Michael Laitman, On Quora: “In one sentence only, why do you believe or not believe in God?“

I don’t believe in God. I have been studying and teaching the wisdom of Kabbalah for over 40 years, which is the method for the revelation of God to every single person in this life, in this world, i.e. “revealing” not “believing.”

Based on a talk between Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Larry King.
Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is love in one sentence?“

To love means to fulfill the other, to live according to the desires of the other.

Based on the talk “Communication Skills: Love Is a Law of Life” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Michael Sanilevich on October 23, 2020.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the book ”Zohar” about?“

The Book of Zohar is an internal commentary on the Torah. The most important effect of The Zohar is that we attract the illumination of the upper light upon us when we read it with a correct intention. This illumination is the reason for its being called “Zohar,” which means “radiance.”

This light that we draw through the reading of The Zohar enlightens us and brings us to a state where we start “floating” along with its flow of words, letters and sentences.

According to what we read, we change internally. The impressions we receive are different from those of a novel. They are rather changes that take place within.

Accordingly, the more we advance in our correct reading of The Zohar, the more we include within ourselves the transformations that the Book describes. Eventually, such a process of attainment leads us to the final point of our evolution: complete adhesion and merging with the Creator.

When we first approach The Zohar, we may feel no impact from its reading. However, the impact is taking place without our feeling it for the time being. This is why the first period of reading The Zohar is considered preparation. We practice absorbing what The Zohar wants to give us while we read, hear and try to understand it.

During the period of preparing ourselves for attaining what The Zohar describes, we undergo development in forces, qualities and thoughts. After some time of undergoing this latent stage while reading The Zohar, we will afterward start feeling the phenomena it describes. It is a relatively long and complicated period because we have no clue as to the extent to which we need to change in order to truly understand and feel what is in The Zohar.

And this book shall be called The Book of Zohar due to the influence of that Light from the Upper Radiance [Zohar]. Through its Light, all who engage in it impart by Divine Providence, for the Upper Light and abundance above the reason would was imparted in the secrets of the Torah. Since it flowed from there, this composition was called The Book of Zohar, meaning that it extended from that Zohar [Radiance]. – Ramak , Know the God of Thy Father, 2

Based on KabTV’s “The Power of The Book of Zohar” #8 with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
If you’re interested in finding out more about The Zohar, then we recommend starting with the following course: Enter the Zohar.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Are we all one consciousness?“

Nature relates to humanity as a single and whole system. Our current perspective, however, is fragmented because we are detached in our sensation from nature’s wholeness.

Nature is a pure altruistic quality, whereas our nature is the opposite—egoistic. In other words, nature relates to us in a manner of giving and love, and our attitude is opposite, where we wish to enjoy on account of each other and nature.

Accordingly, even though nature relates to us as a single whole, we make no such distinction, and exist in constant opposition to nature. Our opposition to nature is also the cause of all problems and suffering we experience.

However, nature is developing us to a state where our egoism will be replaced with nature’s altruistic quality, and we will then fully perceive ourselves—all of humanity—as a single consciousness. When we reach this shift in consciousness, we will discover a new harmonious existence that comes from abiding by nature’s laws.

We are currently in a transition from our individualistic egoistic consciousness to an altruistic consciousness that is balanced with nature, however our desires have yet to ripen sufficiently to such a level.

In order to aid and accelerate this inevitable shift in consciousness, so that we experience it enjoyably and with awareness, we need to learn the wisdom of connection. The wisdom of connection explains how nature functions in an altruistic manner, how our nature is opposite, and how we can make the shift from perceiving ourselves as separate egoistic beings to perceiving ourselves as a single system and soul that is balanced with nature. Without such learning, we can expect more and more suffering and problems to enter our lives, as the human ego will continue growing in opposition to nature.

Based on the online lesson “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on March 17, 2019.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why is antisemitism prevalent among the progressive left, particularly the feminist left?“

Antisemitism is a natural phenomenon, which emerged together with the emergence of the Jewish people in ancient Babylon around 4,000 years ago. It is rising in both the political left and right, as they both stem from the very causes of the phenomenon of antisemitism itself. Hatred toward the Jewish people unfolds in several additional ways to how it appears from a particular political standpoint.

However, the burning question right now is, what do we do about it?

Antisemitism is not just against Jews. It is against the inner law in nature, where only unity among all people can save us from this phenomenon and bring about a positive transformation in humanity. Antisemitism is thus by no means a narrow inclination toward Jews. It is much broader in scope.

The human ego—the desire to enjoy on account of others—has started consuming itself, and it needs correction. The more this ego makes people feel hatred toward each other, and the more this hatred pains them, then the more people instinctively connect that hatred to the Jews. In addition, hatred toward Jews temporarily helps them, because without it, their growing hatred would erupt more among themselves.

Therefore, I think that we should view antisemitism as a natural phenomenon that exists before and beyond political sides, and we need to respond to it accordingly. Antisemitism cannot end with any small fixes within or between political sides, or if we leave the State of Israel, as several of our critics—especially in the Arab world—demand.

