Comment: Purim is an unusual, great, and magical holiday. It is known that Haman cast lots to determine the date of the extermination of the entire Jewish people at the beginning of the year, and the lot fell on the 13th of Adar, i.e., at the end of the year. The whole story from the very beginning suggests that it was staged.

My Response: Naturally. There are dates that work for various ascents and descents for both the Jewish people and the rest of humanity. All this is in dynamic connection with each other.

Comment: The Scroll of Esther (Megilat Esther) is the only book in which the Creator is never mentioned.

My Response: It is called Esther (concealment) because the Creator is hidden, and it is unknown who and what is operating there.

The queen is also named Esther, but she is revealed. And the King, that is the upper force, is concealed. The King does not manifest himself explicitly but only through figureheads and puppets.

Comment: Then let’s move on to these figureheads and puppets. We know that Mordechai never bowed to Haman. Haman had everything, but when he saw Mordechai and his behavior, it drove him crazy.

Answer: The fact is that Haman understood that Mordechai is a force set against him, and as long as Mordechai was alive, undefeated, or at least not subdued or disgraced, he, Haman, could not rule.

Egoism cannot rule the world as long as there is a force opposite to it that will not allow it. Therefore, Haman, who personifies all natural human egoism, could not tolerate the property of bestowal, love, connection, and reciprocity, which Mordechai personifies.

Question: Why didn’t he seek some compromise?

Answer: It is impossible to do this. They are opposites: it is one or the other. Therefore when they are in conflict, there can naturally be neither peace nor victory. So, they remain in conflict. Who can prevail? Only the Jewish people together with Queen Esther.

Question: What does the Jewish people represent between these two forces?

Answer: It is the force that decides which way to turn the world. If Jews perform acts of love, bestowal, and unification among themselves, the whole world turns to follow them in the same direction.

Comment: When the Jews came out of Egypt, the Creator gave a decree to wage war against every Amalekite and destroy everything that belonged to him.

My Response: This refers to all the evil forces that are inside a person.

Question: There was a possibility of destroying all egoism multiple times in history. Is there some kind of loophole intentionally built into this scenario?

Answer: Absolutely. Until the Jews correct themselves and come to a common denominator—a common bond among them in order to pull all the nations of the world after them—Haman or his descendants will exist and will always interfere with the Jews. Basically their intrusion is their help.

Comment: You often give an example that when a negative force becomes threatening or destructive, it is helpful.

My Response: Naturally it is useful and helpful. How can you not have a plus or a minus? They complement each other and together spin the whole flywheel of history.

Question: Several women are mentioned in the Purim story: Vashti, Zeresh, and Esther. Were they just female characters, or did female power play a role throughout the story?

Answer: Vashti is the queen preceding Esther. When Vashti is concealed, Esther appears—the next female force. And most importantly, Haman’s wife is a negative, evil female force that practically stands behind him and directs everything.

Question: What do these three female images represent? What do they teach us?

Answer: They teach that in principle, female power rules the world. Egoism must surely be defeated. Haman’s femenine power, his wife, is much fiercer than he is. We should fear evil, bad women more than men.

The most evil force of nature is a selfish, bad woman. This is a terrible force that cannot be curtailed. It is insidious and can manifest itself in completely different ways and guises than she truly is.

Question: What powers do Vashti and Esther represent?

Answer: Vashti is just a small female egoism. And Esther is a concealed righteous woman, the property of Bina that men should follow. In fact, it manifests the property of the Creator, the power of the Creator, only in a hidden way. Therefore, she is called Esther, from the word “Astara”—concealment.

Comment: You often say that everything we see, all forces and images, are inside a person.

Answer: We see a theater before us being played out around us. In fact, according to the perception of reality taught by Kabbalah, what we see is inside us. Let’s say that I am sitting in the studio right now, talking to you, someone is recording something here, another person is managing something there, none of it exists. In fact, it is all in me, and I am going through all these states.

Question: How can a person who sees this story and knows these characters, recognize all the guiding forces within him and be able to choose one of them?

