Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the Menorah and what does it symbolize?“

The Menorah (lamp) symbolizes the manifestation of the spiritual light, i.e., the quality of bestowal, which illuminates in the souls, i.e., in the human ego that has become corrected with an intention to bestow.

A Menorah is physically hard to make because it is traditionally a single piece of gold that has to be molded in order to support seven cups for the candles. Likewise, molding our ego—our human nature, which is a desire to enjoy at the expense of others—so that it assumes a form of bestowal upon others, is quite a complicated feat.

Each of the Menorah’s cups, i.e., each of the human egoistic qualities, have to assume a specific size and shape so that the Menorah’s features will form a worthy vessel upon which the spiritual light of bestowal can illuminate.

The seven cups represent seven kinds of illuminations, which in the wisdom of Kabbalah are called the Sefirot of Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchut. When the light reaches the final Sefira of Malchut, then Malchut becomes like the other seven qualities, assuming a form of bestowal. In other words, the human ego, represented by the Menorah’s gold metallic body, gains a certain level of equivalence of form with the spiritual quality of bestowal, and thus also becomes the means by which all the seven candles on the Menorah can light up.

Therefore, the Menorah symbolizes the human ego that has gained a certain level of resemblance to the spiritual light of bestowal and love. In addition to the Menorah, there is the oil and the wick necessary to create the candles in every cup, and all these qualities operate in tandem so that the human ego can acquire an intention to bestow, and thus form a spiritual vessel that can invite the spiritual light to illuminate from above.

Within this entire structure, the Menorah’s magnificence is in its manifestation of the most egoistic component—Malchut, the gold—attaining similarity with the most sublime spiritual quality of bestowal.

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Question: Do you consider yourself a confrontational person?

Answer: I don’t know. I express my opinion, stick to it, and that’s it. But I can accept someone else’s too.

Question: How often do you get in a conflict and with whom?

Answer: Very rarely. Basically I have no one to disagree with. There are disagreements with opponents of Kabbalah, but I would not call them conflicts.

Question: What type of conflicts do you have more: interpersonal or internal?

Answer: Neither this nor that. I do not live in conflict. I know what should happen according to the plan of nature, and I try to explain it to others. I work, so to speak, in one direction.

Question: How do you feel about conflicts in general?

Answer: I believe that a reasonable, correct conflict develops people, and is a very good stimulus for development.

Question: What, from your point of view, is the solution for conflicts?

Answer: It is when opposing parties make a decision or a person who is in conflict within himself makes a decision that brings them closer to the higher force of nature.

Question: Do you prefer a strategy of resistance or a strategy of withdrawal in conflict?

Answer: I don’t think withdrawing is a good thing. There must be a reasonable resistance that leads to a result.

Question: Do you consider yourself an expert in the field of conflict resolution?

Answer: Absolutely not. They do not come to me for solutions, and I try not to solve anything.

Question: Would you create a conflicting situation if it were necessary for achieving the goal?

Answer: Yes.

Question: How would you personally get out of a conflict? Do you have any rules of your own?

Answer: I would try to stick to my personal rules.

Question: What do you do when a student is angry with you?

Answer: I understand his condition. Maybe he is unhappy with me and, quite possibly, not without reason. I try to explain the situation to him.

Question: Is there anyone with whom you are currently in conflict?

Answer: No. There are a few people in the world who would really like to annoy me. But I think that I need to have such people.

Question: Can you agree to give in to a conflict situation in order to maintain a relationship, for example, in a family or with a student?

Answer: It is quite possible if the conflict cannot be resolved at that moment. We need to step back and wait until we can solve it.

Question: Would you communicate with an obviously confrontational person?

Answer: I don’t mind. I don’t see any problems or obstacles in it.

Question: Have you had conflicts and arguments with your teacher?

Answer: Practically no.

Question: For you, does the end justify the means in resolving conflict?

Answer: The end justifies the means.

Question: With whom should one be angry with or whom is there to clash with if the Creator is nature and those around one have no freewill at all? Onto whom could we pour out all the accumulated anger?