Antisemitism is a phenomenon that exists at the level of nature’s forces, which permeate humanity and all of nature. Jews, the people of Israel, the nation founded on uniting (“love your neighbor as yourself”) above division (“love will cover all transgressions”) in order to spread that unity to humanity (to be “a light unto the nations”) need to correct the human ego—to unite positively above it. They have a method that can save humanity from the ego’s overgrowth in our era.

Therefore, I make no special connection of antisemitism to the left, the feminist left, or to anywhere else on the political spectrum. Antisemitism goes much deeper than politics. However, natural evolution through the inanimate, vegetative and animate levels of nature has turned humanity into a self-consuming being. And it is not that the Jews are the worst people in the world. It is simply that they have a method for how to unite humanity, and by doing so, save humanity from today’s excessive and dangerously destructive human ego.

We should thus not think about how to make small fixes here and there. Instead, we need to achieve unity. I am certain that if the few million Jews on the planet today would think about how to unite in order to do good to all humanity, then that unifying tendency would expand throughout the world, and everyone would join in.

As a practical measure, if I had it in my power to do so, I would not turn to Jews, but to all haters of Jews and Israel. I would explain to them how exactly the Jews block their happiness, and would also request that they redirect their pressure on the Jews: to demand Jewish unity. This is because, if Jews unite, antisemitism will disappear, and the whole of humanity will unite. And when united, all the burning problems we perceive in our lives today would simply disappear.

In short, humanity is headed toward a state of perfect unity. Humanity can unite on condition that the people of Israel unite. Today, however, the Jews are more divided than any other people. Therefore, antisemitism will gradually acquire forms that will force Jews to unite. Eventually, an inner perception will form within us Jews, that we need to unite, and by doing so, we will save ourselves and the whole of humanity from all hatred, division and crises.

Based on a talk “Meetings with Kabbalah” between Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, Prof. Eli Avraham, Gabriel Malka and Dr. Eli Vinokur on May 28, 2021.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why do so many people have depression nowadays?“

Depression is a sensation of lacking vitality. In our current times, we are in the transition to another level of life that is starting to show itself to us. It is expressed in growing interdependence and interconnectedness around the world, which we feel negatively because we have yet to realize how to adapt to the new conditions nature has placed us into.

Depression is one of the key negative sensations that a lot of people feel as we head into a new level of human development. The more we develop into an era that demands that we learn how to positively realize our growing interdependence and interconnectedness, then the more we will feel ourselves in the shadows of this era, with growing negative sensations of meaninglessness, purposelessness, exhaustion, and a general lack of vitality. The purpose of these negative sensations is in order to signal to us that a certain shift in our attitudes needs to take place if we are to change our negative sensations to positive ones.

If we make a certain shift to realize our interdependence and interconnectedness positively, we will then invite a new force of life into our lives: the positive force that dwells in nature. We will then find how the array of problems we experience, from problems on personal levels such as depression, anxiety, loneliness and stress, through problems on social, national and ecological levels—will all disappear.

On one hand, we are doing our best to sustain our outdated egoistic, individualistic and materialistic approach to life. However, rising depression, loneliness, anxiety, stress and other problems will keep showing our failure. Today, nature acts on us as a kind of evolutionary steamroller, pushing us to rise to a different level of existence, which includes understanding what we here are for, where we are headed, and how we should positively connect above our egoistic drives. Humanity now faces specifically this challenge.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Paola Chaaya on Unsplash.1

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How will society keep human labor relevant in an era of increasing automation?“

In an era of increasing automation and mass unemployment, we will need to readjust our concept of work. We are developing to a state where we will first and foremost need to learn how to live harmoniously as a single collective. The most important factor that will hold us together as a society will be positive attitudes to each other, which we will need to develop upon growing divisive drives and egoism that will naturally make us increasingly distant from one another.

We will thus need to learn how to become satisfied with what we need for our sustenance, and this will be possible if we emphasize the need to unite positively as a single human society. In other words, as the need for a human workforce will lessen the more that we automate labor, then instead of trying to make new jobs that we do not need, we should instead set up a system of education that upgrades our knowledge, awareness and feeling of the world we live in. This new system of education should prioritize the establishment of positive connections throughout society.

Ideas of universal basic income that are being explored more and more today would serve such a system well, with one caveat: that basic income is not given on its own, but that it is given in exchange for a certain level of participation in a unity-enhancing educational system.

Basic income given on its own would stagnate society. It would demotivate people to work because it would eliminate the competitive work atmosphere that makes people thrive to advance when they see others progressing.

However, if we start prioritizing unity as society’s leading value, and do so through extensive connection-enriching educational activities, then through such a framework, we will fulfill our competitive drives in a new way: we will increasingly understand the need to unite together with seeing more and more unifying examples emerging within society. Then, as we enter into a new drive to want the best for other people, and to relate altruistically, kindly and with care toward each other, then we will start feeling a new positive force surfacing within this new attitude we apply and nurture.

Therefore, we would be wise to view the era of increasing joblessness and automation as key moment of transition within human development, one in which we will need to get used to positively connecting to each other in society as our principle work.

