From my column in Ynet: “Excuse Me, What Are We Guilty Of?”

Elul is the last month on the Hebrew calendar, so it is considered a month for reflection about the past year and preparation for the new year. For what and why should we ask forgiveness, and how must we act when the reason is discovered? Rav Michael Laitman teaches how to really forgive.

14 billion years ago, the Big Bang occurred, and the universe was created. An enormous amount of energy that was concentrated into one tiny point exploded in every direction, and the universe began to expand at a tremendous speed. The many particles that were created gathered into atoms, and the atoms into stars and galaxies. Billions of years after that, the inanimate planet Earth was formed, and plants and animals developed on it until the birth of humanity.

Man lived peacefully and calmly, in balance with the rest of humanity and the forces of nature, until suddenly another explosion occurred. “The Big Bang of humanity” shattered the pastoral unity in human society, and began to distance people from each other, similar to the way stars in the universe continue to drift apart.

The negative, egoistic, and unconscious force of separation that operated to make distance between us was identified for the first time by a human being named Adam. He understood that he must heal the rift between his contemporaries. Since he was the first to bring a substantial change in the system of broken relationships between people, we have a custom of celebrating his discovery on Rosh HaShanah.

14 billion years ago, the Big Bang happened, and the universe was created

Since then, 5,777 years have passed. We count them according to the Hebrew calendar, and every year we are accustomed to reexamining the essence of our lives and our role in this world. One of the questions that can help us to define our situation is: have we become closer to each other this year above our natural tendency that separates us, or haven’t we? This soul-searching is called Slichot (asking for forgivenesses), and to internalize its meaning, we must go on a short journey through time.

Introducing the Israeli Team

Twenty generations have passed since that human being developed his observations and was called Adam HaRishon (The First Man) and until most of humanity settled in the center of the ancient world, ancient Babylon.

In this period, two natural opposing forces were working on humanity: the force of connection, the positive force that strives to develop society by maintaining connections of mutual responsibility, and opposite it, the force of separation, the negative force that is controlled by the egoistic nature. The negative force is what distanced and separated the inhabitants of Babylon to a previously unfamiliar level until, finally, they stopped talking to each other and became enemies. These opposing forces of nature that clashed with each other caused a difficult crisis, but just as a plant sprouts from a seed in the ground that cracks open, so from the crisis between people, a new humanity was born.

The social rift continued to develop, and humanity was scattered over the face of the Earth. Only a small group of people decided to defy the forces of nature and actually oppose the process of separation. Burning within these people was an inner drive that compelled them to connect with each other.

This chosen group called itself “Israel” because their desire to be Yashar – El (straight to God), like the characteristic of the whole and eternal force of nature. Elsewhere, they were called “Hebrews” (Ivrim) because they already had moved (Avar) toward acting according to the laws of nature, or “Jews” (Yehudim) because they were acting to unite (Yichud) and harmonize with nature.

At the head of this group stood Abraham, an uncompromising researcher who was searching for the meaning of life. He was the first to identify the reason for the crisis: the developing egoism that separates and puts distance between people. Abraham urged his students to be strong, to rise up, and to strengthen the spirit of unity with all of their might above the terrible schism. Their efforts to connect aroused a positive force inherent in nature. This force balanced the negative tendency and connected them with a strong bond that was called “one man in one heart.” From these efforts, Abraham developed a method for connection that he taught to all who came to him. This method made it possible for the members of the group to begin to develop a system of relationships between them based upon giving, love, and mutual responsibility that they called Beit HaMikdash (Temple).

The Turning Point in Human History

Once the children of Israel reached a maximum level of connection between them, the situation deteriorated, and the connections weakened. They understood that in order to strengthen the connections between them, they needed to be connected to their Babylonian brothers who had dispersed and become the seventy nations of the world. Brotherly love was replaced by unfounded hatred, leading not only to the destruction of the system of relationships of the “Temple,” but also the destruction of the physical Temple and continued with the crash of the united kingdom of Israel. The force of ego continued to divide the Babylonians and sowed hatred in every direction.

A Good and Sweet Year.

For 2,000 years, the Jews assimilated among the nations of the world. On the one hand, the spark that Abraham sowed in the people of Israel began to flourish in the heart of humanity, and on the other hand, the Jews absorbed new egoistic desires and opinions. The conclusion of the global merging marks the starting point for a real process that is leading to a turning point in human history.

Slichah, the Error Between Reality and Desire

In the global and connected world of our day, the people of Israel and the seventy nations of the world are immersed together in a common trouble, a bit like Adam HaRishon 5,777 years ago, or Abraham 3,500 years ago. The dramatic crisis that has visited us today is the result of the same imbalance between the opposing forces of nature. The ego creates conflict and division, and causes us to become distant from each other. In contrast, the power of connection develops people, mending the broken parts into a complete, harmonious system.

