Comment: Throughout the history of mankind some people have tried to correct others, and there have always been penal colonies and prisons.

My Response: Prison is an invention of Pharaoh. We know from the Torah how Pharaoh threw Joseph into prison where he sat together with the cupbearer’s minister.

Judaism does not follow this because it is a clear imprint of Kabbalah. In no case should anyone be corrected. Just be patient and teach. No punishments!

There can be punishment only when you and the punished person know exactly what is happening and you work together on his egoism. He agrees that you are punishing him because otherwise his ego cannot be corrected, and he is grateful to you for this. For him, this is a correction. But this is not a correction in prison.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Prison” 8/16/11

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What comes before thought?“

The foundation for everything, the only matter that was created, is desire.

Desire is thus primary, and thought is an upshot of the desire.

However, in order to obtain what we desire, the mind develops alongside the desire, in correspondence with it.

No matter how much we might resist the idea that desire precedes thought, nonetheless the mind—and thus, thought—is the desire’s servant, developing solely for the sake of serving the desire.

We can thus never make our minds objective and independent of our desires. But we can change our desires under the influence of the environment (see the article “The Freedom” by Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag [Baal HaSulam]), i.e., under the influence of social, cultural and other educational impetus that surround us. In other words, we can observe examples in our environment that promote the importance of fulfilling one desire over another, and by doing so, we can change what we desire.

Understanding this principle and the vast importance of the environment’s influence over us, then under the influence of an environment that leads us to the ultimate goal of our lives—to a harmonious connection where we reveal the positive force hidden in nature—we can constantly develop both our desires and our minds in harmony.

Moreover, if we have big desires but our mind is undeveloped to actualize them, we could then lose our ability to sensibly control ourselves.

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Question: If the Creator completely governs everything and a person supposedly has freewill, then why does He lead us through violence and suffering?

Answer: The Creator governs us by the laws of nature. The Creator is the general force of nature in which two forces emanating from Him are opposed: bestowal and reception. A person is between them, and both properties affect him.

The question arises: how does a person develop under their influence? What is he doing? What is his freewill? How does he accumulate these two forces in himself? How does he correlate them in himself? How does he build himself out of them?

This is the entire wisdom of Kabbalah: how to receive these two forces in the right form and with their help shape yourself so as to become similar to the Creator, rise up, reach Him, and adhere to Him. The fact that He gave us the opportunity to control with the help of these two forces is our freewill!

How can we act if we do not have it? Who will we be then? Just the ones who are controlled?

Until now, we have been just the controlled ones. What does it mean? The Creator adds a little bit of egoism as if He gives you a drop of injection and releases the egoism in you a little more, and you take something upon yourself, do this and that, twist and turn. So does everyone else. He squeezes the syringe a little bit more and so on all the time until He squeezes the whole injection into you.

Right now you are filled to the limit with egoism. No more. This is why you have nowhere to escape. Where to go? What to do?

Moreover, egoism has closed and become global and integral. In the beginning we felt good because we reached egoistic global connections in the world and thought that everything would be fine. But when these connections began to depend on everyone, we turned out to be the opposite of nature. And here we have a problem: what to do about it?
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Is the Creator a pervert?” 8/2/11

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Question: How do I stick to the feeling that everything I do not like about other people is actually positive?

Answer: Only through your inner correction. This must be corrected internally. There is no other way.

You cannot destroy qualities you do not like. Of course you can force people not to use them, to cover them up, and suppress them. But at the same time, you suppress a person’s ability to realize himself. You lose because of this.

Question: Is all the suppression and attempts to correct a person the same prison, and everything else is just useless?

Answer: According to Judaism, prison is generally prohibited. It does not correct anyone. In America, prisons are called correction centers. But what kind of correction is there?

We see that well-trained thieves, swindlers, robbers, murderers, and rapists of an even higher class come out of there. A prisoner graduated from “school,” the second imprisonment is “university,” the third one a “Ph.D.”, and so on. Why do we need this? Instead, we need to correct ourselves.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Positive qualities of a maniac” 8/18/11

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Question: Two personal companions have been with us since ancient times: the cat and the dog. By their nature they cannot get along with each other, but living next to a person they do get along. What do they represent?

Answer: I think that the dog belongs more to the right line, although in principle it is considered an unclean animal, and the cat belongs to the left.

Dogs have been domesticated for a long time, 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, and a person keeps them because he needs them.

