My new article on Linkedin “World War III Has Begun; How It Unfolds Depends on Us”

We think of the Russia-Ukraine war as a local conflict, but it is much more than that; it is a global war on multiple fronts. The war is not only a military conflict; it is also an economic war of attrition. With skyrocketing gas prices and shortage of staples, people all over the world are feeling the consequences of the war.

This war is transforming the entire modus operandi of humanity. Since the dawn of time, we have been accustomed to living by the motto, “survival of the fittest.” By and large, the rule was that the strong determined the rules, and the rules were often abusive toward the weak. Now, it seems like a new mindset has set in: Wanting something and being strong enough to take it does not mean that the world will accept it.

The war, therefore, is being fought on the inside no less, and perhaps more than on the outside. Our very makeup is changing from abusive to cooperative, from narcissistic to altruistic.

It hurts, and it will not happen without a struggle, but it is irreversible. This is the path of our evolution toward the purpose of our creation—to encompass within us all of creation. To do that, we must come to care for it, just as a mother encompasses her child through her maternal love.

The struggle to transition from our current uncaring and mean approach to all creations but ourselves, into wise and compassionate beings is called “the war of Gog and Magog” or Armageddon.

Since the war is about our inner makeup, we can fight it within us. If we object to struggling with ourselves over who will rule—the ego or love—the physical reality will force us to choose love nonetheless. However, it will do so by hurting us in a very physical way.

The war in Eastern Europe is nothing compared to what we might have to endure if we resist the process. The horrific descriptions of our sages and prophets hint at it, and we would not want to live through it.

Alternatively, we can fight this war within us without firing a single bullet. The choice is in our hands. All we need is to continue in the same direction that nature is already leading us: toward connection. If we make an effort to care for one another, even though initially we don’t, then we are moving in the right direction. If we try to resolve conflicts not with guns or even legal battles, but by strengthening the care and friendship between us, then we are saving lives and sparing torments from countless people.

In conclusion, let us try to rise above the hatred and see the human on the other side, who suffers too. Let us think that this war was given to us so we would think about each other more than we have so far. After all, were it not for this war, we would not notice one another. Now that it is here, we are no longer indifferent. Although our feelings are currently negative, now that we are aware of them, we can work on them together and turn them around. These are the wars of the Messiah who moshech [Hebrew: pulls] us out of the ego, and into mutual love.
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My new article on Linkedin “Time for Love to Cover the Crimes between Turkey and Israel”

Last week, Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdogan, hosted the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, in his palace in Ankara. The purpose of the festive meeting was to end fifteen years of cold and often hostile relations. There have been previous attempts to thaw the relations between the two countries, but for various reasons, it did not happen. I hope that this time it will succeed.

There are many good reasons to warm up the ties between Israel and Turkey. The economy is the most obvious reason, and probably the most important. The economy sustains the entire world. It sustains every country and every family, and I think that a sense of mutual dependence among people and nations is good. This is why our sages wrote, “Go and make a living off of each other” (Sanhedrin 16a), since this kind of connection is the safest.

Also, in a sense, Turkey and Israel have a lot in common. Both countries are “somewhere” between east and west; and both are looked upon as “outsiders” by NATO, even though Turkey is a member and Israel is officially a Major Strategic Partner. Therefore, we have a mutual interest in collaborating; we can really assist one another.

As for the conflicts of the past, I think they were necessary and, in retrospect, even helpful, as they now form the basis for our rapprochement. If we had had no disagreements in the past, we would have nothing to overcome, no distance from which to draw closer. Consequently, it would be impossible to create closeness. Now that these differences have subsided for some time, it is possible to rise above them and form a strong bond between us.

When there is no disagreement, there is nothing to overcome. If there is nothing to overcome, there is no motivation to draw closer. This is why King Solomon, the wisest of men, said, “Love will cover all crimes” (Prov. 10:12), meaning that hatred is there so we can cover it with love.

