Question: I agree that the salvation of the Israeli nation is in our unity, and I am trying to establish good relations with people at home and at work, but I see that even the most trivial conflicts immediately annul all my efforts and lead to anger and disputes.

So, how can I attain this unity if I am not righteous and easily explode the moment someone cuts me off on the road?

Answer: The wisdom of Kabbalah isn’t about the simple relationships between us but about something that is totally different. It teaches that if we want to see the world correctly, we must act as if we are united, especially in such cases when anger and dissatisfaction erupt in us.

If there is a conflict on the road, at work. or in the family and we know how to work above all these interruptions by intensifying the connection between us, our unity is tightened by this connection and we begin to feel how this world is built. We see how all the elements of nature are connected, and then we begin to see and feel that this network lives and breathes.

We discover that we are all in it, connected by endless connections, and that the distance between us isn’t empty, but are like air, full of radio waves in all infra- and ultra-frequencies. We discover that we are all connected and that this connection is in continuous motion, in special dynamics.

We feel the flow of life in this connection and begin to affect the connection between us, and consequently, our fate. It is because the good fate depends on our mutual relationships, and this change is in our hands. Then we will not have to fight our neighbors and will be able to solve all the problems by the good connections among the Israeli nation.

We will not have to depend on the politics of foreign governments such as America, Russia, and France. We can correct the entire world by strengthening and intensifying the connection among the Jewish nation. This is what the wisdom of Kabbalah is about. The Jews were given this opportunity, and therefore it is painful to see how we are destroying our own life and the life of the entire world.

The world understands that the Israeli nation can improve everyone’s life and that it doesn’t do so, and so it blames the Jews for all its problems. It is actually the Jewish nation that can affect the network of connections between all the nations and make everyone’s life in this world wonderful.
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From Israeli Radio Program 103FM, 2/8/15

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Question: As I understand it, the wisdom of Kabbalah came from Judaism and all of the Kabbalists of the past were very religious. What is the real connection between the wisdom of Kabbalah and religion?

Answer: The wisdom of Kabbalah is the foundation of true “religion.” Baal HaSulam writes about this in the article, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.”

The three major religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—are based upon the teachings of our father Abraham. But Abraham specifically discovered the wisdom of Kabbalah, which is the foundation of all religions, and he described his discovery in the Kabbalistic book, Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation).

The main principle of the religion that was discovered by Abraham is “And you shall love your friend as yourself.” So it is also written, “And you shall love your friend as yourself is the great general rule of the Torah.” In principle, this is meant in every sense. Or minimally: “What is hateful to you, don’t do to your friend.”

The entire Torah speaks about good relationships between people. Relationships of this kind existed among the people of Israel before the destruction of the second Beit HaMikdash (Temple) 2,000 years ago, which was destroyed because of the sudden eruption of unfounded hatred.

Everything revolves around only one point: Good or bad attitudes among the Jews determine what will happen with them and the entire world in general. This is precisely the reason for anti-Semitism; it is because the Jewish people cannot reach agreement among themselves and because of this the whole world suffers.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is involved only with how to attain the right connection between us, and this is the foundation of the entire religion. And what has been considered religion in the last 2,000 years is the maintenance of all kinds of traditions that seem to be enough for people.

This is the form religion takes in exile when we were separated from the principle of “And you shall love your friend as yourself,” from the yearning to unite. This is the form in which the Jewish people had to ripen for 2,000 years, to go out to the nations of the world and be mingled with them, and after that to return to their land.

But after we physically returned to the land of Israel, we needed to revive the wisdom of Kabbalah, so that it would live among us and help us build a people and a nation in the same form as it once was: with love and unity between us.

There are no restrictions on this. If a person studies the method of connection, it makes no difference if he is religious or secular, what country or community he came from, or if a person is a man or a woman. Everyone must study this method and as soon as possible because our good future depends upon this.

The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us how to realize this unity, and in a practical manner makes feeling this possible during the workshops and in the connection in the discussion circles that we have brought everywhere. Thousands of people have already participated in our roundtables, and they feel that within half an hour of discussion according to the method of the wisdom of Kabbalah, they suddenly experienced an unusual feeling, an illuminating, an awakening of inspiration and warmth. And this feeling spreads to all the participants.

