Entries in the 'Nations of the World' Category

The Nobel Prize Is Not The “Light To The Nations”

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: You say that the people of Israel are not carrying out their mission of being a “light to the nations.” But haven’t we tried to bring light to the world throughout history?

Answer: In what way, through our success in business or art, through our Nobel Prizes? This is not at all that Light that we need to bring to the people.

Yes, they have gotten many things from us, even weekends. But we have never truly developed this Mitzvah (commandment) to be a “light to the nations.”

First of all, we have to understand what kind of “light” is being talked about here.

The characteristic of love, equality, unity, this is “Light.” In general, the power of bestowal is divided into a multitude of influences depending on whom it acts upon, to what degree, and at what level?

But we are not acting like this. Even among us we have not attained this, although first of all, we ourselves must become the source of Light, or at least a transitional link, so that through us the influence of the upper force, the power of bestowal and love, the comprehensive power of nature, will pass to the nations of the world.

Today, for the first time in history, we must do this. But so far we haven’t even tried and we haven’t needed to because we weren’t worthy, we were not ready for this. Only now has the time come when we must realize this.

Question: Does modern anti-Semitism testify to this? After all, in fact, it has always existed.

Answer: Anti-Semitism for us is one of the signs that the time has arrived to act. Yes, it existed long ago. It began in ancient Babylon 3,500 years ago.

The humanity of that era was split: One part followed Abraham, who called for unity, and the other part aligned with Nimrod and scattered throughout the world. From then, in the nature of every person, even if he is not connected at all with the Jews, hatred towards them is latent.

Question: The nations of the world have taken philosophical concepts, monotheism, freedom, and other things from the Jews. But they have not taken unity.

Answer: They didn’t take it because even among us it didn’t exist. It was not in a form that was suited for the world. In those times we were very far from the nations of the world. To be honest, the philosophers of ancient Greece, who learned from our prophets, gleaned a few fragments of the wisdom of Kabbalah and created their postulates from them.

But one way or another, anti-Semitism is a natural phenomenon. And instead of “butting heads” with it, we must unite among us. The nations will take this unity from us, even if we don’t publicize it. For in any case, the Light of life comes to the world through us.

Question: So how is the picture of a correct life look for our people? The life that will touch people for life in their living soul and awaken them to learn about unity from us?

Answer: We don’t need to think about how to attract them to our side. We only need to build our lives according to the function of the unique, chosen people. We must connect “as one person with one heart,” and develop this covenant more and more.

With this, we remove all problems from us, and furthermore we bring this Light to the world, which will also calm it down and it will go in the proper way towards correction.
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From KabTV’s “Anti-Semitism” 6/18/14

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Are We Ready For This?

Dr. Michael LaitmanDo we live in an aspiration for unity? Does love unite us there?

No, and that’s why we experience all our troubles. It does not matter that the external complaints of the world against us are different. There is one demand behind all the accusations: our happiness is in your hands. Do what you need to do or disappear because if you don’t, then nobody needs you.

Today, this demand sounds louder than ever.

We are tired. The world is tired. Crises, wars, diseases, and environmental disasters have battered the Earth so much that the groaning is everywhere.

This demand is to us: to the people of Israel. Become one people. Show the world that this is the only way to live.

And as soon as we start to approach the realization of this idea, as soon as we take the first step and direct our thoughts towards Oneness, as soon as we decide, finally, that we cannot survive in any other way; we will immediately see the attitude towards us change, as the world stands waiting for a miracle. And our worst enemies will retreat. Our Oneness will defeat them. It will give strength to our army.

We will win without casualties; just understand this! Our children will not be killed! By our unity, we will create an impenetrable dome around them, around our army, around the whole of Israel. We will radiate such confidence, such happiness that everyone will want to live like this.

The whole world!

Why?! Because by doing so we will get closer to the Law of Unity, which runs the world. The Law of Love. And it will help us.

So, will we hear this time?
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The Essential Secret Of The Jews, Part 17

From the book: The Essential Secret of the Jews, M. Brushtein.

“Fundamental Principles of the Integral Theory”

Dear Genghis Khan,

Have you ever questioned why the biggest conquerors are called great and even the greatest? This is what Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Stalin are called. But they captured, enslaved and killed. Is it not amazing that they are respected not only by those who love them, but even by those who do not like them?