Besides the economy, there are other ways we can help each other out. We can help each other in international relations, in various technological developments, and in many other areas. Moreover, traditionally, Turkey and Israel have never been on particularly bad terms; there is no inherent hatred between us, no historical enmity. But even if there were such antagonism, it would be just another impetus to cover it with friendship, as I just mentioned.

On a more personal level, I have been to Turkey several times in the past, and wherever I went, I did not sense any negative feelings. The Turkish are very civilized people. They are an ancient nation, very powerful, and I do not think we should have any problems with them.

The disputes of the past are just politics. And the good thing about politics is that it changes quickly, while the inner feelings remain. Therefore, I think we can look to a better future, learn from the past, and cover all the crimes with love.
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My new article on Linkedin “America in Search of a “New Normal””

According to a study published by Pew Research Center, two years into the pandemic, “a growing share of Americans appear ready to move on to a new normal, even as the exact contours of that new normal are hard to discern.” Although “the official count of coronavirus deaths in the United States … is now approaching 1 million lives,” writes the research center in another report, and the excess mortality due to Covid-19 stands at 20 percent, Americans desperately want to resume normalcy.

Unemployment has dropped to pre-pandemic levels, children are at school, businesses are open, and sports and entertainment events are running almost as before. But escalating violence, a deepening divide between red and blue, and the plunging popularity of the president indicate that a new normal will have to mean a new society.

The American people are very different from most other nations. It did not emerge from a core group of related people, a clan that evolved into a tribe, which grew into a nation. The United States is a country of immigrants or descendants of immigrants. People of all backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, cultures, and faiths inhabit it. Often, these nationalities, cultures, and faiths carried with them centuries of enmity when they came to the “land of unlimited possibilities.”

While in the past, it seemed like the American people have managed to overcome the chasms and develop a distinctive identity, it now appears that the fabric of society is tearing at the seams. The last presidential elections have deepened the division between Republicans and Democrats, and the time since the elections has only made matters worse.

Also, racial tensions have been growing once again, and the Critical Race Theory is being warmly adopted in some states, and vehemently rejected in others. At times, it seems as though America is on the verge of another civil war.

In light of the situation, I think that America should treat the chasms as a calling for its people to finally mend the rifts and glue the individuals into a cohesive nation. America has all the resources, all the know-how, and every reason to exert in this direction since its future depends on the solidarity among its people more than on anything else.

In regards to cohesion and solidarity, I think that American Jews can and should play a major role in fostering unity. Being a nation that emerged much like the American people—when people from different, often vying tribes and clans joined together—the Jews have it in their DNA to connect above differences.

At the moment, Jews are divided more than any other nation, faith, or ethnicity on the planet, but the seed of unity is buried in the unconscious of every Jewish person. It was King Solomon who wrote, “Hate stirs strife, and love covers all crimes” (Prov. 10:12), and it is the Jewish people who were commanded not to hate their brethren and love their neighbors as themselves (Lev. 19). At times when we observed these commandments, we were a light unto nations; when we turned away from each other, the world turned against us.

If American Jewry unites its broken ranks, it will set an example that the rest of America will gladly follow. And if America unites, it will be an example to all of humanity.

It may be ironic, but it seems as though the war in Ukraine has given America something to unite around: their objection to Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. A newly found unity will give America the power it needs in standing up to Russia. If leveraged correctly, it can put the American society back on track toward realizing the pledge of allegiance to be “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “America and World’s Interest to Calm the War’s Turbulent Waters”

The war in Ukraine unfolds miles away, but Americans follow it very closely. Concerned with rising gas prices, among other repercussions of this conflict, 86% of US adults considered the situation with Russia and Ukraine either very or somewhat important, according to a recent YouGov/Yahoo News poll.

The war on the ground is also reflected as a war of words. Speaking in a Republican National Committee podcast, former US President Donald Trump recently said that the war in Ukraine “Would never have happened” on his watch.

On the other hand, US President Joe Biden insists that he tried to prevent the war in Ukraine in every possible way. The tendency for presidents to become more popular in times of war does not apply now. Multiple polls reveal that on average 51.4% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s presidency, which is one of the lowest approval ratings since he took office.

