Question: Many people want to conquer Everest, one of the highest peaks on Earth. The height of Mount Everest reaches 8,848 meters above sea level. Climbers and scientists have given this high area of the mountain the name “death zone.”

Why does a person strive to conquer these unreachable peaks?

Answer: It is a sport, a game, to prove to yourself that you can do it, like others. There is a desire in man to establish himself above nature.

Question: A person strives to conquer a mountain, reach higher, be better, and prove to himself and others that he can overcome the limit of human strength. What should he do higher, better, overcoming, and not yielding in his inner spiritual ascent?

Answer: In general, a person wants to conquer peaks, to be above nature, to rise above himself, and to realize himself at the most critical point. This is a human trait.

Of course, an animal will not go there. It understands perfectly what is better or worse and always strives for maximum comfort.

For man, on the contrary, the zone of maximum comfort means nothing if there is still an opportunity to assert himself as a person. Because inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels of nature exist in him, but even higher than that is a level of human in him.

Question: What is the human level that haunts him and pushes him into all these dangers?

Answer: He wants to be above nature. There is an additional point in him called human. But it resides inside the animal in him. Therefore, when we develop the human in us, the animal begins to suffer: “Why on earth are you thinking not of me, not of the animal, but of something above me?” Then, we enter a conflict: the human strives upward and the animal dies.

If a person truly aimed to rise above the animal level in him, he would not cross oceans, storm mountain peaks, or descend to the depths of the sea. The meaning of life is not found in these places; it lies in the conquest of one’s inner nature and environment.

Question: What does it mean to rise above the level of nature from the point of view of Kabbalah?

Answer: To rise above the level of nature is to rise above one’s egoism. Because our egoism is in us on three levels: inanimate, vegetative, and animate to rise above it means to rise above our egoism, that is, from a state of hatred of one’s neighbor to love of one’s neighbor.

Question: Why is it easier to conquer the outer peaks or outer depths?

Answer: This is even greater elevation of egoism, the desire to raise it higher! I want to be proud of it: “Look at me! My animal climbed where no animal has ever climbed, but I have!”

What is human about this? Nothing! If a car can do it, what is the point of my going there?

Question: You met with the head of a large Aikido organization. During the conversation, he said Kabbalah speaks about the amazing vertical connection between man and God.

What is this connection that helps a person anticipate what will happen in the future: the outcome of a duel, the outcome of events?

Answer: This is when a person rises above his nature. When I am clearly aware that from all sides, where my “I” exists, I try to go above it. But I do not have to climb up or dive down to do that. To do so, I just need inner tension, my desire to come out of myself.

I ask nature for help to let me do this. In this way, I transcend rather than try to do it physically.

Question: What does it mean to go above the “I”?

Answer: Beyond egoism, from hating others to loving others.

Question: Many welcome this. Why do they not want to implement it?

Answer: It is very, very difficult. It takes not just a method but all the external conditions to implement it correctly. It is not easy.

Just like Mount Everest, many people want to climb, but very few succeed, and they even die within a few meters left to go.

But I feel we are moving toward a state of humanity and nature where we can literally overcome this barrier, the potential transition between egoism and love.

Question: What will bring the needed luck?

Answer: What will help us overcome this spiritual ascent? Revealing the greatness of the goal. It will be revealed to us as grand and special, and then we can rise to it.
[251619]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 8/22/19

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Question: Let’s talk a little about what happened this year. There have been many events, we need to read and explore all of this. I checked what people searched for the most on the Internet: the Olympic Games in Paris, elections in different countries, and the most was Donald Trump’s victory. This greatly interested the world. I’ll share other things that were highly viewed.

There were millions, almost billions, of views for the pygmy hippo Mu Deng born in Thailand. She bathes, she smiles, and people just keep watching, watching, watching.

There was the confrontation between two rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake. They lived peacefully creating their rap music until suddenly they started fighting, hating each other, insulting one another, pouring it all into their songs. And people are following this fight.

The successes of SpaceX—the space company; it seems people still dream of leaving the Earth.

Dubai chocolate is of great interest. There is a milk chocolate with pistachio filling, which got billions of views.

And then there’s natural disasters and much more.

Meanwhile, wars continued here and in Europe.

People are barely interested in scientific discoveries, Nobel laureates, or history.

I would like to ask you: how would you sum up 2024?

Answer: I do not know. It is time to shut it all down.

Question: You mean all of this?

Answer: All of it, really.

Comment: So you have little optimism about…

My Response: It is not that I have no optimism; I just have nothing to base it on. Everything is going downhill.

Question: Why do entertainers, like these rapper conflicts, interest people much more than anything else?

Answer: What else can they do? Where else can they throw themselves?

Question: So there is less empathy for wars, tragedies, suffering?

Answer: Of course.

Question: People are escaping, right?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: So a person does not go where…

Answer: They already have enough pain of their own. Personal troubles overshadow global ones.

Question: Is it possible that through interests in sports and entertainment people might eventually come to understand deeper things? That they will watch all this and gradually begin to ask: “Why am I watching this?”

Answer: They will. All this will lead them to the question of the meaning of life, of everything.

Question: So there is a positive seed in this, right?

Answer: I do not see people being able to evaluate their lives, their mission, and their purpose from a perspective where they would demand the Creator to reveal the full picture of creation to them. Humanity has lost itself.

This, I would say, is my diagnosis. At this point, millions will jump up and shout: “How can this be? What about this, what about that?” Live and you will see that even including this and that, and everything else, in the end, will all turn into one impassable swamp.

Question: Then tell me, if you could somehow guide humanity toward a single topic, and people would listen to you, what topic would you direct them to?

Answer: That is obvious—the meaning of life. I rely on the Creator; I completely believe in Him.

Question: Are you speaking about humanity or yourself right now?

Answer: About humanity.

