Question: In our world, it is believed that the freedom of a country is political independence, elections, the absence of subordination and dependence of the people on some other country. And by what criteria can a Kabbalist say this country [Israel] is independent?

Answer: If we talk about Israel, then by spiritual definition we are not a country and not a nation. So it’s too early for us to talk about it. We can only give approximate definitions to this and analyze why we still do not satisfy true spiritual concepts of what a country, a nation, a state, a family, and so on are.

There are very clear definitions here that relate specifically to us and not to the rest of the nations of the world. Baal HaSulam examines this in articles about the last generation.

In particular, in the newspaper The Nation, published in 1940, he writes: It is a shame to admit that one of the most precious merits we have lost during the exile, and the most important of them, is the loss of the awareness of the nationality, meaning that natural feeling that connects and sustains each and every nation. The threads of love that connect the nation, which are so natural and primitive in all the nations, have become degenerated and detached from our hearts, and they are gone.

The fact is that other nations have a sense of dependence, a sense of community, while the Jews practically do not. They are characterized by increased egoism, remoteness from each other, and a willingness to get closer to each other only in times of special catastrophes. And so on.

Question: And what is the national identity? What is he talking about?

Answer: If we take, for example, any nation and start looking for the spiritual roots in it, we will see that almost all nations have a craving for self-consciousness, and the Jews may have the opposite picture.

This comes from the fact that the Jews are the nation of the idea, which was gathered by Abraham from different clans on the basis of unity.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/26/22

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Question: The Land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael,  means “a desire straight to the Creator.” What does that mean?

Answer: Just as the Creator is aimed only at nurturing and developing His creations, bringing us closer to each other and to Himself, so should we see this as the goal of our development.

The Creator is the quality of bestowal, love, connection, and everything good that can only be imagined in expansion and getting closer to each other.

Question: What is the difference between the concepts of the nation of Israel and the Land of Israel? Both the land and the nation are called Israel.

Answer: The earth, Eretz, comes from the word “Ratzon,” which means desire.

Israel (Isra-El) is from the word “Yashar-El,” (straight to the Creator).

The Land of Israel is Ratzon-Kel (desire directed to the Creator). And the nation of Israel is Am Israel (the people of Israel).

That is, at the level of development of our desires, we must achieve such a desire when all of them will be aimed at good relations with each other, at good connection.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/26/22

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Question: For the last 2,000 years, Jews have been in exile caused by unfounded hatred. The State of Israel was founded only 74 years ago.

Throughout all this time, sages wrote thousands of books, and in all of them it is said that only the unity of the people, love for one’s neighbor, and mutual solidarity will save us. This will give us the opportunity to return to the Land of Israel. Yet, although we have not reached unity, we have returned here. For what purpose did the upper force bring us back?

Answer: We were brought back with the goal that we are obliged as a people, not yet on a spiritual basis of unity, but at least on a geographical and historical basis, to begin to unite from below upward, that is, from purely corporeal definitions to more exalted, spiritual ones.

Thus, we must reach a state where we unite spiritually, and in accordance with this, the upper force will be revealed within us.

According to Baal HaSulam, we were given this land as collateral. All this is for us to begin to return to each other, to our spiritual roots.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/26/22

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Comment: Passover is a great celebration of getting out of Egyptian slavery. It is celebrated by almost the whole country and all the Jews in the world.

This, of course, is also a family holiday; everyone gathers for a festive meal and everyone looks forward to it.
For those who are engaged in Kabbalah, Passover means that a person understands that he is in slavery, in his egoism, and he escapes from it.

My Response: Running from it is also not exactly running, because in Egypt—there was everything!

Everything that you can imagine that communism is in this world—it was there. Basically, they had everything arranged, the best lands, and just everything you want. And ahead, a dead desert, a dead sea, everything dead, everything is full of uncertainty. Nothing good! So, where is the Egyptian captivity and where are we going? That is the question.

All the work in Egypt is in order to depict that the whole desert is paradise. And everything in Egypt—everything good, you have absolutely everything you want—is really hell. Egypt is an egoistic fulfillment, and even more, everything you want.