Could the war have been avoided? Most likely it was inevitable. The forces operating in the world are changing very fast and the global scenario looks like a stormy sea. Heavy winds blow in all directions causing huge tides of conflict flooding the world on various levels.

I do not want to predict in what form the current war will end for the Russians or for the Ukrainians, but there is no doubt that the world is not getting better. Both the US and Europe see some benefit in the current conflict as it changes the balance of forces and strengthens their hegemony.

In fact, the current state of affairs exposes the true root cause of wars. It is human nature, the egoistic desire to benefit at the expense of others, which is already overblown and growing constantly. We cannot fix the war with the same egoistic powers at our disposal that incited the way or in the way where one side prevails by overpowering the other. In a global village that we all live in no one will succeed as a result of wars, everyone will lose.

World peace seems like a far-fetched utopian concept when we look at today’s situation, but we have no choice but to aspire to that ideal. We need to exert the utmost efforts to calm the rough waters of war by rising above our divisive nature that drives a wedge between people and nations and tears them apart. We will get closer to peace only when we recognize that nature is an interconnected and interdependent system and that we humans are the only disrupters of the sensitive balance in nature. As a consequence we inflict harm on ourselves and reach an unsustainable state.

Increasing the importance of solidarity and the necessity to unite the hearts of the nations in conflict above mutual hatred should be of everyone’s interest. Rav Yehuda Ashlag explained this critical goal as a means to achieve world peace as WWII erupted: “Do not be surprised if I mix together the well-being of a particular collective with the well-being of the whole world, because indeed, we have already come to such a degree that the whole world is considered one collective and one society.”
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Medium published my new article “On the Merit of Disputes”

At a time of deep chasms and violent disputes, we naturally seek to put out the fire. Yet, after the fire is extinguished, we tend to neglect the further work we need to do. The war we see today, therefore, is the result of our past negligence. If we want not only to de-escalate the war, but prevent its recurrence, we need to cut out its root. To do so, we must agree to two basic principles: 1) We look beyond right and wrong, since we will never convince one another that we are right and they are wrong. 2) We build a bond above the disagreement. We nurture ties that strengthen our connection to the point that they engender a new bond above the mountain of hatred that still lives, and will continue to live underneath.

The same goes for disputes. They are here so we will rise to the challenge and build stronger bonds atop them. Like all obstacles, they will bury us if we choose inaction. However, if we use them for their intended purpose — to build a bond and tighten our connection — we will rise to new levels and reach unprecedented heights.

If we take these two steps, we will discover an amazing truth: The disputes themselves catalyze the emergence of the bond.

Without a dispute, there might be calm, or complacency, or indifference, but there will never be a bond, a closeness of hearts.
Disputes force us to do two things: 1) Decide whether we want to keep our connection. 2) If so, we must reinforce it so that the bond between us will always be stronger than the disagreements that emerge.

If disagreements stop emerging, there will be no reason to strengthen the bond. Then, like an unused tool, it will rust and break down.

Conversely, if new disagreements arise, they force us to mend the new rifts that have surfaced. As a result, the bond between us grows even stronger than before.

Think, for example, of a house. If you want to build a house in a country where the wind never blows too strong, and the rain never falls too hard, and the temperature is always moderate, you do not need to build it very strong, with good insulation, and a roof that can withstand a blizzard. However, if you live in a country whose climate is inhospitable and turbulent, you need to build a very solid house to keep you safe and warm under extreme conditions. Simply put, it is the hardships that make you build a strong and solid house. Were it not for them, you would not make the effort.

The same is true of technology. Everything we have ever developed was in order to overcome difficulties and obstacles. The result is modern technology. Would we rather do without the obstacles and go back to living in caves? I am sure we wouldn’t. In retrospect, we appreciate the obstacles and difficulties, and often affectionately call them “challenges,” for they have made us who we are.

The same goes for disputes. They are here so we will rise to the challenge and build stronger bonds atop them. Like all obstacles, they will bury us if we choose inaction. However, if we use them for their intended purpose — to build a bond and tighten our connection — we will rise to new levels and reach unprecedented heights.
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Medium published my new article “Mommy, Why Is There War?”