In the first generations, we did not understand how the forces of nature operated because we didn’t have the tools in our hands for doing this, but once a point of connection was first created in Babylon, we were required to strengthen and develop it when faced with all of the states of separation. Abraham left us a method and a mission: to provide the world with the power of connection until it reaches a harmonious and balanced state.

In order not to make a mistake on the way to the destiny that nature has placed before us, we need to carry out a daily house cleaning and examine in depth how much we have advanced toward connection between us and whether we are still on our way toward the same network of complete connection that Adam HaRishon discovered.

This essential clarification is called Slichot, the discovery of the gap between the forces of nature that aim toward unity and our unwillingness to unite. It is symbolically customary before Rosh HaShanah for us to clarify together the degree to which we are acting in accord with the laws of nature of the entire system. Regarding this, we confess that, “We are guilty, we have betrayed, we have robbed …” and we regret the opportunity that was in our hands to realize the connection between us and we did not do it. Now is the right time to consider a new path toward connection.

I hope, wish, and pray for a year of change, a year of building a system of correct relationships between us.

Happy new year to all of the people of Israel!
[194096]
From Ynet: “Excuse Me, What Are We Guilty Of?” 6/2/16

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From my column in Ynet, “The Soldier Is Not To Blame—We Are Responsible”

So fast, too fast, we sealed the fate of the soldier. However, as a society, we are all responsible for his guilt since it stems from negligence and our inferiority as a society facing the world. So, before we rush to sentence him, we had better judge ourselves first.

The story of the Kfir Brigade soldier who was accused of murdering a terrorist reflects the state of Israeli society. The moment that the video was publicized, the case upset the entire country. Social networks were seething and churning, and the debate about the values of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and its morality were at the center of the social focus.

A document called “The Spirit of the IDF” was published in 1994, which stated the values and norms that should be kept by the IDF. It included different values, including shared responsibility, personal example, friendship, a shared mission, credibility, and so on. It is surprising that these values are not part of our civilian life at all, and if they do come up, it is in actually in the military framework.

This case raises many questions. When did we lose our social conscience, according to which every individual is a representative of the state? When did we stop taking responsibility for what comes out of our mouths or our keyboards? What happened that we have stopped feeling that every soldier who goes out to battle is like our own son? Do these signs indicate that we have failed as a society?

No entry into politics

One of the most troubling phenomena is the speed by which different spokesmen stormed at this case. Those who know how to spread their promises when they are out of the influential circles did it best, but once they reached a position where they do have a say, they became more moderate and gave up the principles they espoused.

This isn’t the time or place for political gain, and certainly not before a decision has been made by those in charge. So, it would be better if public figures would refrain from public debate until all of the details are investigated.

The endless struggle between the right and the left wings is also pointless in this case. Every side continues to adhere to its stands. Those on the right wing believe that we can win by force, while those on the left wing believe in the power of concession. However, even if the two ideologies could come together, they wouldn’t bring us to the state that we all wish for.

A Jewish soul yearns

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, every Jew is rooted in a sense of guilt, a kind of feeling of inferiority regarding the world, which obliges him to examine himself constantly. This phenomenon stems from an upper spiritual source.^[1]

The nations of the world are pointing their accusing fingers at us claiming that we are the source of all of the evil in the world, starting from imaginary blood libels, to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, to unfounded accusations alleging that Jews are behind the terrorist attacks in Brussels. It may sound unrealistic and irrational, but surprisingly, deep inside, we accept this feeling.^[2]

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the root of this inferiority complex stems from the fact that we must be a Light to the nations, which means to be united and set an example of a model society for the entire world. As long as we try to escape this mission, we will be blamed for all of the afflictions that the world undergoes.^[3]

Neither left nor right—mutual guarantee above all

The new golden middle road will begin on the crossroad between right and left. This middle road is paved when we succeed, even a little, to ascend above our egoism that separates us. This road is the solution. Without it, we will not be able to build a united society in Israel, and our state may crumble to pieces because of the internal war between us.

Just as the prophets said, the mission to convey the method of connection to the world and to connect it obliges us to implement the basic approach of “Love covers all transgressions”^[4] once again.

According to this method, it makes no difference which side of the political map one is on. Everyone can continue to adhere to his position, and at the same time, work for connection with others. The moment we begin to connect despite our differences of opinion and political parties, we will spur a force from an upper level that can balance and build a new level above the left and right wings. They will not disappear, and they are not supposed to, but when we connect above them, we create the golden middle road.^[5]

For the sake of unity

Deciding the fate of the soldier is deciding our fate, for his fault is our responsibility as a society since it stems from our negligence. It is better to judge ourselves first and only then sentence him. Just as parents sometimes disagree with regard to their children and still try to keep the family together, so we must rise above our disputes and look for any possible way to increase people’s awareness regarding the important value in our life, unity, and thus spare ourselves and the world any unnecessary suffering.^[6]

References:

