Question: Why is it that the religions don’t unite but instead each one pulls the blanket over itself?

Answer: It is because all faiths and religions are completely egoistic. Religious wars and attacks have continued for thousands of years and have not ceased to this day, especially in Judaism. Many factions and religious denominations have appeared and all of them are pitted against each other.

Religions are a product of human egoism, so there is no reason to expect anything good from them. They actually are the “opiate of the masses.”

Religions don’t apply the general rule, “You shall love your friend as yourself” (“Leviticus” 19:18). In general, where are they upholding this Mitzvah (commandment) and in what way?

So, the wisdom of Kabbalah has no connection to religions. And this is also the essence of the problem. We have a huge clash with various religious organizations. Religious organizations believe by performing mechanical actions, a person assures himself the world to come.

Kabbalah says that with this mechanical implementation, a person will not have the world to come but remains an egoist. If there is no ascent above his egoistic nature, what kind of spiritual world can there be for him?

The world to come is a world of altruism that a person constructs while he is in this world through implementing the principle, “You shall love your friend as yourself.” It follows that religion simply buys people and nothing more.

Comment: It is interesting that for people who study the wisdom of Kabbalah, nothing prevents them from remaining in their religion.

Answer: Every person who wants to can be involved in the wisdom of Kabbalah regardless of his religion. Baal HaSulam writes about this in his book, The Last Generation.

Belonging to one religion or another doesn’t bother a person; he can safely maintain its customs. But internally he must be changed to altruism, rising above his egoistic nature. This is what differentiates the wisdom of Kabbalah from religion. Everything else is a tradition that can be maintained or not maintained. This is a personal matter. But ascending above the ego through the wisdom of Kabbalah is an absolute postulate.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 3/20/16

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Question: How can my wife and I walk together toward the Creator, and in what way is the spiritual work in a family different from the work in a group? We watch the lessons together and read the writings of Baal HaSulam aloud. Are there concrete recommendations and sources that speak about this?

Answer: Studying with your wife is recommended and it helps. This is described in many of our materials.
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Comment: You say that the wisdom of Kabbalah doesn’t explain much; it says, ascend and attain…

Answer: This is the reason that so many people don’t like the wisdom of Kabbalah, me (Michael Laitman), and Bnei Baruch. “Why don’t they provide any answers? Why don’t they fill me? Why don’t they serve me?”

No! We provide instructions for the spiritual ascent. The instructions aren’t simple, but the students should fulfill them, study, explore, and implement the instructions between themselves. And whoever does it reveals the wisdom of Kabbalah, and those who don’t will not reveal anything. The wisdom of Kabbalah is different from ordinary science where one can listen and understand. The wisdom of Kabbalah is revealed only through a person’s internal attainments.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 3/20/16

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In the News (Slon): “Science journalist Matthew Hutson describes in his article in the latest issue of Nautilus Publishing, how scientists have recognized that our ‘default mode’ – is rather selflessness, not selfishness. …

“Willingness person to cooperate with the other can be determined in an experiment called public-goods game… .

“After analyzing ten such experiments, in 2012, Harvard researchers Martin Novak and Joshua Greene found that in most cases people showed selflessness and evolved into a common fund, despite the risk of being left with less money (because you never know what the rest of the players will do). …

“Scientist David Rand from Yale demonstrates the same principle that, acting “from his heart,” man acts unselfishly. He conducted a meta-analysis of more than fifty studies on this topic and confirmed this conclusion. …

“The experiment, which Rand subjected their virtual heroes, was a sophisticated implementation of a prisoner’s dilemma. …

“Back in the 1980s, American political scientist Robert Axelrod, engaged in agent-based modeling, determined that the most probable strategy of behavior in the game, based on the scenario of this dilemma would be the so-called principle of “you give me, I tell you.” That is, everything will begin with cooperation between the prisoners, and all subsequent rounds will be based on the previous behavior of one of them (if one decides to betray the other, the latter will no longer shield him as he again did not make a step forward). …

“Rand also created a population of agents to look at the evolution of their behavior, with single or multiple rounds. In the case of a single round success agent promised a betrayal of his partner; in the case of multiple, it made sense to think about long-term cooperation with them. …

“In one of his other experiments Rand discovered another interesting trend in human behavior. During this experience, participants first played in the prisoner’s dilemma: one group participated in multiple rounds (where, respectively, cooperation prevailed), the other – in a single (in which betrayal often happened). This was followed by playing ‘the public goods game’ with them. It turned out that those who were in the dilemma of cooperating with others, in the second part, invested in the common fund of greater amounts.It turns out, according to Hutson, the norms of human behavior changed during the experiment. This shows that in a world where the pattern of behavior of ‘every man for himself’ (as, for example, it is customary in American corporate culture) is encouraged, it is possible to change the situation. For starters, you can at least introduce a system of incentives and mutual cooperation among employees. Selfless behavior strengthens as a strategy of behavior even in an uncertain situation (for example, when you do not know whether you can trust your partner completely), and as a result becomes the new norm… .”