The deplorable bombing of a children’s hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, brings to mind the story of the mother who told reporters that her son asked her, “Mommy, why is there a war?” She said that a few weeks prior, she had eased her son’s concerns by saying that people no longer fight wars like they used to, that we are past that. Now, she and her son were hiding in the metro station, a makeshift bomb shelter, while her husband was on the frontline.

Many children ask such difficult questions these days, a consequence of the terrible circumstances they have been thrown into without forewarning. But children understand war better than we think. After all, their lives are a daily struggle. Since they have not acquired the social skills that enable us to maneuver smoothly through social situations, for them, every day at the kindergarten or at school is a battle.

To give them a true and helpful answer, we should tell them that our ego is the cause of all the wars. The ego wants to satisfy itself and not take anyone else into consideration.

Subsequently, we should tell them that just as children might squabble over a toy, grownups squabble over parts of land. Likewise, when children fight, they might hit each other with a stick or a plastic shovel, while adults use tanks and airplanes.

Nothing changes from childhood to adulthood: Another person has something I want, or that I think should be mine, and I will take it by force if I have to. This is how the ego works, and this is the reason for all the wars.

A child who is hiding from the “toys” of the grownups will understand the message very clearly. This is our chance to explain, regrettably too vividly, that fighting is not good, that if we care for each other and share with each other, everyone will have more and we will not have to fight for what we want or to protect what we have.

Once children internalize the lesson of sharing, it will stay with them for life. It will help them in their relationships with others throughout their lives, and hopefully, thanks to their mothers’ clear explanations, they will be able to avoid wars in the future.
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “No winners in case of nuclear war, but it may not matter”

With Russian nuclear arms set to high alert, and Ukraine’s nuclear reactor at risk of being bombed, the danger of a nuclear catastrophe has become very real. Everyone knows that if such a disaster were to happen, no one would win, and the results would be horrendous to all of humanity, but the ego knows no boundaries. When people are set on their own victory, nothing will stop them, not even their own physical demise.

We think of war as a clash between two (or more) physical entities, such as countries or heads of state. However, a war is a much deeper process than a conflict of interests or a power struggle. What drives wars, especially today, is the ego, and the ego does not yield to anything and listens only to itself.

The force that creates life is a force of balance, harmony, and giving. This is how it enables the creation of life, the evolution of increasingly complex creations, which survive through the collaboration and interdependence among all their parts. Therefore, life requires harmony and mutual support.

The ego is the exact opposite of that: It is a force that sees only itself, thinks only of itself, and cares only for itself. The only time the ego relates to others is when it can exploit or harm them, and thereby assert its superiority. As a result, the ego is the opposite of life.

When two or more egos clash, it creates a violent conflict, or a war. A war between two egos can end when one of them has been defeated, or when both are too exhausted to continue, so they agree to “make peace.” In truth, the “peace” is merely a truce, which will last only until one ego feels it has recuperated enough to have the power to annihilate the other, at which time it will resume the fighting. And if demolishing nuclear reactors or using nuclear weapons are required in order to defeat the enemy, the ego will readily use them.

It has nothing to do with who is in power. There are no righteous people when it comes to egoism; we are all villains in potential, since it is human nature to behave this way.

My teacher’s father, the great kabbalist and thinker Baal HaSulam, wrote about the insatiability of the ego back in the 1930s. In his momentous essay “Peace in the World,” he wrote, “In simple words, we will say that the nature of each and every person is to exploit the lives of all other people in the world for his own benefit, and all that he gives to another is only out of necessity. Even then, there is exploitation of others in it, but it is done cunningly, so his friend will not notice it and concede willingly.” Also, he adds, one “feels that all the people in the world should be under his own governance and for his own private benefit. This is an unbreakable law. The only difference is in people’s choices: One chooses to exploit people by obtaining lowly lusts, and one by obtaining governance, while the third by obtaining respect. Furthermore, if one could do it without much effort, he would agree to exploit the world with all three together—wealth, governance, and respect. However, he is forced to choose according to his possibilities and capabilities.”

