New Life 561 – The Holiday Of Shavuot In Israeli Society
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

What does the Wisdom of Kabbalah say about the consumption of dairy products and fruit that is typical of the holiday of Shavuot? How is it possible to realize the occasion of the giving of the Torah and what is assured to humanity through receiving the Torah?

The consumption of dairy products symbolizes love, like the love of a mother for her children. The color white symbolizes Light, clean giving. If we relate to each other with love, we attain very special fruits, we discover a perfect world.

The problem is that we naturally feel everything only through the desire to receive, stealing for myself, exploitation, and so forth. There is a special force that can transform the bad attitude toward others to a good attitude. We call this force “Torah.”

The wisdom of Kabbalah makes it possible for a person to receive the force of the Torah, the force that corrects our attitude toward others. We receive the Torah with the Exodus from Egypt, which symbolizes the summit of distance, hatred, and separation.

If we don’t bring the good force into Israeli society, we cannot continue to exist. The good force is inherent in nature, it is hidden. Therefore, the method for discovering it is called the “wisdom of the hidden.” Kabbalah teaches us that if we don’t connect with the help of the good force, our enemies will compel us to connect.

Today, neither the religious nor the secular define “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) as the goal of the existence of Israel. Only Kabbalah is engaged with the general rule, “And you shall love your friend as yourself,” and so it succeeds in connecting between all parts of the people.

Making a correction means correcting your attitude toward others from hatred to love with the help of the force of the Light. A corrected person feels responsible for the whole world; his role is to connect the positive force with everyone. In conclusion, the Torah of truth, the hidden Torah, the “Torah of Light, is a method for building love for others, a perfect and eternal life.

Happy Holiday!
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From KabTV’s “New Life 561 –  The Holiday Of Shavuot In Israeli Society,” 5/3/15

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New Life #587 – Freedom Of Expression
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

What responsibility is placed on a person who publicizes his personal opinions, what kind of responsibility is involved in the use of freedom of speech, and why should we understand where humanity is heading before using this freedom?

Summary

To the degree that a person expresses his opinions, he feels his existence. This is a natural impulse that is derived from the ego. As we develop and the ego grows, we demand more freedom of expression.

Looking deeper, it is worthwhile clarifying what freedom of expression is. Is it the freedom to say anything that comes to me? Freedom of expression also requires a person to be responsible because his words can have much influence in the world.

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, it is explained that even the thoughts of a person influence the world, so this requires even more responsibility.

Freedom of expression, as it is today, leads to social disorder and contempt of people toward each other. Even the media are controlled by particular interest groups and others, and everything is bought and sold with money.

To reach true freedom of expression, we must learn what the world is developing toward according to the law of nature. The summit of development will be when all parts of reality will be in absolute balance, connected as one.

On the way to this, we must go through all kinds of forms of opposition between each other, as it is said, “…as light excelleth darkness” (Ecclesiastes 2:13).

The opinions that people express today are not really independent opinions. What is heard impresses one, and so on.

A child’s self-expression are to grab, take, and hit others. Then he or she expresses verbally. Yet it is not enough to allow a person to shout his opinions; he must be taught what the good state toward which we aspire is.

Nature determines where we are advancing to, not us. But like little children, it seems to us that we are free. Keeping our mouths shut is also not good. But in the meantime, when everyone shouts, we aren’t advancing toward the good. Without a general social educational process, we won’t advance toward the good.

We must know what the law of nature is demanding from us. The final state nature is moving us toward is for us to be as a single unit, “As one person with one heart.” When this general picture becomes clear, everyone will be able to express themselves optimally.

In summary, freedom of expression obligates us first to learn what kind of world we are in.
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From KabTV’s “New Life #587 – Freedom Of Expression,“ 6/21/15

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New Life 560 – The Holiday Of The Giving Of The Torah
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

What is the difference between giving the Torah and receiving the Torah, how can one discover the good force inherent in the Torah and why is the general rule of “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), the entire Torah on one leg?

Giving the Torah and receiving the Torah are two different matters. The Torah is not a book, but a correcting force.

The Torah is the Upper Light, the Light that Reforms, the force that corrects our egoistic nature to love. In the past we used the force of the Torah and there was love among us, but then we were destroyed through unfounded hatred. Today we are not approaching the great general rule in the Torah, “And you shall love your friend as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), at all.

The “Torah of Light” is the upper force that influences us under special conditions and can change our nature. The evil inclination in us is composed of 613 parts; it is up to us to correct them into love. This is what is called Mitzvot (commandments). The more we develop, the more the evil inclination, our egoism, grows. And according to the wisdom of Kabbalah, now is the time for correction.

The evil inclination means that I want to harm others for my own benefit. It is written, “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:13) and there is a means provided for correction of the human ego, the Torah, which is connection to the concealed force. The Torah is eternal; at every moment it is possible to connect to the good hidden force; we only need to learn how to do this.