My Comment: These opinions are completely contrary to the wisdom of Kabbalah, to common sense, and the experience of humanity.

In an exchange of letters between Einstein and Freud in 1932, Einstein asked Freud if there were any possibility of directing the development of human beings in such a way that they would be more resistant to psychoses of hatred and destruction?

Part of Freud’s reply to Einstein was “The organism preserves its own life, so to say, by destroying an extraneous one. … For our immediate purpose then, this much follows from what has been said: there is no use in trying to get rid of men’s aggressive inclinations. We are told that in certain happy regions of the earth, where nature provides in abundance everything that man requires, there are races whose life is passed in tranquillity and who know neither coercion nor aggression.I can scarcely believe it and I should be glad to hear more of these fortunate beings.” …

“Anything that encourages the growth of emotional ties between men must operate against war. These ties may be of two kinds. In the first place they may be relations resembling those towards a loved object, though without having a sexual aim. There is no need for psycho-analysis to be ashamed to speak of love in this connection, for religion itself uses the same words: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’ This, however, is more easily said than done.”

Freud added, “Wars will only be prevented with certainty if mankind unites in setting up a central authority to which the right of giving judgement upon all conflicts of interest shall be handed over. … (S. Freud, “Why War”)
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Question: What is the difference between the way you teach the wisdom of Kabbalah and all the other ways of studying this wisdom?

Answer: The difference is the purpose for which a person studies the wisdom of Kabbalah. In our organization, we study the wisdom of Kabbalah in order to unite and in order to bring the Creator contentment by the unity between us, to delight Him. This is an altruistic yearning.

There are those who study the wisdom of Kabbalah not in order to delight the Creator, but in order to reveal Him. This is the intermediate phase in our development between the egoistic intention and the altruistic intention.

Much of the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah is as a method of uniting in order to live a better life, to escape from sufferings, or to gain life after death, etc. These are purely egoistic intentions, but it is commendable because it is directed at demanding from the Creator.

Any other aspirations below that have nothing to do at all with the Creator.
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Question: Why should we believe you?

Answer: You shouldn’t believe me since you cannot actually perceive me and whether what I say is true or not. If a person understands the wisdom of Kabbalah he knows what I am talking about and if he doesn’t understand, how can he express his disagreement from the perspective of not understanding?

The wisdom of Kabbalah is not a system of information that a person is served and taught, but a guiding system and a set of instructions that lead a person to the revelation of the upper world. Then he can study and understand independently and this is the reason that I cannot tell you about it.

A person does not have the right tools or vessels which means the compatible senses and attributes to perceive the upper world because it is attained only when one resembles it and is equal to it. Even when a person reads Kabbalah books he doesn’t understand anything.

I can only explain the method of attaining the feeling of the upper world and how we can advance towards it, how to enter it by the connection between the friends, by drawing the Surrounding Light unto us, etc. A person will begin to feel and to attain this when he becomes a Kabbalist.

Question: Can we call it the hidden part of the Torah? Is what Kabbalah books describe the revealed part and what is attained the hidden part?

Answer: On the contrary, the hidden part is the part which the books describe, the levels, the ascents, the revelations, etc. Because when a person reads he doesn’t understand what he reads, but when he attains and feels the upper world, it is revealed to him, while it remains concealed for everyone else.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 3/20/16

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Question: Can a person who studies Kabbalah be interested in astrology and use this knowledge in life?

Answer: A person who studies the wisdom of Kabbalah can be interested in exact sciences that are meant to reveal nature in our five senses according to exact scientific laws! Everything else simply doesn’t interest him! He becomes totally indifferent to all the other sciences.

He may still be interested in different arts, but he loses any interest in astrology, palm reading, tarot cards, red strings, or different kinds of spells. He loses interest in anything humanity has made up to psychologically calm itself.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 3/20/16

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Comment: Research shows that people are basically ready to cooperate with others, but it is the environment they live in which makes them indifferent and cynical.

Answer: It is human psychology and not the results of a certain experiment.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the ego is the basis of human nature. The Creator said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice,” and that’s all.

This means that evil, egoism, caring about yourself as opposed to caring about others, is living according to the principle that the better off I am, the better I feel compared to others, or rather, the worse they feel, the better I feel, and this the basis of human nature. Human history throughout the ages proves this claim.

Although philosophers and psychologists from Harvard University have come up with their own theory, life proves the exact opposite.

Question: Is it better to say to a person, “you are kind and your nature is based on connections of love” or rather “you nature is basically the ego and this is your starting point?”