Cats were known in ancient Egypt as a model of worship. The Egyptians considered them wise creatures and carriers of special knowledge.

I think that in general these animals manifest themselves in the following way in our world. The dog can be corrected. It can be your friend on the right line, to protect and guard you.

But the cat cannot; it protects and guards only itself and is all about its needs. But it is necessary for a person to protect the house from rodents. The dog guards the house from the enemy. It is like a detector of everything foreign.

And although I have not found information about these animals in Kabbalistic sources, I can imagine where their roots are because they constantly accompany a person and supplement him, so to say.

For many years, dogs and cats have been neglected. It was believed that they could not be kept at home. Previously, a cow and a goat could be kept at home, and dogs and cats only in the yard, next to the house. But in our time something suddenly happened because man himself descended to the same animal level.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Cat and Dog” 7/30/11

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Question: From a letter: “In Tarkovsky’s film The Sacrifice, there is a nuclear war. The main character, in order to save his family and the whole world, as if agrees to make a deal with the Creator. He makes a sacrifice: he burns down his beautiful house, renounces his family, refuses to communicate with people, and takes a vow of silence. In return, the Creator allegedly turns reality backward, and the war does not happen. What sacrifice does each individual need to make now to change the reality of humanity? Is it necessary to give up yourself and everything that fulfills you for this? To what extent should we give it up, if at all?”

Answer: We must give up receiving pleasure for our own sake so, a person does not enjoy what his body wants. Obviously, this does not mean just some kind of animalistic pleasure. Instead, a person should enjoy the fact that he lives in harmony with others.

Question: Does such a revolution need to take place in a person? I live by receiving pleasure only for my own sake. To give it up means to live for the sake of others. If I receive pleasure from the fact that someone else receives pleasure, is this a normal formulation for an explanation or not?

Answer: This is the condition of my pleasure: if others receive pleasure at the same time. It is important to me that they receive pleasure.

Question: When we say pleasure, what kind of pleasure do you mean?

Answer: Absolutely any, no matter what kind of pleasure.

Question: That is, I am happy when others are happy, I am happy when someone else is happy. Is this a victorious formula?

Answer: Basically, yes.

Question: What did I give up in this case?

Answer: Receiving pleasure for my own sake.

Question: Is this when I am the only one who receives pleasure, and I do not care about others? That is, they all exist to serve me.

Answer: Yes, even more than that! This is how the world is today.

Question: Now the most difficult question is: how can you give it up?

Answer: There is no way.

Question: On one hand you say that we have to come to this. On the other hand you say that it is not in our power. What is in our power, after all?

Answer: It is to create a society in which you can receive pleasure, but in the same measure as others.

Question: Not more than others?

Answer: Yes.

Question: A society of equal pleasures? There were such utopias in their time. How do you differ from these utopias, from everything that was built there?

Answer: I am a supporter of the doctrine that says this is impossible.

Question: If I realize that this is impossible, is this a good point?

Answer: This is a good point, and it will lead you to a solution.

Comment: So, you say this: it is impossible to give up receiving pleasure for one’s own sake, it is impossible to love one’s neighbor, it is impossible to give to another. Impossible!

My Response: Yes.

Question: If a person comes to such an understanding, which is very sharp, bitter, and inside himself, are you saying that this is good?

Answer: This is the recognition of the evil of your nature! From here you should say: but there is a need for me to rise above it, above this nature. What do I need to do for this? Where can I find such a medicine?

So far people have not found it. They have already stopped even hoping, on one hand. But, on the other hand, they gradually, slowly understand more and more that if there is no such medicine, then there is no happiness, there is no good, and no future.

Comment: That is, here we have such a pitchfork: I understand that it is impossible to live like this, that I am like this, my nature is like this, and at the same time I understand that I cannot move on.

My Response: In no way.

Question: I am at such a point; I can move neither backward nor forward. What should I do in this case?

Answer: When we reach such a state, then we begin to understand that if such a task is really set before us by nature, then, obviously, there is a solution to it in nature itself.

Question: This is logical. That is, there is no solution around us, but there is one in nature itself. Do I gradually begin to communicate with nature in this way?

Answer: Yes. This is communication with nature.

Question: Do I say: “There is a solution within you. Give me this solution!”?

Answer: Yes. This should reach a state that will force a person to really turn to nature in this way.

Question: At what point will nature respond and give answers?

