Entries in the 'Nations of the World' Category

The Kabbalists About The Nation Of Israel And The Nations Of The World, Part 7

The Mission Of The People Of Israel

When the children of Israel will find perfection, the fountains of intelligence and knowledge shall flow beyond the boundaries of Israel and water all the nations of the world, as it is written (Isaiah 11), “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,” and as it is written, “and shall come unto the Lord and to His goodness.”
Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Item 4

Also, it is upon the Israeli nation to qualify itself and all the people of the world through Torah and Mitzvot, to develop until they take upon themselves that sublime work of the love of others, which is the ladder to the purpose of Creation, which is Dvekut with Him.
Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee),” Item 20

…the Israeli nation had been constructed as a sort of gateway by which the sparks of purity would shine upon the whole of the human race the world over. And these sparks multiply daily, like one who gives to the treasurer, until they are filled sufficiently, that is, until they develop to such an extent that they can understand the pleasantness and tranquility that are found in the kernel of love of others. For then they will know how to shift the balance to the right, and will place themselves under His burden, and the scale of sin will be eradicated from the world.
Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee),” Item 24
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Why Suffering?

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”: But because of the descent of human nature to the lowest degree, which is the self-love that unrestrictedly rules over all of humanity, there was no way to negotiate with them and persuade them to agree to take upon themselves, even as an empty promise, to exit their narrow world into the wide spaces of the love of others. The exception was the Israeli nation because they were enslaved in the savage kingdom of Egypt four hundred years in horrible torments.

Our sages said, “As salt sweetens meat, agony polishes man’s sins.”

Question: The people of Israel suffered throughout its history and I don’t see how that helped. After all, correction is made by the Light, what do torments give us?

Answer: Indeed, that is how this is presented and we are guided by what we see. Each one of us has our own “eyeglasses” and nothing can be done.

You think the Egyptian exile was a period of physical suffering, but in my eyes it was a spiritual revelation of evil. You consider it to be Pharaoh’s attack, but I regard it as an outbreak of the evil inclination. Egyptians tormented you externally and me, internally. Under a hail of blows, you ran away from the geographical Egypt, and I from inner Egypt. The spiritual aspect is so strong that I experienced the Egyptian exile, not externally, but mainly as internal woes. The led me out of Egypt to attain the world of Atzilut. For you, it was enough to get rid of the Pharaoh’s physical oppression, from external enslavement.

The same distinction is characteristic of the contemporary world. In the current troubles and problems, I see an appeal, a trigger needed for us to move to the goal. You  perceive them as a curse rather than a means for advancement. You want to avoid them, and I, on the contrary, say that we should not be running away from them, but rather should self-correct so that instead of ills, we would feel comfortable, benevolent, and secure in the future world.

Today, when the process strives to attain the overall redemption, it becomes all the more clear that there is no place to run. This means that if the Jewish people don’t start the process of self-correction, they will face miseries on all sides, economic, emotional, and  physical predicaments, whatever, in Israel and in America and elsewhere.

The safest place is the land of Israel. Its people will have to fight physically, but mostly internally. That’s why we have to spread Kabbalistic knowledge in Israel, and above all we have to disseminate the methodology of integral education. After all, it depends on the extent to which we are able to transfer the Jewish people facing problems as conventional battles to a spiritual battles.

People must understand that if fight internally to unite, we will “soften” and “sweeten” negative forces. They do not  destroy them, which is impossible, but turn them into good and useful. Unity will allow us to get stronger, thus making our enemies retreat. We won’t have to battle with them and they will stop fighting with us. On the contrary, they will come to us to learn the ways to unite.

After all, separation will affect them even worse than us. In Israel, it leads leads to political conflicts; in other areas, every day dozens and hundreds of people are killed, and the chaos will only continue growing.

So, if we want harmony and peace, we have to start here. We have no choice. And it makes no sense to  dwell upon the physical afflictions of Jews in Egypt. In this case,  you don’t understand this, and all the other catastrophes that befell Jews throughout history, whether it is the inquisition, pogroms, or the Holocaust. Of course, this cannot be explained from our current level since we don’t see the entire reality or the whole system to understand what is happening or its causes.

In short, it is a qualitative deficiency and we are at a very important, crucial phase.