Comment: I was able to participate in these roundtable workshops that were transmitted according to the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah. And I remember that in the beginning the people who gathered were very skeptical and even cynical, they regretted the time they were wasting. But at the end of the evening, people simply floated from excitement and emotion, they were moved to tears and embraced each other. This was an outbreak of vital force and warmth that melted all of the ice and indifference that separates our hearts.
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From Israeli Radio Program 103FM, 2/15/15

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The Rule of the Defenseless

The story of Purim is a metaphor that tells us about the role of the Jewish nation and about its last breakthrough to wholeness. Mordecai seems weak and helpless at first. He sits at the king’s gate and seems powerless, a typical Jew in the diaspora. Opposite him is a respectable minister, Haman, who sees that he can annihilate the Jews who are in exile.

Question: Why should he annihilate the Jews?

Answer: Haman feels that they disrupt his rule. It is true that the Jews are in exile under a foreign domination and anyone can humiliate them, but, despite the fact that they are defenseless, they have an enormous concealed attribute that the nations of the world cannot stand.

Everyone around them feels that they don’t have the major asset that the Jews have and that they never will have it. They feel that we understand better and are more strongly connected to some holy secret of creation.

I remember that decades ago an elderly woman in Siberia where no one had even seen Jews told me, “the Creator loves you.” It turns out that during WWII when her mother told her about the fascists’ intentions, she said, “Hitler won’t win since he is operating against the Jews.”

This feeling is alive among the nations of the world. This is the reason that Ahasuerus and especially Haman wanted to annihilate us. This is the reason for the holocaust, although it seems that we didn’t bother the Nazis. Our very existence is painful and hurts those around us, as if we are preventing them from reaching wholeness.

We gave humanity the Torah, the source of the two major religions. We lay the foundations for education and culture. We are a nation that seems to rule the world not by power, but by wisdom, by depth, by being close to the concealed secret sources of creation, which others cannot attain. This is a heavy burden for the nations.

A Threatening Factor

However, we can reach goodness only through the recognition of evil. This is the reason that we need Haman who invokes the evil in us so that the conflict with him will push us toward goodness. Without this factor we wouldn’t have returned to the land of Israel from the exile. Haman invokes fear in the Jews, a very serious, existential fear. Then, Mordecai sends Esther to ask the king for help so that he would annul the sentence.

In reply, she says, “I cannot. Whom shall I go with? I need a desire, a deficiency. I need a necessity. I need to bring the people’s cry to the king. I have nothing of my own to tell him. Gather the Jews in the capital city and tell them to fast and pray to the Creator for three days.” Esther cannot come to the King empty handed. She needs a request that can be born only out of fasting, when the Jews want nothing but connection and unity among them. This is what Mordecai must explain to his brothers, that only connection and unity between them can save them, and if not, they are going to die. It is one of the two.

Two Royal Faces

Then, the Jews listened and saw that they were not united, and they wanted to be. It is with that desire that Esther came to the King, and he did help, but this is already the upper king. Ahasuerus is only one side of the Creator, the leadership with the attribute of Din (judgment). Besides that, there is the side of mercy.

The Jews must try to reach unity and see that they cannot do so. Indeed it is not in our power to truly unite. Still, as the book of Esther tells us, if we ask for help from above with the right deficiency, we get it. So, instead of Haman, Mordecai rides the horse, and we reach success, our highest state, and a happy life.
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From Israeli Radio Program 103FM, 2/1/15

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A follow up to the post “The Scroll Of Esther Is Our Spiritual Heritage“

Purim is salvation, but not by the force of arms. What happened in the past is happening now in Israel, Europe, and everywhere. It is revealed in a concealed manner in the form of current figures, which are essentially identical to those in the past. Our force is in our unity. Only unity will save the Jewish nation from its enemies.

We see how Haman raises his head again and sentences us. Mordecai doesn’t have to go to the town square anymore, since now his message is echoed through the media and the Internet. This is a clear sign that the concealed has to be revealed. Life calls us to remember the love that used to connect our hearts.