Answer: When a person is in complete despair when he really needs only this.

Comment: In this case, a person will be able to give up only with the help of nature, when he desperately, badly needs it.

My Response: Yes.

Question: If we summarize all this, are we being led to this state right now? Will we not get around this point and pass it in any way?

Answer: No way.

Question: Do you have a clear feeling that this is what we are being led to?

Answer: Yes, we need to understand and feel that an internal inversion is based on this point, and it is necessary.

Question: Is it because this is the future and it will necessarily happen? Is there nowhere to escape from it?

Answer: No. Otherwise, you will not pass into another existence.

Question: Tell me, if a person heard you, what are his actions at this moment? Even if he begins to mechanically communicate with nature, as with the Creator.

Answer: He needs to strengthen himself in this paradigm.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/5/23

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are some lesser known facts about Alfred Nobel?“

After Alfred Nobel’s passing in San Remo on December 10, 1896, the unexpected establishment of a special peace prize under his name sparked immense interest. Alfred Nobel rewrote his will to donate more than 90 percent of his life earnings to create the symbol of respect and honor for those who have made contributions to peace and the betterment of mankind, the symbol that is now known as the Nobel Peace Prize.

Meanwhile, Alfred Nobel’s reputation was closely tied to massive destruction—inventions designed for warfare, the most well-known of which was dynamite. In fact, in addition to developing rockets, cannons, and progressive powder, he wanted to create a machine so powerful that it would render war impossible due to its devastating effects. He believed that the destructive power of weapons could potentially end war faster than making peace.

Nobel did not live long enough to witness World Wars I and II, where his theories were disproved quite radically. Yet one cannot help but wonder what could have happened at the end of his life to cause him to invest so greatly in a peace-related cause.

Some argue that Nobel’s extensive correspondence over many years with Austrian peace advocate Bertha von Suttner, renowned for her anti-war novel Lay Down Your Arms, allowed Nobel to delve into his thoughts regarding war and peace, shaping his beliefs and influencing the establishment of the peace prize that bore his name. Others, like Albert Einstein, asserted that Nobel wanted to clear his name and alleviate his guilt by establishing the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, Nobel rewrote his will directly after his brother Ludvig died in 1888, and a French newspaper accidentally published an obituary for Nobel that referred to him as the “merchant of death who made a fortune by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before.”

While we can only speculate about his motives, we see how public opinion can easily be bought in our world. Today, most people know Alfred Nobel only for his contributions to peace, and the darkness of his past is largely overlooked. Unfortunately, money speaks, and if one can afford to pay a few million dollars, public opinion can change for the better. In much the same way, mass media is bought as well.

I remember how in 2006, I spoke at the World Spirit Forum in Arosa, where some of the greatest peacemakers from around the world gathered in hope of creating positive change. I expressed then that public opinion has the power to dictate everything. If we create a public opinion that honors only those who engage in giving back to society and doing good deeds, the world will slowly begin to change. Everyone listened attentively and agreed. At that time, I still had hope that the world could change, but today these words seem naïve.

Since then, the world has further deteriorated. Humanity has become consumed by the massive overblown human ego. We are headed quickly to a dead end. The problems will continue to escalate. Will we have to face such terrible crises where we lose everything we have, even our children and grandchildren, for us to look for another way?

It is up to us.

People must realize the need for serious change. The change will still come from above our reasoning and intellect, but only when we are ready for it. When we see the dead end approaching and reach the decision to change our egoistic ways, salvation will come. I still hope that it can happen quickly and smoothly, and it is one of the key reasons why I invest so much into teaching and spreading the wisdom of connection. If Alfred Nobel had such a change of heart, others can too.

Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Question: Why is there such a phenomenon as right-handed and left-handed? Is there any explanation for this?

Answer: Of course, everything has its own explanation, although we see some things in nature, and some things we don’t.

The fact is that in our spiritual image, from where all the threads descend to our world and control us, there are right-handed who work more in the right line, and there are left-handed who work more in the left line. And there are those who are balanced in two lines. These are very rare people, and they really don’t care which hand to work with, even with two hands.

But mostly people are initially left-handed, they are simply converted to right-handed. If you lock your fingers together and see which thumb is on top, then you can determine who you were originally: right-handed or left-handed.

All this comes from the three lines on which our soul is built. Some people work more in the right, others in the left, and the third type in the middle line. It depends on the kind of souls, because we are all connected in one system, in one single soul. And each of us works in his own field.