The “circle of connection” is a practical tool for summoning the good force into our lives. The wisdom of Kabbalah is a method that teaches us how to use the Torah, the force of Light, the power that is hidden in nature. The effort to maintain the general rule, “And you shall love your friend as yourself” brings this force to dwell among us.

When we were standing at Mount Sinai, there was mutual hatred between us. We wanted to ascend to love, and we received the Torah. In the divisive situation in Israel today, the wisdom of Kabbalah is revealed as the “Torah of Light,” as a means for correction. Specifically, in Egypt, after we discovered the 49 gates of Tuma’a (impurity), which is the summit of separation, the need for the Torah was created. The Torah is given every day; it is possible to connect to the positive force that will build love for others in us.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 560 – The Holiday Of The Giving Of The Torah,” 5/3/15

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In the News (Gazeta.Ru): “French President Francois Hollande, speaking to the nation after the tragedy in Brussels, said bluntly: “We are at war.”

“ Is it so?

“The war is fundamentally different from just the instability, social and military-political tension, even a conscious escalation of intimidation. The fact is that the enemy attack is imminent. The essence of war – is an exchange of blows. They can not be prevented, only reflect an attack in response. …

“Is Europe ready, united in the European Union? Obviously not. A typical response to large-scale acts of terrorism in any country in Western Europe – are assurances that the criminals will not be able to get the free world to give up its lifestyle and liberal values. The main alarm – is how not to sow discord within their own societies, to not overdo the restrictive measures. …

“Rejection of war as a means of politics – is the basis of European integration. …

“The main thing – is not to specify a particular social group, as stating it necessitates doing something: a recipe or general political or police operation. By and large there is no plan.

“…each new terrorist attack will be accompanied by the same set of measures, which are already accepted: the tightening of migration policies, increased coordination of special services (limited even within the EU), passport control at internal borders, greater responsibility for promoting Jihadism, more closely monitoring the flow of information, etc. The effect of these measures are obviously limited, as they do not call into question (and can not) operating principles – administrative, values, behaviors. …

“The European Union is on the threshold of inevitable change, there is no doubt. What will it be in 10 years, a guess useless. But for Europe as a symbol of peace, stability and predictability, most likely, will be remembered as a wonderful dream.”

My Comment: Be sure they will soon find a scapegoat, a whipping boy, in the shape of the Jews and Israel, as I have already written that it is only natural to blame all the disasters and everything that happens on the Jews.

Only the timely dissemination of the method of general unity will bring the world to peace. Only this method will invoke the upper force that unites us, the Surrounding Light.
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Question: You write that anti-Semitism is a natural phenomenon and so it is possible to study it and influence it. As far as it seems, it is impossible to explain this fully in one article.

But even the practical way that you suggest is very abstract. How can we come to our senses and create the same warm atmosphere you speak about? Are there more concrete suggestions? What can I do today?

Answer: You can do only one thing: Join our organization and begin to study the method of integral consolidation. I cannot explain this in two words. In our organization, whose branches exist in dozens of nations all around the world, close to two million people are studying. We publish books in all languages, publicize our material and give free access to them on the Internet.

First you must discover and know who you are, what you are, why you exist and not only you, but the whole world. You can clarify where we are moving, what we must do, in what manner we can correct our situation, what nature is pushing us toward, and how to reach the next level of our development. If we don’t discover this, then we cannot realize our mission and then things will be bad for us.
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From a Webinar “The Security of the Jewish People,” 5/8/16

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Question: Over the generations, a great number of Jews lived in Russian territories. What are the similarities and differences between Russia and Israel?

Answer: First of all, a very large number of immigrants from Russia live in Israel, about one million people. I think more will come and the number will rise to more than a million since there are still many Jews living in Russia, even though they might not admit it.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe once said that it is officially reported that there are three million Jews in Russia, but in actuality there are about 20 million. It’s the same in America, and that’s without counting the ten tribes whose locations are not known. For the time being all of that is concealed, but it will be revealed when needed.

I believe that the relations between Russia and Israel should be promoted to ensure that we show them the proper communism.  Correct communism is not the communism that they tried unsuccessfully to build in the USSR, but is when the right society is built, a commune. The tendency for this kind of society, and streams of socialistic orientation are beginning to emerge in Western countries and America. The world is approaching a situation where automated production is gaining force and pulling unemployment behind it.

The economy based on money will gradually disappear and society will be left with a great problem, thus unity of society is the first challenge the world is already beginning to wake up to today. The problem is that no one knows how to proceed toward this since the correct and united society can only be formed with the help of integral education, which comes from the wisdom of Kabbalah.

So I think that in Russia there is a special predisposition for such relations since, despite the huge problems that appeared during the Soviet era, people nevertheless had a positive feeling and a certain affinity for this state. The Russian nation will continue with socialistic elements, exactly like those foundations that the Jews of Israel are attracted to.