[1] “Every man of Israel has an internal point in the heart, which is considered simple faith. This is an inheritance from our fathers, who stood at Mount Sinai. However, it is covered by many Klipot (Shells), which are all kinds of dresses of Lo Lishma (Not for Her Name), and the shells should be removed. Then his basis will be called ‘faith alone,’ without any support and outside help.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), Shamati, Article 199 “To Every Man of Israel”

[2] “It is a fact that Israel are the most hateful nation, whether because of religious reasons, racial reasons , capitalistic reasons, communistic reasons or cosmopolitan reasons, etc. because the hate precedes all the reasons, and everyone expresses his hate according to his own psychology.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “The Last Generation”

[3] “Israel brings Light to the world as it is said, (Isaiah 60:3) ‘And nations shall walk at thy light’” Midrash Rabbah, Shir HaShirim, Section 4, Verse 2

“The main part of the creation and of free will, and of the corrections and the corruption of the world—all depend on Israel,” Likutim 1, “Siach Isaac,” Part 2, Compilations A

“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.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “The Arvut,” “Mutual Guarantee”

[4] “Hatred arouses quarrels, but love covers all transgressions.” (Proverbs 10:12)

[5] “Peace is mainly meant to connect two opposites and so if you see a person whose views are totally opposite from yours and it seems absolutely impossible to be in peaceful relations with him and when you see two people who are complete opposites, don’t say that it is impossible to make peace between them, since this is the principle of the wholeness of peace, to try to make peace between two opposites.” Likutei Etzot Peace entry

“We are not required to be neutral but to be united, to be united in common mutual guarantee and mutual responsibility, and mutual influence. We are required not to blur the areas between the unions…but to show common recognition in the common reality and sharing the mutual responsibility when being tested. The separation of the hearts is the illness that today’s nations are afflicted by and those who wish to heal it by forcing people to unite are mistaken. We lack the unity of the organic structure. At the moment there is no remedy for it but for people from different circles who have different views to need each other with a pure heart and who take the trouble to discover the common basis together,” (Martin Buber, “Education and World-View”)

[6] “The success of our nation depends only on brotherly love, on our connection as members of one family.” Shmuel David Lutzato

“We cannot manage without unity, love and peace that will include all of Israel together in love and unity.” Likutei Halachot, Hoshen Mishpat—Halchot Erev

“We did not open our eyes to see that only unity can save us: only if we unite will our efforts be fruitful.” Eliezer Ben Yehuda, “We have not Learned our Lesson”

“For the matter of social unity, which can be the source of every joy and success, applies particularly among bodies and bodily matters in people, and the separation between them is the source of every calamity and misfortune.” Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), “The Freedom”

“The secret of the unity of the world resides in Israel.” Rav Kook, “Orot Hakodesh” 2
[180459]
From Ynet 3/28/16

Filed under: Israel, Israel Today, Nations of the World, New Publications - 1 Comment →

From my column in Ynet, “The Secret For A Successful Year” 

Why is it customary to read the Book of Jonah on Yom Kippur? Did the whale really swallow Jonah or is it only an allegory? What is the secret of how to atone for our actions and block all the arrows of hatred directed toward Israel? Rav Laitman’s  guide for the perplexed for Yom Kippur.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you fast on Yom Kippur; why you go to the synagogue on Yom Kippur; why you ask a friend or someone you have wronged to forgive you? We have been used to keeping these customs since our childhood, and it seems the main reason for that is that we all want to be found innocent, at least to some degree, on Yom Kippur.

Those who have the means even compete with the sum of money to pay for the right to read the Book of Jonah in public, a well-known merit for wealth and success in business in the coming year. The sums go up from year to year, but do they understand what they are paying for?

The story of the prophet Jonah begins with a mission he receives from God; he is to warn the gentiles, the people of Nineveh, to repent their evil way, from unfounded hatred to love of others. Just like in the past, just like Jonah, so do we, the people of Israel today have a role that we cannot avoid. The same role that accompanies us since the time of ancient Babylon when Abraham united us into a nation on the basis of love of others—to establish among us the unity that will serve as an example for the whole world. Fulfilling this role is our right to exist.

We have experienced how this law operates throughout our history: when we are united, we prosper and the world prospers too. When we fall into unfounded hatred, we receive blows and the world deteriorates. With time we have failed to build the connection between us to such extent that we don’t believe we can re-establish the good relations between us again. We are repulsed by hearing that our role is to be a Light unto the nations of the world. We have forgotten our role and when we escape from it the storm arrives….

The Storm

Jonah escapes his mission, boards a ship and sails overseas. His escape generates a storm, and the sailors realize that the reason for their suffering is the Jew who is onboard their ship. Throwing him overboard into the sea soon follows.

In today’s global world, the nations of the world also blame us for every crisis there is. The fate of the nation of Israel is unavoidable. The sailors in the story change each time, but our fate is the same. If we don’t awaken from our deep sleep and agree to fulfill our mission, the time will come when we are thrown into the sea is sure to come.

Jonah was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a whale. At the end of his self-examination, he agrees to fulfill the mission he was given, and only then does the fish bring him to a safe shore, to Nineveh.