For clarity, we refer to certain data:

“Genghis Khan (Temujin – Temujin) (c. 1155-1227) was a founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (c. 1206), the organizer of conquering campaigns against the peoples of Asia and Eastern Europe. His crusades were accompanied by devastation, destruction of entire peoples, and led to the establishment of the Mongol-Tatar yoke in the conquered countries.” (Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2000)

This encyclopedic entry is well illustrated by the line from Lermontov’s poem: “The steeds, the men all disassembled.” The activity of the same person is described in almost incompatible concepts. On the one hand: the founder and great. On the other hand: death and the yoke.

The article shows once again how ambiguously we treat conquerors’ personalities. In spite of that, the vast majority of people look at the invaders with reverence.

We’ll ask again: Why?

Our version is as follows: paradoxically enough, they are valued and rewarded with the epithet “genius,” though often with the prefix “evil,” namely for the numerous conquests.

Why? Let’s recall that it is precisely due to great conquests, or – if you want – great victories (a “victory” is a synonym for the word “conquest.” Oxford Dictionaries) scattered family clans were turned into grand duchies, wild warring tribes established prosperous states, and conflicting and poor developed countries were transformed into powerful empires.

Thus, their merit is that they wittingly or unwittingly contributed to human unity.

“Overt or concealed desire of some countries for world hegemony is one of the constituents of the trend towards the unity of humanity.” (Zinoviev, A.A., Towards Supersociety)

The question arises: What is happening today? Unfortunately, humanity has invented nothing more effective than this method of unification.

To this day, invasions and conquests, though not necessarily of a military nature, are committed on the Earth. Information and economic invasion are often much more effective.

The trend continues. Each new invasion leads to closer ties and relations not only between individual nations, but entire continents. Thanks to the British conquest, the planet got an international language of communication, and thanks to the war with Nazi Germany, ordinary Soviet people saw the Western world.

Invasion works. It unites. But it is painful and unpleasant. Is it possible to unite otherwise? Not maiming and killing each other? It might be possible, but we do not know how to do it yet. The noisiest fact is the failure of the European Union.

According to polls Gallup, now only 30 percent of Europeans have a positive attitude towards the EU institutions, although 20 years ago the number of supporters of the European idea exceeded 70 percent.

Even in Germany, which is traditionally considered the most pro-European Union country, the number of euro-sceptics is not much less than euro-optimists.

Maybe, we took a wrong approach? Maybe, we need to conquer not territories and resources, but trust and kindness to each other?

It is interesting that it was Abraham, the ideological leader of the Jews, who suggested precisely this paradigm, as a means of unification to the Babylonian empire that was standing on the threshold of collapse

Humanity honors and remembers the achievements of many people, including the accomplishments of Abraham. But what he achieved in reality is difficult even to imagine. Think for a minute! 3800 years ago, Abraham offered his countrymen – the idolaters – to implement the principle of “love thy neighbor as thyself”????!

But we are not ready for this even today!
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We Won’t Be Able To Escape

We have tried to run away from this our essence for two thousand years. For two thousand years hatred was on our heels. We were hated by nations, we lived within, who surrounded us, and even those who had never seen us.

Why?!

The answer is obvious, in any case, to us who write these lines. The more we moved away from our origins, the worse we lived and the more we are hated.

The world subconsciously knew that happiness is not in money, not in palaces, not in new technologies. No! Happiness is in the connection between people, happiness is in Unity. Because that is the Supreme Law.

3800 years ago, our nation began to build its life in accordance with the idea of Unity and Love. To be as “one man with one heart” – is written in the Torah, the main book of our people. To live in mutual love, when everyone is responsible for everyone else.

So live!

So live by it and one pass this secret of happiness to the world.
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The Will Of The People In The Modern Era

Dr. Michael LaitmanPreviously the world was governed by kings and lords who didn’t need anyone’s permission. Anything they said was considered sacred.

Then, monarchs began listening to their parliaments; thus, autocracy was somewhat limited. Later, the Parliaments split into various chambers and deprived the monarchs of any real power.

Finally, today we are facing a very peculiar situation: governments are losing their influence. Government officials appear unprincipled, unscrupulous, and lacking ideals. They have no positions, no ideals, and no goals towering above everyday life.

On the other hand, it is the mass media that has acquired a tremendous influence and forms and manipulates social opinion. And today virtual social networks join this process and often intercept the initiative from the mass media.

So, it turns out that governments no longer have any decisive power. Governmental bodies barely cope with current affairs, ostensibly executing their people’s will, a will that is shaped by the mass media.

The next step will be that people will create their own platforms; they will form their own level of social understanding and agreement. The role of the mass media and governments will be just to listen to them and, in varying degrees, to implement it.