Answer: Only upon your “donkey”— the egoism in us.
[272182]
From KabTV’s “Management Skills” 7/16/20

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are some Hanukkah symbols and meanings?“

The Candle, the Oil and the Wick

It is known that the candles cannot burn until three conditions are met 1) the candle, which is the vessel in which the oil is placed; 2) the oil; 3) the wick (a woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel up into the flame). When those three are brought together we can enjoy their light. – Rav Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag (Rabash), Assorted Notes. Article No. 5, “The Meaning of Sins Becoming as Merits”

What is the spiritual significance of the candle, which was traditionally a cup or vessel that would contain the oil and the wick, and which forms a complete construction with the oil and the wick in order to create light?

The spiritual significance can be understood when we perceive this construction through the language of branches, where corporeal objects point to their spiritual phenomena and processes.

As such, this construction—candle, oil and wick—represents three discernments of a corrected spiritual vessel, i.e., a desire to receive pleasure that has been corrected with an intention to bestow. The light that emerges from this construction is the outcome of the spiritual vessel: the intention to bestow above the desire to receive.

The candle, the oil and the wick are all equally required in creating the spiritual vessel. That is, the oil in and of itself cannot light up, and the wick in and of itself also cannot light up. But the wick that absorbs the oil, which rises up the wick, can light up.

The spiritual significance of this candle-oil-wick construction is that these are three qualities positioned in opposition to each other: reception, bestowal, and the connection between them. We cannot light any of the qualities in and of themselves, but when one quality absorbs the other, i.e., the wick that absorbs the oil, then it can be lit.

Spiritually, the wick represents our egoistic reasoning that rejects the spiritual work of connecting positively with others.

Oil is the spiritual quality of bestowal (called “Ohr Hochma” [“Light of Wisdom”] in the wisdom of Kabbalah), which we cannot use or light in and of itself.

However, when we absorb the oil (quality of bestowal) in our wick (desire to receive), then we can light it, i.e., establish a connection between this world of reception and the spiritual world of bestowal.

In Hebrew, the word for “’Petillah’ (wick) [comes] from the word ‘Petaltol’ (winding) and from the word ‘Pesulah’ (flawed), since it is flawed to think such thoughts” (Rabash, “The Meaning of Sins Becoming as Merits“). In other words, our egoistic thoughts for self-benefit alone—considered “flawed” since they detach us from the sensation of eternal spiritual fulfillment—assume the form of a wick when we insert them into an environment that primarily values spiritual qualities of bestowal and positive connection, represented by the oil.

Then, by opposing the flaws in our egoistic nature by participating in an environment that primarily values bestowal and positive connection, we create a construction—a spiritual vessel—capable of becoming lit with the spiritual light.

Our positive connection to each other above our incomplete and flawed egoistic nature generates a miraculous flame—it sets the conditions by which the spiritual light of bestowal can become revealed, even if only slightly, upon our egoistic nature.

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, this action is called “the revelation of the Creator.” Our efforts to positively connect, with an intention to bestow above our flawed egoistic reasoning—which rejects making any movement without seeing personal benefit in return—becomes the candle (the spiritual vessel) that ultimately becomes lit by the Creator, i.e., in which we discover the Creator—the quality of pure bestowal.

The more we participate in an environment that prioritizes love, giving and positive connection above egoistic pursuits, the more we absorb the oil in the wick, even though the form of the wick is a flawed one, i.e., even though by nature we can only calculate egoistically, each for our personal benefit.

So we engage in a spiritual environment because we want to discover the secrets of the universe, to reach the ultimate level of knowledge and awareness of reality, and to feel nothing less than the eternal harmony of our soul. In other words, our ego drives us to a spiritual search with its own visions of what spiritual goodness is, which can only be an egoistic picture in the beginning of our journey.

But if we truly find ourselves in a spiritual environment—among people, books and teachers that value positive connection, love, bestowal, care, support and encouragement for one another—then our ego finds itself in a dilemma: it wants to receive spirituality for itself while the environment presents a constant example that spirituality is only in bestowal upon others.