The Agreement

Like Jonah, we carry within us a method to connect. This is the national genome that binds us into one nation and we cannot escape it. When we connect, we will serve as an example of unity for all the nations. The only question is whether we will be responsible enough or whether, God forbid, we will be thrown into the depths of the ocean so that we will agree to fulfill our destiny.

Our role is to turn the unfounded hatred into love of each other, yet instead of being a Light unto the nations, we do everything in our power to be like all the other nations. But the steamroller of development makes more and more people and nations subconsciously feel that the Jews are responsible for all their troubles, and so the nations will not change their attitude toward us for the better until we discharge our duty.

The purpose of Yom Kippur is to allow us to do some deep introspection, and it is an opportunity for us to take on our mission and come to the decision to connect and be Light unto the nations of the world. Only then will the global turmoil around us quiet down and all of humanity will live in peace, and a Sukkah of peace will be spread over all of us.

A good New Year and may all of Israel be signed and sealed in the Book of Life!
From Ynet 10/10/16

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In my column on Ynet—“Anti-Semitism: The Same Tune Over And Over Again”

70% of the Europe’s Jews will not celebrate the coming holiday season together because of the fear of anti-Semitism. “Our nation is used to being persecuted, the excuse for hating us changes, but it is the same tune over and over again.” Rav Laitman explains the law of anti-Semitism, why it repeats in every generation, and how we can avoid the next wave of hatred.

The wave of terrorism raised its head again last week in Israel and reawakened the preparedness and the tension again. But the fear doesn’t permeate only Israel but also our fellow Jews in Europe.

According to a new troubling survey conducted by the European Jewish Association and the Rabbinical Center of Europe 70% of the European Jews are afraid of coming to the public prayers and celebrations on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur because of the rise in anti-Semitic incidents, despite the increased security measures and policing around Jewish institutions. “The challenge has doubled during the last months” says the union CEO, “we are also coping with the increased harassment of Jews by Muslims and a significant increase of power of extreme right-wing movements.

The Muslim refugee crisis has been troubling the 27 EU leaders over the last year. It is the main cause of the rise of the radical right-wing parties that call out to deport them and which is terrifying the Jews living in Europe. The Jews are currently exposed to large-scale attacks, incitement to violence, and verbal abuse, and despite their promises, the European leaders simply cannot ensure their safety. Half of the racist incidents in France are directed toward Jews; in Germany the president of the Jewish Council Dr. Joseph Shuster warned people not to wear a yarmulke in Muslim regions; in Holland Mezuzahs were removed from doors, and the British media is engaged in an unprecedented anti-Semitic attack against Israel and the Jews, but interestingly 85% of the anti-Semitic incidents are not reported at all…

As Usual, The Jews Are to Blame

Europe is used to signaling out the Jews. It is the stronghold of the BDS movement, which operates against Israel, and incitement campaigns like “Israeli Apartheid week” are launched in European capital cities, and tens of thousands of anti-Semitic statements are published daily online accusing the Jews of all the evil in the world. With the rate things are happening, it would not be surprising if soon a new international committee were appointed with the “initiative to formulate a strategy to impose peace in the Middle East,” that would conclude that the solution to Europe’s problems is the de-legitimization of Israel. They may suddenly decide that the operative solution to the refugee crisis in Europe is to resettle them by our side in the land of Israel, the country they themselves assigned in the UN Partition Plan in November 1947.

Don’t let politics fool you. What is happening in Europe now is merely a new external expression of the recurring pattern of hatred that has been part of our history for ages. Unfortunately history teaches us that the anti-Semites have won this struggle as attested by the millions of Jews who have been murdered inspired by blood libels since 1144 to the present. Today the main expression of anti-Semitism is anti-Israel, “modern blood libel” under the guise of anti-Zionism.

Why don’t rational explanations about the situation in the Middle East convince any intellectual? Why will we never be able to escape our identity? Why will the hatred of Israel continue to raise its head just as it has for ages? Why is it that unlike any other nation in history, the more they try to destroy us, they will not be able to complete the job?

The Law of Anti-Semitism

According to Kabbalah, anti-Semitism is not a passing phenomenon but a law of nature that can be measured. When we unite over all the disputes and disagreements, the positive force that can do wonders spreads in the world. On the other hand, when we are divided and emotionally distant from each other, we invoke the negative force in the world, which returns and hits us with a burst of anti-Semitism.

Even if they are not aware of it, deep in their hearts anti-Semites feel that we have the key to their bright future, but our ears are deaf and we don’t even hear when some of them openly say that if we only connected, their attitude toward us would improve dramatically. Henry Ford, one of the greatest anti-Semites in history, wrote in his book The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem, “The Jew has been too long accustomed to think himself as exclusively the claimant on the humanitarianism of society; society has a large claim against him that he cease his exclusiveness, that he cease exploiting the world, that he cease making Jewish groups the end and all of his gains, and that he begins to fulfill, in a sense his exclusiveness has never yet enabled him to fulfill, the ancient prophecy he boasts that through him all the nations of the earth should be blessed.”

