Entries in the 'Quora' Category

“Don’t Fall for Egoistic Unity” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Don’t Fall for Egoistic Unity

The recent tragic events of the Israel-Hamas war have made much clearer that our greatest vulnerability to terrorists is not in external threats but in our internal divisions. Our own very demonstrations, protests and vitriol that we spread among each other weakens us and emboldens those who wish to attack us. While the importance of unity is widely acknowledged, what remains less clear is that unity is merely the initial step in a more profound mission.

The story of the Tower of Babel serves as a poignant illustration of the consequences of misusing unity. The Babylonians, united in purpose, harnessed the power of unity to build a tower fueled by a group egoism. Due to their self-serving misuse of the unifying force, the tower eventually collapsed, scattered them and confused their language. Similarly, the history of communism reveals how a seemingly noble pursuit of equality and friendship, rooted in unity, can devolve into greed and oppression, resulting in the loss of millions of lives.

Unity, when constructed upon the flawed foundations of selfish motives, risks undermining its potential for positive change. It is not enough to proclaim, “together we will win.” Mere unity might ward off external foes, but it fails to address the persistent internal battle against our divisive egoistic drives that surface inside us at every moment. Without a higher guiding principle, the ego will resurface, perpetuating a cycle of conflict and drawing external threats.

What distinguishes this higher guiding principle is not a distant, cloud-dwelling grandfather figure but a positive unifying force that manifests in connections that we build above our divisive egoistic tendencies. This force is rooted in the fundamental laws of nature that reveal themselves through the intentions of those who unite in a common aspiration to project the very base qualities of nature—qualities of love, bestowal and connection—to one another and who wish for these qualities to spread to the world at large. Then, the unity that these people establish is based on the fundamental unity that exists in nature, which likewise attracts the harmony and peace that dwells in nature.

To build a society that endures, we must rise above mere unity and establish a society founded on the laws of nature. Without such an alignment, any social construct risks collapse, endangering its members. Recognizing the need to match our unity with nature’s eternal and perfect form of unity is essential for breaking the cycle of internal strife and external threats. We thus need to cultivate unity in society that is built on the benefit of all, a unity made of attitudes of its members that align with nature’s quality of love, bestowal and connection.
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Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“How can the world be better?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: How can the world be better?

The power of connection, unity, mutual responsibility and care is the key to making a better and more balanced world.

Today’s calamities and threats are ultimately in order to make us open up more to each other, and by doing so, draw ourselves to a more unified, harmonious and peaceful state.

We should thus use today’s crises in order to better connect, and to spread unity and mutual responsibility as the solution to our every problem.

Based on the video “What Is the Key to a Better World?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“How can we prevent future wars?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: How can we prevent future wars?

The suffering and sorrow in the present war should awaken the feeling that we lack positive human connection.

If we want to prevent future wars, then we need to connect harmoniously to each other, and to relate to such connection with paramount importance.

Moreover, in our closeness, we should discover a state of mutual responsibility. That is, if one person does something detrimental to others, then we all take responsibility for that act—that we have yet to create the required unifying spirit throughout society that would make everyone willingly rise above their divisive and negative drives.

We should thus pray with all of our strength for our hearts to soften and understand that only our heart-to-heart connection can save humanity. We can then progress to a state of world peace.

Based on the video “How to Prevent Future Wars” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“Beyond Blaming Others – A Time for Unity Above Differences” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Beyond Blaming Others – A Time for Unity Above Differences

In these trying times when the people of Israel face a grave crisis and heartbreak, our only desire should be to set aside our differences and come together above them. That is what will lead us all to a better state.

Some still point fingers and argue about who is responsible for these troubles and where it all began. But the truth is, we are all at fault. Each of us should acknowledge that this catastrophe is happening because of us, and we must refrain from blaming others. It is our individual responsibility to recognize that we have not done enough to foster unity among us.

Therefore, as the people of Israel, we must unite as one with a shared purpose.

The way to improve our situation is through our unity. Ultimately, all of humanity must unite into one interconnected system, forming one collective entity.