Answer: He should simply align himself with the positive forces and distance himself from the negative ones, and eventually reach a state when these forces begin to be revealed to him. Behind all the characters in front of him, he will see the forces controlling them. Let’s say there is a so–called angel behind you; this is nothing other than a force that controls you and does everything that is needed.

In fact, you are a completely disembodied object controlled by the force behind it as well as behind all people, inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature. This is all about the governance of our world. It happens with the help of the upper force which breaks down into all sorts of levels and sub-levels and thus controls everything.

Question: Is the story of Purim intended for the Jewish people or for everyone?

Answer: For everyone. The Jewish people have no history of their own. Their whole story is aimed at bringing all nations of the world to unity. This nation does not exist on its own; its mission is only to reveal the upper force in this world to all nations.

The fact that Jews have forgotten about this and do not engage in their mission is a liability, and they suffer because of this.

Still, we must fulfill our purpose. For thousands of years we have been stumbling on the same rake: we push it away all the time not wanting to fulfill our historical mission, which is very simple—our unity.

As soon as we begin to unite, the world around us will do the same and support us—not hate, but love us. To do this, we just need to unite among us. To the extent we love each other, the world will love us.

Everything is very simple. In fact, it is a very direct and simple covenant.

So, be good children, as everyone has probably heard from their mothers: do not fight, do not argue, be close to each other, and the world around you will become closer and warmer. This is what the great Purim holiday is about. This is the essence of the vast upper goal of development of all mankind.
[243445]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 3/22/19

Related Material:
The Scroll Of Esther: Purim Here And Now
Purim: The End Of Correction
Rejoicing In Purim

Filed under: Holidays, Israel, Nations of the World, News - No Comments →

Question: What makes us unique?

Answer: Our uniqueness lies in the fact that we show humanity the right path forward, and if we do not show it, then humanity will simply perish in civil strife, in wars, in anything.

Now nature is putting pressure on us to make ourselves ready for peace, friendship, and mutual understanding so that we give up many of our goals, including completely unnecessary ones, and exist only for the love of our neighbor.
[326526]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/12

Related Material:
The Nation on an Ideological Basis
The People Of Israel And A Biased Court
The Mystery of Israel

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

Question: Many adults in Israel, particularly parents, are distressed and sad that children these days are immersed in mobile phones, computer games, and artificial intelligence and don’t pay attention to the older generation. This generation has even been called the lost generation.

And suddenly now, that war has come to Israel, the children went to fight, and suddenly they are so concerned about their parents, about each other, about the future of the country, about the unity of the people! We read their letters; these are lofty letters addressed to us! We begin to understand that it is not them, but us that are the lost generation. Us! They are 19 years old and older and are living by the ideology of unity, while we (their parents) are still embroiled in political disputes, insisting on our own, believing we are right. It is impossible to root out this spirit of being right from us.

So, the question is: Do you think that some sort of revolution suddenly took place?

Answer: I believe this generation will take matters into their own hands regarding human relationships and nature. They will force nature to change.

Question: Will they not drown in us, in our so-called “wisdom”?

Answer: No, I think they will be able to break free from this swamp in which people have languished for millennia.

Comment: But look, in our politics, for example, it is mainly the older generation that are confident in themselves, with political and military experience, and they seem to rule.

My Response: That does not mean anything.

Question: Does the country need the experience of such a politician or the experience of a nineteen-year-old who has felt what unity is?

Answer: The country needs a person who evaluates the life of the nation by its assembly, union, bonding, and connection. There have not been many such leaders throughout the entire Jewish history. I hope that such a leader will emerge among the people like Ben-Gurion and Baal HaSulam combined in one person.

Question: So, does this war help give birth to such a leader?

Answer: Yes, I think it has to happen.

Question: Do we need to make room for this?

Answer: This space will be freed up by squeezing out everything else from people, and only this desire for unity will occupy the space.

Question: Are you now talking about a leader, regardless of age or experience?

Answer: I think it does not matter.

Question: Will this combat experience of unity be instilled in this person?

