Question: Neurophysiologists say that a person is just a confused animal, and that feeling love is a result of a cocktail of pheromones, dopamine, and oxytocin.

Psychologists do not agree with this. They say that feeling love is something more than the sum of its components: mental, social, and so on.

Philosophers do not argue with anyone. They say that love confuses a person and is the cause of all the stupidity and all the discoveries humanity has made.

How do Kabbalists define love?

Answer: Kabbalists define love as the highest connection of a person with everything outside of him and makes him similar to the Creator.

Love is a means to become like the Creator. Love is something that exists outside of us. There is no love in an individual. And therefore, no physiologists and no psychologists can know anything about it. They think about everything only on the basis of pheromones and the like.

Love is the exclusive property of the Creator given to us, and with its help we can raise ourselves from the animate to human level. Man is Adam. “Adam” from the word “Edomeh”—similar to the Creator.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 12/6/21

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is nature’s plan?“

Nature’s plan is to facilitate every degree of nature’s development, from one degree to the next, in order to gradually reach the highest evolutionary degree, that of the human.

In Hebrew, the word for “human” (“Adam”) comes from the word for “similar” (“Domeh”), and a human being is one who becomes “similar to the most high” (“Domeh le Elyon”). Our inborn animate degree is a desire to enjoy, and this desire to enjoy remains intact throughout any changes we acquire. Nature, at its source, is a single force and thought that has no intention for self-benefit, but only acts in a direction of giving. In other words, the general force of nature (altruism) is opposite to our inborn nature (egoism).

While our innate animate desire to enjoy remains intact, we can develop our thoughts, intentions and attitudes to each other and to nature so that they shift from wishing to enjoy for self-benefit alone, to wishing to enjoy by benefiting others and nature. In other words, at the level of our thoughts, intentions and attitudes to each other and to nature, above our inborn desire to enjoy, we can become similar (“Domeh”) to the general force of nature, which is what turns us into human beings.

Nature’s plan is thus to develop us not to become nature, but to become like nature in our thoughts, intentions and attitudes to each other, or in other words, to change our attitudes to each other from egoistic to altruistic, from a negative connection to a positive one. When we do so, we undergo a monumental shift from being opposites with nature—receiving from nature at every given moment—to being partners with nature in our attitudes to each other and to nature, and we thus achieve balance with nature. Making such a shift also means attaining a state of completion, perfection and eternity—opposite sensations to our current animate state.

Nature is guiding us to that exalted state. Moreover, the human degree is the final ultimate degree of our evolution that we are developing toward. We cannot rise any higher than that. We can only acquire nature’s altruistic quality in our thoughts, intentions and attitudes, but not in our actual receptive nature.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 2, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why are some people more empathetic than others?“

It depends on the point where each person connects to others and through others to the general force of nature. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, this point is called “the root of the soul.” It is also a point that is predetermined, which we can do nothing about.

The place we can change to become more empathetic is where we can engage in an educational process aimed at building mutual complementarity and integral perception. This, in turn, invokes the general positive force of nature into our lives more and more.

By learning how to develop empathetic attitudes, the ability to feel others, we bring ourselves closer to balance with the general positive force of nature, and would then bear witness to a dramatic improvement of our lives.

Based on KabTV’s “New Life episode 291 – Empathy” on January 19, 2014 with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz.Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Comment: In one of the video clips about the loss of a loved one, you said that you need to keep on living and accept it, and that you can even feel joy in life despite the fact that a loved one has been lost.

Tanya writes to you: “Having lost a 25-year-old son, can I, as a mother, go on living, enjoying life? For me personally, life is over—I simply exist, there is no joy. Before, all my friends were envious of how joyful I was—always smiling and laughing. It all ended five years ago. I am living and waiting for my time to meet my precious son.”

Answer: I think you shouldn’t live like this. You can try to feel him even now, in the state you are in. It doesn’t matter that you are worlds apart. It means that you have to try to rise above yourself a little, and you will begin to feel that this love of yours and your attitude toward your son brings you to the level where you can feel him. It’s supernatural but, in general, it’s normal. We just have to push the limits of our perception a little.

I would also advise you to try to keep treating people as you did before, and the way you would like to treat your son now. You will see how much it helps you, and how much it realizes your unclaimed maternal love.

You should engage in helping others. This way you will help both yourself and your son, and overcome this barrier that supposedly exists between you.

Question: Are you saying there is no barrier?

Answer: There is no barrier. It is only in your feelings.

Question: If it is given to a person, does it mean that he can, if he wants to, overcome this barrier?

Answer: Undoubtedly, he can.

Question: In other words, are we not given obstacles we cannot overcome?

Answer: Correct. Man is created so that he can reach his highest spiritual development where there are no barriers, and all his desires are positively realized.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/25/21

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can love be defined spiritually?“

Spiritual love is a state where we view humanity as a single united whole, which we love.

It is because, through such an attitude to a common unified image of humanity, we discover revelation of—and adhesion to—the Creator.

The Creator is a quality of absolute love, bestowal and connection. By equalizing ourselves with this quality, we create a communication system with it and start feeling the entirety of nature, the universe, humanity, and all states of the past, present and future in omnipresence.

Based on KabTV’s “News with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman” on November 18, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do I love others as myself?“

We know what we want to receive for ourselves. That should be the same as what we want to give to others.