I completely believe in Him. I completely align myself with Him. And in my understanding, that is how it looks. Give unto the Creator what is the Creator’s and to man what is his after the Creator takes His due.

Comment: I simply rely on Him, that is all.

My Response: Yes.

Question: But that is the right choice, to rely on the Creator?

Answer: I do not see any other option.
[339936]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/16/24

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Comment: A new type of depression called “smiling depression” has been identified. It involves presenting a happy appearance and hiding depressive symptoms. This is becoming more and more widespread.

People are busy in life, they have a profession, children, family, hobbies, and at the same time they are in constant depression. Outwardly they smile and present a happy appearance, but inside they are in real turmoil.

My Response: It seems to me that it affects huge parts of humanity today—the masses.

We live in a world in which our egoism is constantly developing. And what suited and satisfied us 1,000 years ago, ceased to satisfy us 500 years ago. And today it does not satisfy us at all.

At the beginning of the 20^th century when a person had something to eat, something to wear, and a place to sleep, the average person was happy, but today this is not an indicator that person would be in a comfortable state. This happens because our egoism grows and demands much greater fulfillment from a person, even the one that a person himself does not know about.

I just feel bad and I am empty! Did I eat? I think I ate. Did I sleep? I slept. Do I have a place to sleep? Yes. Do I have something to eat? Yes. Something to wear? I have that too. I have a job and everything else. What do I lack? I myself do not know.

Question: And what does a person lack?

Answer: The feeling of fulfillment, the feeling of happiness. That is what is missing. I may have everything, but I feel empty.

“What do you lack? Tell me what it is. I will write it down, and I promise to provide you with this.”

“You cannot provide me with this. I have to fill myself with something. There is emptiness inside me that I cannot fill in any way—not by drinking, eating, or anything. You can tickle me, and I will not laugh. I do not have this fulfillment!”

Question: How can a person find it?

Answer: There is no way. There is a feeling of lack inside him, a feeling of inner emptiness that cannot be filled with anything in our world.

You can take him, like a child, on a carousel, on walks, on trips, spin some movies in front of him, whatever, he will remain the same. He will watch some of it, it will distract him a little, but he will still feel that this is just an escape from emptiness. That is, there is emptiness, and he rises above it a little, but does not leave it.

Question: The famous Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl wrote that the cornerstone of good mental health is a purpose in life. Is finding the meaning of life necessary?

Answer: In our time, yes. In the past, the meaning of life was just to survive.

I lived in Lithuania at one time. People who lived there before the Soviet regime told me how everything had been arranged.

In the morning you went somewhere to work. Work, as a rule, was not permanent, because it is a small country. If you were lucky, you got work, you got paid for the day, you came home, you had something to eat—for yourself, for your family, and so on. And so it was for ordinary people who were not rich. This is how people lived. That is, if a person earned some money that day and he had something to feed himself and his family, he was happy.

50 years have passed. Can such a way of life be considered successful for a modern person today—that in the morning he does not know where he will earn money, and in the evening he does not know how he will feed himself and his family? No, a person needs a lot of things.

His egoism has become much wider and much deeper. He needs to know how much he is earning, when he receives his salary, what he will buy with it, where he will go on vacation to have fun, where his children will study, what his pension will be, and in general, really everything!

Question: So now he must take care of this by himself?

Answer: His needs have grown so much, and he cannot do anything about it; it is his inner egoism that has developed so much, not that he is spoiled that he cannot be happy today from receiving some minimal portion of the necessary fulfillment.

He does not even know what kind of fulfillment, even if he has everything. After all, this depression affects practically all ranks of society.

Question: Where is the way out of this labyrinth of life?

Answer: I do not know. But I remember that I was like that in my generation, and it was hard for me. Throughout my childhood and youth, I was in such a semi-depressive state until I found my serious occupation—Kabbalah.

I did not know how to fill myself and why I existed. All that was somehow far-fetched, that I had to bear this burden of life by all means. Why?! What for?! This is the most terrible thing! That is, when you get up in the morning and ask yourself: “Why did I get up? Why did I wake up?”

And these states are constant in people who are spiritually elevated or must be spiritually elevated, even in a Kabbalist, because new demands appear in them, which they realize and rise up the spiritual steps in the attainment of the upper one.

But when this emptiness that requires filling is revealed in you, and you do not yet know what kind of filling, then you are in a state that, in general, is defined as depression, although it is not depression.

For Kabbalists, this is not depression; they love these states because they know in advance that they will fill them, that in this emptiness they will attain the feeling of the upper world.

We are in a new generation, when modern people manifest this emptiness, these demands, and these huge desires. But in our world we cannot find any filling for them. They must receive this filling from the next level.

Question: We are not talking about clinical depression, which is a mental illness. What is the recipe for happiness or a way out of this smiling depression, or just low spirits?

Answer: One fire drives out another. There is no other way. We must necessarily find a filling for this internal demand of emptiness. And it is in the meaning of life.

People, in principle, ask this. But even if they do not ask, this question exists in them. This is a question that gnaws at them, and they are afraid to ask it. A person is afraid to admit to himself that he does not know what he lives for, and this is precisely what does not give him the energy to live.

Question: Why is he afraid?

Answer: Because there is no answer. And to find yourself in front of emptiness.

Comment: It is scary.

My Response: It is not that it is scary; it practically destroys me as a rational being who exists rationally and knows why he exists. If I tell myself that I do not know why I exist, then I am, in principle, nothing. And that makes me feel even worse. Because of this I will just lie down and not get up.

Question: So what is the meaning of life for a person?

Answer: The meaning of life is to reveal our spiritual root in which we exist eternally and plunge into our earthly world temporarily in order to rise even higher with its help. That is, you need to see this entire system and participate in it.

Then a person begins to work on himself spiritually. He reveals the upper world, the control system, the system of the universe, and sees what he must do in order to feel himself realizing a huge plan every minute!

Question: What does a person gain by revealing this world?