The irrational hatred arising then as it is now reminds us the hard way that we have a role, and although we would be glad to be rid of it, it is impossible. Even if we assimilate or try to hide our Israeli identity, we will always remain Jews. We are a nation that carries an idea, a social ideal of love of man, of our nation and of the world. We became a nation on the basis altruism expressed by the rule “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” and only the return to love can defeat the hatred the world feels toward us. Kabbalists tell us that we Jews decide the fate of the world. “Just as the organs of a body cannot exist even for one moment without the heart,” as it is written in The Book of Zohar,” neither can the nations of the world exist without Israel.” Through the unity between us, we oblige the world to unite and the abundance begins to flow. While we are divided, we separate them and this clogs the pipes of abundance and leads to wars and hatred.

Baal HaSulam, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, the great 20th century Kabbalist wrote that “the nation of Israel was installed with a transmitter, and to the degree that Israel are connected, they transmit their power to the other nations of the world.” He also wrote, “We are the sons of the ideal,” and only when we fulfill it and unite will we be able to live in peace.

There Is Nowhere to Run

The pressure that can be put on us by Europe and through it by all the nations of the world may take us back to the years in which we wandered from one place to another, at best, or to our destruction just like 80 years ago, at worst. Although it may seem that the Jewish people have a home in the land of Israel today, “The whole Zionistic ideas will be annulled,” wrote Baal HaSulam in “The Last Generation.” With great sadness he describes the process of the decline of our future if we don’t fulfill our role and transmit the force of connection to the world through us. “This state will be very poor and its inhabitants will suffer greatly and many of them or their children will undoubtedly gradually leave the country and only a negligible number will be left, who will also eventually assimilate among the Arabs.” Then there will truly be nowhere to run.

In times of crisis, no country, not even the US, will support us or receive us. It was the same in the days of Nazi Germany when the Jews who felt threatened by anti-Semitism tried to escape fearing the great disaster that was approaching. Some even sailed the infamous St. Louis to the South America, but when they reached Cuba the government told them that they were not welcome and refused to receive them. They sailed to the US where they were refused again, and having no choice they returned to Europe and most of them were killed in the Holocaust.

The Writing Is on the Wall

Baal HaSulam, who knew the law of anti-Semitism and all the laws of nature that operate in our reality, warned people that the Holocaust was approaching, “I have already published most of my views in 1933. I have also spoken to the leaders of the generation, and my words were not accepted then. Although I screamed and warned that the world was going to be destroyed, it did not impress, but now after the nuclear and the hydrogen bomb I believe that the world will believe that the end of the world is very near and that Israel will be the first to get burnt, just the way it was in the previous war. Therefore it is the right thing to awaken the world today so that they will receive the only remedy there is and will live and survive” (“The Last Generation”).

The loud cry of Baal HaSulam is still echoing today and is more relevant than ever before. Even then, when Europe was prosperous, the Jews preferred to complacently dance to the tune of a waltz in Berlin or tranquilly chew schnitzel despite the great impending danger. The waves of modern anti-Semitism washing Europe today should serve as reminder of our role: to unite and to be light unto the nations of the world, to be an example of the corrected society in which everyone lives in brotherly love above all our differences. Today we are also nearing the fatal choice, and just as we did when we became a nation for the first time at the gathering at Mt. Sinai and were faced with a similar decision, when placed before us was an unequivocal choice: to unite or here will be our burial place, mutual guarantee or unfounded hate, all or nothing. We made a huge effort, conquered the mount of hatred between us, and connected as one man in one heart.

The message is clear—we must blame only ourselves for the hatred the world feels toward us. As long as we are cruel to each other, the world will be cruel to us. Deep down inside, every Jew feels that “All of Israel are friends.”

If we connect as one bundle, we will harness anti-Semitism to our advantage. Since “the main protector against calamity is love and unity, when Israel feel love, unity, and brotherhood toward one another, there is no room for disaster to affect them (Maor VaShemesh).
[194230]
Ynet 9/22/16

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My recent article in Ynet: “Today Is A Holiday: The Journal Of A Spiritual Journey” 

What is the reason for all the customs that we so consistently perform – Eating the traditional fish that a mother cooks for Rosh HaShanah, fasting on Yom Kippur, and hanging decorations in a Sukkah? Rav Laitman explains the holidays of Tishrei according to the wisdom of Kabbalah, and reveals how we change our lives for the better with their help.

It is customary to think that the holidays mark historical events, victory in war, the birth or death of a special person. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the holidays of Israel are essentially different from the holidays of other peoples, and they describe stations on the way in the spiritual development of every person.

The Israeli holidays and their customs were introduced by the great Kabbalists thousands of years ago. The Kabbalists are people like us, who through studying the wisdom of Kabbalah succeeded in reaching a life of love for others and through that to love of the Creator—the general force of love that exists in reality. They discovered that there is one single purpose for this upper force: to lead us to be connected, happy, and full of love like Him while we are still alive. This force has been granted many nicknames: Creator, Light, Nature, Love and even King, like it is customary to call Him during the Ten Days of Repentance: “We have no king but you” (Ta’anit 25b).