The creation of the correct future society will be the salvation, not only Israel, but also Russia since otherwise it won’t come out of its current crisis. The entire world can escape the crisis only through the building of a new society, not through using technological aids.
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From KabTV’s “A Talk About the Independence Day” 4/30/15

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Question: There has been a dramatic increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Britain lately without any evident cause. Anti-Semitism in the Labor party and the declarations of the former mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who claimed that Adolf Hitler was an advocate of Zionism when he was elected and strove to transfer the Jews from Europe to Israel and not to concentration camps, are only a few examples of this trend.

What do you think is the cause for these expressions of anti-Semitism in one of the most prosperous countries in Europe and what may be the implications and consequences?

Answer: Of course there cannot be positive implications and I have been warning and writing about this for years.

Anti-Semitism will continue to grow as long as the Jews don’t fulfill their goal. They have to show all of humanity how to unite into one nation and bring the whole world to unity.

It says so in the Torah and also when the Jewish nation was founded in ancient Babylon under the leadership of Abraham. So we have no choice but to fulfill our goal, whether in a good way or as a result of serious blows on the part of nature.

Otherwise, as long as we don’t fulfill our goal, we evoke the negative forces in the world against us ,which are meant to direct us toward our goal. It is our duty to reach the state of “love thy friend as thyself” among the Jewish people and show the world that it is possible to be a role model for them, a “Light unto the nations of the world.”
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From the Webinar 5/8/16

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Comment: 83 of the 100 American senators signed a letter that calls upon the President of the United States Barak Obama to increase the aid to Israel and to sign a security agreement soon. The aid package is currently three billion dollars per year whereas Israel insists on increasing the budget to five billion dollars per year.

Response: First, it is up to us to rely more upon ourselves, improvement of our situation depends on the order that we make in our nation. We can collect two billion dollars from the state funds if we just get serious and less wasteful. Second, the restrictions contained in the agreement are not beneficial for the nation of Israel. The Americans profit a great deal from the Israeli innovations related to ammunitions, so it is very worthwhile for them to support us, yet in the meantime it could be that we have no other way out.

Despite the help from Obama and others, it is up to us to rely upon ourselves. We shouldn’t rely on help from European nations or Russia and also not on our military power, but only on the connection with the upper force.

Nobody will take this from us. The problem is that this relationship is up to us to discover, to arrange, and to use correctly. Then we will have no need of help from the Americans or anyone else, and they cannot defeat us; on the contrary, everyone will require our help.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/26/16

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Question: Israeli journalist Yossi Melman writes that the life cycle of the nuclear plant in Dimona has ended and that there is nothing to replace it. As we know, the plant was bought in 1963 from France and has served as a deterrent to armed forces surrounding Israel. According to the foreign press, during the years the reactor was active, Israel built more than 200 different types of nuclear warheads, and according to the data published by the Swedish Institute for Peace, Israel has built 80 warheads.

Will the process of national unity you speak about so often replace the nuclear plant or should the two exist side by side?

Answer: A nuclear plant is a necessary means for restraining external forces until we unite.

A nuclear potential, a strong army, armed forces, an air force, submarines, and space innovations are means used to protect the country and therefore are important. This is true until we come to our senses and begin to use the true weapon we have, not against anyone but for others.

It is time we realized that neutralizing the evil forces in the world and especially turning them into positive forces comes down to our unity.

Consequently, we will oblige all the other nations to unite whether they want to or not. Everyone will come up to Mt. Zion and together we will build the Third Temple.

Question: How, will we disarm, because over the years a huge military potential has accumulated?

Answer: This potential will simple fall out of our hands without polluting the earth, what is more, we will understand how to neutralize nuclear technologies and how to recycle them. Humanity doesn’t need outdated nuclear energy. The world will have totally new sources of energy.

We only have to open our minds and then we will discover totally new natural laws and will see how much energy is concealed in nature. We will only need energy according to Einstein’s theory: Е=mc2 and we will receive it easily. Humanity will not need ancient, coarse, heavy capacitive technologies.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 4/28/16

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In the News (from lenta.ru): “Pottery shards found in a small Israeli fortress reveal an answer to one of the most important issues of Biblical studies—whether basic texts of the Old Testament were written before the Babylonian exile or after it. Inscriptions on potshards attesting to the literacy of the Jews speak in favor of the first version. This was reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. …

“However, Israeli archaeologists have studied the inscription (in Hebrew) on the clayshards from the fortress of Arad (southern Judah), dating from about 600 BC – and found a high level of literacy among the Jews of that era.

“It turned out that the text on 16 potsherds belong to a minimum of six authors, who did not need the help of scribes. Among the records were instructions to the deputy quartermaster of the fortress about the issue of provisions for a detachment of Greek mercenaries. The literacy of junior officers far from Jewish centers of culture indicates that Jews could read the sacred texts long before the Babylonian exile.”

My Comment: From the days of Abraham, comprehensive learning and education were practiced in his group, as well as reading of books written by him. The books from more ancient Kabbalists, from Adam to Abraham, as Rambam wrote, just didn’t reach us. But it indicates that in the period of the First Temple there was no uneducated child who did not know how to read and write and did not know all the sacred texts by heart.
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