Answer: It is always better to speak the truth since it pushes us to start the correction of mankind before it totally deteriorates and loses its humanity! After all, our egoism grows bigger every day, and so the sooner we begin the correction, for which we must reach the recognition of our evil nature, the sooner we will manage to better our life.

If we don’t do that, we will let our egoism erupt in the form of neo-Nazi regimes in most countries and a world war will break out between them.

The great Kabbalist Baal HaSulam in his writings told a parable about training cats to be waiters in order to attempt to prove that their basic nature could be altered. But the moment one of the guests lets out a few mice, all the tamed “waiters” throw the trays they were holding and began to chase the mice.

This is exactly how our nature operates! Therefore, I advise all of us to observe nature and accept it the way it is,

Question: Does this mean that you are in favor of the hard truth?

Answer: Of course, we shouldn’t confuse people. We have to rely on serious knowledge and not on a few random studies, and at the same time we need to change our attitude to nature.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 6/27/16

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To Study Kabbalah Is Not Necessary, But It Is Fun

Question: The requirement to sit and study scares me; I never liked it. Do you enjoy studying Kabbalah?

Answer: I, by my nature, love to study. Even the television programs I choose are either non-fiction or about nature.

And studying Kabbalah gives me pleasure because I begin to see how our world is managed, and how I myself am managed from above. I understand where the desires and thoughts that arise in me come from, why they are given to me, and how I must react to them.

While studying Kabbalah, I am in a constant game with the Creator. However, if a person doesn’t like to study, it is not required of him, although I would advise trying to study Kabbalah. After all, it is quite possible that this is exactly what will interest the person, even if previously he was never attracted to studying. I have seen many such examples.

A person didn’t want to study at school because it wasn’t interesting to him. The study wasn’t giving him fulfillment because he saw how limited and artificial it is.

He studied the relationship between the still, vegetative, and animate nature of our world and didn’t understand what it gives for his soul, for reaching the purpose of life and for uncovering its meaning. And by studying the wisdom of Kabbalah, he begins to feel that it is talking about him, his soul, the eternal part in him.

He will want to attain this eternal part, to connect to it, and to live inside this eternity. Otherwise this eternal part exists in him, but like a vestige of the dead. And he wants to revive and to reveal it.

If he enters it and begins to live in it, he will see the entire universe, beyond the universe, and all the worlds. He will become their integral part, eternal and perfect, not limited by time and space.

It is very different from the usual school studies. And therefore people who didn’t like to study the science of our world become successful students when they come to Kabbalah.
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Israeli Radio Program 103FM, 2/28/16

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Comment: From time to time I publish your commentaries on the news on my Facebook page and many write to me and claim that you are confusing Islam and Muslims. Sometimes you make sharp remarks regarding Islam.

Answer: In my commentaries I don’t mean the religion itself but its extremist clerics.

I have nothing against the Islamic religion because after all, thousands of wonderful things were written in the Koran, and as a philosopher, I can say that the Islamic religion is a positive religion at its foundation.

On the one hand, there certainly is an extremist side to Islam, but if it is not artificially inflated, if it isn’t developed and put above all other faiths, it is a religion with which every person in the world can live in peace.

On the other hand, what is presented to us today as the religion of Islam is not really the original Islam.

I have met with many Arab religious leaders, particularly the Sufis who are representatives of the Arab Kabbalah, and I can say with certainty that in the past among them was a very developed aspiration toward love, toward connection between people. But today everything has completely changed. Many contemporary scholars who are involved with this phenomenon have written about it.

In my commentaries I talk about the extremist Islamic religion of our day. You can not be extreme, kill others indiscriminately, and then hide behind religion. There is no connection with this behavior and religion. Everything depends on the way in which you use religion.

The same thing can be said about Judaism. There are many people who promote hatred, while Judaism itself relies on the principle of “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), and “your friend” is every person near you. This means that everything is inherent in religion but not in the same form that people interpret it.

If you enter into a religious area in Israel, you can see how the religious people move to the side and avoid contact with strangers. That is how they also behave in America in the areas where they live. So it is possible to say the same thing about Islam and even about other religions.

The problem is that today the Islamic religion is flourishing and bears an extremist religious character and there are people who under the guise of religion convey their policies in that way. Of course you can close your eyes to this phenomenon, just as we do with everything else, but it will not make you any safer.

I am not a politician, I am a philosopher, so I am completely neutral and don’t belong to any political party. I express my point of view as a person who studies the wisdom of Kabbalah and understands the evolution of nature, the general internal law and its power, which is called “Allah,” Elyon (higher). The problem is that it is necessary to interpret it correctly. The higher power is the power of love and connection between everyone in the world.

Only then will we see that between true Islam and the wisdom of Kabbalah (true Judaism), there are no differences.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 6/23/16

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