Answer: He reveals, and he sees with all his senses, with all his fiber, absorbs the entire universe, feels himself directly a part of it, and interacts with it. He affects the world, and the world affects him.

And then his great game begins, like a child with his toys. It captivates him. Of course, it is not easy and not right away but, in principle, if he already begins to understand that this is destined for him, this is already a great development.

The most important thing is to feel yourself in front of the door, to come close to it, and then it will open.
[247988]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/12/19

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Comment: Scientists say that digitalization is accelerating, but the problem is that we do not know exactly where this express train is headed. We understand many processes will go faster and this will change our lives. We know nothing except the speed at which we are moving.

My Response: We have always developed this way. Has humanity ever ordered a program for its development? The Bolsheviks wanted to build communism. What came of it? Socialists with socialism, and Capitalists with capitalism. What came of it?

Humanity has never made any plans of its own and then implemented them when they voted and went to implement them and then had everything work out. It has never happened in my life or throughout history. And now we are doing the same thing. Only time is accelerating, nothing else.

Comment: If a person had the whole arsenal of tools and knew the way, would there always be some kind of error at the end?

My Response: What error? On the contrary, everything works out! The error is exactly the opposite.

Question: Why doesn’t this lead to even more destruction?

Answer: There are protective forces of nature that trip us, the foolish, and redirect the express train of history just in time. They put us on a different track so we do not plunge into the abyss altogether.

Question: So are we initially going down the wrong path?

Answer: We are still following the path nature leads us on. The fact that we agree with it or not speaks only about the comfort of this journey. You are riding in a cushioned carriage or riding on buffers between cars or riding on the roof.

Comment: At some point will fate turn you in a certain direction?

My Response: It will not turn you anywhere. It leads you where you need to go.

Comment: Researchers say many fear losing their jobs in this chaotic world when, with the development of technology, their professions will no longer be in demand.

My Response: This will happen anyway.

Comment: This fear generates dangerous trends in society, and they cannot be suppressed by force. Some experts say that people should not just be retrained and given another profession to replace the outdated one; they should be integrated into a system of continuous education throughout their lives.

My Response: That is right. This is what the science of Kabbalah has been saying for many years. We need to educate people and create huge enterprises to re-educate the masses. There will be classes in applied arts, music, dance, all kinds of games, psychology, everything.

Most importantly, they will all follow one principle: connection among people, a positive connection. That is all and nothing more is needed.

Comment: Scientists say that everyone’s inner willingness to change depends on whether we can offer people some kind of perspective.

My Response: This is the perspective. When we are connected among ourselves, in this connection, we will begin to feel new phenomena of our life, new stages of our life, a whole new life, a life that will lift us above time, above our physiological states. We will enter a completely different arena.

Comment: They also say that we need to show some perspective, but we do not know what it is.

My Response: Eternity, perfection, goodness, great achievements, attainments, and entry to a new space—all this must be given to people. They need to be shown this: what man was created for, what he should achieve, what he should begin to feel, why this is before him, and how he can achieve it—precisely through the correct connection between people.

In the connection of people, in “Love your neighbor as yourself,” when you begin to exist in good, correct contact with others, within this contact, you find the entrance to the next world.

Comment: So the world is simply collapsing from all sides.

My Response: Nothing is collapsing! On the contrary, we are entering the next degree. We are not destroying anything.

Question: Alexander Asmolov, Director of Humanitarian Policy at a major Russian university, says: “Our problem is that we teach people to adapt. Not to change with the world, but only to adapt to the current conditions. This hinders our readiness to face challenges that have not yet occurred.”

How can we help a person to change rather than adapt?

Answer: We have nothing to adapt to. Our world is becoming such that by constantly adapting to it, we are coming to a dead end. Then we fall with the world. But we need to separate, we need to start rising. It depends only on our good connection with each other. That is all.

Therefore, the correct result of our engagement with society, with this generation, should be that they will be able to unite among themselves and begin to feel the next level of the universe in this connection.

Comment: Scientists also say that our psyche is capable of working in constantly changing conditions, that each person has unique opportunities for reflection, critical understanding of the world, and changing stereotypes. They say the most important is that we have a tolerance for uncertainty. So It seems that people are internally ready for this new state. What will trigger it?

My Response: The way out is to reveal the science of Kabbalah to the world. Nothing else, because there is no other method that is even close to it. That is first. Second, people must reach a point where they are willing to listen.

Comment: What can we wish for a person who has his entire inner structure ready, has potential, and only needs to take a step forward?

Answer: He should clearly pursue the question: “What is the meaning of my life?”

The meaning of life is in understanding its purpose. And the goal is not within life itself. The meaning of life is above this body. This is what we need to attain.
[244088]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/2/19

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Question: Scientists have come to the conclusion that the human immune system uses chaos theory for the efficient functioning of the body.

Chaos theory says that the cause of chaos is sensitivity to initial conditions and parameters, and any small change at the initial level eventually leads to large changes and dynamics in the entire system.

They give as an example the “butterfly effect”—a butterfly flapped its wings on one side of the world and a hurricane occurred on the other.

Scientists say that in the immune system such a “butterfly” turns out to be a certain protein that triggers the activation of individual genes and thereby changes the state of the cells.

The immune system, in order to respond to the behavior of this protein, which is also very sensitive and changes its behavior, acts differently each time. That is, not formally, but in, as it seems, a very chaotic  order. That is, it is constantly updated, and various processes occur.

It does not stagnate; thus vulnerability does not accumulate, and it is able to repel various attacks.

Does society also move according to this chaos theory, in the dynamics of chaos? What is the correct way for a person in society and for society itself to move toward development, and not toward destruction, diseases, and so on?

Answer: First, we must understand that we study nature based on our own properties. And we ourselves are chaotic; there is absolute chaos in us, in the way we understand, know, and feel. That is, we do not know ourselves at all, and therefore we consider ourselves unpredictable and chaotic, and we consider the surrounding world to be the same.