It is about each of us. This is our Egypt. Everything is good in it, there is everything. All the pleasures of this world in all their details, in all their variations, please, take it.

No one wants to get out of there. Everyone, in general, is enjoying it. The only one who feels bad is the one who is not like them and who wants to get people out of there.

And who wants to pull them out? Moses. So, what good did he do? Because centuries after that, we only feel bad. There is nothing better than Egypt!

Comment: But it is said that we were slaves in Egypt.

My Response: Slaves, meaning that we were in our egoism, but we completely got everything we wanted.

Question: So why does a person suddenly want to get out of this fairy tale?

Answer: That is how he is built—man.

Question: Why does he suddenly hear Moses? Instead of listening, for example, to Pharaoh, who says: “Stay, I will provide you with everything, everything will be fine.” And Moses says: “We will go into the unknown, into the desert. Follow me.” Why did they follow him?

Answer: Apparently, Moses told the Creator that something should be done with them so that they would want to leave. Moses agreed with Pharaoh and with the Creator that there would be Egyptian plagues that would sweep through the Jews and from which they would want to escape. But if they had not been there, these plagues, they would not have run anywhere. And if they did not want to run, there would be no plagues.

Question: So, after all, the egg was first? At first they wanted to escape in some way?

Answer: I think it was Moses who agreed with the Creator: “Let’s arrange it so that they would want to follow me after all.”

Question: But still, you said that it was bad for Jews there because of these ten plagues. It was not easy for the Egyptians there either. It is written that the Egyptians suffered the most.

How is there to understand that the Egyptians suffered from ten Egyptian plagues?

Answer: It is the egoism of a person who wants to be freed. That is, to be subordinate without knowing to whom and how. But the main thing is to break out of this communism that has everything. Absolutely everything is in excess.

Question: And the Egyptians, it is this communism that exists inside us—precisely this egoism? They want to keep us and ask: “Why are you running from here? You feel so good here.” Something like this?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What is this Passover holiday for the world? The Jews celebrate it corporeally, Israel celebrates it. But what is this holiday for the world?

Answer: It means liberation from Egyptian captivity, it is liberation from egoism, it is liberation of man from himself. I want to be controlled not by an egoistic quality that wants to acquire everything, to be filled with everything and only thinks about that—but to be controlled by an altruistic quality, when I want to connect with others, to fill others and not myself. That is the desire that arises. That is Moses in us.

And we become Jews when we hear Moses, when Moses is in us. And if not, then we are those same Egyptians.

Question: So we can say that there are only two nations in the world. In the spiritual world, there are two nations?

Answer: Yes. Either you are an Egyptian or you are Israeli. And there is nothing in the middle.

The Israelite is directed to the Creator, Yashar–El, straight to the Creator. And the Egyptian is directed toward himself.

Question: When you say that this celebration is for the world, the world must decide who it is today?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: And today, it is such a critical moment that this really should be resolved.

My Response: We do not even realize it yet. And the world does not realize where it is being led. It does not realize it at all!

Question: But can we say that Egyptian plagues are taking place around the world now?

Answer: Yes! Absolutely. There is such a wave all over the world.

Question: But maybe the world will still understand that it is necessary to escape?

Answer: It all depends on us how we show the world this path, the path of development, the path of connection, what lies ahead, what to strive for. Can we do it?

Comment: Do we have to present it so that it is pleasant, sweet, joyful for a person?

Answer: Sweet, pleasant, and necessary! It should not attract him because it is sweet. In Egypt as well, no one sees that it is sweet there.

But there is sweetness in freedom from egoism; that is, the feeling of slavery in Egypt is opposed to freedom from egoism outside Egypt. And a person must grow internally so much that this difference between the two states simply pulls him forward.

Question: So, today more than ever the world should hear that it is necessary to get out of egoism, out of Egypt?

Answer: Yes. We are stuck!

Question: It turns out that we got delayed a little bit in Egypt. And such things are happening now that push us out. Don’t we feel that we need to get out of it?

Answer: But we must set a course, we must understand, we must strive, we must pull everyone with us.

Question: When you say “we,” who do you mean?

Answer: I mean first of all those people who can understand and realize this, people who are striving forward, Yashar-El, Israel. And everyone else will follow them.