Therefore, we must spread our agenda among people in various countries; we should convey our message and explain to them what it means to be the people of Israel in the land of Israel.” We have to explain to them what will happen when we attain unity.

When people will feel the deficiency and need for unity and when they understand that unity is the only salvation from all their burdens, the general public will demand their governments to make it work. The governments will ratify new laws and launch new educational programs in kindergartens and schools that will teach how to cultivate correct relationships among people.

This is how the global shift will happen: the will of people will define further progress.

Question: If the general public plays a decisive role, will uncontrollable situations, chaos, and anarchy result?

Answer: Not at all! There is no power better than this. Power is needed for rulers to rule over their people, whereas in this situation, the people are already driven and governed by the idea of unity. The time of individualism is over. We are approaching the end of correction and that’s why public opinion becomes a main factor.

No, there won’t be any chaos and confusion in this scenario. People will turn into a unified whole; their opinions will be closer, and destructive confrontation that leads to wars and disasters will disappear. People will feel the desire to unite and instead of kings, political parties, and factions, there will be a powerful, consensus, a unified view.

Question: A general consensus, isn’t that wonderful?

Answer: We will arrange things in a way that the Light spreads among us and returns us to the origin, to unity. This is how the people will become the only ruler. This is the revelation of the upper force in us, the revelation of the Creator in creation.

Question: But how exactly will people handle various matters?

Answer: With the help of the upper force because the Light, the force of bestowal, the power of unity, will spread connecting them into one whole. Then, together with the power of love and bestowal that will fill them, the people will merge with the Creator, the force that made them and that gives them vitality.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalists Write: ‘The Wars of Israel’” 7/21/14

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The Land Of Israel Is No “Warm Nest”

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe purpose of the wars the people of Israel engage in is to make us understand what we should fight for and how we should do it. All wars must be engaged in internally and pursue one goal: unity among us.

Question: How exactly do we interact with the upper force when we are at war?

Answer: The upper force is a natural power; it represents the force of unity, the Light. As soon as we attract it, “invite” it to descend to and govern us, it appears. And then, through us, the people of Israel convey this force to the nations of the world.

Thus, the concept of “Israeli wars” means the battle against our egoism that separates us. “Israeli wars” signify combats for unity that must be created among us and then transferred to other nations.

Question: What are the indicators that the upper force manifests among us and makes changes? Could it be in changing dynamics of the process?

Answer: I judge this in the global world crisis that tells us the world lacks unity and connection. We all are in a system that identifies us as one, undividable, general whole, and yet we are detached from each other and therefore we suffer damage and cannot attain the state of abundance. This is the essence of the world crisis.

Negative results of the general crisis are shown in all spheres of our life: deterioration of family values, mutual hatred, wars, conflicts, devastation of natural resources, etc. All of these disasters root from the wrong connection between us.

Question: Why do restrictions that limit our military capabilities despite our superiority in arms?

Answer: We have an asset: a people who are called “the people of Israel” living in the land of Israel. In other words, we have everything to organize our life in a way that is required of us. After all, “Israel” stands for unity and connection. “Israel” means that we are all connected and fixed on the goal prepared for us from birth: to be “as one man with one heart.”

I think people have come to the point of despair of the partial military victories we achieve. The people of Israel are ready to hear exactly what our salvation depends on. Clearly conventional methods are not even close to resolving the problem.

On the contrary, year after year we sink deeper into this problem. So let’s give up our last illusions: There is no military or political solution to the situation; the only way to resolve this confrontation was described in the wisdom of Kabbalah thousands of years ago. Nothing has changed since then.

Question: Is it true that the current war opens and awakens people’s hearts?

Answer: It happens not only to us. I repeat, the wars that we are forced to engage in are meant to show us that we have to seek a solution of a totally different nature. Military actions alone direct us in the wrong way. It is completely unfeasible to cope or make friends with our neighbors. There is no chance to build a house for the people of Israel under these circumstances. The entire world will finally agree with this fact. While the state of Israel exists, the world has reached the conclusion that we should not be here in this land any longer since we have become a burden for humanity.

Have we really come to this land to create a “warm nest” for ourselves? “So, find another place!” – we are told. “You know how to settle down anywhere!”

Conquering the land of Israel after the exodus from Egypt is quite different. At that time, we had to come here to become “the light for the nations,” to build the Temple (literally – the House of Sanctity), i.e., to reach unity that conveys the Light.

What are we giving to the world at this time? What do we waste our uniqueness for? The nations of the world expect different actions from us.

