The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a large, very beautiful bird that has recently been declared extinct. Why did this happen? Why are whole species of animals and birds disappearing?

There are no conditions for their existence, and therefore they disappear like dinosaurs became extinct. Each historical period has its own birds, animals, and people. And just as our life is assigned a certain period, so the species of animals exist for a limited time.

Therefore we need to regret only one thing when we leave this world: Have we used the life given to us correctly? You need to agree with what is given to you and try to do everything that is still possible to do.
[288170]
From KabTV’s “Look from the Inside”

Related Material:
Chernobyl Is Flourishing
Nature Is Not A Resource For The Ego
Nature Is Unity

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: Why are Jews, even if they are searching for the meaning of life, looking for it not in Kabbalah but elsewhere?

Answer: Once upon a time in the distant past, Jews managed themselves with the help of the Kabbalistic method and rose above this world. They sensed the eternal, perfect creation, and dwelt in it with their senses and mind.

And then they fell into the opposite state, opposite to the original one. That is why they have such a rejection of Kabbalah and an unwillingness to return to this state. The properties prevailing in them today are opposite to the higher properties they were in at the time of the Temple because they fell from plus to minus.

And the other nations that came out of Babylon and did not rise spiritually have neither plus nor minus. But now historical development has brought them to the point that they want to know what the meaning of life is and they are completely loyal to Kabbalah. If their religions are not directed against Judaism (after all, many consider Kabbalah to be part of Judaism), then they are interested and perceive it as something true and at least not repulsive.

Although, there are many obstacles here. Some think that Kabbalah is mysticism, a terrible science that can cause dark forces to affect a person. Be that as it may, all these fears gradually disappear and humanity is beginning to feel internally that there probably is some possibility of salvation, of finding the truth in this method.
[287664]
From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Expulsion” 12/11/09

Related Material:
Resistance To The Wisdom Of Kabbalah, Part 2
Why Was Kabbalah Concealed For So Many Years?
There Is No Other Method!

Filed under: Israel, Kabbalah Study, Nations of the World, Religion - No Comments →

Comment: You wrote a haiku:

Move from the foe—warmth.

Move closer to the friend—warmth.

Heat is deceiving.

My Response: It is so. I cannot determine who is the enemy and who is the friend. If that were correct, it is warm here and cold there, or cold here and warm there …

And here and there, and there it’s warm. And I can’t define it, I can’t do anything! If we do not have a clear definition of where our inner warmth is and where it is cold, then we cannot understand who the enemy is and who the friend is.

Question: And why should it be warm and why cold, so that I face such a truth?

Answer: Before the truth! It should be warm to her.

Question: What do you call the truth?

Answer: Where you feel warmth.

Comment: We are going in a circle …

My Response: You can’t do anything. For this it is necessary, as it is said: Buy the truth and do not sell. (Proverbs 23:23)

Question: Who is my enemy and who is my friend?

Answer: It depends on the person himself. Anyone who is looking for the truth, although it may not be warm and not attractive, is simultaneously looking for people who will help him be in this state, even if it is not attractive. These are friends. And there is warmth here.
[287667]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 7/29/21

Related Material:
One Kabbalist Is The Friend Of Another
Friends For A Purpose
Who Can Be Considered A True Friend?

Filed under: Kabbalah Study - No Comments →

Comment: You claim that Kabbalah is approximately 4,500 years old. But historians and philosophers claim that it is much less.

My Response: The fact is that philosophy has nothing that could be put to the test of experience. Therefore, each generation writes a new philosophy and the previous one is stored. In the end, nobody uses it.

I met with many experts, in particular, with Professor Daniel Matt, who translated The Zohar into English in a special, academic language. He taught at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. We gave lectures together. Before that we had a lot of conversations, and I asked him: “Why do you assert that The Zohar was written in the eleventh century by Moshe de Leon?” He replied,: “From the descriptions in The Zohar, it seems to us that it is about the nature of northern Spain, those meadows, those hills… .”

I asked, “Are there really no such meadows and hills in Israel, in Galilee?”

He answered, “Well, so it seems to us.”