Answer: Yes, I think this is how it should be. It is a kind of revolution in each person, and we are approaching it.

Comment: So, you feel that the generation…

My Response: Is not lost.

Question: Could it be that they might be wiser than us?

Answer: Yes, we live in the generation of the true exodus from Egypt. Let’s hope that Moses will appear among us and will lead the entire nation.
[326587]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/12/24

Related Material:
A Sign of the Last Generation
The Time Of The Last Generation Is Coming
If We Want to Live like Humans

Filed under: Children, Education, Israel Today, News, Television - No Comments →

Question: The king had a faithful friend. They spent all their time together, and no matter what happened, the friend would always say: “This is good.”

Once they went hunting. The king’s gun exploded and blew off his finger. The friend said: “This is good!” The king got angry and sent him to prison for many years. Some time passed, and while the king was traveling far from home, his caravan was attacked by cannibals. The cannibals ate everyone except the king.

They had a superstition to never to eat people with physical defects. When the king returned home, the first thing he did was run to the prison and ask for forgiveness from his friend. And the friend exclaimed: “But it is good that you put me in prison!” “Why?” “Otherwise, I would have been with you on that journey.” In other words, the cannibals would have eaten him too.

Question: Is it possible to say that everything, absolutely everything, that happens is good?

Answer: That is absolutely right! In our world, this is true in all cases.

Comment: In our world, it is almost impossible, and you say that this is true in all cases.

My Response: Correct. Everything happens for the best.

Question: Tell me, how can one learn this? It is a question everyone has. How can one learn this in our world where everything seems to speak to the contrary that everything leads to the worst: wars, suffering, death of loved ones?

Answer: If we accept everything as coming from the Creator, then we must say that everything is for the best, and everything is moving toward correction. And in reality, the world is not getting worse; it is getting better.

Comment: So there is only one gate here that needs to be opened. If we believe that everything comes from the Creator, if we understand that, we know that everything comes from the Creator. We just need to feel it or reveal it, and then everything will be fine.

My Response: Yes.

Question: Can this be achieved through mechanical repetition? Can it be done with exercises? How can one realize that there is none else beside Him, that everything is from Him?

Answer: There is simply one force that governs everything and wants us to rise to its level.

Question: You know, there are theories that the Creator has abandoned the world, left us as we are, that He is not good, and so on. There are all sorts of versions like that. Why should I come to the version that everything is good and that it all comes from Him?

Answer: Because that is what Kabbalists say. I accept their opinion without any doubt. And then I gradually discover that it is really true.

Question: So you are saying that we need to grasp onto this opinion and hold onto the Kabbalists no matter what? Is this also called faith above reason?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So even if I feel bad, I hold onto the belief that it is all for the best.

Why all of this is hidden from us? Why can’t we at some point be given a little hint, like a little child being given support, and the Creator will open up for a moment? Just open up.

Answer: No! That would be a completely lost game!

Question: Even if just a tiny bit were revealed?

Answer: There would be no grip because everything would be known and the whole game would be lost.

Comment: That is, suddenly these insane pleasures would be revealed…

My Response: Not just pleasures—the truth would be revealed.

Question: And you  would understand that this is the truth?

Answer: Yes, and after that, there are no doubts, and there is no need to live, and there are no justifications for anything. And again, you need to invent: good—evil, crime—punishment, and so on.

Question: So doubts are necessary, experiences are necessary, ups and downs, everything is necessary?

Answer: Absolutely!

Question: Is evil necessary, good, truth, falsehood, is all of this necessary?

Answer: And in between all of that, man lives in turmoil.

Comment: It is beautiful, but it is not easy.

My Response: This is life. There is no bad in the world at all. And the way it is designed, it is beautiful!
[325520]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/4/24

Related Material:
Everything Passes
The Plague Of The Century
The Secret Of Happiness

Filed under: News, Perception, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: What state does Israel ideally need to achieve in its relationship with the world?

Answer: The world should realize, based on our actions, that we can truly bring peace to the world and that we cannot be broken, persuaded, or pressured into agreeing to anything.

