Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What does it mean to unite ‘as one man with one heart’?“

“One heart” means that we are in a single desire to begin with.

This desire shattered and organized us into billions of people who are separate and distant from one another. In other words, in our current state, we have many hearts, or many desires.

Then, by correcting ourselves, i.e., by bringing ourselves closer together in a common intention to love, bestow and connect like the force of love, bestowal and connection that Kabbalists call “the Creator,” we come to perceive a different picture of reality: that there are not “many people,” but rather “one man.”

To the extent in which we bring ourselves closer to the Creator, adhering ourselves to the force of love, bestowal and connection, we come to perceive a single form of bestowal.

We then observe the state of unity “as one man with one heart,” in adhesion with the Creator.

Based on the Daily Kabbalah Lesson with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 16, 2023 on the topic of Shavuot, “As One Man with One Heart.” Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What did Einstein really do that was so great that helped humanity?“

Einstein did nothing to benefit us.

Moreover, he helped build the atom bomb, and told us that there are properties in our world that we cannot understand.

It would have been better if he and the other nuclear physicists had done nothing. We can get along fine without nuclear power, and of course, without atom bombs. For all the praise Einstein receives, we have no need for what he brought us.

In general, I think that science of the 20th century brought no benefit to humanity. I do not want to deny its achievements, because science did quite a lot. The problem is that our scientific innovations and achievements have turned against us.

Indeed, we do not work as hard as we did in the past. We have made for ourselves all sorts of appliances and tools that grant us more free time. But what do we do with our increased free time? We bring ourselves more and more troubles and concerns, and we increasingly deplete the earth of its natural resources.

I do not see happier people as a result of our scientific progress. People used to engage in much more emotionally and mentally constructive activities. We used to spend more time listening to large works of music, attending theaters and reading thick novels and other literature. Today, people’s attention spans have drastically dropped, and we find ourselves more with our heads down, thumbing our phones, mindlessly scrolling down our social media feeds.

We have much more depression, loneliness, anxiety, stress, drug abuse and suicides than ever before. There might be an illusion that we became happier by not having to work as hard as we did in the past, but we see that less work and more luxury time does not equate to more happiness.

Although Einstein was sincere in his pursuits to create a better world, I see that he and many like him did not crack what it takes to make us happier people.

I say all this despite the fact that I like and encourage science. The problem with science is not science in and of itself, but its blending with human egoism, where we wish to use science for the purposes of overpowering, outcompeting, manipulating and exploiting others. This egoistic quality in man turned Einstein’s discoveries into the creation of an atom bomb. Therefore, the message here is not to do away with science, but that we should develop science after we correct the human ego. We first need to correct ourselves, i.e., to learn how to invert our inborn intention to benefit ourselves at the expense of others and nature, otherwise we will use science and any kind of innovation we make eventually to our detriment.

If it were possible, I would willingly go back to Einstein’s time and instead of developing science, I would introduce connection-enriching education that guides us on how to correct the human ego. Only after we develop frameworks for positively relating to one another above our inborn desires to exploit and abuse others, we should then let science develop.

Science would then benefit humanity. As a result of connection-enriching education, we would come to feel humanity like our family. Our research would then never lead to the creation of weapons and the atom bomb that we use to bring mass destruction and anxiety to humankind. We would only seek how to make creations that would make people happier, more confident and safer by increasing our positive connection to each other above our harmful egoistic drives.

Based on the video “Conversations with Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 13, 2015. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What makes you criticize others?“

We criticize others as a result of our egoism, which makes us want to enjoy at the expense of others, and which thus makes us enjoy viewing others as smaller and lesser than ourselves.

If we make no changes to our inborn egoism, then we live in this inclination to criticize others. However, if we strive to connect with others, we then start criticizing ourselves, because the egoistic inclination within us is the opposite of the inclination to connect with others.

If we wish to progress to a higher spiritual goal than our earthly corporeal ones, i.e., to a goal of enjoying through a new nature of giving, loving and connecting with others, then once we set that goal and place ourselves among the means to achieve it, we can criticize anything that counters the direction to that goal.

Based on KabTV’s “I Got a Call. What Is Criticism?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on February 21, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can we protect the environment?“

Our every problem stems from our perception of ourselves as separate from nature, where we differentiate “me” from “everyone and everything outside of me.”

Such a perception makes us regard our environment as subordinate to us. Even when we care for the environment, we do so solely with our own benefit in mind, without considering the whole system of nature.