It might seem far-fetched to discuss unity when there is so much hostility and differing opinions among us. However, deep inside, we all have our inner conflicts and opposing viewpoints. We encompass a swathe of contradictions within ourselves, and yet, we must still strive to connect and take responsibility to enhance our unity for the sake of world peace.

Accordingly, we need to reach a state where our unity transcends all limitations and disturbances.

Based on the Daily Kabbalah Lesson with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on October 9, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“What can Israeli society do to ensure the safe return of the Israeli hostages in Gaza?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: What can Israeli society do to ensure the safe return of the Israeli hostages in Gaza?

We should do everything possible in order to increase our unity.

We should not pay attention to other people and nations, but come closer to each other in a way where we will become “as one man with one heart.”

That is what will help us: the connection between us and with the upper force, the Creator.

We will then succeed in getting back all the people who were taken hostage.

Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“If you could talk to the people taken hostage on October 7, what would you tell them?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: If you could talk to the people taken hostage on October 7, what would you tell them?

My heart is with you and I’m willing to do anything in order for you to return safely to your homes.

Also, I will pray with my full strength to the Creator so that He will help you.

Let us hope that we will be able to get you out of there until our very last friend, and that it will never happen again.

I hope we will all understand that only our unity—and the Creator from above—will protect us. We can then be certain that this will be the last war.

Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“How can we help the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: How can we help the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza?

Ultimately, what can help the families of the hostages, as well as the families and friends of the dead, the injured, and the hostages themselves, is the connection between us.

Why? It is because our connection draws us closer to the upper force, the Creator, i.e., the all-encompassing force of love, bestowal and connection that created and sustains us. We can then ask this force for forgiveness, correction, and afterward, to return us to the corrected state where we connect harmoniously and peacefully.

We need to ask for forgiveness in that we broke the conditions that the Creator placed before us, where instead of connecting above our divisions, we let our egoistic and divisive drives pit us up against each other leading up to the tragic events of October 7. We thus need to make a major self-introspection in this regard, to ask for forgiveness from everyone, and I very much hope that the Creator will forgive us.

Afterward, the correction that we need to ask for is so that the Creator will help us connect. It is because, again, leading up to the tragic events on October 7, there was so much hatred among the people of Israel that only the upper force can organize our relations in a way where they will switch to mutual support and care. The upper force did not organize our connections in a corrected manner beforehand because we had no request for positive connections. Instead, we let our divisions continually increase and expand the distance between us.

We need to reach a state where we ask for the Creator’s help to connect us above our divisive drives. If we reach a genuine request in that regard, then the Creator will respond accordingly.

Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“Does the global support for Israel following the start of the Israel-Hamas war encourage the people of Israel?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Does the global support for Israel following the start of the Israel-Hamas war encourage the people of Israel?

Indeed, more than 80 countries expressed their support for Israel following the tragic events of the 7th of October, but as to whether such support encourages us, I’d have to say the contrary: it weakens us.

The strength and the future of the people of Israel does not depend on how others relate to us, but on how we relate to each other.

I do not feel any assurance from an upsurge of global support for Israel. We need to secure our future by ourselves through building relations of love, closeness and mutual consideration among each other. It is this construction of positive unifying relations that made us a nation in our very beginnings. We were originally not a nation, but a group of people who gathered under an idea to achieve love above our differences, and it was this form of connection that made us a nation. If we realize such attitudes to each other today, then no one will have any complaints against us.

Moreover, it is incorrect to think that the global support for Israel following the initial Hamas attacks on Israel’s civilians will help the world better understand and feel Israel’s side in the ongoing conflict. People can empathize with others when they can incorporate in their feelings, but the quality that made the people of Israel a nation is beyond our inborn nature, and thus nobody can incorporate in it. I thus also have no criticism on how people in the world relate to the people of Israel.

In order to truly receive a favorable response from the world, it is written, “When the Lord delivered them from Zion, it seemed like a dream. Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them’” (Psalms 126:1-2). In other words, our unity draws a special force that comes to protect us, and when this force dwells in our connections, we draw a supportive response from the world.

We thus need to unite in a way where we are always there for each other. Such unification will draw a force that will protect us, and we need not be concerned about anything other than uniting and drawing this unifying force.

Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“Why did Hamas kill so many innocent Israeli civilians?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Why did Hamas kill so many innocent Israeli civilians?

In Hamas’ terror attack on October 7, 2023, the group did not just kill innocent Israeli civilians, they also made videos of their murders showing pride in their actions.

One of my students asked me about this: How could people reach a state where they kill innocent people, including women and children, and be proud of it?

The problem is that it does not influence us, the people of Israel. It is not the first time in history that such atrocities have taken place toward the Jewish people, and again, the problem is that we fail to draw the right conclusions from these treacherous incidents.

That people resort to actions toward each other that are worse than animals’ treatment of one another is because we are egoistic beings who enjoy in the suffering of others. Only people enjoy in the suffering of others as a means of raising their own status.

If we thought that today, in the 21st century, we as a human race have developed in our knowledge to a point where we are beyond wars and conflicts, it is far from the case. Where do we see that people today are more enlightened than people of the past? What do we see that people wish for other people in the world in today’s culture and education? We see example after example of people wanting to enjoy at the expense of other people and the world.

In the mid-2010s, ISIS made similar public displays as Hamas’ October 7 attacks, taking pride in torturing and executing swathes of innocent people who they deemed as their enemies. People might pin this kind of behavior to Islamist extremists, but it is a narrow view. For instance, only 80 years ago, we saw such behavior in Germany, a country that was renowned for its high cultural impact on the world.

The murderous inclination exists in the egoistic human nature that prioritizes self-benefit over anything else, but such an inclination is especially active toward the Jewish people. Why? It is because we Jews need to serve as a positive unifying example to the world.

Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) writes about this in his article, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”: “The Israeli nation had been constructed as a sort of gateway by which the sparks of purity would shine upon the whole of the human race the world over.”

If we do not become a positive unifying example to the world, then the world treats us worse than anybody else.

The ability to unite above egoistic and divisive drives is what made us the people of Israel to begin with. And as it was then so it is today: We need to fix our connections to each other so that we reach a state of “love your neighbor as yourself” and that “each shall help his friend,” i.e., that we build a close, loving and supportive connection to each other above our divisions.

After the tragic events of October 7, there has been an awakening of a supportive atmosphere among and toward the people of Israel. Among the people of Israel, it is due to the fear that a similar incident will occur tomorrow. However, when this fear fades away, the people of Israel will once again become divided.

This is why I and my organization invest a lot of effort in regularly disseminating educational content on the need for unity, with an additional emphasis on the unity of the Jewish people. If we can awaken ourselves to unite above division through education in more peaceful times, then we would see how the world’s attitude toward us would shift from negative to positive, and our unity would protect us from horrors such as those that again arose against us on October 7.
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Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

“How did Hamas infiltrate into Israel without alerting Israeli intelligence?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: How did Hamas infiltrate into Israel without alerting Israeli intelligence?

Beneath the surface reasons for Israel’s intelligence failure on October 7, 2023, lies a larger collective failure of the people of Israel letting negative attitudes divide them leading up to the tragic events.

The people of Israel’s strength depends on how well they relate to each other. If they cannot get along, no amount of weapons or tools can help.

Hamas’ breach of the barrier into Israel and their managing to commit the atrocities that they did with no Israeli soldiers in sight for a significant period of time, that is, on an army renowned for its intelligence capabilities, continues to shock people and leave them in disbelief.

The core reason, however, for this failure was the lack of a heart-to-heart connection among the people of Israel. For the people of Israel to thrive, its every member must connect from the heart, creating a family-like atmosphere of mutual protection and support, and uphold a common desire for closeness and unity.

The tragedy on October 7 triggered an immediate shift to attitudes of mutual concern and support among the people of Israel. Over time, however, we can expect to see divisive attitudes resurface, with the people of Israel once again erupting in protests and demonstrations against each other.

Until the people of Israel realize the primary need and importance of their unification, that divisive attitudes to each other weaken them and make them vulnerable to destructive forces, then nothing will help.

It was our unity above division that initially brought us together as a nation, where we connected according to the tenet, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and as it once was so it is today: our unity is the only factor that determines our success or failure.

Based on “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on October 15, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.