When we awaken from our indifference and separation and come together as one man we will become a positive role model. This is because humanity today actually needs a method to rise above the conflicts and reach mutual understanding and bestowal. When we become a real, proper, and active role model the whole world will be on our side.
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From the Purim Holiday Brochure, 3/1/15

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The Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) 1:1: And it came to pass in the days of Achashverosh, the same Achashverosh who ruled from Hodu to Cush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. So begins Megillat Esther, the Book of Esther. The Hebrew word “Megillah” is derived from the word “Gilui” (disclosure) and “Esther” means hidden. Esther is the queen’s name, the wife of Ahasuerus. Megillat Esther symbolizes the revelation of the concealed, implying that although something is revealed to you, you should remember that it all remains in concealment.

The Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) 2:5, 2:7 – 2:20: He raised his cousin Hadassah, also called Esther, for she had neither father nor mother. The girl was of beautiful form and beautiful visage, and when her father and mother died, Mordechai adopted her as his daughter. Now when the king’s order and edict became known, and many girls were gathered to Shushan, the capital under the charge of Heigai, Esther was taken to the palace under the charge of Heigai, custodian of the women.

The girl found favor in his eyes and won his kindness, so that he hurried to provide her with her cosmetics and meals.  [All the while] Esther did not divulge her race or ancestry, for Mordechai had instructed her not to tell.

Esther belonged to the Jewish people who had a connection to the upper force and if she had told the truth about her origin, it could have harmed her relationship with the king.

And the king loved Esther more than all the women and she won his favor and kindness more than all the virgins;

She obtained grace and favor in his eyes because she revealed a certain part of her spiritual potential in her relationship with the king.

Then the king made a grand feast for all his ministers and servants, “The Feast of Esther.” He lowered [taxes] for the provinces and gave presents befitting the king. And when the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordechai was sitting at the king’s gate.

Esther would [still] not divulge her ancestry or race, as Mordechai had instructed her. Indeed, Esther followed Mordechai’s instructions just as she had done while under his care.

Mordechai (Mor Dror) is the upper force, a very serious force which is totally concealed. Esther fully continued his line.

… Mordechai was sitting at the king’s gate.

This means the gate of the upper king, the upper force of nature. Sitting represents the state of lowliness, of smallness. Therefore, Mordechai waited patiently for the opportunity to pass on the attribute of the upper force to all the people on earth. The population of Babylon in those days was actually all of humanity.

The Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) 3-1, 3:5 – 9: After these events, King Achashverosh promoted Haman, son of Hamdata, the Agagite and advanced him; he placed his seat above all his fellow ministers.

There must be a very big desire in order to reveal the upper force, the Creator’s greatness. First it stems from the ego, then it is corrected and the revelation of the Creator is received in the corrected desire. Mordechai didn’t have that desire. He was in a state of smallness, sitting at the king’s gate, so it was necessary to include the ego in him in order to raise him to the next level. The ego that is added to Mordechai is called Haman.

When Haman saw that Mordechai would not kneel or bow before him, Haman was filled with wrath. But he thought it contemptible to kill only Mordechai, for they had informed him of Mordechai’s nationality. Haman sought to annihilate all the Jews, Mordechai’s people, throughout Achashverosh’s entire kingdom.  In the first month, which is the month of Nissan, in the twelfth year of King Achashverosh’s reign, a pur, which is a lot, was cast before Haman, for every day and every month, [and it fell] on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

Haman represents the universal ego. He had to kill the desire called Mordechai, which constantly threatened the ego. He planned to annihilate and destroy all the Jews since the Jewish people are actually a conduit for the Light and the attribute of bestowal. If they began to bestow unto all the other nations they would certainly be able to correct them and turn them into altruists, and turn them into an upper nation too just like them; a nation that wouldn’t serve Haman anymore. Haman knew that he couldn’t correct himself and so he had no other choice and was obliged to act against Mordechai.

Haman said to King Achashverosh, “There is one nation, scattered and dispersed among the nations throughout the provinces of your kingdom, whose laws are unlike those of any other nation and who do not obey the laws of the King. It is not in the King’s interest to tolerate them. If it please the King, let [an edict] be issued for their destruction…”

Each of the nations that lived in the 127 provinces of the Babylonian empire had a territory of its own, but the Jews dispersed among all the nations and didn’t have their own land. However, they still attributed themselves to one particular tribe called the nation of Israel.