The more we advance in our connection despite the ego’s complaints, then the more our wick absorbs the oil, and this process continues until we have absorbed enough oil within us, meeting all the conditions necessary for the flame to appear: the revelation of the Creator in the created beings, a new spiritual state that is called “Hanukkah,” the first pit stop on our spiritual journey to more and more harmonious states of love, bestowal and positive connection.

Based on the Daily Kabbalah Lesson of December 15, 2020. Watch the lesson here »

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why did Hanukkah start?“

To understand why Hanukkah started, we need to first understand that the Jewish holidays describe special stages in our spiritual development, and also, that the Torah in general only discusses our spiritual development.

As such, Hanukkah is hardly mentioned in the Torah because it is a state we reach in our spiritual development which is still void of the reception of the light of the Torah. Rather, it is a state of preparation for spiritual corrections—the application of an intention to bestow upon our desire to receive—toward the state where we receive the upper light.

In terms of spiritual development, Hanukkah is the first Jewish holiday.

It expresses our development to the first spiritual level, which is called “Bina,” or “giving for the sake of giving,” a pure intention to give and bestow above the human ego that constantly wants to receive for personal benefit alone.

Achieving this state is possible if we surround ourselves with like-minded individuals who share a common spiritual aspiration, and who support and encourage each other to prioritize spiritual qualities of love, giving, bestowal and unity above our inborn egoistic reason, which constantly calculates in the opposite direction, i.e., how we can personally benefit from others.

Hanukkah is the initial level of unification we achieve by attaining a common intention to bestow above our egoistic desires. The word “Hanukkah” comes from two words, “Hanu Koh” (“park here”). It acts as the first pit stop of achieving the spiritual quality of bestowal above our corporeal egoism on our spiritual path to the attainment of greater and greater spiritual qualities upon the ego that also constantly grows.

By achieving the spiritual quality of bestowal and unity above our egoism, we gain the awareness that this is the way to attain the full revelation of the Creator—not just by applying an intention to bestow above our egoistic desire to receive, but that our desire acquires the nature of bestowal, and our reception of pleasure equates to our giving of pleasure.

This describes a very advanced spiritual state, which is called “reception for the sake of bestowal,” the reception of the spiritual light in order to give that light, through which we reveal the Creator via our equivalence of qualities, and enter into a mutual connection and dialog.

For the time being, we can focus on a target that is closer to us: that if we have a spiritual aspiration, we should seek a society of like-minded individuals with a common goal, and then in such a society, develop a new sense of bestowal and unification—”giving for the sake of giving”—above our inborn egoism, and by doing so, we will discover the state called “Hanukkah,” the first pit stop on the spiritual path.

Therefore, Hanukkah is our initial exit from a world of darkness—living in the confines of our narrow egoistic self-aimed interests—to a world of light—a world where the spiritual quality of bestowal and unification shines between us, in our common aspiration to unite above our ego.

Hanukkah is thus named “the festival of light.” It marks the start of our discovery of our spiritual state, how our soul lives and breathes according to qualities of bestowal that unify us all. It signifies the first spiritual correction of our desire: the transformation of our egoistic intention to receive for personal benefit alone to an altruistic intention to bestow and positively connect to others. This transformation is called “the Hanukkah miracle,” because of how we rise to a state opposite our inborn egoistic nature, which is all we know in our world, and which can only be conducted with help from a spiritual force that is outside our nature.

From this initial spiritual correction, we can continue our path of spiritual corrections, and advance to a state of full similarity with the spiritual quality of bestowal.

The custom of lighting candles on Hanukkah symbolizes these spiritual corrections that we carry out in our souls on the spiritual path.

The Greeks in the Hanukkah story are the egoistic reasons that calculate “What will I get out of it?” when confronted with an environment that encourages exiting our egos in order to give, bestow and unite with others. In other words, the Greeks symbolize egoistic desires to receive that awaken when we set ourselves up to rise to the first spiritual level of bestowal and unity.