In general, subconsciously the nations of the world press the people of Israel to teach them the methodology of correction. And the pressure can take on various forms.

But what is surprising: Before the nations of the world will come to Israel, they will be fight and have conflict with each other. However, we can already see around whom the whole “plot” revolves. Israel is almost invisible on the map; nevertheless, it is the true center of events, and with time, this fact will appear more clearly.

Ultimately, the current processes obligate the Jewish people to unite, to give an example to the world, to bring all to global unity, and to raise humanity.

This is the simple “scheme.” However, in our world it is implemented in multi-billion dollar investments, requires huge resources, and directly affects millions of people, turning this world into an arena of uncontrollable trade.
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The Width And Height

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Messiah’s Horn”: And it was not enough that they could leave by themselves. You must understand from where the nations of the world would come by such a will and idea. Know that this is through the dissemination of the true wisdom, so they will evidently see the true God and the true law.

We are talking about internal processes, the projections of which are the external events. And the meaning is that today the “Egyptian scenario” is impossible. It has to be clear for all the desires that a person has to exit them and reach bestowal. Accordingly, salvation is impossible in the projection on the external world until the entire receiving desire, meaning the whole world, recognizes its necessity.

So, we are required to carry out the widest possible dissemination of Kabbalah throughout the world. It’s necessary that the nations get it from us to the extent that they can comprehend it. If they do not get this method, do not recognize it, and do not agree with it, then the people of Israel, that is, those in whom the spark of yearning for the Creator is burning, have no ability to rise and correct themselves.

That’s why we need to perform our work around the world as widely as possible and with maximum intensity. After all, we will not rise without dissemination outwards in all directions. This is the spiritual law: The nations of the world are strong in quantity, in width, and we in quality, in height. It’s said about Israel that it’s small among the nations, but is able to rise.

Thus, all of our success depends on the nations of the world. We go out to disseminate and address a wide audience, wanting to please the Creator above all. We bring people closer to Him so that in them unity is revealed, meaning that small illumination by which we ourselves, as a transition link, are able to please Him.

That is why we bring the wisdom of Kabbalah or integral education to the masses, intending to bring the whole world closer to the Creator in order to please Him. In our address to the world, we hold the principle of love your neighbor as yourself, which is the love of creatures striving for the love of the Creator. That is the approach in which success is inherent.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/23/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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The World Crisis As Preparation For The Prayer

Dr. Michael LaitmanIsrael cannot grow without praying for everyone else that are in their egoistic desires and aware not even aware of this. This prayer should be only for the needs of others; it doesn’t matter what state we are in ourselves. If we have the spiritual spark, we have to work for the sake of bestowal in faith above reason.

The most important thing is the prayer, nothing more. Every action is more useful and effective the more quickly it brings us to the prayer. We need to choose the actions in our lives that will lead us in the most concise, direct, surest, and precise way to the prayer.

The prayer should be “the prayer of many” that is “double,” meaning that I ask for the lower, for “the many.” It’s called the prayer of “many” not because I ask for myself and for the other, but because for him these forces are not united around the Creator. There is no intention, no ability to connect them together.

Recently there is a growing crisis around the world that needs to be viewed as preparation for the prayer. What is the relationship between me and the flood in China, the volcanic eruption in Iceland, the unrest in Egypt, and the civil war in Syria? I cannot believe that all this happens only for me to form my prayer. We lack sensitivity, comprehension, and understanding of the system to recognize that this is really so. Even with these tangible, clearly revealed events, it’s difficult for us to see their connection with ourselves.

From this we can understand why Baal HaSulam wanted to talk to Ben Gurion to explain to him why he went to Poland to the workers strike. The upper management involved the Jews in all the events so that all these states would bring them to the prayer.

When the true picture is revealed to us, we will see how everything passes through us as through a lens focusing the rays of light. The entire universe eventually becomes compressed through us like through the eye of a needle. Thus the connection between all the rays of Light and the source is established.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/22/13

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Correct Debt Calculation

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: It has happened since ancient times that money lenders were mostly Jewish. It is believed that they specifically started the matter of collecting exorbitant interest.