But in reality, nothing random happens in it. Everything is built on strict, clear laws of nature, but we do not see them all together; we do not understand and do not see their interdependence.

There is nothing random in nature and there is no chaos. So if some butterfly somewhere flaps its wings, it means that it is absolutely certain that it should flap them. All this is strictly defined, established, and recorded in nature both billions of years ago and for billions of years ahead. Otherwise, nothing happens in nature.

Comment: The system is so complex, and it is updated every time.

My Response: This happens in front of our eyes because we do not see deeper processes! We do not see the system that governs all this!

Where is this entire computer, this entire huge program that manages all of nature? We do not see it.

Question: Once upon a time, the Indians who lived on the plateau over which airplanes flew simply did not see them. How can a person break through to this reality where something is happening?

Answer: One must focus their vision on something specific. They need to have a pre-existing concept in their mind, templates such as “airplane” or “ship.” Without these, they truly will not see it. We operate within a system that can very precisely identify something—or fail to—depending on whether it is encoded in our genes, attributes, or memory.

It is like a computer. Essentially, we are computers. For instance, a computer scans texts or images for specific features, and if those features are not in its database, it will not recognize them. Similarly, we have blind spots where we do not see that we lack the framework to perceive.

Comment: The scientist Mensky, who deals with quantum physics, says that between neurons in the brain, “rails” are laid down along which a person moves and cannot turn aside. It turns out that his whole life passes as if with blinders on his eyes. That is, he walks along one track and cannot turn away.

My Response: Naturally. We see this in ourselves and in those around us.

Question: At the same time, Mensky believes that at one moment there are an infinite number of alternatives to various situations. How can a person switch, to be in such dynamics every time? How can one stay in the dynamics of the system? And what will help him constantly switch?

Answer: No, that is not the right approach. Simply switching back and forth does not produce the desired effect.

One must understand that we are driven by the upper force, the unified force of nature, which is itself called “nature.” We can influence this unified force only by gathering in homogenous groups with a shared goal, collective efforts, and mutual support. Through such unified action, we can influence nature with our desires and trigger specific outcomes, positive ones, not harmful ones.

In this way, we can genuinely affect this vast supercomputer in which we exist. Even then, our actions will primarily accelerate our development toward the same goal, but along a kinder, smoother path.

If we align ourselves with each other and desire the same goal that nature has determined for our development, we can hasten our progress with collective effort. However, these efforts must be collaborative.

Question: In one of your Twitter posts you wrote that the upper system operates on us, and we recognize this influence as negative only due to our difference in properties. How can we perceive this positively, as a good influence, in all our actions?

Answer: To do so, we must understand nature’s goal, why it influences us, and how it does so. We must be prepared in advance to correctly accept these influences.

If I understand who is sending these influences, why they are sent, and where they are meant to lead me, then, in principle, I can remain in a comfortable state at all times and be ready to contribute more and more of my own effort to nature’s influence upon me.

Try to understand what nature expects of you and implement this in your life. Then you will see how quickly, smoothly, and positively you can move forward.

Question: How can a person recognize what nature requires from him?

Answer: Nature requires something that we do not like to hear: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Comment: People ask: “Why do something good for the neighbor? It is easier to just remove them and destroy them, and then I do not have to do anything good for anyone.”

My Response: But by doing this, I am removing my own progress in life. That is, I do not move myself toward a better goal.

The ultimate goal of our development is for all of us to unite as one single whole, through our desires, thoughts, intentions, plans, everything. We collectively form one enormous interconnected system. However, in our current perceptions and understanding, this system appears fragmented. We feel distant from one another, unaligned, indifferent, unwilling to listen to or help each other.

Nature’s vision for our future is the opposite: for all of us to unite and connect all our desires and intentions into a single, mutual system of support.

If I strive toward this, even in small ways, I am already aligning myself with the goal that nature has set for me. As a result, I will not need harsh corrections or even painful nudges from nature to push me forward.

Question: So with my actions, do I cause the same reaction in another?

Answer: Yes, I show him that I am doing this because in this way I want the best for both myself and him.

Question: Can we reorient people with such an approach?

Answer: Try. Show others that by doing good for them, you increase goodness in the world and want the entire world to be this way.
[248214]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/20/19

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Question: What can you say about grievances, reactions to them, and how to help people cope with them?

Grievances are put into the concept of corporate culture, where mechanisms are developed for people to report grievances, relying on the offender’s reaction regardless of the initial cause of the offense. A grievance is a person’s reaction to an unjust insult or action, as it seems to them. However, the reaction to an act and the event or attitude that caused it are not always aligned. Therefore, we wanted to ask you, as a Kabbalist, about this phenomenon and how a person should work with it correctly.

Answer: A person feels they have been hurt or struck. Essentially, their egoism has been affected, and they cannot tolerate it because egoism is the most central part of each of us: the desire to feel superior, stronger, more stable, confident, and so on. Suddenly my “self” is brought down; someone has hurt or tried to diminish it.

Here I feel offended, which can only be compensated by lowering the offender even further below me. That is why denunciations and similar reactions come into play.

Question: When we feel bad, why do we want to make others feel worse?

Answer: This is no longer about being offended but simply that our egoism that needs to maintain itself at a certain level and always feel superior to others, in a more comfortable state. Only then does it feel satisfied and it seems to us that life is flowing like it should.

Question: How can one remove an offense from the heart, not just rationalize it, but rise above and let go? How should one work with it correctly using the power of the offense to rise above it? How can one forgive and truly move on?

Answer: It is difficult. There is no simple answer for all situations.

From the perspective of the wisdom of Kabbalah, we need to understand that the upper governance exists between us. We have no direct contact with one another because there is the upper force between us that creates all our communication.