Question: It isn’t necessarily the Jews that are straight to the Creator?

Answer: The main mass, the initial mass are Jews, those who have already experienced, in the past, in their roots, a state of escaping egoism. And the rest will join Israel. There is absolutely no question about it. The whole point is to raise the Jews.

Question: What is your prayer today?

Answer: My prayer today is to fulfill the role of Moses. To pull out this head-part of all mankind called Israel, aspiring to the Creator, which in potential can aspire to the Creator. To pull it out of such a somnambulistic state and begin to excite them so that they themselves at least somehow make an effort, are concerned, and rise forward to the exit.

Question: In order for at least a thought to arise that it is necessary to get out of egoism? But first of all, you always say that egoism is bad. Or not?

Answer: Egoism is bad depending on how you measure it, weigh it, look at it, feel it, smell it, and taste it. But in fact, egoism is all that gives you taste, life.

And altruism, freedom, what is it? You go out into the field, and you do not know what, what for, why.

Moses, in principle, is not one person but a whole group of people who understand that the future lies in this—in getting out of egoism. How do we get out of it? We need to study this and start applying it among us. And every time we take every step, it is done again out of the darkness when we do not seem to feel any draw in egoism, we start trying to get out of it and find that it holds us by all the feelings, by everything! And you cannot escape from it anywhere.

And then just stick together and cry out.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/7/22

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Question: People who are engaged in spiritual development are trying to move to Israel, they seem to be drawn to this land. However, we do not see that by coming here they become more spiritual. Does it mean that the land does not have an effect on them?

Answer: And it should not. After all, we must make special efforts in order to begin to rise spiritually.

Comment: I thought that the land of Israel influences a person who comes here, and he becomes better and kinder.

My Response: On the contrary! Those who come here are under the influence of certain forces that slow down their development. A person should make greater efforts. But at the same time with their help, he reaches higher spiritual degrees.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/26/22

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Question: What is the effect of the Land of Israel on people? There are nine climatic zones here, and in each are there are certain spiritual forces that influence a person.

Answer: This is a very special place on the planet and there are a great number of natural zones in it. You can drive from north to south and in practically a few hours you will cross a variety of geographical zones. In order to experience this in another country, you need to travel hundreds of times more.

Question: It is written in all the sources that Israel is the center of the world, the heart of the world. What does it mean?

Answer: It means the spiritual center of the world. Of course, they can tell you that there are Mecca, Medina and other holy places.

However, the center of the world means a place on our planet which has a certain spiritual power, corresponding to the spiritual root. This is why it is special.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 4/26/22

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Question: Baal HaSulam writes that the condition for the independence of the state of Israel will be met if the nation becomes the basis for the spiritual development of all humanity. How do you envision it?

Answer: If we strive to be the spiritual center of the world and to show the whole world the quality of bestowal, love, and connection, then we will get the strength to hold ourselves, to support others, and to achieve it so that we will be understood, loved, and respected.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual states” 4/26/22

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This week we celebrate “Independence Day”—the 74th anniversary of the declaration of the State of Israel. On the one hand, there is a feeling of great pride among the people that in such a short time and under incessant threats we managed to build a country with a developed economy and a powerful army on this land.

On the other hand, many people have a feeling that all this is very fragile. Polls show that half of Israelis fear that the Holocaust of the Jewish people may happen again.

When will the day come that we will feel the stable strength of our existence on this earth? It will come, when we really want it to be so. We do not understand that stability and security depend only on us, the Israelis.

It seems to us that we depend on a thousand different external factors. But in fact, they depend on us, not we on them. There is spiritual force in us, but we do not use it. It is the force of connection and love between us, within the people of Israel.

There is no other force in the world on which something could be built. We don’t have stability because we don’t reveal this force between us. It manifests itself if we treat each other with love, warmth – this is the force of the Creator. With the help of this force, it is necessary to build the country, the nation, the whole world.

We have not yet achieved peace on this earth because we do not want to seriously build our people and state on a genuine basis. We just need to stop looking at our Jewish neighbors as strangers, and outsiders. Only this does not allow us to achieve peace and tranquility.