Our excessive self-interest breaches the balance in nature’s integrally-connected system, and it evokes negative feedback from nature. We then suffer from ecological disasters, pandemics and myriad other phenomena.

Therefore, we need to change our approach from “how can we protect the environment?” to a perception of us as nature’s integral parts.

In general, we underestimate the power of our thoughts and desires. They are the most powerful forces in nature and they have the potential to impact great changes in nature.

The problem is that our thoughts’ influence on nature is hidden from us.

Accordingly, we solely relate to our external influence on nature, such as gas emissions and waste pollution, while the most powerful influence we have on nature awaits treatment at its causal point.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the best thing to learn from a mother?“

When my mother passed away, which was when I was already over 70 years old, I felt that she had been carrying me in her arms my whole life, and she only let me go at that very moment of her departure.

When we are babies, we are completely dependent on the care from our mothers, and the natural care that mothers hold for their babies is far more important than all other human desires. This is because the mother’s desire to care for and connect to her baby precedes our every other desire—for food, sex, family, wealth, respect and control.

I often emphasize the immense importance of a mother’s care for her child because we need to use this caring force in order to bring humanity to a harmonious and peaceful state. It is what human society’s positive future depends on.

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, we discuss the Sefira of Bina as a quality that wishes solely to give and to bestow as a protection, cover and shield that is somewhat similar to this world’s example of a mother’s care for her child.

If we wish to use this force of Bina, i.e., to cover ourselves with the force of bestowal, we then become similar to a baby in its mother’s arms. We acquire the protection of Bina’s special force, a force in nature that Kabbalists call “the light of Hassadim (mercy),” which drives away the negative egoistic forces that cause every bit of suffering in our lives.

That is all humanity lacks: the feeling of a supreme caring force that wishes solely to bestow, similarly to a mother’s natural care for her baby, covering our relations in society like an umbrella. We would then be unable to act negatively toward each other because the harmful egoistic forces would be “afraid of mother,” the force of bestowal that would be present in our midst.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Zach Vessels on Unsplash.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Does being against the State of Israel automatically make you antisemitic?“

Jews bear the method to positively connect above society’s myriad divisions and conflicts, but they themselves are unaware of it.

The more divided human society becomes, the more humanity needs this method of connection.

There exists a subconscious feeling among people worldwide—some feel it more while others feel it less—that Jews possess this method of connection, and that they hold it back from humanity.

Of course, this feeling does not become iterated as clearly and directly as… “Hey, you Jews hold a method of connection that you’re unaware of, so please start using this method you possess to positively connect among yourselves above your divisions, and then the positive connection you discover will spread outwardly to everyone, everywhere, and then we can all live happily ever after. Oh, and also, then we won’t hate you or your State anymore. On the contrary, we’ll have total love and respect for you, because then you’ll bring a whole new feeling of harmony, peace and happiness into our lives!”

People feel that the Jews hold a certain “something” back from them, which can let them live much better lives. What are those “much better lives,” and what exactly should the Jews do? Neither humanity in general knows, nor do Jews.

Nonetheless, nature gives everyone besides Jews that feeling—that Jews have something that they hold back from world, which is behind the world’s various turmoils.

Over the course of 2,000 years of Jewish exile, such sentiment was dressed in myriad accusations against the Jews. Today, however, after the establishment of the Jewish State—the State of Israel—then a key part of antisemitism stands out as “anti-Israelism,” i.e., varying degrees of resentment against the State of Israel.

Antisemitism thus has several faces. Some people feel more antisemitic, while others feel more anti-Israeli, but both feelings stem from the same root. And behind these negative perceptions of Jews and Israel is a feeling that the Jews have a certain “something” that they hold back from the world. Jews themselves are clueless as to what it is. Only the Kabbalists among them actively and consciously engage in the method of connection. If the Jews will reveal the method of connection to humanity, then both antisemitism and anti-Israelism will indeed disappear from the face of the planet, and in their place will emerge a newfound reverence for the people who impact unity, harmony and peace throughout the world.
Based on the video “What’s the Difference Between Being Antisemitic and being Against US Support of Israel?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Can Kabbalah be understood without knowing Hebrew?“

It is possible to understand Kabbalah in any language. Moreover, it is desirable to study Kabbalah in one’s native language. However, at the same time, there are a number of Kabbalistic terms in Hebrew that one should learn in order to advance in the study.

For example, the Hebrew word “Partzuf” literally translates to “face,” but in the wisdom of Kabbalah, it holds a completely different meaning, and no term can properly express its spiritual meaning other than the word “Partzuf.” It is a similar situation with several other words. If you think of “Partzuf” as “face” and other words like “Rosh” as “head” and “Raglaim” as “legs,” i.e., the everyday Hebrew uses of those terms, then you will become completely confused and will miss the point completely.