This is despite the fact that The Book of Zohar itself repeatedly describes how Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was sitting with his disciples and writing this book, how one disciple asked a question, then the second one, the third, and so on. There is not a single page in it that does not mention how Rabbi Shimon’s disciples discussed all these questions among themselves and immediately wrote down the answers to them.

This is what the book consists of. From this the book was formed.

But Professor Matt believed that Rabbi Moshe de Lyon purposely wrote it in such a way to hide his authorship. It is not clear why.

I think that philosophy’s pride is somewhat hurt because in comparison with Kabbalah, it really is worth nothing, because it operates with purely illusionary, unprovable categories that have no basis whatsoever.

But nothing can be done, and this also has a place in humanity.
[287023]
From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Seekers” 9/16/09

Related Material:
A Science Beyond Limits
The Dawn Of Philosophy
Philosophy And Kabbalah

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Science - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “If you could give one piece of knowledge that you have to everyone in the world, what would you choose? Anything as long as it is something specific.“

We began developing in our ego 6,000 years ago. This ego constantly pushed us to develop and severed us from the truth. In the past, like animals, we were connected with nature and instinctively carried out its laws. However, our ego separated us from nature. We thus found ourselves out of balance with nature and we became egoists. This is because nature is altruistic and operates by altruistic laws.

We thus became increasingly egoistic and separated from nature. In our era, globalization has revealed the great extent of our interconnectedness and interdependence, and the degree to which we hate each other. Today, we start seeing our shaky egoistic base as the base of our misfortunes. This is why we need to understand that there is no way out other than to invert our ego to bestowal, to altruism.

This is the knowledge that I would like to pass on to people. It exists in the wisdom of Kabbalah, which discusses the fact that by means of the method called “the wisdom of Kabbalah” we can change our nature, and save ourselves from extermination and disasters that are increasing in our time. This is how we provide a good future for ourselves, our children and the world, and it is how we elevate our existence from the materialistic level to the spiritual, eternal and perfect level. Unless we do so, and do so quickly, then we will reach the same outcome by means of suffering. The global crisis will nevertheless obligate us to undergo our fateful transition from egoism to altruism.

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

Filed under: Egoism, Kabbalah Study, Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Question: You say that a person can come to the opening of the upper world only with the help of Kabbalah. And what about other methods that claim that they have achieved the opening of human consciousness?

Answer: Just like me, don’t trust anyone. Why on earth should you trust me or anyone else? One will have a bigger beard, the other will speak more beautifully, the third will manipulate something else. You have to check everything.

And first you need to make sure that you are checking correctly, that is, you need to calibrate your senses, your thoughts, your apparatus, with the help of which you carry out the test like any scientist.

What else? Let’s say you now start to trust someone. This is how your whole life will pass and in the end you will be convinced that you believed in the wrong thing. The next time you are in our world you will believe and follow another teaching with your eyes closed.

Kabbalah says: “No, first we need to check what we are actually using to make sure what is experienced, that we are forming it correctly and analyzing it correctly, and only after that should we correctly approach this system.”

When I came to Kabbalah as a budding scholar, this was the only way I felt about it. I didn’t even imagine I could believe in something. In what? What I am told about the existence of God? I don’t want to believe it! I want to know!

Kabbalah is engaged in revealing knowledge for you. You comprehend the upper world, that is, an additional system that stands behind our world and controls it. You enter it and you begin to see it. It shows through this matter. You see how this matter works, how all its parts are interconnected. All methods only speak about it, and the Kabbalist sees it. He operates with it.

Every person who asks about the meaning of life must go through it all himself. Nobody can do anything for him.

And if he finds comfort in some other technique, then let him stay there. Kabbalah in no way pulls or agitates anyone. For many millennia it was hidden because humanity did not need it, people did not have an urgent question about the meaning of life. But then humanity was not so interconnected with each other as it is now.
[287406]
From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Seekers” 9/16/09

Related Material:
Practicing Kabbalist
Who Is A Kabbalist?
A Kabbalist Is A Person Who Lives In Two Worlds

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Religion, Science, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: We are living through a difficult time, people have clearly matured, many are reconsidering their lives and thinking about the future. Against this background, sociologists asked a simple question, “What would you prefer: to search for the meaning of life or to win 10 million dollars in the lottery?” 85% chose money.