Therefore, if I feel offended by someone, I must understand that it is not about the person who acted against me or hurt me. No, it is about the upper force deliberately placing me in such a situation. I must address not the person who offended me, but the Creator, the upper force that acts upon me in this way.

If we begin to feel that between each of us and others is the Creator, it will become much easier for us to interact. We will be able to find the right connection between us and with the Creator, and suddenly we will realize that we are in an entirely different world.

We will discover a state where a benevolent force exists between all of us that works solely to elevate us toward itself.

But this elevation occurs precisely through our fall. It shows us how egoistic and weak we are, how we constantly endure minor humiliations like small children, and how we struggle to rise above ourselves.

Just as the sea surrounds small islands, we will begin to feel that only a benevolent, warm sea, the upper force, fills all the space between us.

We need to change, to rise above our egoism. Then we will feel like small islands in an archipelago, surrounded by a warm, kind sea.

Question: You described it so beautifully. But how can it be achieved?

Answer: It is not very difficult. You just need to focus on this state.

I have described a picture that truly exists and functions. If we begin to actively seek and discern the upper force between us, we will discover that this force is inherently good, while we are small, selfish creatures. What can we do? We need to rise above our egoism and align ourselves with this benevolent force that fills everything around us.

Question: What is the key factor in transitioning and shifting to this state?

Answer: It is the collective support of the environment you are in. The most important thing, as explained in the wisdom of Kabbalah, is to create a supportive environment of like-minded individuals where we help each other recognize, accept, and realize this state.

In our interactions, we must consistently act on understanding that a benevolent upper force exists between us. Since we are egoists by nature, the question becomes how can we neutralize our egoism so that this force can fill us as well?

When this happens, we find ourselves in a completely different world. We begin to perceive reality through the quality of bestowal rather than reception, through the quality of love and connection rather than hatred and alienation. We truly start to see a different nature.

Essentially, we reveal another force, the positive force that exists in nature, but is not evident in our world. We must uncover it ourselves through our mutual efforts. Then we will realize that two forces actually exist, positive and negative, and we will live in a correct balance between them.

Question: They say that understanding one another is our social “glue.” But since we are so different, this bonding does not seem to happen. How can we learn to understand one another when everyone has their own perspective of the world?

Answer: The problem is that we do not have common points of understanding. This is the most important thing. Because of this, we do not truly understand one another. Sometimes we agree with each other because it is convenient, but even then, we still do not really hear each other. It is simply that I find it pleasing, so I accept it. But what exactly I am accepting is hard to define; it could be beneficial to me at work, in studies, shopping, family life, with children, and so on. But in general, we do not hear each other.

To truly hear each other means to be on the same wavelength where I feel the other person’s state and fulfill them, and they feel my state and fulfill me. All of this happens through the benevolent upper force between us, which allows for constant, correct communication.

But this requires learning. That is why what I teach is called the wisdom of Kabbalah, the science of receiving, meaning the science of how to receive and accept another as they are without being disturbed or distorted by one’s egoism.

Question: How can we help someone who is at war with the world around them?

Answer: This is a miserable person. How can they escape this state? In general, it is a whole science. We can see that the entire world lives in a state of constant irritation, depression, with inner attacks on one another, malice, and egoistic calculations. What can we do? The only solution is to rise above it. But again, for this, a supportive environment is essential.

It is crucial to create the right environment where a person can naturally transform themselves under its influence. A positive environment is the most important factor. This is what we constantly work on, and we are always striving to align ourselves with a true and correct worldview.

Typically, we do this in a group of ten. Ten people come together, and they are given a task: to relate to each other as one collective whole. To achieve this, everyone must lower themselves before the others. I lower myself before my nine friends. Then I feel that I must help them, which means I must rise above them. After that, I must be equal to them, and so on.

These exercises allow us to develop the internal flexibility necessary to establish the right connection between us. Essentially it is psychological training that leads to absolutely amazing results.

A person suddenly begins to feel that there is nothing inherently their own within them, that their character, state, and mood are given to them as initial conditions, and they must adjust these to fit the surrounding environment. When they perform these exercises of internal flexibility, they see that it is not difficult and even start to wonder, “Who am I, really?”

The most optimal state for me is when I adapt myself to the collective. And in this way, each of us in the group adjusts ourselves to everyone else.

As a result, we achieve a homogeneous, integrated, and correct state where we merge and unite together. We understand each other perfectly and almost need no words. We develop an internal connection where we are all included in one another.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, this is the method for elevating humanity to the state of one single, unified, benevolent group, a single entity. When this will be fully realized is unknown. But at the very least, we can accomplish this in small groups.

Question: How can one feel and understand what is truly good or beneficial for another person and what is harmful?

Answer: To do this, you must feel the other person. How can you know what is good or bad for them? The most important thing is to feel them. This requires training, as I have previously mentioned. You need to lower yourself to zero, as if you do not exist, and only then will you begin to hear and feel them.

Suddenly, you will start to feel that you are inside them, feeling all their thoughts, aspirations, dreams, memories, and everything within them. And you will feel it as they do, not as you might imagine it if you were in their place. There are many nuances here.

At the same time, you will begin to show them from within that your attitude toward them is warm and kind, and they will not be able to resist this, they will transform into kindness.

Question: Should one strive to show empathy to absolutely everyone?

Answer: No, our world is not like that. I am talking only about specific cases, such as when you want to establish a very close connection with someone. This can work, but only with someone who is somewhat understanding and deserving, not just with anyone you meet on the street.

This is indeed a gradual training process. You can achieve such a state when, by lowering yourself to zero, you effectively bring them to zero, but in a kind way.

You need to nullify yourself, immerse yourself in them, see the world through their eyes, and empathize with them with whatever is happening within them. You become their companion, a part of them, constantly and inseparably connected to them as if dissolving, merging, and bonding with them internally. Then, you begin to see the world as they do.