On the contrary, the Maccabees in the Hanukkah story are the intentions to bestow, which require powerful unity in order to counter the war of the Greeks, i.e., to counter the egoistic reasoning that rejects the spiritual qualities of giving and uniting. The war between the Greeks and the Maccabees thus has nothing to do with nationalities, as it is an inner war between two opposed qualities of giving and receiving, or spirituality and corporeality.

Therefore, it is my hope that we will reach the understanding of how Hanukkah and the other Jewish holidays discuss spiritual corrections, our rising in unity above our inborn egoism. The more that we succeed in understanding, applying and spreading this awareness, the more we will see a positive human society blossom with harmonious connections of love and bestowal between people replacing the current egoistic and destructive ones.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is Chanukah?“

Chanukah (also spelled “Hanukkah,” Heb. “חנוכה”) signifies the beginning of our feeling the unified force of nature. It marks the initial penetration through the boundary between this world and the spiritual world.

The Hanukkah concepts and customs link to the crossing of this boundary between egoistic and altruistic perception, which requires rising above our inborn desires that prioritize self-benefit over benefiting others.

The Maccabees-Greeks war unfolds internally, within us, between our ego’s reasoning (the Greeks) and the tendency to unite by drawing the force of nature into our connections (the Maccabees).

But how can we possibly cross the boundary of our very human nature, which defines us as the egoistic beings we are?

In addition, our desires to unite, to love and to care about others is tiny compared to the ego, which constantly pressures us to enjoy at the expense of others.

It is on this dilemma that the miracle of Hanukkah comes into play.

Our persistence to unite above our desires for personal benefit attracts nature’s force of love, bestowal and connection, which is also called “light” in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Even though we have comparatively very small desires to unite, to love and to care about others compared to our self-aimed desires, i.e., materialistic pursuits for money, honor, respect, power, control, fame and knowledge, by creating a social atmosphere that supports and encourages us all to rise above our self-aimed desires, then we direct ourselves to unite above our egos.

Eventually, by participating in such a society that values uniting, loving and caring each other above our innate desires to enjoy personally at others’ expense, we then end up feeling incapable of rising above our ego, since it our very human nature. In the Hanukkah story, this is considered as the Maccabees feeling incapable of defeating the Greeks.

At that crucial juncture, a miraculous light appears—the unifying force of love, bestowal and connection that dwells in nature, which gives us the energy we need in order to overcome our egoistic desires with a unifying, loving and giving tendency. That is the meaning of the Maccabees winning the war against the Greeks.

We prosper when we, on one hand, feel a necessity to win the war, but on the other hand, find ourselves out of options and in despair, i.e., under the attack of the Greeks. While under attack, we feel like we need to keep fighting with all everything we have, however with no success in sight. In any case, due to sensing a responsibility to win the war, we do not throw in the towel, because it would be like agreeing to be locked away in the ego’s solitary confinement.

At that point, the miracle happens—the illumination of the light of unity, love and bestowal. It charges us with its omnipresent energy, and we win the war.

The Hanukkah war is internal, taking place on the boundary between egoistic desires versus those of unity, love and bestowal. Our egoistic desires and thoughts are what filters our perception of the boundless force of love and bestowal surrounding and permeating us, and we revel in the revelation of this force when we win the battle for unification above our egoistic desires.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “When is the best time to wish Happy Hanukkah?“

There are always times for miracles.

Whenever we positively connect to each other, we draw the positive unifying force that dwells in nature, and it performs wondrous miracles. Moreover, we can evoke this force at any time of the year, on any day, and at any time of the day.

Miracles are supernatural phenomena, but we can help them emerge according to how we direct our desires. If we want to positively connect to each other above our egoistic desires for self-benefit, then we attract unifying forces in nature to manifest in the space between us, and with their support, we can bring peace and balance to our connections, to human society, and make the world a safe and harmonious place.

That is the essence of the process that takes place at Hanukkah.

In terms of the Hanukkah story, the Maccabees prioritized their unity and drew the light that granted them the ability to remain in the state of love, bestowal and positive connection, and then started drawing more and more people to themselves.