In the near future, we will open Kabbalah courses. What would you say to people? What will they find in these courses? The meaning of life or the equivalent of money confidence in the present, the future, or something else?

Answer: You understand our world is a small ball and we are flying on it, riding it like Munchausen [in Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia] on the core through airless space, dark space, dead space, which is absolutely not ready to revive us, support us, feed us or water us.

In this state, we exist only due to the fact that there are special conditions on this small piece of our universe. Moreover, no matter how many such conditions are searched for in the universe, they do not exist!

This blue planet is special. And if we do not take care of it, then we will end our existence there. Therefore, I think the most important thing for us is not money. The most important thing for us is to protect our planet.

But in order to protect it, we need to know the forces that exist that it depends on. And that is why this small living organism called Earth is a living organism! It is thanks to it that we exist; it must exist. Therefore, first of all we should think about it.

When I hear that trillions of dollars are spent on weapons of mass destruction every year in the world, I feel very bad. Because today one strong, modern atomic bomb is enough for this globe to be carried in the wrong direction. Simply the wrong way!

Its orbit shifts a little, something happens, and that’s it! Life changes not because of some small pandemic we are experiencing, but because environmental conditions are changing so much that we suddenly cannot breathe, we cannot exist with such a level of radiation, and so on.

This, I think, is the most important thing. We must, through the necessity of the sustainable development of the Earth and the conditions we exist in, first of all take care of the atmosphere, the environment we live in. Kabbalah speaks precisely about this, how we should properly take care of our future.

Question: And you put this blue ball as the basis for everything?

Answer: Yes. It is blue because it still has a small oxygen pad on it. But there will be no oxygen cushion for it to lie on, then that will be it! It will turn red like Mars, or blue like Venus, or something else. He will turn red, turn blue, and that is it.

Question: So what? Kabbalists are not ecologists, they do not say, “Let’s save the ecology.”

Answer: No. But I am addressing people who just want to continue to exist, to live on this Earth. That is why I say that instead of $10 million, you can do much more for your life, security, and development.

Question: Will they find the meaning of life in this?

Answer: They will not find the meaning of life in anything unless they begin to properly delve into the science of Kabbalah. Then they will find not only the meaning of life, but a connection with the source of life. And through it, they will already find the meaning of everything that exists in general: the universe, the Earth, themselves, everything that happens to them every minute, what has been, and what will be.They will find all this only if they begin to understand the world correctly.

Question: Do you think they will come to this in our Kabbalah courses?

Answer: Yes. They will not get this anywhere else. I think this is already provable and there is no need to try to find anything anywhere else. The science of Kabbalah in comparison with all other sciences, theories, philosophies, and so on puts forward such a practical methodology and invites everyone, regardless of gender or religion, to master it and rise above the question of the meaning of life, that is, to the source of life.

And then absolutely all the questions that arise in a person become clear to him, even before he asks the question.

I invite you to take courses. I believe that if a person in our time cannot answer these questions for himself, then he cannot properly equip himself.

Question: What questions?

Answer: The meaning of life. Why is this happening? How can I fix it all? Those are the most fundamental questions of existence.

So we must master this science. It is not difficult. I’m not talking about being in it, starting to work in it, like a scientist in a laboratory, and so on. No.

This is in the form, to the extent that a person can be the creator of his own destiny.

Question: And you can become the creator of your own destiny?

Answer: Of course! Be a creator!

Question: Is it a great thing to become the creator of your own destiny?

Answer: Yes. We must. The Creator did everything, prepared, created, and gave us the opportunity to know, comprehend, change, and correct everything that is needed, and thus live in a world that we can make as comfortable as possible for ourselves.
[281256]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/4/21

Related Material:
A Step Toward Discovering The Meaning Of Life
The Desire To Understand The Meaning Of Life
The Meaning Of Life Is Here And Now

Filed under: Crisis, Globalization, Kabbalah Study, Meaning Of Life, News - No Comments →

Question: Why do you think that anyone who is concerned about the meaning of life can study Kabbalah?

Answer: I base my words on what happened in ancient Babylon where the Babylonian priest Abraham revealed Kabbalah to everyone. He recruited a small group of people that he began to teach Kabbalah to, rallied them into the so-called nation, and later brought them out of Babylon.