Just like inside the body, different organs work in different directions and their directions do not necessarily coincide. O like in a car, pistons or other parts move in different directions; one turns forward, the other back, and as a result, the whole car goes forward. It is the same here, everyone seems to work in a versatile way, but in the end it is all balanced.

Therefore, it does not matter if one is right-handed or left-handed. All this comes from our inner state, those properties that descend into our world and are increasingly manifested in our generation because it is in this generation that we must somehow correct and implement them.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Left-handed and Right-handed” 7/30/11

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the basis of anti-Semitism?“

The basis of anti-Semitism is the Jewish people having yet to realize their true identity and role in humanity: that by uniting above their differences, they become a conduit for unity to spread throughout the world.

The Jewish people received their name from attaining a state of spiritual unity (the Hebrew word for “Jew” [Yehudi] comes from the word for “united” [yihudi] [Yaarot Devash, Part 2, Drush no. 2]). They share no biological connection as Jews, since they are a people that came from all parts of ancient Babylon, gathered into Abraham’s tent, and became united when they, using Abraham’s method of unification, set their sights on attaining the spiritual state of unity, purified from any self-centered motives.

Why is this non-biological, spiritual form of unity so important today?

It is because precisely today, the human ego has grown to overblown proportions, and humanity experiences increasing social division and other problems on personal, social and global scales, stemming from increasing disengagement among people.

Moreover, the increasing social diversity and mingling of cultures, economies and technologies into a globally-intertwined blend demands a method that can glue together the thickening tangle by making sense of it.

As people suffer more from increasing social division, they instinctively feel that the Jews are to blame for their problems. That is because, since the Jewish people had once achieved a unified state “as one man with one heart,” the nations of the world have a gut feeling that the Jews are holding back something positive from them. And both the nations of the world and the Jews are unconscious as to what that positive thing actually is: a harmoniously unified society, the key to everyone’s happiness.

The more the nations of the world feel their lives fill up with problems, the more they will unconsciously blame the Jews, pointing out any dirt on Jews that they can get their hands on—or fabricate—without knowing that there is a deeper hatred within them preceding its many corporeal manifestations. As social division and its byproducts of anxiety, stress, xenophobia and extremism increase, and as the suffering in the world rises, the Jews will be circled out more and more, and we can expect an intensification of attacks and threats on Jews.

Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) describes this phenomenon at length in his article, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”:

In such a generation, all the destructors among the nations of the world raise their heads and wish primarily to destroy and to kill the children of Israel, as it is written (Yevamot 63), “No calamity comes to the world but for Israel.” This means, as it is written in the above corrections, that they cause poverty, ruin, robbery, killing, and destruction in the whole world.

Today, the nations of the world unconsciously sense that the Jewish people, or Israel, are failing to implement and exemplify a unity worthy of replication in human society. The natural reaction is for them to apply pressure on the Jews, which boosts anti-Semitism. On the other hand, as soon as Jews unite, it will also bring about the unity of humanity and they will feel a wealth of goodness and well-being streaming from the Jewish people.

Therefore, combating anti-Semitism at its basis means implementing a single comprehensive solution: the education and promotion of unity above division. Such education needs to focus on uniting the Jewish people under the law, “love your neighbor as yourself,” which made them the people of Israel to begin with, in order for them to become a conduit for unity to spread worldwide, i.e., to become “a light unto the nations.”

Based on the writers meeting on July 7, 2019 with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Comment: When a person watches a movie, he becomes permeated with the desire of the main character, he worries, cries, and feels the pain that the character feels. How does this principle work?

My Response: This is an attempt to get into a different character, connect with it, imagine yourself in his place, and put on his life. Each of us has such an attempt, without which we would not be connected to each other. But for this, we need an auxiliary tool—empathy.

Therefore, theater, cinema, and video clips have a very serious influence and strong means of perceiving someone through a visual image.

Therefore, we need to show the society of the future what principles it works on, what relationships exist between people, and how they come to the society of the future in a good way.

It can be done through war, but clearly, these are terrible sufferings that will force humanity to agree to anything just to stop suffering. But to come to it in a good way, it is necessary to be aware of this process and its desirability, not even because I want to escape from suffering, but because I see a great light in it.

It would be great to implement this idea in the cinema.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Power of Cinematography” 7/31/11

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