The world should know that we have an historical, I would say, mission, and we are obligated to fulfill it. The world should change in such a way that it will wholeheartedly assist us in this.

Question: Does this depend on us?

Answer: This depends on us. This is the future of the world. It lies in assisting Israel restoring itself, and then there will be peace in the whole world.
[326441]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/12/24

Related Material:
How Should The Israel-Palestinian Conflict Be Solved? (Quora)
“Unifying Israel: A Call to Action for a Better Future” (Times of Israel)
“What Are the Main Challenges That Israel Faces Today?” (Times of Israel)

Filed under: Crisis, Globalization, Israel, Israel Today, Nations of the World, News - No Comments →

Question: A mouse found a treasure and widened the entrance to its burrow to fit the treasure through, with it, came a hungry cat.

The story is about a mouse. Does it follow that we should be content with cheese and a burrow and not seek to find treasures? Should we draw such a conclusion from this?

Answer: The conclusion is simple. What you have is enough, you do not need more.

Comment: But it even warns you of the danger that widening the entrance for the treasure will result in a hungry cat coming in.

My Response: Yes.

Question: So it is even dangerous for us to accumulate, to want more?

Answer: Hoarding is definitely harmful.

Comment: But wanting more, more, and more than enough; I was fine with cheese, but I suddenly found a treasure.

Answer: If you have enough for today, you will have more for tomorrow, don’t worry.

Question: Do you state this as a rule? If I have a piece of cheese today, will I have it tomorrow too?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And you should not seek anything above it?

Answer: Nothing.

Question: Is it possible to appease humanity this way? It is always in search of better “cheese.”

Answer: I have nothing to say here, that is the nature of man. But in general, you should not.

Question: Can we find the treasure, but not let the hungry cat in?

Answer: What are we going to do with it?

Comment: I don’t know: put it in the bank to generate some income.

Answer: No, you will have to deal with preserving it and protecting it so it does not diminish, and so on.

Question: So a lot of money requires care and maintenance?

Answer: Of course.

Question: Do our lives pass in pursuit of this?

Answer: Yes.

Question: This is a rather Kabbalistic parable about growing desires that require fulfillment. It is human nature. How does a person limit these desires? They keep growing.

Answer: You need to convince yourself this will never make you richer, you will never become more confident or at peace. On the contrary, your life will turn into an endless pursuit of everything.

Question: Should I feel some danger in this?

Answer: Yes, we must try to somehow distance ourselves to protect ourselves from this.

Question: And you should convince yourself that what you have is enough?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is the upper law the same if we are speaking of spirituality?

Answer: Calmness, the main thing is to calm down concerning all material acquisitions.

Question: Then in this calm I don’t want anything, or do I still want something?

Answer: No, I only want what I have for today, what I need. That is all.

Question: And do you think that if I come to this thought I will have enough for tomorrow?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can we calm everything down, all revolutions, wars, and so on?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can a person achieve this, or is it just a fantasy to work with our nature like this?

Answer: A person can achieve this.

Comment: So the correct conclusion is to bring into the house only what fits in the burrow. Not to widen it.

My Response: Yes.
[325761]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/15/24

Related Material:
A Reasonable Balance
Run Away from Big Money
How To Deal With Financial Losses

Filed under: Crisis, Egoism, Globalization, News - No Comments →

Question: What new property, what new addition, should appear in every Israeli?
After all, we are going through completely new states. What else should be added to Israelis?

Answer: Israelis should develop added awareness of their mission in the history of humanity and awareness of their uniqueness in history.

Question: Do you believe that this is absent now?

Answer: Yes, and now, precisely in order to affirm this theses, we must unite and definitely win this war.
[326488]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/12/24

Related Material:
How Should The Israel-Palestinian Conflict Be Solved? (Quora)
“Unifying Israel: A Call to Action for a Better Future” (Times of Israel)
“What Are the Main Challenges That Israel Faces Today?” (Times of Israel)

Filed under: Israel, Israel Today, News - No Comments →

Question: There is a war going on in Israel right now. It feels like everything is breaking apart.