But this was not a nation, it was just a group that moved away from ancient Babylonian civilization. As a result, it should present the Kabbalistic methodology to the whole world.

Comment: There are people who would like to study Kabbalah, but while searching they turn to various rabbis, and are dissuaded in every possible way with arguments that only a religious Jew can study Kabbalah and a woman cannot study it at all.

My Response: What can be said about people who do not understand why Kabbalah was given to us? We must take an example from two historical figures Abraham and Sarah who taught everyone without exception. The Torah says so: “And everyone will know Me, young and old. And My house will be called the house of prayer for all nations.”
[287490]
From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Expulsion” 12/11/09

Related Material:
Everyone Wants To Know Why Kabbalah Is Important
Can Anyone Study Kabbalah?
The Wisdom Of Kabbalah Is Open For Everyone

Filed under: Ancient Babylon, Dissemination, Israel, Kabbalah Study, Nations of the World - No Comments →

Question: When you met with different spiritual leaders did you find any point of contact with them?

Answer: No, none, because their teachings are built on the suppression of selfishness.

All methods except for Kabbalah are built on the suppression of egoism—to desire less, think less, eat less, move less, that is, to constantly reduce oneself in one’s earthly manifestations. And Kabbalah says: “Leave all earthly manifestations. You must develop your spiritual part.”

The earthly part is everything in which we exist, i.e., taking care of our body. As long as it lives we think about it, and this is our whole life. Imagine that you have some kind of animal and your whole life is devoted only to caring for it. And it lives from such and such a day to such and such a day, these seventy years, and you live with it. It dies, and you die.

Kabbalah says: “Rise above this animal so that not only it fills your entire existence because besides this there is another life. Look at the world.” And when you start looking at the world not through this animal—you give it what it needs, but look above it—you open the upper world.

Question: But an ordinary person cannot rise above this animal?

Answer: They cannot. They cannot even try to get out of it and do not understand what it means.

It means to acquire another completely different property, bestowal. After all the property with which I am in this animal is the property of receiving, and it just keeps me in itself.

But inside me initially there is a rudiment of my next state, the spiritual state. It pulls me out of this animal, pulls me to find out: “For the sake of what do I exist? Really in the name of this life? Really in the name of these years in which I am in my body and die?” If I have this urgent question that haunts me and I am obliged to answer it, then I am already in a state where I really need Kabbalah.

For the first time such states are revealed only in our generation. And therefore, only now is the science of Kabbalah being revealed to mankind, and very indifferently: whoever wants it, please; whoever doesn’t want it, no need. No one convinces anyone. The entrance is free, the exit is even freer.
[287493]
From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Seekers” 9/16/09

Related Material:
Where Is The Upper World?
The Technique of Entering the Upper World
We Build The Upper World

Filed under: Body and Soul, Kabbalah Study, Meaning Of Life, Religion - No Comments →

Question: Why is Kabbalah considered a part of philosophy in our world? It is even studied in universities as part of philosophy.

Answer: In our world, it is believed that all spiritual sciences belong to philosophy.

It must be said that all science in general arose from philosophy. Since I am a PhD, my degree is a PhD [a doctorate in philosophy]. But if I were a doctor of physical sciences, I would still have a PhD written after my name since at one time all sciences belonged to philosophy. Philosophy is translated as “love of knowledge.” But today it is something completely opposite to knowledge.

Question: But why do so many people not consider Kabbalah a science? They say that what Kabbalah asserts cannot be verified empirically.

Answer: And they are right. After all, first you need to develop an additional sense organ in yourself, feel what Kabbalah is talking about, and then make sure that what it says exists in nature and is subject to verification and research. This confirms that Kabbalah is a science.

We explore nature through our five senses. Kabbalah says that there is still an opportunity to explore nature through the sixth sense organ, which works not for receiving, but for bestowing. It explains how to develop it.

There is a rudiment of this sense organ in man called the soul. Kabbalah develops it, and then, when a person begins to feel the upper world, it explains to him what he feels.
[287257]
From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Seekers” 9/16/09

Related Material:
Philosophy And Kabbalah
What Is The Difference Between Philosophy And Kabbalah?
All Sciences Examine The Creator

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Spiritual Work - No Comments →