Ninety years ago, when Baal HaSulam wrote these poignant words, World War II and the horrors it brought with it had not yet happened. Today, can a reasonable person doubt the power of the ego to destroy everything that stands in its way?

I do not think that the war in Ukraine will lead to a world war or to the use of nuclear arms. At least it does not seem that way right now. However, if we do not learn how to use the ego constructively rather than destructively, there is no doubt that we will find ourselves in that horrible situation for the third time. And if we do not learn the lesson, even a fourth war is possible.

To prevent complete destruction, we must teach ourselves new values—that connection and unity are more important than any form of separation and enmity. Just as our environment currently teaches us to hate and strive to dominate, we should build an environment that teaches the opposite.

I am not an educator, and I have no intention to detail specifically how this should be done. All I do know is that unless we learn how to connect with one another and truly care for our neighbors, we will destroy each other.

If we opt for war, says Baal HaSulam in another seminal composition, “The bombs will do their thing, and the relics who remain after the ruin will have no other choice but to take upon themselves this work where both individuals and nations will not work for themselves more than is necessary for their sustenance, while everything else they do will be for the benefit of others” (The Writings of the Last Generation, Part One).
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Regrettably, Mediation Will Not Win Us the World’s Heart”

Over the past several days, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been flying from capital to capital in an attempt to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. He has been making long phone calls with leaders from around the world, and seems to have positioned Israel in unfamiliar territory—the middleman. Israel, the country that is usually the target of criticism and condemnation, and which often uses middlemen to communicate with its enemies, has found itself on the conciliator seat. Unfortunately, even if Bennett succeeds, Israel’s position in the world will not improve since the world does not need us as mediators, but to make peace among ourselves and be a model of internal unity.

Israel has always been a special nation among the nations. Since its inception, its place in the world has been unclear. People did not understand the role or the purpose of the Israeli nation, but they felt that there was a reason for our existence.

As it was in the past, so it is today: The world does not welcome us among them. Nevertheless, both Russia and Ukraine seem to have accepted Bennett’s mediation and at least on the surface, they seem to play ball. For its part, the rest of the world, too, seems quite comfortable with Israel’s unusual position, as the Israeli PM reports to the US, France, and Germany about his efforts and receives their blessings.

However, for all his efforts, Bennett will not make peace between the adversaries. Perhaps he will be able to negotiate an armistice, in the best case scenario, but not peace. To achieve peace, we first need to know what it means.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “peace” as “a state of tranquility or quiet: such as freedom from civil disturbance” or “a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom.” In other words, “peace” means absence of violence or active war. In that sense, if Russia and Ukraine stopped fighting tomorrow, there would be peace between them. But would we be able to rely on such “peace”? Would we even expect it to last? Probably not, and for a good reason: it wouldn’t.

The Hebrew word for “peace” is shalom, from the words shlemut (wholeness) or hashlama (complementarity). Peace, therefore, requires the existence of two opposing and conflicting parties that possess what the other party does not possess, and decide to unite and complement each other’s deficiencies. In this way, the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts because when they are at peace, and complement one another, they both have all the qualities, including the ones that they did not have before they united with their former adversary.

Our sages wrote about it in many places. The book Likutei Etzot (Assorted Counsels), for example, defines “peace” in the following way: “The essence of peace is to connect two opposites. Hence, do not be alarmed if you see a person whose opinion is completely opposite from yours, and you think that you will never be able to make peace with him. Or, when you see two people who are completely opposite to each other, do not say that it is impossible to make peace between them. On the contrary, the essence of peace is to try to make peace between two opposites.”

The Israeli nation was formed when people of numerous tribes and clans united in the spirit of the above motto of mutual complementarity, and engendered a new nation made of all the nations in the ancient world. In a sense, they demonstrated the method by which humanity can achieve world peace.

Because the Jewish people consists of members of all the nations, all the nations feel they have a stake in the Jewish people. And because of our unique role, to demonstrate the method for achieving strong and lasting peace, they feel entitled to criticize us when they feel that we are betraying our calling.