These words and several others are the terminology of the soul, and we gradually come to perceive them as such the more we advance in the method of Kabbalah.

I thus think it makes no sense to translate these words. Likewise, in several of the world’s professions, many words remain in their original language. For instance, Latin is used in medicine, Italian is used in music, and all kinds of expressions in German and English are used in international technical languages.

Based on KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Language of Kabbalah” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on January 23, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Do people who go out to space and look at the Earth from afar undergo any kind of special change?“
Indeed, people who go out to space and view the Earth from afar come back differently.

By detaching from us even for a short period of time, they come back with a different opinion about how we should relate to life.

They can then no longer negatively impact others because of their newly-gained global and integral perspective of everyone and everything: that we are small creatures living on the same small planet. Accordingly, they disagree with the negative connections we have established, where we exploit and harm each other day after day.

I think that we would transform our reality and our world if we could send us all—the whole of humanity—out to space and bring us all back. Doing so would pull us out of our current perceptual bubbles, and we would gain a whole new perspective outside of these bubbles.

Then, after exiting our previous bubbles, we would understand that life could be completely different.

We would then agree to change ourselves. We would even do so against our own will because we would gain a new lens through which we would view reality.

We would then become more mature and understand that it is incredibly childish to constantly struggle with one another in our limited lives here on Earth. Such a change of perspective to a globally-inclusive view of ourselves and our world would lead us to a major change for the better.

Based on the video “Do People Who Go Out to Space and View the Earth from Afar Undergo Any Special Kind of Change?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why do we have to have natural disasters?“

We receive major blows from nature ultimately in order to shake us out of the state where we live according to an egoistic paradigm—with exploitation, manipulation and hatred dwelling in our connections—to a state where we positively connect, as described by the words, “as one man with one heart,” i.e., as a single well-oiled interconnected and interdependent system.

In other words, if we shared a harmonious and balanced connection to each other on the human level, then the balance at our level would ripple throughout nature and we would experience nature harmoniously and peacefully, and natural disasters, as we call them, would become a thing of the past.

We would be wise to pay attention to the future states that we can achieve out of such blows: that the blows come to shake us out of our current dreamlike state in our egoistic attitudes to each other, and wake us up into an opposite harmonious and peaceful world.

In fact, we live in a world that is all good, and only we human beings give the world a negative form in our egoistic attitudes to each other. The time is nearing when we will awaken to the need to stop relating to each other through egoistic lenses—where we each prioritize self-benefit at others’ expense—and instead relate patiently to each other with positive, kind and caring attitudes.

If we made such a switch, we would bear witness to a good life, the likes of which we have never before experienced. We should thus try to reach such relations as quickly as possible.

Based on the video “Why Do We Receive Major Blows from Nature?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What needs to happen or change for humanity to advance?“

Human nature is a desire to enjoy for self-benefit. It is our starting point, and we are placed in a process of development that leads to a state where we will end up inverting our nature in the direction of benefiting others and nature.

Nature in general is the opposite of human nature. It functions according to laws of altruism, interconnection and interdependence. Accordingly, nature develops its still, vegetative and animate parts in a way where they do not use other parts of nature adversely.

In all of nature, only us people have desires to exploit and destroy nature in order to give ourselves feelings of power and respect. We were given this additional egoistic desire in order to upgrade ourselves through our connection to each other, i.e., to learn how to apply favorable and beneficial relations in place of the inclination that wishes to exploit each other and nature for the sake of inflating our egos.

With this inversion of our intention—from self-benefit alone to benefiting others and nature—we discover a whole new world with a new nature, one that is eternal and perfect.

We then live free of pressures and pains. Our feeling of a short, transient and generally miserable life becomes replaced with a feeling of a continuous existence that is free from suffering.

Suffering stems from our egoistic desire to exploit others and nature for self-gain. Therefore, by replacing our egoistic inclination with an altruistic nature of wishing to benefit others and nature, we discover ourselves living in a heavenly plane of existence.

Heaven is a state where a common force of love emerges between people, which forms a connection of “love your neighbor as yourself.” Nature will lead us to this heavenly state sooner or later, and we will have no choice but to invert our attitudes to each other—from egoistic to altruistic—and by doing so, live in a harmonious and balanced connection.

Based on the video “The Big Change Humanity Needs to Undergo” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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