This is the reason that Haman said: “There is one nation, scattered and dispersed among the nations throughout the provinces of your kingdom” which means that they were not connected to each other. The ego separated them and made them feel repulsed by one another. They couldn’t be a nation since all the other nations were defined by their origin and had a whole earthly egoism, which the Jews didn’t. They differed to such an extent that they spoke Aramaic among them and not Hebrew, their mother tongue.

In the time of the First Temple, the Jews were on a spiritual level and spoke Hebrew, but when they fell to an egoistic level that was much lower than the other nations they actually lost their language, the language of bestowal and of mutual love, and began to speak Aramaic, a language that is the reverse of Hebrew. What is more, every nation felt that they belonged to one social class and every nation respected the king and bowed to his idols, while the Jews had no idols, no respect for the king, and no proper mutual social relations among them. They were the greatest egoists who didn’t get along with one another at all.

Question: If the Jewish nation was separated to such an extent, what danger did it pose for Haman?

Answer: Haman felt that the time for the awakening of the Jews to unity was approaching. It is said that Haman was a great astrologist. He saw according to the signs, which means according to his inner feeling, truly what the Jewish nation actually is. Haman is the opposite side of a Kabbalist, of the one who bestows. He realized that something was about to happen that would bring the exile of the nation of Israel to an end and that they would return to their land, which for him meant death. They had to destroy him on their way back since it was impossible to rebuild the Second Temple without killing and destroying Haman. Therefore, he had no choice but to destroy them, not out of wickedness, but according to the clear and accurate laws of nature.

The Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) 3:10 – 11, 3:13: The king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, son of Hamdata, the Agagite, persecutor of the Jews. The king said to Haman, “The money is yours to keep, and the nation is yours to do with as you please.”

Achashverosh (Ahasuerus) thought of how to raise the nation of Israel. He realized that they must be frightened and thus forced to unite and connect since their power is only in unity and in ascending to the upper level. But this was possible only with the help of Haman. The Jews had to be terrified of their ego and destroy it so that they would turn it to altruism, and only then would be able to rise. They couldn’t rise without Haman.

The Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) 4:1 – 2: Letters were sent with couriers to all the provinces of the king: to annihilate, murder and destroy all the Jews, young and old, children and women, on one day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar and to plunder their possessions. Mordechai knew all that had occurred, so Mordechai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ash. He went out into the city crying loudly and bitterly. He went up until the king’s gate, for it is improper to enter the king’s gate wearing sackcloth.

Mordechai  had to tell everyone what was about to happen and to awaken both the good and the evil forces in order to properly reveal the way humanity should follow. Therefore, He went out into the city crying loudly and bitterly.  He wasn’t the unnoticed old man who sat quietly at the city gate anymore. He actually began to be active.

“Crying loudly and bitterly,” refers to the revelation, the call, the connection, which he recreated between the Malchut and Keter. Until then Mordechai was in a state of smallness (Malchut in Bina), but now when he changed into a state of greatness, a state of revelation, he connected the two opposite points of the Creation, Malchut and Keter, through Bina. It says: Mordechai tore his clothes. Clothes is the state a person hides behind. By tearing his clothes, Mordechai puts an end to his previous humble state. He wants to be revealed.

The attribute of Mordechai is the attribute of Bina, complete bestowal. It has nothing to do with the ego and cannot do anything by itself. There is a need for this connection now. The ashes are the very last egoistic level. When he puts ashes on his head Mordechai raises this level above himself, which means that he places himself below all of creations, below everything. These aren’t just nice words but a real spiritual action; an action that he performed so that he would be able to convey the great force of correction to everyone through him. Thus he prepares himself for the state of disconnecting from the ego and to the ascent to the attribute of Bina, when he could convey all the upper Light called Mordechai (Mor Dror), a great Light, through him.
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From a Talk about Purim 2/19/15

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Question: Does the Purim holiday speak about the role of the people of Israel?