To describe the stations through which the King passes us on the way to His magical kingdom, to become familiar with Him and to discover all the good that He has prepared for us, the Kabbalists established the Hebrew calendar and the cycle of holidays and festivals in it. So a moment before we dip an apple in honey and hang decorations in a Sukkah, let’s stop and clarify once and for all, why we bother so much every year and how we derive from these customs something better for all of us.

The First Station: Rosh HaShanah

“Rosh (head) is regarded a root ….According to the root and the Rosh that a person establishes for himself at first, so he continues his life” (The Writings of Rabash, “Letter 29”).

The first station in the spiritual journey of the person is Rosh HaShanah — “The beginning of the creation of the person” (The Writings of Rabash, “Dargot HaSulam” 882). In this stage, the person is like a newborn. He looks at the good and bad that he has gone through his whole life and asks himself: What is all of this for? Why am I alive year after year? Who is managing this reality and what is the purpose of existence?

If he is lucky, these questions don’t let him go and they lead him toward the goal, toward the significant and final station of the journey: the discovery of the network of harmonious connection between people within which he will feel the positive power of connection in its full intensity—the Upper Force that manages his life.

The first Rosh HaShanah was “celebrated” for the first time 5,777 years ago when a human being asked similar questions. The name of that person was Adam. Like a child who wants to grow up and be like his parents, so do we need to be like the force that created us and wants to be discovered. This entire desire will provide us with the power to rise above our limited egoistic nature, above the private concern for ourselves, and become “children of Adam.”

The Kabbalists call the longing to know why we are alive by the name, “the point in the heart.” The “heart” represents the totality of the egoistic desires of the person that continue to grow, beginning from the most basic desires – for sex, for nourishment, and for family, through the more developed desires – for money, for respect, and for knowledge. The point in the heart is the most developed spiritual desire in a person on the ladder of desires. And when it is awakened, it breathes into a person the spirit of life and a new desire for self-realization. This desire is not satisfied by money, respect, or knowledge, but only through realizing the purpose of life. And when for the first time the change is felt within a person, he celebrates Rosh HaShanah.

From Rosh HaShanah and on, the person increases the pace of his journey. Equipped with new powers, he struggles to reach a true point of connection with others and realize the point that is burning in his heart. But hope is one thing and reality is another thing. Instead of oneness, he discovers a big separation, the most terrible judgment of all. “The day of judgment was established in Tishrei, since those are days of desire. And that desire awakens upon us at that time each and every year, and it is necessary to waken to complete repentance more and more than during the whole year. And the essence of repentance is to unite with each and every one with love and with one heart” “Meor veShemesh”). This discovery leads the person to the next station on the journey, Yom Kippur.

The Second Station: Yom Kippur

“We see the truth through Rosh HaShanah, then one can ask for atonement. So Yom Kippur is after Rosh HaShanah” (The Writings of Rabash, “Dargot HaSulam” 891)

In The Book of Zohar it is written, “’…as far as light excelleth darkness’ (Ecclesiastes 2:13), for the benefit of light doesn’t come except from darkness.” There is no light without darkness, there is no sweet without bitter, and there is no good without evil. To reach the good, we must also discover the evil. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, Yom Kippur is the recognition that our egoistic nature is evil from its youth. But it is specifically this recognition that makes it possible for us to attain the good. If on Rosh HaShanah the desire to connect with others is awakened in us, everything good is produced through connection with them. So during the Ten Days of Repentance we are gradually introduced to the negative egoistic force that prevents us from attaining unity. After all, on Yom Kippur there is no place to hide the rift and mutual hatred that divides us. So it becomes possible already to ask for correction of our evil inclination, which is good.

“Israel had no holidays like the fifteenth of Av and like Yom Kippur” (Mishnah Ta’anit 4:8). Why? It is because this was a special day of introspection and deep soul-searching. A day of remorse in which it was customary to ask forgiveness “For the sin that we did in your presence through the evil inclination” (Yom Kippur prayer).

The wisdom of Kabbalah explains that “forgiveness” is not just an oral request, “We have been guilty, we betrayed, we robbed….”; rather, it is a stage in which the person becomes conscious of his true state —how far he is from the right connection with others, and as a result of this, from a connection with the good force that manages his life. This difficult revelation actually makes the person happy because as a result, a cry breaks out from him for inner change. This particular request for forgiveness is expected from us, and when it comes, it is answered.

The Third and Fourth Stations: Sukkot and Simchat Torah

“…the festival of Sukkot explains all the questions, even the hardest and worst….” (The Writings of Rabash, “Letter 36”).