On the one hand, there are hostages. Hamas detains hostages whose parents and relatives say: “We love our children more than we hate Hamas.” This is natural.

On the other hand, the parents of the dead soldiers urge those who are fighting to fight to the end. They write: “Our eyes are filled with tears, but our hearts are boiling, we stand up straight and say: “Continue bravely to victory! Eliminate the threat to our homes and protect our children.”

How should a decision be made in such cases?

Answer: We need to do what is best for the country. And what is best for the country, of course, is to destroy these animals. Because any weakness will later turn into tragedy later. We can already see this.

Question: So if you stand by this firmly as a leader, have decided, and are rigidly pursuing this policy, do you think that sooner or later…?

Answer: I do not know when “sooner or later” or what will happen, but I believe we simply have no other choice! Especially after we have just seen what they have prepared for and how they are preparing. Aside from Gaza, it is everywhere. This is in the north and the south, up to Iran and Yemen, and so on.

There are haters everywhere, and we must stand up and find a solution to the problem that is acceptable to us! Not to them. For them, we just need to be brought to a state where we are ready for anything. But we are not ready for everything. We must be ready for anything to give nothing away!

Question: Us means a country, a nation, and that’s it?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: The fact that this will divide the country is for you as a leader…

My Response: I don’t think it will divide us. I think in the end we need exactly this internal breakdown that will convince people there is no other way.

Question: Is this not a discussion, it is just a decision?

Answer: It is a decision. This decision may be bloody, but it must be such.

Question: Do you think any weakness will only lead to more and more victims?

Answer: Of course, naturally. There is no doubt about it.

Comment: After all, it was easier for King David. He seemed to be in full contact with the upper force.

My Response: I don’t think his state was easier, after all he fought for 40 years. So, it couldn’t have been easier.

Question: In order to make such a decision, do we have to somehow consider that we are in the holy land, that this is the land of our ancestors?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Should these exalted words be voiced?

Answer: All these exalted words should be voiced. We must use them every time, even though they do not come so much from our hearts. But we must get past this state where we are no longer visitors from foreign lands, but live here on our land long enough to know what we are fighting for.

Question: If we repeat even, as you say, mechanically: “This is our land, and we will not give up an inch of this land,” does it enter your heart in a while?

Answer: Yes, absolutely.

Question: What system is at work here? For example, a person does not feel it.

Answer: Self-persuasion.

Question: And the heart accepts, and that’s how I live. Does the decision become clear then?

Answer: Yes.

Question: It turns out that the way out of this is always to keep going along this line?

Answer: If you go forward boldly, like on the edge of a knife, you gain confidence, strength, and victory.

Question: What needs to be done to feel that the upper force is with us, that the Creator is with us?

Answer: To do this, first of all, we need to take a step toward the Creator and demand for Him to be revealed to us and the whole world.

Question: Is it a step toward the Creator to say, “You brought us here, and we stand for this land”?

Answer: Yes.
[326861]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/26/24

Related Material:
Terrorism in Israel: The Need for Long-Term Solutions
What Does Israel Need to Win?
Jews Cannot Be Annihilated

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

Question: Once upon a time there lived a man who lived very badly and sinned. He decided to come to his senses and began doing good deeds, but he did not notice any significant changes for the better.

One day he was walking down the street and saw that a button from an old woman’s coat had fallen off. He looks at it and thinks: “Should I lift it or not? She has a lot of buttons.” He decided to pick it up anyway. He caught up with the old lady, gave her the button, moved on, and forgot about the matter.

When he passed away, he awaited judgement to hell or to heaven. There were scales: the left side of the scale, Libra, was full; it is the evil side, The right side, the side measuring good, was empty. He thinks he is on his way to hell when an angel arrives, puts a small button on the right scale pan, and it tipped the scale to the side of good.

The man was amazed: “Just one button tipped the scale!” He heard the angel say: “Because you thought that you were doing good deeds, they disappeared. But it was precisely this button that you forgot about that was enough for you to be saved.”