We are obliged to treat each other as brothers, not as friends in need. I hope we will all understand what independence is, how to achieve it, build it and properly use the power of independence.

An independent country is a gathering of people, in the connection of which an upper force is revealed, binding us by the power of mutual guarantee and bringing us freedom from egoism. This means “to be a free people in your country,” meaning, free from your egoistic desire.

This state is called independence. After all, we become independent of egoism, rising above it in our connection, and in this form we build a country, a nation. A country built in this way is guaranteed peace and tranquility.

And Israel will certainly become like that, and how soon it will happen depends on the people of Israel. I wish us all to see it as soon as possible.
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From KabTV’s “Insight” 5/2/22

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Comment: You recently told us how the system of interrelationship between Jews developed when they were scattered around the world. One could come to the other and he was obliged to feed him and accept him for the night.

Even monetary relationships were completely different because the Jews were on a spiritual level.

My Response: Such a system still exists among diamond dealers today. How do they make deals? They shake hands with each other and say, “Shalom u-braha!” which means, all the best and blessings. That’s it!

This is accepted as the final signature in all international transactions, even in courts, and not only in Jewish ones. Words are enough. And to this day there is such a thing. And between whom? It is between people who deal in diamonds, oddly enough.

But they say that in recent years it has become a thing of the past. In general, it has always been like this between Jews. I could come to you a thousand kilometers away and without any connection, say that my money is with someone, take the goods from you, and promise that he will send it to you then. All based on words!

But this requires somewhat different people who, so to say, are afraid of God, for whom this world is only temporary. They feel among themselves the opportunity for correction and for reaching the upper world. In this case, it works. Now it still works due to inertia, but in general, of course, everything goes away.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Global Financial Fraud” 5/4/10

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Question: Why do Christians determine their holidays according to the solar calendar and Muslims according to the lunar calendar?

Answer: Because the sun and the moon are two forces that exist in nature and they affect us.

The sun gives us everything, it gives us life. This is a very clear force. Therefore, all Christian holidays and calendars work under the sun. And for Muslims, as well as for Jews, the calendar countdown is determined relative to the moon. The lunar month begins with the new moon.

By the way, the months specified in the Christian calendar come from ancient Rome and have the ancient Roman names July, August, etc., while the Jews have different names.

Jews take their calendar from the middle line, because there are three lines in the governance of our nature. Two lines descend from top to bottom: solar (left line, Christianity) and lunar (right line, Islam).

And since the Jews have a tendency to imitate the upper power, they were guided by Kabbalah, according to which they took an alternate, solar-lunar calendar. Therefore, on the one hand, they have a very complex calculation system, but, on the other hand, it is the most universal.

Imagine a calendar created two and a half thousand years ago. Up to today, it has been smoothly carried out without any problems. We know the revolutions of the sun, the revolutions of the moon and its phases. We know in advance when there will be leap years, 17^th anniversaries, 28^th anniversaries, 50^th anniversaries; there are such periods. And all this comes from the first day of creation, when the first man, Adam, revealed the upper power for himself.

Since then, we have absolutely clearly known any date in history: on what day of the week it happened, in what year, and so on. But there is a correspondence between our central calendar and the Muslim and Christian ones, since it includes both of them and combined them together in a special middle line.

Therefore, the hours in it are calculated as in the Muslim calendar, meaning the period of darkness is divided by 12, resulting in arbitrary night hours. For example, an hour in the Muslim calendar can last 50 minutes, and in the Christian, 45 minutes. The Christian calendar simply beats time: the twenty-four hour period is divided into 24 equal parts. And for Jews and Muslims, it is divided into 12 day and 12 night parts. The winter hour is long, and the summer night hour is short. It’s more like a sundial. There are a lot of interesting things in this.

But the most important thing is that in the Jewish calendar everything is clearly carried out and known in advance. We don’t need to calculate anything. For example, in the Muslim calendar, holidays can float: one year they fall on summer and another year on winter. In Christianity, too, because it is linked only to the sun. And in the Jewish calendar it always works precisely because we exist simultaneously influenced by the sun and the moon, which symbolize two lines.
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From KabTV’s “Close up. Formula of the Creator” 7/18/10

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