At the third station on the spiritual journey, called “Sukkot,” the response to the inner request arrives and we get a special positive force that transforms the evil in us to good. It is written in the Talmud: “leave your permanent abode and dwell in a temporary abode” (Sukkah 2a). The change that we must go through is to leave a permanent abode, meaning narcissism, to a new abode, to altruism. Then our picture of reality is changed. Our senses are apparently reversed. The brain and the heart change direction—from narcissism to altruism—and the picture of the whole of reality is revealed before our eyes. The person begins to get an answer to the request in his heart, and all of his desires that were opposed to connection enter the “Sukkah.”

The Sukkah symbolizes the complete form that every person will reach in the future. The laws of its construction symbolize the manner in which the person rises above his ego and acquires the ability to love and to give. So, for example, the Skhakh (thatch) in a Sukkah leaves more shade than light, as is written, “Its shade is more than its sun” (Mishnah Sukkah 2:2). This custom symbolizes an action in which the person “conceals,” restricts, the usage of his ego so he can go out of it toward the Light, toward connection and love.

Then he is ready for Simchat Torah—he develops the ability to read the texts of Kabbalah and summon upon himself the Upper Light, which is also called the Torah, to raise the connection between us to the head of the ladder of values, and changing his life for the better. This is because the Torah is the force that is prepared to correct hatred and separation between us and transform them into connection and love, which is a discovery that is called “Simchah” (happiness). Then the person senses within himself the entire vast expanse around him, and gains an eternal, whole, and happy life.

I hope, wish, and pray for a year of change, a year of building proper systems of relationships between us.

A good year to all the people of Israel!
[194246]
Ynet 9/29/16

Filed under: Holidays, New Publications - 1 Comment →

In English:

The Jerusalem Post:

“Breaking Out from the Straits”
“An analysis of Europe’s security troubles from the perspective of Kabbalah“

In German:

The Huffington Post:

“Gedanken über ein Gespräch mit Senatorin Nathalie Goulet”
“Jenseits von schwarz und weiß”
“Unterwegs zum Kampf der Kulturen“

In Spanish:

The Huffington Post:

“Reflexiones sobre la conversación con la senadora Nathalie Goulet“

Unidos con Israel:

“Reflexiones sobre la conversación con la senadora Nathalie Goulet“

In French:

The Huffington Post:

“Réflexions suite à une conversation avec la sénatrice Nathalie Goulet”
“Au-delà du Noir et du Blanc“

The Times of Israel:

“Sortir des détroits”
“Raison d’être fier“

In Italian:

Blogactiv:

“Riflessioni sulla conversazione con la Senatrice Nathalie Goulet”
“Il mio punto di vista sulla questione LGBT“

[191603]

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The Jerusalem Post:

“Institutionalized Anti-Semitism at UC Berkeley — Facts and Details”
“New Course at Berkeley University: How to Get Rid of Israel”
“We ignited the BDS; only we can put it out”
“Is Israel really detrimental to the world?“

Haaretz:

“Merkel and Hollande Discover—the EU Is Dying”
“Peace A Dream or a Dream Reality?“

In German:

The Huffington Post:

“Warum gibt es antisemitische Juden?”
“Liebe Made in Israel”
[194166]

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In my column in Ynet: “What Is the Hidden Law of Nature?”

A butterfly fluttering its wings in Paris creates small changes in the atmosphere that can ultimately generate a tornado in Brazil.  The “butterfly effect” that operates in an integral system also has an optimistic side: a small action on our part for the benefit of society can trigger a lot more goodness on the other side of the globe.

Imagine a person who decides to retire from social life in order to live in a cave or in the mountains or on a desert island in the middle of the ocean.

He lives cut off from everything: no fast food, no Internet, no cell phone, and no people around him, only the person himself and nature that surrounds him. At first, he probably feels an amazing sense of freedom, a dream come true, but soon enough, he finds it difficult to meet his basic needs: food, protection from predators, shelter from weather changes, trouble taking care of himself in case of an injury or an illness, and no one to share his moments of sorrow and joy with.

Ironically, this person can be any one of us. Even in the global era of the 21^st century, in a society where we all are connected to each other through advanced technology, everyone retires to his own desert island, prefers to cut himself off from others, and takes care of himself instead of cooperating with his environment. By doing so, we go against nature, disrupting its global laws, and the immediate result is that our relationships are in a crisis, reaching a dead end expressed by the high rate of divorce, conflicts between neighbors and colleagues, wars between peoples and nations, as well as by poverty, hunger, and deprivation, which unfortunately are becoming the daily routine of most of mankind.

How have we reached this absurd situation in such a developed world? What can we do in order to change things for the better, and what does nature actually expect from us?

How to Survive These Days

Man is a social creature by nature. Nature has motivated man for ages to create infinite social, economic, and cultural relationships that have been woven into a tight global network thanks to which a person can get anything that he wants today by the click of a button. It may seem that nature operates randomly, without a certain purpose or direction, but the vast nature works very precisely, according to a predefined range of laws that drive every detail in harmony toward a single goal: to connect all parts of humanity into one society.