The question is that since it is natural to think you have done good, you find yourself constantly thinking about the good you did each day. But it turns out that this is not really good at all and what you didn’t think about at all, but just forgot about, was some kind of good deed. Why is this so? Why can’t yo count the good deeds in this world?

Answer: This is simply because you should do it based on an inner, pure desire for good. But you do it just to check off that you have done good deeds.

Question: So if I am keeping track in my mind, “I did a good deed,” it is actually not a good deed at all?

Answer: There are many people in the world who wake up in the morning and start counting how many good deeds they have done.

Comment: And by the end of the day, they come with such a righteous feeling.

My Response: Try recording good deeds in a small notebook and keep it with you, at the bus stop, at work, etc.

Comment: When you shake someone’s hand, help an old lady cross the street, and so on, and so on.

My Response: Yes-yes-yes.

Question: And in your opinion, are those not good deeds?

Answer: You are living with the fact that you are accumulating good deeds for the future.

Question: But are they still good deeds?

Answer: No, you are doing it solely for yourself. Remove your own benefit from here, and you will ignore everything and will not do anything.

Question: What is my benefit then? That I feel good, that I am doing good deeds?

Answer: No, it is that you are making the Creator obligated to somehow repay you.

Question: I see. So it is like I am earning my place in heaven, but this cannot be done. So how am I supposed to live? How do I count my steps, based on what? It turns out that my seemingly insignificant acts like picking up a button, catching up with an old lady, and giving it back…

Answer: You cannot! If you do not overcome your egoism and do not act against it; you will not perform a good deed. It will be pre-sold.

Question: So I am bribed all the time?

Answer: Yes, this is what Kabbalah is about.

Comment: That is why this science is not easy. There is always something beyond reason. Always! And I cannot live without reason.

My Response: You have to calculate if it is worth doing something or not, how much do I gain with each action, interaction.

Question: So I live like that? Is that how everyone lives?

Answer: Yes.

Question: But I shouldn’t?

Answer: No, you should not. But how do you do that? That is why it is said that everything must be done in faith above reason.

Question: Can you explain in simple terms what faith above reason means?

Answer: If a person imagines that he is doing very, very good deeds that he will benefit from later, then it is all a failure from the start.

Question: With what intention should I perform deeds then?

Answer: Absolutely selflessly.

Question: So that I get nothing, no benefit?

Answer: Unselfishly. There will be benefit to the world and people, and to me—nothing. As if no one knows about it and will never find out.

Comment: So my name is not anywhere. It is not engraved in stone, not in the credits, my name is nowhere.

My Response: No.

Question: So I do it and that’s it?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: Right, and artists, and not only artists, will faint when they hear this. The whole copyright system is built on the idea that “This is my music, my creation, if you use it, you must pay,” etc. The whole world is built on this! And we are going against the world.

My Response: Yes, you can write in your notebook just for yourself and then burn it. But all the same, even in such actions when a person thinks about what he will get for it, saving up for a rainy day, it is still good to act that way. It does not really give them any real benefit, but it is still good. There will be less evil in the world because of it. And good deeds will start from a higher threshold, from a higher level.

Comment: What about the actions when a person really tells himself: “I did a good deed”? He is not thinking: “Will I get to heaven for this or not, I am just doing a good deed.”

My Response: He elevates himself to a higher level and should start working from there.

Question: You know, we just saved the world. Because the world looked and said, “This is impossible to achieve—faith above reason.” But have you just given a step: Do these things anyway; they will not be good deeds, but they will be a step toward good deeds?

Answer: Yes, and then a person should get used to doing such actions, not for himself, but for the world. And that is when their soul begins to open up toward the world.

Question: What is this space called the soul? What kind of space is it?

Answer: It is an absolutely empty space that a person must fill with his desire.

Question: Toward the world? From him? And nothing for himself?

Answer: Nothing.

Question: Is this the stage that humanity is heading toward?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And can it reach it?