Answer: It speaks about an obligation of the people of Israel! The task can be different, but the obligation remains one: to unite and take all of humanity to a new spiritual level through unity.

Today, we are in a crisis that is similar to the same crisis that existed in ancient Babylon. The ego attracts us inward to a place that is very narrow, dark, and not understood; a place where we begin to devour each other. Humanity must rise above this state, and this ascent depends upon the people of Israel first and foremost. So, in our time, anti-Semitism has developed again because the nations of the world subconsciously feel that the people of Israel must do something, but are not carrying out their mission, and this causes harm to the world. It is precisely the separation between us that is the reason for anti-Semitism.

The moment that we begin to unite, a stream of Light will pass through us to all of humanity. People will understand what must be done, and anti-Semitism will disappear immediately. Even 2,500 years ago the prophets predicted that the nations of the world would lift the people of Israel on their shoulders and carry them to Jerusalem to build the third Beit Ha Mikdash (Temple). So, it is said that all of humanity will be drawn to the Creator, and all religions, faiths, peoples, nations, and races will unite into a single whole.

Question: What would you hope for the people of Israel and the Jews who live in other nations in the world?

Answer: First of all, I wish all the people of the world would understand the Purim holiday correctly and that with their pressure on the people of Israel they would take part in our general and common goal.

Also, I hope that the people of Israel would understand our universal role and understand and recognize the fact that the good of the world truly depends upon them. Everyone who is interested in knowing more can enter our Internet websites and archives, look at our books, read our Facebook pages, watch our Israeli television channel, and experience the live lessons of our education centers.

We must unite! Only in unity can we find a real solution to all of the problems! There is no problem that would not be solved through unity, and there is no problem that would be resolved through any other method.

Come, let’s transform this holiday into a reality where we truly solve this world’s problems between us, raising us to the next level of nature and redeeming us from all troubles. We will do this ourselves! We are doing this now together! Success for all of us!
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From a Talk about Purim 2/18/15

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Question: Is there a special force that operates on us and affects us? Is there a special illumination that shines upon us?

Answer: A holiday is a special state in the world when the desire becomes similar to the Light in some way and the cooperation between the desire and the Light is called by a special name that matches the Kabbalistic Gematria (numerical value of the Torah). A holiday is typified by the accumulation of the previous levels up to a certain new qualitative level.

In our life, for example, psychology is a very meaningful field: child psychology, the psychology of the masses, social psychology, etc. In these frameworks we tend to picture ourselves in different situations and we feel them only because we want to feel them so much. But these are not spiritual states and have nothing to do with the holidays.

A person who is climbing the spiritual ladder, on the other hand, awakens unto himself and unto the nation a special wave of influence from that level, even if he hasn’t attained the level of the holiday, by the mere fact that he tries to rise to it by performing certain mechanical actions in our world together with the whole nation. This is possible only when they all yearn to attain it together.

During the holiday of Shavuot (Giving of the Torah), for example, we see the location of the planets, the moon, and the sun that match this spiritual action, which means that the upper force is also arranged in a certain way. If in addition to that, the whole nation yearns for it, it will receive a special illumination since the whole hierarchy of the system of creation is synchronized. But an ordinary person who knows nothing about the spiritual work and simply does what he has been taught doesn’t perceive this illumination and only has the psychological feeling of this holiday. However, people who yearn for the inner meaning of the holiday feel a certain illumination and therefore can perform additional corrections during this time.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 6/11/14

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Question: Why is the Purim holiday considered to be a family holiday all over the world?

Answer: It is not a family holiday. The Purim holiday is more like a children’s holiday, a holiday of happiness and joy, because it symbolizes a rebirth of the people. We are seemingly reborn on this holiday!

When we are separated from each other, we are not a people. Yet, when we begin to gather together, something new is born in us. So, on Purim, there is a custom to give each other gifts, Mishloach Manot (gift packages), especially wine and sweets.

Wine symbolizes Ohr Hochma (Light of Wisdom). Hamantashen, triangular shaped cookies, symbolize Ohr Hassadim (Light of Mercy). Hassadim and Hochma must connect, be clothe one another, and this will give us spiritual elevation.