Nature could have developed in a perfect manner toward ultimate happiness, toward global unity where we could live as one big family, but this isn’t what we are seeing. So, what prevents us from connecting this way? It is our egoistic nature. A man’s heart is evil from his youth, the negative force in us that often makes us prefer our wellbeing to the wellbeing of others.

The combination of nature that pressures us from the outside by different climactic changes and places obstacles along our way so that we would unite into one society, along with the forces that operate on us from inside, the negative feelings that make us feel repulsed by each other, are leading us to an eventual clash. They disrupt the balance in our relationships and lead to the disintegration of social infrastructures and all of the troubles and disasters that we encounter.

We must spur the force of connection, the positive force, in order to overcome the ego and balance the bad relations between us. When we sit together at a roundtable and focus our conversation on the internal point that ties us together, the effort to leave the desert island and to move toward the common part, it will reveal the positive force that is concealed in the connection between us. We will be wrapped in a feeling of love and warmth. This togetherness will make us feel good and comfortable, but this is only the first step of the process. The stronger the connection between us becomes, the more connections we will create that are essentially similar to the connections that operate in nature.

A Relationship of Give and Take

At the roundtable we will learn about the force of nature that operates in order to connect us. There are only two laws: giving and receiving. The law of receiving obliges every individual in society to receive the basic necessities for himself so that he can care for his own wellbeing and prosperity. The law of giving, on the other hand, obliges every individual to care for the prosperity of society and its wellbeing. The law of receiving is embedded in us just like the law of gravity. We keep it naturally since if we don’t, we will be “punished.” A person who stops working, for example, soon will face economic problems. Life itself forces us to keep the law of receiving.

The fulfillment of the law of giving is much more complicated. Our contribution to the development of society does not always bear immediate fruit, and sometimes it takes time until this goodness returns to us. Therefore, we don’t have a strong desire and a natural urge to obey the law of giving and to care about the prosperity of the society. When we don’t obey this law, the punishment arrives very soon. As Baal HaSulam, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, writes in his article “The Peace.”

“Thus, humanity is being fried in a heinous turmoil, and strife and famine and their consequences have not ceased thus far. And the wonder about it is that nature, like a skillful judge, punishes us according to our development. For we can see that to the extent that humankind develops, the pains and torments surrounding our sustenance and existence also multiply.

“Thus you have a scientific, empirical basis that His Providence has commanded us to keep with all our might the Mitzva of bestowal upon others in utter precision, in such a way that no member from among us would work any less than the measure required to secure the happiness of society and its success. And as long as we are idle performing it to the fullest, nature will not stop punishing us and take its revenge.”

The law of giving is intentionally concealed from us since it is thanks to this concealment that we have a chance to develop independently in order to acquire the great wisdom that is concealed in nature. A butterfly fluttering its wings in Paris creates small changes in the atmosphere that can ultimately generate a tornado in Brazil.  The “butterfly effect” that operates in an integral system also has an optimistic side: a small action on our part for the benefit of society can trigger a lot more goodness on the other side of the globe.This goodness sooner or later will return to us. Nature is stronger than all of our forces and will continue to “beat” us until we join it and fulfill the law of giving. Then, we will pave the safe way to happiness.

Based on the “Necessity to Practice Caution with the Laws of Nature” from the article “The Peace,” by Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam).
[193058]
From Ynet article 6/2/16

Filed under: Crisis, Globalization, Israel Today, New Publications - No Comments →

In English

The Jerusalem Post

“Why are there anti-Israel Jews?”
“A letter to a Sufi friend”
“We mourn the ruin of the Temple, but we extol its cause”
“We have to check the world into the nearest repair shop“

Jewish Journal

“Love Made In Israel“

In German

The Huffington Post

“Liebe Made in Israel”
“Wir müssen die Welt zur Werkstatt bringen”
“Aus der Enge ausbrechen“

In Spanish

Unidos con Israel:

“Tu B’Av: Amor fabricado en Israel”
“Lloramos por la destrucción del templo, pero alimentamos su causa”
“Hay que llevar a revisar este mundo al taller de reparación más cercano”
“Liberarnos de las calamidades“

In French

The Times of Israel:

“Nous avons grandi, mais sommes-nous devenus des adultes?”
“L’Amour à la manière d’Israël”
“Nous pleurons la destruction du Temple, mais nous en exaltons sa cause”
“Le monde a besoin d’être réparé“

In Italian

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“Siamo cresciuti, ma siamo diventati adulti?”
“Cosa possono fare gli umani (che le altre creature non possono fare)”
“Uscire da una situazione critica“

The Huffington Post:

“Cosa possono fare gli umani (che le altre creature non possono fare)”
[192515]

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In English

The Jerusalem Post

“Is Israel really detrimental to the world?”
“Why are there anti-Israel Jews?“

In German

The Huffington Post

“Liebe Made in Israel“

In French

The Times of Israel

“Pourquoi y a-t-il des juifs antisémites?”
[193323]

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