What happens next depends on your goal. Do you want to learn more about them? If so, through this approach, you will understand them. And then, what kind of response do you want from them?

Comment: Mutuality, perhaps.

My Response: For that, something a bit different is needed. When you feel them and see the world through their eyes, you must show them that you are close to them, ready to walk alongside them, and help them. In other words, you must become an inseparable part of them.

By doing this, you will “win them over,” and they will no longer be able to be without you. Women often instinctively use this approach, and rightly so. Female nature is naturally attuned in this way. When a woman shows a man that he truly needs her and backs it up, not with words, but through actions, he “buys into” it.

This is what is called “winning love” like any other relationship. You dissolve into the person, start to feel how they see the world, what they want, anticipate their actions, desires, thoughts, and reactions, and help them. They see that you are an inseparable part of them. How could they part from you?

When a person studies Kabbalah, they do not feel personal offense because they view themselves the same way. They are constantly battling their egoism, trying to suppress it, crush it, and push it deeper down until it disappears entirely.

So when others treat them the same way, they do not feel defeated. Instead, they feel how these actions affect their spiritual work. It might even help them or it might hinder them.

I have observed this in my teacher. When he was gravely insulted, he would find pleasure in it, saying: “Ah, how good this is!” It is like being in a steam bath where the sting of the birch broom brings both pain and enjoyment. It is a similar state.

You already perceive your body and ego as your enemy. You even align with the one who offends you, and recognize that ultimately, this benefits you.

However, if this interferes with your mission, with your life’s work, then your reaction is different. You must “grind down” your ideological opponent.

Question: And how does it all end?

Answer: It ends with the need to persuade them. Otherwise, everything will have been in vain. The upper force that exists between you will have done all it could, but you will have responded incorrectly or incompletely.
[247709]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/14/19

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Comment: There is growing demand for surrogacy volunteers around the world. In recent years, Canada has become increasingly attractive to future parents who are looking for altruistic surrogate mothers.

In Canada growth in these services has reached 400% over the past ten years.

The mothers themselves, who provide services on a pro bono basis, have their own families, many children, and they say that surrogacy is a life-changing experience. This may partly explain why women sacrifice their time and potentially their bodies for this.

They say: “I cannot imagine life without children, even as a surrogate mother. It is like bringing light back to the world. I give birth to a child for these people, but I also leave my mark on the world.”

My Response: This is a huge service for people who love each other but cannot have children otherwise. Of course, this is a huge favor.

Question: What is the connection between a child, a surrogate mother, and a biological mother? Who is the mother in the end?

Answer: A mother is the one who raises the child. A mother is the one the child follows; she is the one who takes care of him, the one to whom he feels affection and need, etc.

Question: What is an ideal mother?

Answer: One who knows how to raise him correctly is an ideal mother.

Question: What should a mother invest in a child? What should she pass on so that he grows up as a harmonious person?

Answer: First of all, it is love, responsibility, and of course, self-sacrifice. In addition, this is work on oneself; this is the knowledge of what to prepare the child for, how to teach him, how to get him on his feet, and how to accompany him in the first years of life, how to properly increase his independence every year, to each time step back a little so that he grows, and not to suppress him.

A wise woman is needed who can position herself in such a way that the child will feel good and warm next to her. And at the same time he will understand that his mother is taking care of him correctly, that is, adjusting her love with her demands.

Comment: Nowadays many people hire nannies who come to look after children and spend more time with them than their own parents. A very close connection arises between the child and the nanny; he grows up under her care within the framework of her upbringing, and thus fences himself off from his parents a little.

My Response: It all depends on how the environment the child grows in is organized. But it does not necessarily have to be that his mother sits over him all the time, or constantly revolves around him. On the contrary, this can spoil the child.

Comment: We are now moving toward some new model of the world where we have all the services for rent. Everyone buys in the “supermarket:” mom for rent, dad for rent, grandpa for rent. The child grows up in a certain society of those “products” that the parent has bought in the “supermarket.”

My Response: Personally, I do not see any problems in this, since in any case it is all for rent; it only depends on how we pay for it, and how obvious it is to us or not. It is clear that if I pay attention to my son, it is because I am his father.

And here too there is a problem: how much I love him and how much I should make an effort, versus being strict and demanding. There is a father, and there is an educator. These are different functions. Therefore it is difficult to replace a father, although it is also possible. But this is a completely different profession than a teacher, lecturer, or educator.

And the same with a mother. A mother can be nurturing, warm, and caring or demanding and instructing.

These are different functions.

We study this from spiritual objects. We have a spiritual father and mother, which are divided into two parts: father, the upper and lower system, and mother, the upper and lower system. All four systems influence the child, and this is where their functions are divided. This is a very interesting, complex system.

How do the father and mother influence with their upper properties and lower properties? Or how do they replace themselves with other people who must fulfill these upper and lower properties from both father and mother and in no case confuse them with each other. This is what is called Aba ve-Ima and Israel Saba ve-Tvuna. These are very serious, large spiritual objects, and all four are aimed at the development and education of the soul.

Question: How can a person attach to these components called father and mother?

Answer: In the spiritual, we cancel ourselves, and to this extent all four spiritual objects educate us. And in our world, they simply must be created in this way and function in relation to the child. Humanity has yet to discover and build this, to create such a system of servicing children.

But for now, I am very glad that there are such surrogate mothers, women who can provide this service to those couples who for some reason cannot have children.
[240482]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/28/19

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Comment: I read about an expert’s advice who proclaims there are vital lessons that a person should learn as early as possible. By mastering them, it is purported that you can prevent some troubles in your life.

Tip 1: “Follow your own path.”

People love to judge others. Peer pressure can force you to stray from the path that you started paving for your future. It is advised to ignore the aspirations of others and never let someone else’s goals and dreams influence your life’s direction. This is your path, and only you can decide where you need to go.