The oil represents people’s desires to connect as a single harmonious whole in society.

The wick represents people’s efforts to unite above the divisive reasoning of the human ego, which constantly calculates self-benefit over benefit of others.

The clash of people’s efforts to unite upon the egoistic rejection to unity generates a burning desire to come closer together, and then a certain “click” takes place, a miraculous light illuminates within that continuously fuels the blaze of their burning desires.

Then, by sustaining the efforts to love, give and positively connect to each other, and wishing for this tendency to spread outwardly to humanity at large, they gain a constant fuel for the lamp to stay alight.

The miracle is the manifestation of the light—the positive force of love, bestowal and connection dwelling in nature, also called “the Creator”—in people’s unity. Also, not only is this revelation of the Creator inside people’s unity the miracle, it is the essence of all miracles that the Torah describes. That is, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the Hanukkah and Purim miracles all point to the revelation of the Creator in people’s unity. The method for attaining the Creator’s revelation through unity was first discovered, taught and spread by Abraham some 3,800 years ago, and it became further developed by key kabbalists throughout history.

While people can unite in a variety of ways, the essence of all these miracles is that we unite so that a new quality—love and bestowal—illuminates in us, and that it elevates us to another level of awareness, emotion, perception and sensation of reality.

Therefore, the best time to wish the miracle of unification upon the growing divisive ego would be sooner rather than later, as it would spare humanity much suffering going forth.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are some unusual ways to light the Hanukkah menorah candles?“

Today, the most unusual way to light the Hanukkah candles could very well be the original way that these candles were lit.

A candle contains oil and a wick. The wick lets us alight and burn the oil, which rises up the wick. The oil and the wick will set ablaze only when the oil seeps into the wick, which then lights up the candle.

This depiction of lighting a Hanukkah candle is not unusual in and of itself. However, if we look at what this process represents, then it would appear unusual to anyone who was raised thinking that lighting a candle begins and ends with an external action alone.

Rather, the process is an internal one.

The wick represents the rejection of light, i.e., the rejection of receiving pleasure for self-benefit.

The oil represents the fuel that we have to reject self-aimed pleasure. However, the oil cannot burn by itself. We thus need to understand that we change our growing desire to enjoy for self-benefit by working to invert it into its opposite form: a desire to love and bestow. It is written about this change: “The evil angel becomes the good one,” and “The angel of death becomes the angel of life.”

The Maccabees found a cruse of oil because they had been trying to positively connect to each other in order to attain the quality of love and bestowal. They could light that oil because they had great resistance to those who bowed before Greek idols and constructed Greek temples in Jerusalem. The Greeks represent the will to control our desires, i.e., that we reason first and foremost that we personally benefit from a certain effort.

The war of the Maccabees is a war that we conduct within. When we overcome our resistance to love, bestow and positively connect to others, we change the hatred that fuels our conflict into a wick in the oil, which we can light.

Therefore, the cruse of oil with a wick represents a person’s inner spiritual work of rising above desires for self-benefit, and entering into a new desire to love, bestow and positively connect to others.

When the Maccabees overcame the resistance of their reason, which dictates that self-benefit should always prioritize and justify benefiting others, and they unified, then they found the cruse of oil where they were able to insert the wick into and light. In other words, they changed their desire for self-benefit into a desire for love, bestowal and positive connection, and the upper light—the quality of love and bestowal—illuminated their souls.

That is the Hanukkah miracle.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is confidence in yourself?“

You can achieve genuine confidence in yourself by being part of an environment that upholds loving, supportive and encouraging values, where its members positively connect and aim to support each other to reach a common harmonious goal.

On the contrary, we feel the fear of being lesser than others, which is ultimately a fear of our egoistic pride taking a blow, when we engage in environments that value competitive, individualistic and materialistic values.

The human ego is constantly concerned about the reception of fulfillment at the expense of others. Therefore, pride that stems from the desire to exploit others for personal benefit is a negative, empty and disgraceful quality.