On the Purim holiday, there is a very interesting custom of drinking wine without any restrictions,  Ad De’lo Yada (until one doesn’t know). If on this day a person is as drunk as Lot, this is a sign that he has fulfilled the tradition of the holiday.

That is, if we maintain the Purim holiday spiritually and unite, then with this we lead all of humanity to unity and raise them after us to the level of adhesion with the Creator. All of humanity attains eternity and wholeness, and this state can be materialized in someone about whom it is said, “…until one no longer knows the difference between ‘Blessed be Mordecai’ and ‘Cursed be Haman.’” In other words, a person completely forgets about all his limitations. He goes into a space where there is nothing but eternity and wholeness. This state can be compared only with the state of a person who is drunk with happiness without drinking any alcohol.

On the Purim holiday, all the streets of Israel are full of the sounds of singing, dancing, and carnivals, which are called, Adloyada. We put on costumes and seemingly change our identities, becoming someone else.

Question: Why do we say that a time will come when all of the holidays will disappear and only the Purim holiday will remain?

Answer: This is because all of the holidays symbolize transitional steps on the way toward complete unity and attainment of the Creator, adherence with the higher power. All of the holidays are classified up to this level: Rosh Hashanah (New Year), the exodus from Egypt, receiving the Torah, and so forth. They precisely represent the stages of the work toward unity between us, whereas Purim is the final holiday that symbolizes the completion of correction. After that, we attain wholeness and eternity one hundred percent.
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From a Talk about Purim 2/18/15

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Purim is the great holiday of redemption; it is the holiday of the exodus from exile. The wisdom of Kabbalah tells us about the history of the evolution of mankind starting from Adam onward. Before him there were human beings and civilizations but Adam embodies the beginning of a new history, the history of the spiritual development of humanity.

He was the first to discover that living was not just to survive in the plane of this world but to ascend from this world to the next level, to the spiritual world, and to become a totally different entity, to become a human.

The word “Adam” stems from the Hebrew word “Edame” (to resemble), to resemble the Creator who exists on a different dimension. And since he was the first to discover the possibility of ascending from the animal state to the human level, to the level of resembling the Creator, he is called Adam.

But it was only Abraham who succeeded in realizing resembling the upper force, ascending the levels of the still, vegetative, and animate nature all the way to the human level, by feeling that he was in a new dimension. This happened 20 generations after Adam.

What is the reason that Abraham succeeded in doing so? It was because humanity, who were only a small number of people populating  ancient Babylon at the time, suddenly found itself at an egoistic dead end.

The good relations between the Babylonians who lived as one family suddenly became filled with lack of trust, theft, and abuse of each other, such egoistic relationships from which they didn’t know where to go.  And they thought: “We must rise to the heavens and discover the reason for what is happening to us.” At this time in ancient Babylon, two leading personalities stood out representing two different viewpoints: the ideologue and scientist of his time Abraham and the king of Babylon Nimrod.

According to Abraham’s ideology, humanity existed in order to unite above the ego that keeps people apart. By uniting they could attain the next level of their development.

The ego intentionally brought them to a dead end so that they wouldn’t succumb to it, otherwise it would bring them to their mutual annihilation. They had no other choice but to simply connect above it. Moreover, there is such a force in nature that can be drawn so that it can help us perform this action.

Nimrod on the other hand, believed that they had to follow a different path: to disperse all over the world like a family that cannot live together and get along with one another. They had to disperse and to go in different directions so that everyone would feel good.

Thousands followed Nimrod and only a few followed Abraham. According to the well known historian Titus Flavius Josephus, the Babylonians dispersed all over the world and began to settle in India, China, Africa, Russia, and Europe. Later they grew into nations that laid the foundations of the present general global civilization. Abraham, on the other hand, gathered his followers who agreed with him and understood his viewpoint, and they followed him to the land of Canaan, the location of the current state of Israel.

The nations that dispersed all over the world began to be called by their places of origin, their families, their tribes, or the place they settled in: Germans, Russians, etc. Abraham’s followers, however, called themselves “Israel,” stemming from the Hebrew words “Yashar –El” meaning straight to the Creator. This means that they were focused directly on the upper force, on the upper plan of nature that unites and assembles everything into one.