My Response: Absolutely correct. A person takes his own path in life. He must feel what he wants, what attracts him internally, and pursue this goal. Along the way he can use all sorts of tips, advice, and methods.

Comment: Tip 2: “Do not hesitate when you act.”

An old Roman saying goes: Carpe diem—seize the moment. Most often we fail to act due to uncertainty or lack of courage. This hesitation hinders progress and traps us in a cycle of questioning: “What could have been if I had acted…?”

My Response: I do not think this is correct. In reality, every person has his own purpose, and he will have to achieve it eventually. Even if someone avoids an issue they face and does not impulsively rush to resolve it as you suggest, the issue will resurface and compel them to deal with it.

Question: So just move forward?

Answer: Yes, nothing terrible will happen. Relax, take a break, wait—it will wait for you too.

Comment: Tip 3: “Test in practice what you have learned.”

My Response: There is no wisdom greater than that of someone walking the path themselves and drawing conclusions from it. Only when a person has gone through specific experiences, understands them, and can offer one’s opinion about them, only then can that opinion be taken seriously.

Comment: Tip 4: “Good things do not come easily.”

Luck can take you far, but everything else depends on you. Do not think that someone else will fight your battles with the same energy and dedication as you.

My Response: No one will fight for you. You must clearly understand the challenges before you, assess the desirability and necessity of reaching your goal, and then you can fight for it, primarily with yourself.

Question: Why with yourself?

Answer: Because we are inherently lazy, cautious, and so on. You will need to convince yourself that the goal is more important than your own comfort.

There is a higher goal, and a person must define it (if we are talking about someone who wants to uncover the meaning of our world and their place in it).

Once the goal is clear, he moves toward it to the best of his ability, measures his strength, does not become discouraged, and understands that even if he does not fully achieve it, he will still have made progress. A person will try to realize as much as is destined for him.

Comment: Tip 5: “Never miss a chance to try more.”

Even when we feel most prepared, it is quite possible that we will not achieve our goal. The main thing is not to despair.

My Response: Of course, we need to try to achieve the goal. If this goal is important, if I check it, and see that this is really what I need to achieve, then I should include myself in it completely.

Comment: Tip 6: “Value every moment.”

Live your life to the fullest because it is short, and we never know what tomorrow will bring.

My Response: I would not follow such advice because life has its purpose. If I believe today that I already know what is most important and only need to achieve it today and I disregard tomorrow, this is incorrect. It is like being reborn and dying every day, an inaccurate attitude toward life.

I must see myself walking a long road, constantly moving forward until I reach the ultimate goal. Every day I must reevaluate, redefine, and align myself with this goal, and strive toward it. And so what if tomorrow I am no longer here? I am still heading toward it today.

Question: And what on this path allows you personally, as a great person with great experience, a Kabbalist, not to give up?

Answer: The importance of the goal. One must constantly work on it. For me, there is nothing more important in life. I have dedicated my life to this, starting from the age of 20 and even earlier. I wanted this, and I have been walking toward it all my life, certainly for the last 50 to 60 years.

Comment: Tip 7: “Do not impose your ideas on others.”

They say you should not impose your ideas on others. Let those who seek your help and guidance come to you.

My Response: I do not think I am intrusive. I calmly accept those who come to my lessons, just as I calmly observe those who leave. My principle is entirely Kabbalistic: there is no coercion on the paths of life. Everyone must choose and realize their own way. Advice, however, is always available to those who seek it.

Comment: Tip 8: “Be flexible in your goals.”

It is important to analyze your current position and how your actions might affect the future. Sometimes it is better to pause a goal, adjust it temporarily, and return to it later.

My Response: In what I do, there is a constant reassessment of the path, goal, efforts, and implementation. So this is not an issue. Kabbalah provides a person with an almost continuous, constant rechecking of the goal, the path, and oneself, far beyond a daily or hourly basis.

Question: Will people find it just as easy to work with this constant data flow to adjust their goals continuously?

Answer: People will have more and more demand for a purpose in life. They will try to draw it before themselves, to define it. They will see that they can define it together, in connection with each other, and in this way they will move forward.

Comment: Tip 9: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Here many people are faced with the following situation: people seem to agree and want the same thing, but they have different opinions; they want to express them, to defend them, and then nothing good comes out of it. Where does the understanding of the consequences come from?

My Response: In Kabbalah this is not an issue because achieving the goal depends on the correct integration of people with one another.

The key is not to insist on your own perspective or any single viewpoint. Neither I nor others should cling to our opinions. Instead we must combine all opinions into a unified whole that produces the correct result. If each person relinquishes his own self for the sake of the collective, the right outcome is achieved.

Question: Even if someone believes that their opinion is one hundred percent correct?

Answer: Especially then. This is a Kabbalistic principle. We must rise above our egoism, and there is no other solution to this issue. Only when each person relinquishes his or her perspective for the sake of collective unity can the outcome be both harmonious and correct.
[257522]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/16/19

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Question: Igor asks: “Why do you Jews have everything the other way around? Why does everyone write from left to right while you write from right to left?”

Answer: Not just us, but in general, yes.

Question: Why?

Answer: The right side is the spiritual side and the left is not. That is why in Hebrew, they write from right to left.

The right side is the right, and the left is the left.

Question: In general, how do you define closeness to spirituality? What does it mean?

Answer: It is a spiritual root that exists in nature. And it is closer to the right side than to the left.

Question: What is this root?

Answer: It is the spiritual force, the quality of bestowal.

We shake with the right hand. We still treat the right side better than the left.

Question: So a person is even unconsciously drawn to this because it is his root?

Answer: Yes.

Question: “Why does the whole world celebrate birthdays, but you, on the contrary, celebrate the death day?”

Answer: We do not celebrate the death day, but simply honor it for the deceased because we believe that this is an important date for him. That he has departed from us and entered completely into the spiritual world. The death of a person, the exit from this world, the ascension to the upper world, is the correction of the soul.