Answer: It isn’t high interest or compound interest, the essence of which is now well understood by economists. Today it exists in any bank, in any business. The Jews began to collect interest because they knew how to correctly calculate the debt. Let’s suppose that I give you 100 dollars and you need to return the same amount to me the next day, but you return it to me after 20 days. So then, how much do you need to return? If you had immediately returned the money to me, then I could have invested it in a business and could have profited from it tomorrow, the next day, and so on, according to the cumulative calculation.

Thus, you need to compensate me for the amount that I lose because of you. The interest is not like the bank interest. If this amount wasn’t invested in circulation, then you wouldn’t owe me anything. But since I take it away from the circulating money, then you simply need to compensate me on what I lost.

Let’s suppose that with the same 100 dollars that I loaned you, I could have opened a line to manufacture cups and instead of $100, I would earn $200 a month. This means that you need to return $200 and there is no interest here. If you don’t return the money in time, but only after 2 months, then you need to return to me what I could have earned during those months with that same $100.

It’s the right move. There is no interest here! If the banks charge interest in addition, it’s because they exist on the account of interest, and it’s a totally different issue. One must differentiate between the two.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 5/27/13

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Working Or Philosophizing?

Dr. Michael LaitmanSpirituality is not attained by work in the mind, as it says: “wisdom among the nations – believe, Torah among the nations – don’t believe.” This means that the Light that Reforms is not among them. Therefore they are called the nations of the world and not Israel yet. This is what the whole debate is about: Who attains the Creator and who doesn’t? What is attainment?

To the extent that we acquire vessels of bestowal and sense in them, we attain the Creator, which means the phenomena that take place in our vessels of bestowal. It is impossible to attain anything else, except for a feeling in our vessels. The early simple desire to receive expands and acquires a new order. Before, it was scattered to many contradictory pieces that felt themselves as Israel and the nations of the world, relatives and distant strangers.

All this belonged to my desire to receive, but it seemed like a whole world that is around me in different forms. My role is to connect all this into one, to collect all the pieces and attach them to me by treating them with love. I have to understand that it was all given to me in order to correct myself, my point in the heart, by which I acquire the right intention towards all my enemies, those who hate me and foreigners, as I begin to perceive them as parts of my soul.

It is inside me that I have to find the right attitude towards them and then to correct them. If I perform such a correction in my inner attitude, I see that everything works out. All the many enemies and my problems are only a replica of my inner state. It is my attitude by which I divide all of reality into the land of Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Babylon, and different distant countries and nations, which means that they are all the levels of my desire: the still, vegetative, and animate nature, and the speaking.

Once there was one desire, the world of Ein Sof (Infinity), and now it is divided into many parts, which feel that they are distant from one another and hate one another. All this can be connected into one form, and this is the whole correction of man and the world as one whole.

All this can be realized only if I demand correction. The whole difference is whether I philosophize about it using my mind or in contrast to what I see and the repulsion that I feel by all these parts, in faith above reason, as parts of my soul, although they seem so distant and even hated. So I begin to get closer to spirituality, working above my desire in the group and thus awakening it more and more.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/13, The Book of Zohar — Introduction

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A World Of Mercy Without Malice

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What does inclusion in the deficiencies of others mean? How does this happen?

Answer: When you are concerned for others, you are included in all of their deficiencies. They say that by way of five people you are connected with the entire world. It’s logical that if our groups work with dissemination, for example in South America, as of today close to half a billion people live there, so by way of connection with a few thousand people, by way of the general network, they receive the deficiencies of tens, and even hundreds of millions of people.

Our groups disseminate integral education to all corners of the world and in a form like this they awaken this connection. It’s logical that all the deficiencies caught in one “fish net” reach our center, and from here the method of correction is derived. And we absorb the deficiencies of the entire world and continue to raise them upwards to the Creator, to the “Malchut de Ein Sof,” wanting to be “as one man with one heart.”

When we work in the form of a pyramid like this, we correct the entire world and carry out work that is called the “work of the Kohanim – priests,” the work entrusted to Israel. All human deficiencies belong to the material world, the need for nourishment, sex, family, money, respect, and knowledge. But we have reached such a crisis that we are not prepared even to fulfill the earthly desires without the right connection between us. And this shattering is discovered more and more every day.

