State for European Affairs in the French government, said in an interview with France-Info.

“‘The conditions for this deal have not been agreed yet. And taking into account the current situation, I can say, they will not be agreed until the end of the year. In particular, France sees as insignificant Washington’s proposals on the access to the US market for European products. The proposals would offer no benefits for the European economy,’ Desir said. …

“Initially, the TTIP deal was seen as Europe’s response to its inability to overcome economic depression. Its strategic goals were to increase trade between the US and the EU and to give fresh impetus to economic growth in the ‘Trans-Atlantic civilization.’

“In theory, such an agreement would presume elimination of mutual tariff and non-tariff barriers to ease access to the markets. Currently, average customs tariffs between the US and the EU are three to four percent and the removal of customs barriers would not increase trade. …

“The document has been criticized as being designed to open the doors to other markets for US transnational corporations.

“If the EU signs the deal nearly 600,000 Europeans will lose their jobs, European goods will not be able to enter the US market, exports will decrease and EU countries will lose income, Jeronim Capaldo, a research fellow at the Tufts University, wrote.

“As a result, he warned, the EU will suffer a drop in GDP. Germany, Europe’s strongest economy, may lose up to 1.4 percent of its GDP. …

“The deal will have negative impact on the entire European farming industry and may also affect the European engineering industry, Anna Kokoreva, senior analyst at Alpari, said.

My Comment: This is meaningless because the EU is declining and disintegrating, being swallowed by masses of Muslims. But they will come to an agreement with them and together wage war against the Jews as the wisdom of Kabbalah says. Yet there is another option, the unity of all of humanity not against anyone but uniting in order to reveal the next level of humanity.

The fulfillment of this option depends on the Jews and on the example of unity they will give the world. Why? Because the Jews are the part of humanity which 3,500 years ago decided to unite in ancient Babylon in the state of crisis.

The method of unity is the wisdom of Kabblah and they have it. The Jews have to first implement it themselves and show the way to unity to the whole world. This is the way the world can be saved from annihilation. This is the mission of the Jews and the reason that the other nations hate them.
[191844]

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