Michael Laitman, On Quora: “On which factor, does our future actually depend?“

Our future depends on understanding who we are, where we are, where we are headed, and how we can align ourselves with the laws guiding our development. When we do so, we will find ourselves living in a harmonious and peaceful world.

Until the 21st century, we evolved according to the egoistic drives that grew within us. Today, the human ego has reached it apex, and accordingly we now have an opening to exercise free choice in our further development.

What is our free choice? It is our ability to rise above our egoistic nature.

Rising above our ego is our only free action because everything else we do, which stems from our egoistic drives, functions according to an involuntary program that constantly makes us move toward self-aimed pleasures. Therefore, when we can rise above self-interest, thinking and acting for the benefit of others, we perform an action that is outside our entire egoistic nature. In this free act, we picture no pleasure in a self-aimed direction, wishing instead for all goodness to redirect to others.

If we realize our free choice, we will rise to a new nature with a new perception and sensation of life that is eternal and perfect.

The laws of nature will unfold whether or not we exercise our free choice. However, without our participation in this transition, we will experience life as increasingly bitter and painful. Our egoistic desires can never be fulfilled. The more they fall short of the pleasures they constantly seek, the more we will find ourselves becoming entangled in a growing web of problems.

Our ability for free choice is what separates us from animals and all other parts of nature. It is for this reason that Kabbalists say that the whole of reality was created for man: We are nature’s sole intelligent creatures that are capable of rising above our inborn egoistic state and aligning ourselves with nature’s laws—laws of love, giving and connection.

We have an immense transition ahead of us, and an even more amazing goal. Our current state requires us to seek answers to new and greater challenges that we encounter as we head into the future. It is indeed a positive situation that I relate to with much hope, not with anxiety.

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Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: Do you have states that do not allow you to mentally break away from the corporeal level?

Answer: No, unless there is a wish from above to confuse me in something. Then all of a sudden, I receive some thoughts, all kinds of worries about loved ones or something else. This shows me that here I have not yet finished my work, here I have not yet pulled myself up, and so on.

Question: How do you handle this?

Answer: Let’s say you’re sitting in my class, and a couple of hundred other people are sitting beside us. Together we study the methods of elevating a person, his correction, the problems of our world regarding the next degree, how we should perform some actions, and so on, and suddenly you have some thoughts about your loved ones or distant ones, or about your debts in the bank; it doesn’t matter what or how.

You must understand that all this is in order to sharpen your studies now so that you are more clearly connected with them, that it is in the form in which all these disturbances are being sent to you now that you must strengthen your ties with the upper world.

This is how it will be all the time. That is, as soon as you wake up in the morning and establish a connection with the source in the first second, from this minute onward you should only develop your connection with Him and see all the disturbances as means of strengthening the connection. This is how we need to tune in and look at the disturbances!

Otherwise, you will remain a small child, you will remain in a bad connection with the Creator, with the upper force! You must advance with the help of these disturbances and rise above them! In any case, do not annul them or throw them away! Of course, it is a whole science of how to use disturbances, but that is what they exist for.

Thus, if you can hold out like this for at least a few hours every day, I guarantee you, in a week I will already be talking to an angel. 🙂
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Practical Kabbalah” 11/4/12

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 5:15 where it writes, ‘Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there’?“

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the state of slavery in Egypt means that we are under the complete control of the desire to enjoy for self-benefit alone, or in other words, the human ego.

From such a state, we embark on an inner journey to correct our desire so that we enjoy not egoistically, i.e. for the sake of self-benefit alone, but for the benefit of others and the Creator, which is an opposite desire to ours—to give, love and positively connect.

This inversion of our intention is considered a correction of our nature, and it is described in the Torah as us exiting Egypt and entering the Land of Israel.

This correction of our ego from prioritizing self-benefit to prioritizing the benefit of others and nature describes the spiritual path we undergo until our final eternal and perfect state, called “the end of correction” (Heb. “Gmar Tikkun”).

