Question: There is a parable about a carpenter who arrived in heaven. He met God there and got into conversation. God said: “How I envy you!” The carpenter replied: “Why?” “Because your chairs do not run after you and do not constantly ask: “Give me money, give me health, give me happiness!”

The question is why does the Creator get annoyed with a person who asks: “Give, give! Give, give!”?

Answer: He gets annoyed by the wrong requests.

Question: Is it wrong to say: “Give health! Give me happiness!”?

Answer: No. Everything is a consequence of the good deeds of people. Therefore, if they would have asked to draw closer to each other, they would have had everything. And they ask for what they have to earn themselves.

Question: So, you are saying that, in general, there have been prayers for millennia, people have been praying for millennia, and they were not praying correctly? Incorrectly, actually? Because we do not have much happiness, we do not have much money.

Answer: Yes. We are gradually, gradually maturing over the millennia to the state where we finally understand what the real correction is. And it is not asking for anything, but using what is there already. All the conditions exist to correct the world. And they are all about treating each other with love. If you cannot do it, really cannot do it, then you can turn to the Creator.

Question: Is that a prayer?

Answer: Yes. And there is nothing else to ask for. Give me the opportunity to treat another with love as You treat us!
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/15/22

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Question: Igor writes: “Dear Michael Laitman, you have said many times that there is always an answer from the Creator, but we do not hear it. On the other hand, you say that all this horror that is happening today is for us to come to a dead end from our squabbling with each other and raise a prayer. Please explain to me, does the Creator still answer us all the time, or does He not answer and wait for our prayer in order to answer it?”

Answer: This is a tricky question. I would say that the Creator, in general, expects us to ask Him the correct question, to want the correct answer. That is, let’s assume He wants us to clearly ask: “What do we need to do in order to live in peace?”

Question: One way or another, will this happen if we feel that we are at a dead end and we cannot live in peace? Is this where the question arises from?

Answer: Yes. How can we live in peace?

Comment: But it will already be a scream.

My Response: No, humanity is not screaming. I do not see anyone screaming. Humanity is only waiting for everyone to look right, to suppress the other.

Question: So when will it start asking? When will it turn to the Creator correctly?

Answer: When it will feel that it is necessary to live by the rules, by the laws, of nature. People do not want that yet.

Question: What needs to happen for this?

Answer: I want the correct, cosmic vision of the world to manifest within me. I want my mind, my feelings, my strength, everything to be directed toward feeling nature and wanting to agree with it.

Question: Does it mean that you want this little world of mine to expand up to the universe?

Answer: Otherwise nothing will happen. Precisely because I agree only to my little world, and everything else is not important to me, and even let it all get even worse is why I do not see a solution.

Question: So, if I have a thought like: “I only want to feel good, and for this I live,” is this thought flawed?

Answer: It has already exhausted itself. We see what is going on. The world can plunge into such a wild squabble that there will be, as they say, a war for peace.

Question: But all this is in the hands of the Creator. Why will He not make us ask now, right now? Already all the conditions seem to be there.

Answer: He is making it so that we would ask, but we do not want to.

Question: Are we resisting even at this moment?

Answer: We do not want to. We are ready to do everything in order to put pressure on everyone.

Question: Then tell me, how do you see this turning point inside us when we suddenly start to want?

Answer: It will appear gradually. After all, it emerges from all this hopelessness.

Question: Do you think that suffering accumulates in humanity and in a person? Or does it simply disappear, like in the sand?

Answer: We need to look mainly at humanity and see how it slowly, gradually understands that this is not the way.

Question: Then I still come back to this question. Does the Creator answer us all the time, but we do not hear? At the same time, do we need to be pressed against the wall so that we raise a prayer, and He would answer us?

Answer: The Creator pushes us so that we recognize that there must be a correct answer, and it must be even against our nature. But we have to want to make a decision that is above us.

Question: Does it turn out that we have not grown up to it yet?

Answer: No. No one has grown up to it!
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/5/23

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Question: What does it mean to “act for the sake of others”? For example, a factory worker stands behind a machine for 12 hours. Does he work for others? Or, let’s say a teacher at school teaches children. Is it for the sake of others?

Answer: No. Action for the sake of others is an intention and not the action itself. I can work 20 hours a day, but it does not mean anything. Why am I doing this? If it is for the benefit of others and this is my motivation, then I am doing good. But if I work 20 hours a day to earn a million dollars, then I am not doing anyone any good.

Question: Does it mean that we need to have some kind of device to check this intention?

Answer: We do not have such a device. We cannot measure a person’s inner efforts. We cannot measure his thoughts.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 1/8/23

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Question: You often say that we do not destroy our egoism because it is our nature, but we destroy its egoistic intention, its egoistic use. What is the difference?

Answer: The most important thing is the intention! The fact is that you can stab a person with a knife with malicious intent and kill him, or you can use a knife with good intent, as a surgeon usually does to cure a patient. In principle, both actions are the same, but the intentions are different.