When we make peace within us, we indirectly make peace among all the nations of the world, precisely because we contain them within us and they are our origin. Therefore, if we want to end wars once and for all, we need to carry out the one and only task that the Jewish people has ever been given: to be a model of unity, a light unto nations, and the world will support us in our efforts.
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Medium published my new article “Too Much Water Softens the Heart”

The torrential rains on Australia’s east coast have landed an unprecedented blow on hundreds of thousands of residents, and tens of thousands of homes were ruined after being inundated by floodwaters. In some places, more than 700 mm (26 inches) of rain fell in just 30 hours. The result, as one might expect, was devastating. The recovery is “likely to last months, if not years,” reported The Guardian, and another newspaper agreed stating, “It is difficult to fully comprehend the destructive impact of the flooding.”

Some of my students in Australia were also severely affected by the floods, and offered heart wrenching descriptions of the situation. Indeed, as the Chinese curse goes, we are living in interesting times.

The only way to explain such catastrophes is to look at the big picture. The final goal of humanity’s common journey is complete unity. It is the complete opposite of our current state of alienation and enmity, which are increasing the world over. The more powerful we feel, the meaner and less considerate we become. The only way to convince us to appreciate other people’s company is through upheavals that are beyond our control.

When we face nature’s fury, we are forced to surrender. Then, our hearts finally soften and open up to others. Only in dire times do we appreciate unity and mutual responsibility.

Yet, there is a difference between a blow and prolonged suffering. A blow softens our hearts and opens them to others. People in disaster areas feel closeness to their fellow-sufferers as the common plight brings them together.

Prolonged suffering, however, is when people go through extended states of hardship and hopelessness, possibly even over several generations. Under such circumstances, people are more likely to ask about the meaning of life itself than about alleviating an immediate hardship. These are the questions that eventually lead people to understand that selfishness and self-absorption are not sustainable ways to live. Even if people temporarily help each other, they have not risen above their egoism and are bound to fall back into petty struggles that will lead to more pain.

The blow that Australia’s east coast has suffered is obviously shocking and very painful. Until recently, their lives had been relatively serene and safe. Now, all of a sudden, they lose everything and have no choice but to start over, many of them from scratch. This must be traumatic for anyone.

Yet, is this the kind of blow that will make them ask about the meaning of life and lead them to seek a fundamental change within them? Have their hearts ripened for a transformation? Only time will tell.

Nevertheless, nature clearly leaves no stone unturned around the world, literally. It will toss and turn us, and pit us against each other by increasing the hatred and egoism among us. For our part, we must not wait for the agony to make people ask about life. It is our duty to tell them we will all have to connect, willingly or unwillingly, and become one united heart, since we are indeed one united soul, and only when we live accordingly can we be happy.
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My new article on Linkedin “Women Can Change the World”

Dear Women,

The celebration of the International Women’s Day is not enough to express the gratitude deserved to the women of the world for your tremendous contribution all year round, and it is an opportunity to shed light on your unique power.

The world is in the midst of a violent war which in itself is revealing the state of the whole world; it is in a bad state, a very bad state. Great forces of separation are destroying every sphere of human relationships. It is becoming clearer to us that if instead the world had developed according to the will of women, it would look completely different.

It is not for nothing that it is written, “Thanks to the righteous women, we came out of Egypt.” The term “Egypt” is the selfishness the world finds itself in and that causes all conflicts and wars. Therefore, I sincerely hope that you will help all the people of the world overcome their selfish nature so that we can all hasten the correction of the world.

Dear women, without you we cannot accomplish anything. You have the tremendous ability to awaken the forces of peace in our world, to be the catalyst for reconciliation between all the opposing camps, and to give everyone a warm embrace. If you let your heart rule the world, you will give life to everyone in the world. You are the source of life!

The Upper Force hears your prayers more and listens especially to the heart of women. Therefore, we all hope that you will pray for the convergence of hearts until we are connected as one human being with one heart and rise to a spiritual height from which a change for the better will occur for all humankind.

Together you can change the world for the better!

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