Answer: Of course!
[325478]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/8/24

Related Material:
Joy—The Result Of Good Deeds
Why Do You Want To Be Good?
“How Do you Define Good And Bad?” (Quora)

Filed under: Body and Soul, Children, Education, News - No Comments →

There are two ways of being happy: We may either diminish our wants or augment our means — either will do — the result in the same; and it is for each man to decide for himself, and do that which happens to be the easiest. If you are idle or sick or poor, however hard it may be to diminish your wants, it will be harder to augment your means. If you are active and prosperous or young and in good health, it may be easier for you to augment your means than to diminish your wants. But if you are wise, you will do both at the same time, young or old, rich or poor, sick or well; and if you are very wise you will do both in such a way as to augment the general happiness of society (Benjamin Franklin, “On True Happiness,” 1785).

Question: Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, was a diplomat, philosopher, and writer. He is also attributed with coining the aphorism “Remember time is money.” By the way, he is also featured on the $100 bill.

Do you agree with his path of happiness being simultaneously increasing opportunities and reducing desires? Is this possible?

Answer: Otherwise it won’t work. Reducing your desires is not bad, but it can be an escape from difficulties and life. In general, I’m against it. I am for balancing the desired with the possible and moving forward.

Question: My desires should coincide with my capabilities is the surest way?

Answer: Yes.

Question: One way or another, you always say: “The science of Kabbalah says that desires will grow, and you will not escape it.” Will they grow all the time?

Answer: Certainly.

Question: And what are you doing in parallel? Here, the desire grows.

Answer: You balance these desires with your capabilities. As you get older, you slowly become wiser. So, you don’t come out too wildly with those desires.

Question: In fact, you say this: the desire grows, and you say: “I can’t do this.” Is this my wisdom? That is, I will not master this desire.

Answer: Yes, it gets automatically cut off.

Question: And if I live like this in this state, do I come to some kind of balance?

Answer: Yes, I don’t want more than I need.

Question: Isn’t this called retirement or rest?

Answer: So? There is a place for this.

Comment: There is a place somewhere when you are already old.

My Response: I don’t know. I consider myself elderly, and I feel that the time has come when I need to limit myself somehow.

Question: Is what we discuss suitable for older people, or is it ideal for young people with growing desires?

Answer: Young people simply need to position themselves correctly so that desires and opportunities are on the same level.

Question: On the same level, I can afford this, but I can’t afford the other. Is it?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What if there is no balance if I strive for desire?

Answer: Then a person is always in search, in rising—in falling, in rising—in falling.

Question: Is this bad?

Answer: In this case, he does not achieve a balance between what is desired and what is actual.

Question: Should I achieve it?

Answer: Preferably.

Question: The science of Kabbalah says this: man is a desire. What does this mean?

Answer: Desire is the essence of man. And man exists to fulfill his desires.

Comment: By nature, I only want to receive pleasure. Only!

My Response: Yes.

Question: What does it mean to fulfill my desires? I can’t be filled, and I always want to receive.

Answer: Everything you see around you automatically sort and accept what is essential to you and what is not necessary and put them into practice. And so, you move.

Question: What does Kabbalah say? Does it say this is how you should live?

Answer: Kabbalah says that you must understand what your life consists of and what desires consist of. What should you strive for, and what desires should you realize? Put them in front of you. Choose the most important, the most essential of them. Then, you can calm down because there will be no more choices, and you can only work on the desire you want to reach.

Question: What desire should a person ideally strive for?

Answer: Strive for the greatest: to balance with the Creator, that is, to desire what the Creator desires.

Question: What does the Creator want?

Answer: We need to ask Him.

Question: So a person must ask: What do you want? Should I get an answer?

Answer: I should get an answer! Most certainly! Otherwise what is there to live for?

Question: Can’t he go mindlessly? Assume and go like this?

Answer: No.

Question: Could he be following someone?

Answer: No, that is wrong. It is like a little child following a big one.

Question: The answer I receive, where do I get it? How do I understand that this is the answer and not a hoax?

Answer: This is when you achieve peace.
[324904]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/14/23

Related Material:
How Can You Make Happiness Follow You?
How Can I Get What I Lack?
How to Sculpt Your Happiness

Filed under: News - No Comments →