Abraham’s group was comprised of representatives of different communities who felt that his idea was right and thus joined him. This is how a nation that assembled on the basis of a common idea was born. This is the difference between the Jews and other nations.

Abraham’s descendents were Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph who were the next levels of development of this group, levels of increasingly greater connection. The group that left Babylon together with Abraham found itself facing great conflicts and disagreements, which is called the exile in Egypt. It should be noted that we speak about historical events in light of spiritual actions; therefore, we call geographic and historical categories according to their spiritual state.

It is said that there was famine in the land of Israel and the Jews went down to Egypt, which means that the nation felt a spiritual hunger resulting from the confusion and weakening of the connection between them. Thomas Mann describes the conflicts and ideological disagreements between the sons of Jacob very nicely in his book Joseph and His Brothers.

The state of Egypt (Mitzraim) symbolizes the concentration of evil in which the Jews felt the strong domination of the ego called Pharaoh (egoism) and tried to break away from it. They decided that they couldn’t remain in the state of mutual hostility, hatred, and the domination of Pharaoh because it didn’t allow them to be close to one another. Thus they realized and understood that they had fallen from the attainment of that little spiritual level they had been on previously. They realized that they had no choice but to escape from the state of Egypt. This happened at night, in the dark, hastily.

But before that, they went through the ten plagues of Egypt, which they felt on their flesh, and were thus freed of the domination of the ego, the domination of Pharaoh.

When they left Egypt, meaning mutual hostility, they gradually united and arrived at the state of Mount Sinai, which stems from the Hebrew word “Sina” (hate). They had to ascend above it in order to attain the Creator.

There is an attribute in the Israeli nation called Moses, stemming from the Hebrew word “Moshech” (draw or pull), which is the embodiment of the slight connection among them that takes them out of Egypt and can pull them above the hatred in order to connect with the Creator and receive the method of the formation of the nation from Him. This method is called the Torah.

The Torah is the Light that corrects the ego of the entire mass of people to create one unique desire that is above separation, hatred, and mutual accusations, and is actually yearning for establishing good relations above all that.

When the connection between people becomes homogeneous, straight, and equal and all the previous desires are integrated, creating one inclusive unique desire in which one person bestows unto others and loves them and everyone does that together mutually, this one desire turns to the upper state, to the Creator, which means to nature, with mutual love. The Creator (Elokim) symbolizes the upper force, the upper attribute, the upper leadership.

When they yearn for bestowal, to the upper force, to love Him and for mutual adhesion with Him, they attain that state. Now they are already called the “Israel,” and they begin to feel the next level of their existence by ascending from the levels of the still, vegetative, and animate nature to the level of the Creator, the level of the upper force of nature that is concealed from us.

They transcend the Machsom (barrier) of concealment, discover Him, and thus actually begin to feel and to live in Him to such an extent that the existence of the corporeal body becomes unimportant. It is because the body is a corporeal entity and a person doesn’t actually care whether it dies or not since on that level he already exists in a whole and eternal state.

Today anyone can reach this state, just as our forefathers had.  They wrote about it in the Torah calling it the “First Temple.” In this state, the whole creation is revealed, the upper force, the limitless existence of humanity beyond time and place.

They lived in that state for several centuries, and then the ego began to undermine their state and began to draw them apart from one another again, controlling them by mutual accusations. They realized that it was necessary so that they could ascend even higher above the ego and reach the next level, but they didn’t succeed in overcoming it and fell into the state of unfounded hate.

This state is called the “exile in Babylon.” A thousand years later they returned to the same Babylon that Abraham had taken them out of, but now it wasn’t the same small country in Mesopotamia anymore but the giant empire of King Nebuchadnezzar who ruled 127 states. Being an intelligent leader, the king dispersed the Jews in all the states and thus kept them apart and disconnected, but it was even better at the time.

Many years went by before Babylon was ruled by King Ahasuerus and the wicked Haman who came up with the idea of annihilating the Jews. He began to denigrate them before the king: There is a certain people scattered and separate among the peoples throughout all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws differ [those of] every people, and they do not keep the king’s laws; it is [therefore] of no use for the king to let them be. (Book of Esther).