Since we are social creatures who respect and disrespect relative to our social environments, we thus can achieve true self-confidence in societies of people who aim at a common exalted goal of unifying above this ego together.

In such societies, pride takes on a positive form: it protects its members from being hurt, and lets them positively connect above the human ego, which in turn has a positive effect on humanity at large.

In short, when we engage in a society that observes the rule of “Do not do to others what you hate,” and by adhering to that rule, aims to reach “Love your friend as yourself,” we develop a genuine form of self-confidence.

Photo by Husna Miskandar on Unsplash.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can you get rid of negative thinking?“

In order to get rid of negative thinking and all the problems and crises that stem from it, we have to be connected to the fundamental thought that exists before and beyond all of our thoughts—the thought that governs nature on all of its levels: still, vegetative, animate and human.

How can we gain access to that exalted all-encompassing thought?

It is by a correct form of connection among us.

In our current state, we emanate negative thoughts and influences by hosting an egoistic intention upon all of our desires. This egoistic intention is expressed as myriad “viruses” of exploiting others for profit, status and control.

The more we think and act according to an egoistic modus operandi, the more we spread these viruses to others, and as a result, more and more negative phenomena abound in our world.

Our egoism infects society, becomes mutated in society, and then returns back to us with much greater strength. Soon, we all agonizingly endure contaminated living conditions where our egoistic connections intensify to become increasingly negative and hateful.

Today, we experience various mutations of hatred, cutthroat competitiveness, envy, lust, pride, control, and an ever-increasing compulsion to exploit anyone and anything if it serves our personal fulfillment.

The problem with such an abundance of negative thoughts is that our goals of becoming more fulfilled elude us more and more, and we find that neither do we nor others truly enjoy ourselves under such circumstances.

Our egos develop in order for us to reach a conclusion that if we continue trying to personally benefit at the expense of others, then nobody wins, and we will find ourselves becoming more and more helpless.

How, then, can we change our negative ways of thinking and spark a different positive form of development?

We should seeks ways to transform such a system according to the principle, “Don’t do to others what you hate,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, by positively connecting to each other, and investing in creating a society that supports, encourages and uplifts its members to think and act positively above egoistic drives, then we will positively transform our thinking. By valuing and respecting examples of doing good to the world and to others, then thoughts of how to positively affect others would start spreading among society, replacing the negative thoughts that stem from valuing and respecting individualistic and materialistic goals.

The “viruses” we spread to each other would then become positive ones. Thoughts we pass to each other are considered viruses because they penetrate us without our awareness. It is as if we guide other people by focusing good intentions upon them, and these intentions serve to positively influence them. We then make the world a better and healthier place.

We each host a certain spark of the universe, and we have an opportunity to take responsibility for this spark and operate it by creating a society that encourages and supports harmonious human connections.

Photo by Tamarcus Brown on Unsplash.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is sin?“

Sin is deviation from the attainment of our life’s purpose: to enjoy our harmonious connection in balance with nature.

Most people consider sin as some form of wrongdoing in relation to a divine law. This view has truth in it, yet what is of primary concern is whether or not we progress toward the ultimate goal of life that harmoniously connects us all, and which balances us with nature.

Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about how all of our conducts—sinful or positive—are measured with respect to the motion toward our life’s goal.

When we can clearly picture the goal that nature established for us, then we can discuss conducts that can guide us optimally to that goal; how we can progress to it quickly and enjoyably, with wisdom and awareness.

Such conducts are called “commandments,” because from nature’s point of view, it is commanded that we move a certain way toward our final destination.

By contrast, conducts that deviate or even backpedal our motion toward life’s purpose are considered sinful.

The purpose of our lives is to reach complete balance with nature’s perfectly connected form. Positive forces in nature reveal themselves to us more and more according to our increasing extent of balance with nature. As such, any conducts that aim at such balance with nature are considered “commandments,” and have a positive and harmonious effect on our development.

The attainment of the purpose of our lives is equal to the full acquisition of nature’s qualities of love, bestowal and connection. This is why the sages stated that “love your friend as yourself” is the main commandment of our lives.

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