We should thus remember that loving others first and foremost means treating others as we treat ourselves.

Of course, since our nature is egoistic—prioritizing self-benefit over benefiting others, and also often at their expense—then thinking and acting to the same extent toward others goes against our nature and seems impossible.

If we have an initial spark of a desire to love others as ourselves, we should seek regular learning that guides us on how to rise above our inborn egoistic connection and enter into an opposite altruistic one. Also, we should seek a supportive environment, i.e. people with a similar inclination who would provide us with encouragement, reminders and examples to help us make that shift from loving ourselves (egoism) to loving others (altruism) time and again.

Moreover, by engaging ourselves in such learning and a supportive environment, we start attracting to ourselves the positive force of love, giving and connection that dwells in nature. It is specifically this force that grants us the ability to love others as ourselves. We gain such an ability by adapting ourselves to that force by growing our desire to positively and altruistically connect to each other through learning the wisdom of such connection and mutual support.

Based on KabTV’s “The Last Generation” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on June 6, 2018. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “When will the world become disease free?“

It is impossible to rid ourselves of disease without correcting our egoistic attitudes to each other.

Diseases are demonstrations of our inner egoistic attitudes toward each other, which is our very nature that we cannot escape. In other words, diseases are external expressions of our inner problems that exist on a spiritual level, which is why no technological or medical innovations will be able to make them disappear.

We find and create Band-Aid solutions to diseases, cosmetic fixes, that ultimately fail to make us happier or healthier. Even if we had pills that would prolong our lives, we would not find happiness by doing so.

Until we heal our core problem by correcting our egoistic attitudes to each other by inverting them to their opposite altruistic form, then we will achieve nothing positive in its outward appearance.

Based on KabTV’s “Close-Up: Anamnesis” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on February 19, 2010. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Will the recent UN resolutions regarding Israel increase antisemitism throughout the world?“

I think that the UN resolutions regarding Israel have no impact on the rise of antisemitism.

Antisemitism is a phenomenon that unfolds according to the law of nature, which is a law of interconnection and interdependence.

The more humanity develops, the more interconnected and interdependent we become. If we fail to mitigate our development by realizing our increasing connections and interdependence positively, above our innate divisive drives, then antisemitism increases.

In other words, antisemitism does not increase because the UN or anyone else decided something, but because it is embedded in the law of nature. The more antisemitism rises, the more it signals nature’s pressure on us to make a serious attitude shift: to stop caving into our instinctive divisive drives, and instead, upon them realize our tightening connections positively.

Based on the “Writers Meeting” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 12, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the biggest problem of our current school system?“

The current school system has no objective to develop people into human beings, in the complete sense of the term.

In Hebrew, the word for “human” (“Adam”) comes from the word for “similar” (“Domeh”), and a human is considered one who becomes “similar to the most high” (“Domeh le Elyon”). In other words, becoming a human means attaining a state of similarity to the altruistic force of nature, which is higher and opposite to our egoistic inborn nature.

By learning how to become human in the fullest sense of the term, we then learn how to navigate ourselves in order to first not harm others, and then reach exalted states of positive connection above our divisive drives.

Then, instead of following the dictates of our inborn egoistic nature, which leads to a smorgasbord of negative phenomena throughout society—from increasing depression, anxiety, loneliness and stress through to rises in violence, racism, divorce and suicide, to name a few—we learn how to rise above our egoistic drives, which wish to self-benefit at the expense of others and nature, and discover how to become truly happy. We become truly happy when we know how to positively connect to each other in society, when we live in a thriving atmosphere of increasing consideration, responsibility and solidarity, and when values of giving to others, supporting, encouraging and generally connecting positively to each other fills our lives.

Therefore, the biggest problem of the current school system is that it has no objective to raise children to the fullest realization of their inner potential, which would result in a society that blossoms with happiness, confidence, support and encouragement.

We are thus faced with the fact that we need to restructure our education and upbringing, which includes the schooling system as well as everything that influences us with certain values, behaviors and examples in society. If we succeed in changing the education and upbringing of even one generation to guide people in reaching their fullest potential, then we would bear witness to a monumental transition to a new harmonious and peaceful world.

Based on KabTV’s “Close-Up. Generation” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on August 24, 2009. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the difference between prediction and prophecy?“

Prediction can be attributed to people having some knowledge about social, technological, scientific and cultural development, upon which they make assumptions about the future.

There is no certainty in their assumptions. They just know several technological, cultural, historical and political moments of history, and by relying on their scientific experience, they can forecast the future.

It is, in principle, the usual work of scientists whom we consult for advice on the future. They are no prophets. They are smart people who predict the future with some kind of probability coefficient. They do not know the future, but they have knowledge of today’s state, as well as trends and tendencies, and can roughly say what might happen tomorrow.

A prophet, however, is a person who can become immersed in the system of the world’s governance, feel the forces controlling it, and can to some extent align themselves with such forces. Therefore, prophets do not predict what will happen based on some calculations, but simply say what should and could be.

We see stories about such people in kabbalistic sources such as The Zohar and the Torah, and we call them “prophets” because due to their spiritual development, they rise above our world’s limits of time, space and motion, and thus tell us what could happen.

There are no prophets in our time. We are at such a level that we no longer wait for them nor do we believe in them.

Based on the show “Spiritual States” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Michael Sanilevich on December 21, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

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