Question: Where does the worldwide pressure push us?

Answer: The pressure comes from the upper force, the power of unity, the overall force of nature that acts on inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels. At this time, this force has to penetrate into the “thickness” of the speaking level and then merge with the rest of humanity. We are the “plug” that prevents It from doing this. This is the root of all troubles and wars that happen in the world. They are meant to address us.

Let’s hope that we will finally understand this language. Our predestination is to open the path for the Light and become “the light for the nations.” Only then will there be peace for us.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalists Write. ‘The Wars of Israel’” 7/21/14

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The Essential Secret Of The Jews, Part 16

From the book The Essential Secret of the Jews, M. Brushtein

Fundamental Principles of the Integral Theory

Humanity is part of nature.

First of all, you need to study the human being.

Everyone should be a psychologist – for himself and for human society.

Fruits appear bitter and unattractive. When they ripen – they are tasty and attractive.

To comply with the laws of nature, it is necessary to learn what the human being is, what his environment is, and how they affect each other.
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From the book: The Essential Secret of the Jews, M. Brushtein, “Fundamental Principles of the Integral Theory.”

The Postulates Of The Theory of Integrality 

We never corrected a person. We corrected society and nature, developed techniques and technologies.

We finally come to understand that further improvement of the external factors is meaningless. It will not help and will not change anything.

Harmony in society is the panacea for all ills.

Correct relationships between people are the key to a correct society.

The environment determines the development of human desires.
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War For Hearts And Minds

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Israel repeatedly encounters irrational situations with conflicts that it cannot resolve in Israel’s favor. For example, even though Israel has an absolute superiority in armaments, it cannot succeed because the fighting is in residential areas. The entire world attentively watches us and doesn’t let us act as we would like to.

In fact, we are bound hand and foot; we evoke hatred all around us. In addition, the center of gravity in contemporary wars has shifted to the struggle to win over public opinion. Social approval defines success. Does this situation contain a hint of how it can be resolved?

Answer: Indeed, wars are not about weapons but about influencing human minds. The outcome of any war depends on the state of those minds who decide who is right and who is wrong, not on who is stronger on the battlefield. So those who are more cunning, deceitful, and devious win.

In short, war is not longer the way it was before. Powerful armies, military technologies, and modern weapons yield to media-arsenal. Very often, battles unfold only between different points of view.

This state of affairs brings us close to the idea of “Israeli wars” in its true sense. Previously, we led real “Israeli wars” to represent the category of “Israel” that means being as one man with one heart, i.e., to be one whole. By meeting this condition, we were similar to the Upper Light, the force that pours on us and governs us. This is the way we attained our victories.

Today, after two thousand years of exile, having fallen from the spiritual height of unity, we have to re-connect with each other. Therefore, whether we want it or not, our wars still bear an ideological character as before. In other words, they again are led on the battlefield of views to unite.

In the future, ideology (information that we receive, thoughts and concepts that are imposed on us) will again turn into the weapon. At this time, our world is so riddled in liaisons between all of its parts that if we dissect the globe into pieces, if we isolate countries from each other, none of them would be able to survive on its own. This pertains to Israel more than any other country because Israel totally depends on international trade and industrial connections with America, Europe, and Asia. What would happen to us should we stop our imports and exports? Other countries are not in a much better situation.

This explains why it is impossible to wage war and enjoy complete permissiveness. Countries are restricted by the UN and international bodies. We constantly face a threat of sanctions and limitations, up to boycotts that can take many forms and reach a variety of levels. If you block international trade and financial flows, any country begins to choke and feels as if it is in restraints. Nothing can be done about it. Any country constantly interacts with the entire world.

So, it means that weapons are useless; nobody can take advantage of military arms without taking into consideration the interests of others because they will block the “oxygen” that flows to the country and it will quickly suffocate. Global economics imposes a heavy burden of dependency and makes us rely on good relationships with our partners.

As a consequence of this reliance, the entire world impacts us and directs our steps whether we want it or not. For example, Russia experiences harsh sanctions that were imposed on it. This country loses billions of dollars as a result of these sanctions and that’s why it cannot do whatever it wants.

War is a business where profits and losses are precisely calculated. Today, losses can be so tremendous that there will be no funds to fight a future war.

So, it means that any military conflict requires at least a minimum of the world’s support.

Question: Does it mean that if we don’t get the world’s support, there is no chance for us to win?

Answer: True! The current situation doesn’t give us even the slightest chance of winning. We agree to temporary “solutions” that will last for another year or two.