A wise Jew named Mordecai, who was a relative of Queen Esther, the beloved wife of Ahasuerus, lived in Babylon in those days. He decided to prevent a conspiracy and make it known to the King. But Esther said that neither she nor the King could do anything since the Jews were separated. If you reunite I will tell the King about the conspiracy. You will begin to pray from above and I will begin to act from below and we will destroy wicked Haman and all those who conspire against us. What is more, it will be the beginning of our return to our homeland, to the land of Israel. (Book of Esther).

Mordecai told the Jews who lived in the city of Shushan, the capital of the Babylonian empire, about that. He called them to fast and to get closer and to be as one man in one heart according to the Jewish law that was accepted at the foot of Mount Sinai. Thus, by rising above the ego and fully connecting, they returned to their root and were rewarded with the return to the land of Israel, which means that they acquired attributes that were equal to that land. Ahasuerus freed them and allowed them to return to their land. Later Esther’s son and Ahasuerus helped them build the Second Temple and the exile in Babylon was over.

Several centuries later the Second Temple was destroyed because of the hatred that once again broke out among the Jews and once again they were exiled from the land of Israel. Today we are coming out of that exile, but every place and every state around the world has its own Haman and especially around the State of Israel.

But the rescue is exactly the same as it was during the time of Queen Esther: If we unite, we will easily get rid of all our enemies. They will free us of their evil presence and will help us just as they did in the past to restore and rebuild the Temple. It is also written in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, that the nations of the world will carry the Jews on their shoulders to their land and will build the Third Temple with them.

Having returned from the corporeal exile and living in the land of Israel, we are in a spiritual exile and have to come out of it, which means to ascend to the level of spiritual redemption from the ego that tears us to pieces, to connect in order to ascend to the level of eternity and wholeness. This is the call of Purim, the holiday of unity. We have all the necessary conditions in order to do it right here and now.
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From a Talk about Purim, 2/18/15

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There are levels in the spiritual ascent that have each have a unique quality and value, and are called commemorative dates.

A commemorative holiday is a special date in the spiritual work that has nothing to do with the other days of the year that correlate to the movements of the sun, the moon, and the earth.

When a person ascends to a level of a special holiday (Moadi), it affects his past, present, and future, and everything he has done throughout his life in a special way. What is more, it can raise him to a new level either temporarily or permanently.

These special holidays differ, but each time they have a qualitative effect on a person, and therefore they are noted in the Torah.

All that is said in the Torah says and that we should know is about the spiritual ladder on which we ascend by correcting ourselves as compared to the Creator. There is nothing but that.

Our lowly, worthless, empty life and every event that takes place in our life is added to this ladder since it is based on the correction of the desire. The desire is the only matter of creation that includes the levels of evolution of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking nature.

The desire grows continuously, rises, and is corrected. This movement perceives and absorbs the matter of all the worlds and the force that controls this matter.

These special dates are special levels on which there are vertical and horizontal elevators as a result of previous accumulated merit. They suddenly erupt, connect and therefore provide the result.

The vertical elevator refers to descents and ascents, while a horizontal elevator refers to the connection of a great number of small souls, of fragments, that on the current level suddenly begin to merge. Even in our world, a commemorative date is a massive event.

Theses include the rise of individuals in their comprehension and creation also can be attributed to them, but only one that develops in our perception of something massive. Thus, these two phenomena are part of the commemorative dates.

Consequently, there are horizontal elevators for the masses and vertical elevators that connect the holidays, interestingly, complementing one another. On the one hand, a single figure has an impact on history, and on the other hand, the masses have an impact on history. History means advancement.

The question is whether one can be used instead of the other. Practical experience shows that a housewife cannot run the country, but will the masses be able to replace a special figure if they are connected?

This is possible when a perfect correction is attained. In this case, the masses become the most outstanding figure by perceiving and absorbing all the individual Kabbalists and becoming as one man in one heart like at the gathering at Mount Sinai.

Comment: But then Moses was the leader.

Answer: Moses is the collective figure of the nation that yearns for the Creator who can gather and assemble its highest points that are detached from whatever is below. The sum of these yearnings is called Moses.
[154689]
From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 6/11/14

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