Formerly we endured various private problems, divisiveness in the family, problems at work, and problems in the education of children. These problems did not threaten our existence directly. But today the problems have already risen to the level of the general ecology, health, the breakdown of the concept of the family, and mass unemployment. These are simple daily problems that our existence depends upon in this world.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/14/13

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The Scene Of Contention

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Exile and Redemption”: This is why our sages said, “Israel is the fiercest of the nations,” as one whose mind is broader is most obstinate.

This is a psychological law. And if you do not understand me, go and study this lesson among the contemporary members of the nation: While we have only begun to build, time has already disclosed our fierceness and assertiveness of the mind, and that which one builds, the other ruins.

…This is known to all, but there is only one innovation in my words: They believe that in the end, the other side will understand the danger and will bow his head and accept their opinion.

This is exactly how different parties in parliament—members of the same party and any person against himself—fight. This division means that everything is in contrast to everything else. Everyone insists on what they believe. Everyone zealously guards his own views, expecting his rival to succumb and agree with him. The parties insist and confront each other, competing as to who is stronger and who is more determined. It makes no difference whose approach is more just since they are all after who will rule. Everyone is looking for the means to dominate others by force and/or cunningness.

There is no hope for peace and for correction under such conditions. It is clear that the people are under the domination of all these rivals and never will really benefit from the “circus” at the top.

We, however, must have no part in this struggle. We turn to the people only for one reason: to connect everyone and set an example of how connection helps us organize things and win. It isn’t about beating others, but about beating the problems. This is the only way we can act, and this is actually what Baal HaSulam tried to convey to Ben Gurion (the first Israeli prime minister) and to other leaders. He tried to explain how to establish the right relationships in government and how to build society and the state.

Generally speaking, we can be part of the municipal, state, or global leadership, but only if you are strong enough to hold onto connection between everyone and constantly work on that. In that case, it makes no difference what issue is discussed, whether it is national security, education, housing, problems of different parts of the population, and so on. You only say one thing: It is possible to correct it on the basis of connection and we must establish the right relationships between people. Later, based on this, we can solve any problem (if there any are left) after we connect correctly.

According to this approach, we don’t take part in the general quarrel, but rather accumulate the power given to us by the people so that eventually we will subdue all the quarrelers by the main solution, which is the need for integral education and the connection of the people. Even if they don’t believe us, it is important that we reach a mutual agreement that will allow us to fulfill this method. It already will bring about the changes.

We never should argue with anyone about anything, no matter what, except for the one main thing: that we can reach a solution only through integral education and the connection between us.

This is the difference between us and the others since they discuss the solution for a certain problem, while we speak about the universal means, about the approach that we must fulfill in order to solve any problem. Generally speaking, we see this world as a means for correction, and they see it as an arena for their activities. We think that we should correct ourselves, and they believe that we should correct the world. It is a huge difference, the difference between the cause and the effect.

One might wonder how connection is relevant to housing, to the educational system, and to other problems. We say that we should connect first and then solve the problems. In the meantime, people are receiving integral education gradually, and the problems disappear. When a person’s nature changes as a result of the right educational method, he already begins to look at life differently.

We still must clarify this mechanism, but it already is clear that there are advantages and disadvantages to this approach. The advantage is that we don’t fight others on their territory. As long as they fight, we sit aside since we know that none of their solutions will work, but only our solution. Why? It is since they don’t understand the main thing: that the problem in the world is the lack of connection. This is where all the problems stem from. So, instead of discussing endless numbers of problems, we must treat the root of the problems: the fact that we are separated.

However, in order to grow stronger and activate the means and the resources needed to fulfill integral education, we need great support from the public. We must turn to the public, avoiding any arguments, and receive the power from the people. We don’t need power in order to prove that someone has beaten someone else. On the contrary, we work where we have no competition. No one else can be where we are.

On the other hand, however, this is also a disadvantage. The struggles between them are evident. People go out to the street in order to achieve something, and the leaders talk about that. We are very abstract, vague, and may seem to speak about a fantasy of some blurry connection among people. However, if we do succeed in explaining that the real power is in the connection between us and that it will help us change our lives, we will be able to draw very far away from all the “wise guys” and advance safely along our path.