At every stage of this spiritual path, we need to exit our ego called “Egypt,” and gradually start revealing the force of love and bestowal in nature called “the Creator.” Doing so leads us to great joy and a major surprise that the Creator prepared for us.

Therefore, our need to remember that we were slaves in Egypt means that we were in the desire to enjoy for ourselves alone, which completely controlled us, and that the Creator brought us out from our self-aimed desire. We needed to feel that we could not exit our egoistic desire other than by connecting to one another and reaching a sincere mutual request—a prayer—to exit our ego. We were then granted access to a new nature of love, giving and positive connection with others through which we discovered a harmonious, peaceful and joyous reality.

This feeling is very special because a part of it penetrates our desire to enjoy, and another part resists our desire. With this contrast inside, we can then scrutinize the forces that operate on our egoistic nature, whether and how much we can exit the control of those forces, and how the upper force—the Creator—grants us that special ability.

Based on the Daily Kabbalah Lesson with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on March 27, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash.xt

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the actual meaning of freedom, in one sentence?“

Freedom means that you overcome your egoistic nature—the desire to receive pleasure—and by doing so, come closer to the altruistic laws of nature.

Based on the Daily Kabbalah Lesson with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on March 29, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: What parallels can be drawn between the relationship of a man and a woman compared with the Creator and the creation?

Answer: All the movements, connections, rapprochements, and distancing that exist between the Creator and the creation happen between a man and a woman because these states in spirituality are the source of gender separation in our world.

In the beginning, there was no world at all, no humanity, and no separation of people. They appeared precisely because the Creator created the creation—something that receives from the Creator.

The Creator is considered a masculine force, creative and developing. Creation is a female force, receiving, multiplying, and expanding, which, by its development, comes to the perception of the Creator and the desire to become one with Him. It is in the purpose of creation.

In the corporeal world in our biological protein bodies, this is realized on the earthly level. Correct implementation at the protein level is also necessary for the entire creation at all its levels in order to come to the correct state. There is nothing beyond this unity.

Therefore, Kabbalah, studies this unity in forces and understands everything that happens in nature at all levels—between people, between parts of nature, and in human society—and that a person, based on his nature, creates all kinds of political, economic, commercial, family, and other systems.

Kabbalah is a universal wisdom because it operates with the most universal things: two forces, the Creator and creation. It explains how they gradually, through a hierarchy, descend through the four worlds, form our world, and in it, reach the same realization. Everything is very simple.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. A Man and a Woman, an Eternal Orgasm” 6/16/12

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What will heal the wounds in the Israeli society?“

Amid the painful rifts in Israeli society, in a period of mass protests, strikes and sharp divisions, today my student asked me: What prayer can we raise in such a situation?

We can only raise a prayer for unity above division.

It does not matter who is right and wrong. We are not given these situations so that we can work out who is right and wrong. There will be no end to such arguments.

We only need to unite, and our unity should be above all differences—above everything.

Based on the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on March 27, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Yoav Aziz on Unsplash.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do I prevent a nuclear war?“

Even though there is a joint statement between five of the world’s most powerful nations—the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France—that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” we still see that these same nations continue spending trillions of dollars on the arms race. Such statements simply give the people what they want to hear so that those in power can continue their rule.

While we live with self-interest at our core, where we each prioritize self-benefit over the benefit of others, then we position ourselves on a rickety foundation to prevent any kind of future war.

In order to truly prevent a nuclear war, we need to correct our egoistic nature so that we will prioritize the benefit of others and nature over self-benefit, and we need this correction to play out among everybody: from the broadest masses to the ruling elite.

Correcting our egoistic nature and discovering a sturdy foundation for human relations that would safeguard us from future wars requires a new universal education—one that focuses on our need to unite above division.

We need to learn about our egoistic nature: how is it opposed to the general altruistic laws of nature? What are the driving forces behind human development? Where are we headed? And how can we align ourselves with nature’s altruistic laws in order to experience harmony, peace and balance in our lives?

The more we immerse ourselves with this new form of universal education and start correcting our egoistic nature, the more we will protect ourselves from future wars.

Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr Michael Laitman and Semion Vinokur. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on January 1, 2022.
Photo by Ant Rozetsky (@rozetsky) | Comunidade de fotos da Unsplash on Unsplash.

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Question: Is there a purpose for non-kosher animals?

Answer: Non-kosher animals symbolize desires that we are not yet able to correct. Therefore, we must put those desires aside for the time being and not use them until the final correction.

In the final correction, they will all rise and be corrected. It is said that the pig will be the most kosher animal. It is just that now it represents the desires that cannot be corrected, and it is not only pigs, but also camels and other animals. The pig is just a symbol.

From a spiritual point of view, there are many different prohibitions. For example, it is forbidden to eat the first fruits from trees for three years; you should not cut the edges of the field, but leave them for the poor because you cannot use everything for the sake of the Creator. And there are many more.

In fact, the Talmud, like all sources, explains the laws of the spiritual world.

Question: If a person in our world eats pork, does that mean something?

Answer: It does not mean anything unless he wishes to become like the upper world at the same time. He does no harm to his health.

Question: But a Kabbalist would not eat pork?

Answer: In principle, this is a very difficult question. In general, a Kabbalist tries to imitate all the laws of the upper world in his mechanical actions, although he treats this completely differently from other believers.

In principle, we are only talking about spiritual work, and this absolutely does not include any physical actions.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Food Is the Meaning of Life” 9/8/12

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can I help depressed teenagers on a large scale?“

It seems to me that children were happier in the past when people lived simpler lives. Family and social connections filled our lives, and we were closer to our parents, neighbors and people in general.

Today, we live in a generation that is glued to its screens, wanting to have nothing to do with one another. The parents of our generation are also generally busy making a living, and I think that teenage depression has a lot to do with us parents neglecting our children.

I would thus recommend parents work less and pass more time with their children. They should do various activities together, like going to the beach or to a soccer game, and so on, and most importantly, the activities should be for both parents and children together.

Today’s families are missing out on much connection, and so I think that it is a must for parents to do more in order to connect with their children.

Based on the video “Curing Teen Depression: Advice for Parents” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Question: You said that there are different ways of working in three lines. What did you mean?

Answer: Let’s say I am a father, husband, teacher, and citizen. In all my relationships, I must behave in the middle line: I relative to myself, relative to anything, and applied to anything like science, art, technology, economics, finance, my attitude to nature etc.

Any of our actions come from desire, and therefore all of them should optimally fit into the middle line when our egoism takes part in all actions, but is aimed at bestowal, love, and bringing the surrounding system into a balanced, kind, and calm state.

Today we are in absolute discord because a system of three lines or a system of integral interconnection is manifested between us, and we are not able to realize it on ourselves. Thus, we are the opposite of what nature shows us. It turns out that on our part there is no three-line behavior toward anything or anyone, not in our perception, in our actions, or in our thoughts. That is why we are in crisis in all our activities.

The middle line means that I direct all my good and bad qualities, thoughts, desires, and movements to a good relationship with everyone. This is the main thing that I pursue, because if I can achieve this and take such a course in my life, then I will make myself, humanity, and the world perfect, eternal, infinite, and good in all respects. Therefore, we study what the middle line is.

The wisdom of Kabbalah studies very deeply what is called the Masach de Hirik, which appears as a result of conjugation of Bina and Malchut, the second restriction (Tzimtzum Bet), and so on.

But the average person does not need it. We can only say to him: “Despite the fact that you are an egoist, no matter how much you wish everything for yourself, try to rise above this and take the state of others into account as well. If you can, imagine their state higher than yours. Try it! Can you do it, at least once, somehow? And at the same time consider how humanity would exist in such a state. That is all.

We are moving toward a state where people will need to understand this; otherwise, they will eat each other alive in the full sense of the word. Everything is inherent in a person, and this can come true if we do not begin to internally prepare ourselves for different relationships.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. How to Work in Three Lines” 10/20/12

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