A person who does not understand the meaning of the actions will think that it they are the same thing, but in fact it all depends on the intention. Therefore, we must understand the intention of each person and judge him only by his intention.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 1/8/23

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A prayer of many rises before the Creator, and the Creator crowns Himself with that prayer since it rises in several ways. This is because one asks for Hassadim, the other for Gevurot, and a third for Rachamim. And it consists of several sides: the right side, the left, and the middle.

But a prayer of one does not comprise all the sides; it is only on one way. Either one asks for Hassadim or Gevurot or Rachamim.

Hence, a prayer of one is not erected to be received like the prayer of many, as it does not include all three lines like the prayer of many (Zohar for All, “VaYishlach,” Item 45).

In order to come to the common prayer, a prayer for all as one whole, to become one, it is necessary to go through very difficult states of inner scrutiny and to understand that:

1. The spiritual goal is more important than all other goals.

2. It is impossible to reach it alone but only by creating one common yearning from individual yearnings, and then it will be similar to the Creator and the upper light will fill it.

Therefore, only such a request, such a prayer, can be heard, meaning it can cause the corrective action of the upper light.

Reading The Book of Zohar causes us to understand that we must be together because without exiting ourselves it is impossible to reach bestowal, the qualities of the Creator, to exist in the upper world.

It is said: “From the love for the created beings to the love for the Creator.” The Creator gave us the illusion that there are many people around us, and we must destroy this illusion, understand that all this is inside of me, and ask Him to unite the whole world within me.

Then the prayer of many will turn into a true prayer of one.
[7028]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/20/09, The Book of Zohar

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Comment: The Sufi mystic Mansur Al-Hallaj was once asked: “How can one become free from your attachments?” Mansur approached the nearest column of the temple, grabbed it and shouted: “Help! Save! Release me from the column!”

And right away he asks: “What do you think, is it me holding the column or the column holding me?” Their answer was, “Of course you are holding it yourself.” Mansur then says,”It is the same with all your attachments. These are your chains. But they do not hold you, you yourself cling to them. Let them go, and you will be free immediately.”

My Response: It is very difficult! To let them go means to get rid of egoism. This is not just some petty attachment, but our whole nature that binds us with chains.

Comment: All the “chains” and “pillars” that we grab onto are all egoism that attracts and grabs us. And I thought it was possible to talk about how I can distract myself from any attachments and become free.

My Response: Call it attachments, but in fact, it is our whole nature.

Question: It turns out that we cannot be free?

Answer: We can. But we cannot become free ourselves.

Question: Meaning that we ourselves cannot push off and run away from this column, our ego?

Answer: No! There is no way!

Question: Then how can we run away from it? How can we tear away from this column, from all our attachments?

Answer: Only with the help of the upper force that created us so egoistically and forged us with chains to this column. And only if we succeed in begging this upper force, convincing it, and even forcing it to release us, then we hope it will help.

Question: What do you mean by the word “column”?

Answer: It is egoism that binds us to what seems pleasant to us.

Question: Is it all the desires of this world? Is it all our attachments? Money, honor, power, and everything else?

Answer: Absolutely everything.

Question: Meaning that we ourselves cannot break away from this, only the upper force can help us?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And what should be the request?

Answer: Free! And nothing else.
[307115]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 9/22/22

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Question: Antonio Stradivari lived more than 90 years and made more than 1,100 stringed instruments. 650 Stradivarius violins made more than 250 years are still considered to be among the finest instruments.

The latest technology cannot even come close to the sound of a Stradivarius violin. The International Association of Violin Makers has tried many times to reveal the secret of the master, and they have come to nothing. There are all sorts of logical explanations: the wood was different, the times are different, all sorts of things.

Tell me, please, what is the secret of such masters like Antonio Stradivari?

Answer: We must first understand what happens in our ear, why exactly, and what can cause such a reaction from its strings.

Question: Meaning, how can these sounds enter us like that? Is there a secret in this?

Answer: There is a secret. But I think even Stradivari himself did not know about it—he just worked this way. And the secret lies in a special combination of sounds that affect the heart. Here we need to think about how the heart responds first, and then the ear hears. That is the most important thing, and no one knows it. Stradivari did not know these internal mechanics either.

Question: So he was more like the executor of some will?

Answer: His hands and he in general were moved by an inner instinct.

Question: It didn’t happen without the Creator, right?

Answer: No, of course not.

Question: So an ordinary person is chosen, and later we talk a lot about them. But in fact, the person is chosen and a secret is carried out through him. This secret is suitable for anything and not only the violin or the cello?

Answer: Yes, anything, not only musical instruments. The sound should not pass into the ear but into the heart, and only then it comes out through the ear.

Question: Does it come out of the ear?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So I don’t hear with my ears?

Answer: No, with the heart.

Question: Does a word have such a quality as the sound, as you say now?

Answer: Of course. This is exactly how a word is pronounced.

Question: Is it necessary to find a word that penetrates into the heart and only then is heard?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Are there such words at all?

Answer: Yes.