As long as society assumes that everything depends on blind fate, the parties will continue to argue about the methods and the solutions for different problems. However, in fact, no one can solve them since they stem from nature and it requires the understanding of the general system that currently is concealed from humanity. So, we must connect it to the force of the Light, to be the link, and then we will succeed in carrying out our mission.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/14/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Listen To The Cry Of Stones

Dr. Michael LaitmanThere are people who have the aspiration to reveal the Creator, the spark in the heart. To the extent that they work to connect these sparks between themselves with the help of the Light that Reforms, the Light reigns in them. And if they also strive to connect with those who do not have longing for the Creator, they can also shine on their lives the Light that they received earlier in the work with each other.

That is, first there is work in the group, where due to the connection we accumulate the Light between ourselves. Then we can reach out to the general public that does not seek the revelation of the Creator and become the glue that connects everyone together, to transfer there a bit of received Light. And from them we can receive the desire to unite, to become corrected.

They do not understand that these desires are directed to unity and correction, they perceive them as individual failures, the problems of this world. But in fact, these are the same eternal questions of existence and problems because everything depends on whether you are closer to or further from the Light, from the Creator. We have to hear a prayer in every problem, every cry born in this world, even in the dead stone, a plant, or animal.

Any type of creation lacks only the revelation of the Creator. But we can approach this deliberately by our free choice, and that is why we must take responsibility for all kinds of creatures and provide them with connection. In this way we fulfill the desire of the Creator.

The greater devotion and self-denial with which those who are called Israel “Yashar-El” (directed “straight to the Creator”) perform their work, the more the whole world becomes corrected. Conversely, if they still ignore the work assigned to them, the whole world suffers, and this suffering is ultimately returned to Israel in order to rush them to begin correction.

Therefore, there is no need to perceive these problems as suffering. All the rewards and punishment are whether we perform or do not perform the desire of the Creator. This is the entire reward and the entire punishment.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/20/13

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The Only Point Of Freedom

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Creator has created the desire to enjoy and prepares it for adhesion with Himself, meaning for the final state that this desire has to reach, to want to become similar to the Light. Inside, it remains the same desire to enjoy, but externally it takes the form of the Light, the property of bestowal.

In order for the desire to enjoy wanting to become like the Creator, that is, wishing for adhesion, it needs to have the properties of the Light in addition to its property of reception. And it also has to explore its property, to understand, feel, and become aware of its attachment to it and want to get rid of it, that is, to comprehend it in the direct and opposite form. Besides that, it also needs to understand and feel the desire of bestowal, and compare them with each other.

It turns out that the Creator created this desire to be versatile and combine many shades of these two properties: the desire to enjoy and the desire to bestow. On the basis of inclusion of one property into another, it begins to understand every property, and after all the scrutiny, it obtains the mind, the head, that is, intention, the ability to make conscious actions.

But with all this complexity of the desire to enjoy, consisting of a clever weave of properties of reception and bestowal in the mind and heart, that is, in intention and action, in the thought and feeling, in essence, there is only one important point—the point of freewill. And the rest is managed by this point.

If the created being attains this point, then it is called “Yashar-El” (straight to the Creator), Israel. And everything else that the created being has inside of his understanding, attainment, mutual inclusion of desires, intentions, and thoughts, except for this point, does not belong to Israel, but belongs to its consequence, this point of freedom of choice, and everything else flows from it.

The Creator is the property of bestowal and treats both sinners and righteous kindly. No change ever occurs in Him. The desire to enjoy, except this one point Israel, is completely in the power of its nature. It can change, but solely due to the only free change that is possible in this system, which is called the point of Israel.

Therefore, we must understand that the upper force and the desire to enjoy are at absolute rest. The only element of creation that can change and decide something is Israel. Consequently, there is no need to look at those who have no point in the heart since they have no freedom of choice. Although they look like people, they are not those people, the sons of Adam, who are similar (Domeh) to the Creator, like the point in the heart.

So, no matter what happens in this world, regardless of how they attack and mock us or if they are for or against us, all this is the demonstration of the desire to enjoy in relation to us. It only shows us the need to make our free choice in order to bring it to adhesion with the Creator. That is our job.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/13

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