There is no actual resolution to this situation until we drag the majority of the world to our side. How is it possible? The only way to achieve it is to persuade them that they need us, that we are the “light for the nations,” and that through us they can approach abundance. In other words, they should understand that they will never obtain abundance without us, nor will they be able to buy it with money.

There are no miracles here, only the laws of nature. Kabbalah is a wisdom that lets us make accurate calculations under the condition that we deeply understand how the general system works.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalists Write. The Wars of Israel” 7/21/14

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Internal Separation Is More Frightening Than The External Enemy

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What does it mean that all of the people are connected?

Answer: To connect means to be in harmony with nature. A people that reaches harmony with nature is connected from within, similar to all levels of nature: the still, vegetative, and animate.

All the levels and parts of nature are connected into one system. The inanimate nature supports the vegetative and the vegetative supports the animate. All of the parts of nature are included in one another and are in a closed sphere, except for Adam (man).

Humans are a unique phenomenon on the face of the earth because according to their primary nature, they are destructive. This was arranged intentionally to give us the possibility, through our efforts,  to link ourselves with nature in the same unified and integral form into one collective system.

People who work on themselves in this way to connect with each other and after that join all of integral nature are called “Jews.” Indeed, they aspire to unity, love, connection, and loving-kindness.

And this correction must gradually extend over all of humanity. Our forefather Abraham, who lived in ancient Babylon, began this correction when he gathered all the people who agreed with the idea; with them he organized a group. This group became the foundation of the people of Israel.

The next stage in the advancement of this group was standing before Mount Sinai. There the people accepted upon themselves the realization of the condition of being as one person with one heart. In this form, they became the people of Israel in whose foundation is the principle of unity.

The people of Israel are not like the rest of the peoples who have formed communities in particular territories and bear national characteristics in their genes. Every Frenchman who wants to, can go through conversion, become a Jew and cease being French. This means that he takes these conditions upon himself and connects with the people of Israel.

In our times, this unity doesn’t exist, and this is a sign that we are in exile. Exile means separation, and redemption is the unity of the people. Today we are not a people, but a bunch of exiles.

Comment: But our conflict with the Palestinians is more disturbing to me than the internal divisions among the people of Israel!

Answer: The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is impossible to solve without an inner connection between us. Soon this conflict will become a confrontation against the whole world and It will then be impossible to leave here for any place abroad.

Events will develop in this way such that we cannot do anything with our neighbors. They will be able to shoot rockets at us whenever they want, we will not be able to react because the whole world will scream at us about each victim on the other side, and so our hands will be absolutely tied.

At most we could blow up some empty houses in the Palestinian territory, but we don’t win the war that way.

Israel will stand against the whole world, not just against the Arabs. Indeed, the whole world stands behind the Arabs and threaten us: “Don’t dare kill anyone!” And when the Arabs kill Jews, the world doesn’t pay attention to this. And what can we do in such a hopeless situation?

There are people who suggest that we ignore the whole world, enter Gaza and annihilate them all. But how much can we allow ourselves to behave like this? Tomorrow UN resolutions will be accepted and all of the nations will sever connections with us: cooperation, trade, banking and industrial relations. Israel is liable to be absolutely isolated, and this will kill us. In the world of today, no nation can exist if it is not connected to other nations.

Question: But what can be done if the situation continues to deteriorate? The terrorists will become more sophisticated. They pop up out of the sea and out of the ground, from everywhere! If once the rockets reached the southern cities, today they arrive reach everywhere in the country. And you say that it is forbidden to annihilate them because we will be isolated in the international arena?

Answer: But we cannot annihilate Gaza. All the people who call for this are simply making a short-term political image for themselves. Everyone understands that the world will not allow us to do this. This is absolutely clear. What controls the world is international public opinion and not governmental opinion.

And the whole world expresses a unified opinion against Israel. In this situation we have no solution other than the inner unity of the people. If we begin to work on relationships within Israeli society, we will become an example for the whole world, and these beautiful relationships will endear us to the whole world. In this form, the situation in the world will calm down in all areas, from the family and businesses to international relations and politics.

And for this it is not necessary to wait until the connection of the people of Israel will come to a complete expression. The moment we begin to make efforts in the direction of this connection, we will immediately see how the whole world and even the enemies, our neighbors, will immediately change their attitude towards us.

It is enough for us to place one sesame seed on the balance for the good of the unity of the people of Israel and our enemies will add a ton of seeds for the good of connection and good relations with Israel.
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From the program “A New Life” 7/17/14

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