Question: How do we find such words in our science? We are studying a science that is not curiosity, not knowledge. How can we find such words that will penetrate the heart?

Answer: It is very simple. I asked my teacher, Rabash, about this. He said: “Have you heard what is said in the Shema prayer? Shema, Michael.” I was surprised: “Why “Michael” if it is a Shema, Israel prayer?

Because Israel is a common name. But in fact, you can substitute any name there.

Question: Is this an appeal to the heart: “Shema, Michael”?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is the Shema prayer considered one of the highest prayers?

Answer: Of course.

Question: Have we now reached the point where prayer is first heard by the heart?

Answer: Yes. And only then is it heard by the ear or heard at all.

Comment: You keep saying that the prayer of an ordinary person is higher than the prayers composed by sages, the Kabbalists.

My Response: Yes, because he feels it. He has an inner resonance of his heart with the upper word. Therefore, this is the highest appeal to the Creator.

Question: Meaning, when a person pronounces an appeal with feelings, he hears it first from above?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is this appeal not born in him?

Answer: No, of course not.
[306819]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/1/22

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There is nothing more important than prayer because our whole destiny and our whole future depends on it. To the extent that we can raise our prayer to the Creator and it enters into Him, into this system called “The Creator,” we will receive an answer to our requests.

Therefore we can’t expect that the Creator will do something for us; this is possible only if we raise our requests and prayers over and over again.

When one prays to the Creator, he should not look whether his salvation came or not, for when he looks, several litigants come to look at his actions. (The Zohar for All – “Miketz – And Saw Benjamin,” Item 209)

We must lift prayers to the Creator. The question is whether we should wait for a response or not. Maybe we shouldn’t wait so much; the main thing is to raise the request, and the Creator will already choose how to respond to it and whether to respond at all.

Therefore the main thing is to think constantly about how we raise requests to the Creator.

As for whether we receive an answer or not, we must understand that the Creator always answers, but maybe we do not fully recognize and feel His answer, and we must continue to ask Him again and again. As it is said: “I wish you prayed all day!”

In principle, during prayer we should not expect any reaction from the Creator because the Creator will undoubtedly do what is needed and our request should only rise from us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/26/22, “Prayer – Selected Excerpts from Zohar for All“

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This is what Rabbi Elazar would pray and say when he fasted, “It is revealed and known before You, Hashem, my Elohim and the Elohim of my fathers, that I have offered up before You my fat and blood, and I have seethed them with the heat of the weakness of my body” (The Zohar, Shemot: Verse 368).

There is a big difference whether I read these words from the prayer book or something happens inside of me and I explode from within in my yearning for the Creator with such words.

These feelings were created inside me, formed into words and phrases. I may not even know this language. I do not know how it happens, but this is the result of my efforts to make my desires similar to the light and connect them with the light.

Light and desires produce this reaction in the soul, they are recognized in my brain, the brain transmits instructions to the organs of speech, and I pronounce them without knowing where these words came from!

This is the way the real prayer should be, when everything comes from within, when from the connection of lights and Kelim, from the deepest foundations of creation, light and desire, the filling of desire with light, the whole TANTA (complete Kli – Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot) is gradually built until they are expressed by the speech apparatus.

It is clear that Rabbi Elazar did not read this prayer according to the prayer book, but while he was in this state, about which he spoke to the Creator.

Before the Second Temple was ruined, the people of Israel were in connection with the Creator, in the qualities of bestowal and love, and their prayer was the feeling in their heart—desire. It is said: “What is prayer? The work in the heart.”

But the sages of the Great Assembly (Knesset HaGadol), knowing about the imminent fall into egoism, meaning the concealment of the Creator from everyone, compiled a collection of prayers for us, states to which a person must come.

They called it “Siddur“—the order of spiritual states that we must go through within ourselves, in our heart (desire).

But since we are not capable of such a thing in times of exile, the absence of connection with the light, with the Creator, when the upper force is concealed, we mechanically read the words from the prayer book, and someone may be trying to imagine what it would mean in spirituality.

Only the light, when we are studying Kabbalah, will evoke in us feelings, thoughts, sensations, words, and phrases of our prayer as work in the heart, and not in the speech apparatus.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/22/10, The Book of Zohar, Shemot (Exodus)

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Question: There is a principle in spiritual work: “Do not give up on mercy.” It turns out that the Creator is waiting until the person cries out. He is waiting for our prayers that will come out of the broken and shattered heart. Who wants to go through such states? Is this the reason that so few people study Kabbalah?

Answer: The merciful and loving Creator about whom it is said that He loves us and wishes only good to everyone. He is the one who brings a person to such states where a person is forced to turn to Him from inevitability and despair.

Why does He have to drive us to this point? It is because we exist in the state opposite to the Creator, in egoism, in the property of receiving. However, the Creator exists in the property opposite to us, in bestowal. Therefore we are polar opposites.

Thus, we can get closer to the Creator only if we change, or try, or at least want to change, our egoistic desires to receive into altruistic desires to give.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 11/27/22

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