Question: What ascends into the spiritual world?

Answer: The soul.

Question: What do you call the soul?

Answer: The soul is the inner essence of a person.

Question: What is it like?

Answer: It is impossible to point a finger at it. But a person ascends and becomes closer to the Creator.

Question: When you say a person becomes closer to the Creator, what do you mean?

Answer: I mean the spiritual entity, the one that does not die.

Question: “Why does the next day begin with the sunset for you and with the sunrise for everyone else?”

Answer: This is a really interesting question. The next day begins with sunset for us because everything begins with darkness. Our nature, our world, space, and everything else, everything begins with darkness. And the next day also begins with darkness.

Question: And when dawn comes, what does it represent?

Answer: It represents a person’s attainment, one’s contact with the world, with the Creator. And therefore, on one hand, the 24 hours are measured by the hours after sunset, and the days are marked by sunrise.

Question: Then he asks: “Why do Jews wear a headdress out of respect for God, while the rest of the world, on the contrary, takes off its headwear out of respect?”

Answer: I do not know how the rest of the world views it. Headwear is a sign of respect. When I honor someone, I put on headwear. I don’t think it is important. The main thing is what you feel.

Question: Why do observant Jews wear a Kippah on their heads?

Answer: A Kippah is the minimal head covering that a person should never part with and should always wear. In this way, he expresses his respect for the Creator. He covers his brain.

Question: Next. “Why do most nations celebrate the New Year in winter, and Jews do so in the fall?”

Answer: It is written in the Torah that we should celebrate the New Year in the fall. There is nothing we can do about it. This was long before January 1^st was adopted.

Comment: Christmas and so on.

My Response: Yes, none of this existed yet.

Question: But our chronology is different, naturally. We are already approaching the 6,000^th milestone. Tell me, where does this chronology come from? All years are different. Where does it begin?

Answer: It all comes from Adam. He decided everything, he initiated it, he substantiated these facts, and from here the years begin.

He revealed the Creator, the connection with Him, from which day, on which days are which holidays, which special days. That is why we continue like that.

Question: You are now saying “he.” Can we even say that there was such a person Adam?

Answer: Adam HaRishon, yes.

Question: That is, the person who revealed the Creator? And from that moment he said: “We begin the chronology”?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And is this the correct chronology?

Answer: It is correct because he is the first. That is all.

Question: That is, if this is the revelation of the Creator, then it is correct?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Further. “Why do Jews bury the dead as quickly as possible, while in the world, on the contrary, it is customary to say a long farewell to the deceased?”

Answer: The Jews believe that the deceased must be buried on the same day.

Question: Why so quickly?

Answer: From the earth you came, to the earth you return. And there is nothing you can do about it.

Question: That is, long mourning for the body, farewells…

Answer: No, that is also not allowed because there is the upper mind above all of this, and it commands everything. So, we have no right to do what is beneficial or convenient for us, or what we think. No, it must be done very clearly and very simply.

Question: And quickly?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Tell me, what does placing the body into the earth represent?

Answer: Returning to the earth. From the earth you came and to the earth you will return. The spiritual root is that we are connected to the earth.

Question: And the last question: “Why does the Jewish tradition begin the new year with the Day of Judgment and not with a celebration?” Everyone celebrates the New Year, but for us it is Yom Kippur and so on.

Answer: Because this is the end of the previous year, and a person must evaluate his actions and in this way appear before the judgment as if to start a new life.

Question: So, it is judgment first?

Answer: Of course.

Question: Should I admit my guilt, or should I be declared guilty?

Answer: You should admit it.
[337125]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/21/24

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Comment: In the high-tech sector, 58% of workers suffer from impostor syndrome. Researchers state they surveyed numerous IT companies, and 58% of the nearly 10,500 respondents said they experience this syndrome.

They feel like frauds, even after working in the same position for 14 years. They believe the job is beyond their capabilities and that their promotions are undeserved.

My Response: In general this is a good thing. It should put pressure on a person and push him toward self-improvement. After all, what drives a person forward if not the feeling that there is room to grow and that he is unworthy of his position?

They feel that there is still a lot of work ahead that requires continuous learning, acquiring additional skills, and gaining more knowledge. What is wrong with that?

On the other hand, it is important to ensure that they simultaneously develop confidence in their ability to overcome their insecurity, but not in a way that fills them with excessive complacency, rather, in a way that fosters continual growth. This is commendable.

In the science of Kabbalah, this is a constant state. I cannot imagine ever being completely satisfied; that would be something animalistic.

Question: What is the concept of the impostor syndrome in Kabbalah?

Answer: In truth, I feel that in this world we are all to some extent impostors. We have received our desires and aspirations for a perfect state as a kind of gift, an advance that we must work to repay. I always feel this way, as do my students and teachers.

Question: What does it mean to repay it?

Answer: To repay means that I must reach a state where I genuinely align with it. That would be my complete correction.

Question: How can one use this feeling correctly without falling into self-doubt?

Answer: Progress must be made along three lines: the right, the left, and the middle. On one side there should be no arrogance; on the other there must be a thorough assessment and acknowledgment of one’s inadequacies.

And based on these two lines, the middle line emerges, where we move forward on the realization of the previous two. And we always see a goal ahead where these two approaches converge. I feel both perfect and imperfect, and their union pulls me forward.

Kabbalah explains how this works; it is an entire system. Without it, it is impossible to move forward correctly. Perhaps that is why people struggle to find new solutions. But Kabbalah offers guidance.

This process leads to an interesting expansion of consciousness. When you follow the middle line, your consciousness expands. You move forward, and even outpace the tasks set before you.

You foresee both the challenges and their solutions. You pull them along with you, rather than being overwhelmed by them. Instead of struggling to keep up, you find that the work chases after you while you move ahead.

This must be learned. Those who are interested will join us.
[235470]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/19/18

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