Based on KabTV’s “Challenges of the 21st Century” on April 24, 2019.
Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Sai Kiran Anagani on Unsplash.
For more information on this topic, visit the following page: Universal Basic Income: Pros and Cons

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why is envy a bad thing?“

In a society where consumerist and materialistic values envelop us, then we commonly feel envy as bad because it places us in a negative competition against each other. That is, due to envy, we feel worse about ourselves, because it makes us feel weaker, smaller, slower, and generally worse off than others. Likewise, envy can lead to us becoming ready to trample on others in order to make ourselves appear bigger, stronger, faster and generally better than them.

We feel envy as a blow to our very selves—our egos. We are made of egoistic desires to enjoy, and envy makes us feel that others enjoy more than we do, or enjoy in places where we feel no enjoyment. It thus makes us feel deprived of enjoyments that other people receive, and their surplus enjoyment—whether it be better health, more successful relationships, more wealth, respect, fame, power or knowledge—seemingly elevates them over us.

My teacher, Rabash, used to say that he would love to wear his pajamas everywhere he went, because pajamas were his most comfortable clothes. Why, then, didn’t he? It was because it would have been considered inappropriate according to a social dress code that dictated a certain standard of dress. By wearing pajamas in public, especially as a rabbi, he would become the subject of gossip and humiliation. Therefore, in order to fit into society and avoid gossip and humiliation, he would wear socially-acceptable clothing out in public, even though it was far less comfortable than the pajamas. The fear of not being the subject of gossip and humiliation in society thus directs much of our social life.

However, envy is not a bad quality in and of itself. Whether envy is negative or positive depends on what society values. We commonly feel envy as bad because we value egoistic qualities in society, i.e., we look up to “the bigger, the stronger, the faster and the better” in society—people who can outcompete their way to a certain level of materialistic success. If we instead appreciated positive social connection as a leading value, where the more united, altruistic, kind and caring a society is, then its members would be happier, safer and more confident—likewise envy would also invert and become a positive quality.

In other words, if there were a pro-social atmosphere enveloping society, with people primarily respecting and valuing contributions that strengthen social solidarity and unification, then we would envy people who appear more altruistic, caring, kind and loving. Since we would value connection, then we would see no point in bringing down these people, as it would oppose the values circulating through society. Rather, envy would make us want to change ourselves in order to become more altruistic, caring, kind and loving as we perceive others.

Envy would thus not only become positive, but it would become a key factor in transforming ourselves for the better in order to improve human society. Instead of envy leading to all kinds of manipulation, exploitation and abuse, as it does in our current materialistic world, envy in a society that values pro-social qualities would lead to our becoming more supportive, encouraging and caring of each other. It would create an atmosphere of healthy competition, serving to motivate and inspire society’s members to realize themselves by benefiting others and society. Such a society would then be on course to new levels of happiness and well-being.

Envy thus is not bad in and of itself. Whether it is bad or good depends on the values permeating our society. If we learn to shift our values from egoistic, individualistic and materialistic ones to altruistic and pro-social ones, then our envy would serve to expand the latter traits throughout society, which would in turn make us happier, healthier, safer and more confident people.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the greatest pleasure in the world?“

It is written that there is no greater pleasure than reconciling opposites.

Contradiction is a state of indecisiveness, as if we are squeezed in between a set of pliers. We have no idea where truth or lies are, nor how to behave. However, we need to resolve this contradiction.

When it becomes resolved, it feels like the greatest pleasure.

We are given all kinds of contradictions and doubts in order for us to eventually reach a request for help from their common source. In other words, nature intentionally includes opposites in order to bring us to a feeling that we need their resolution in their common source—the higher force of nature, a pure altruistic quality behind everything we experience.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are the limitations of AI?“

AI will be able to do a lot, but its ultimate limit is that it will never be able to be like a developing human being. It is impossible, because there is a greater force of nature that is above us humans, which created us, and which cannot be programmed. AI would never be able to realize the level of that higher force, because it would require a certain connection to it that AI lacks. The connection to the higher force is a point that exists in the person from that source. This point is called “a part of Divinity from above.”

This point is a tiny desire among all of our desires, which is connected to a higher altruistic nature, one of love and bestowal. We cannot program technology to develop these kinds of qualities just as we cannot program desires. All we can program are actions that stem from those desires, but not the desires themselves.

Programmers working with AI explain that we can build smart systems that learn and develop over time, becoming much smarter than how we initially built them. However, there is a limitation that AI will never be able to cross: it will never become truly feeling and sensitive. It could perform several actions that would make it seemingly become sensitive and feeling, but it will never truly be able to feel because feeling belongs to desire.

Technology cannot feel or be made to feel. It could simulate feelings but true feelings would elude it. Therefore, all AI will remain robotic in the end. Its brain and its reactions have potential to make it a trillion times smarter or more useful than people. People, however, will end up on top, just as long as we will not program AI to finish us off.

In order to secure a better future for ourselves, we will have to reach the realization that AI and other new technologies do not matter. What matters is the soul’s development. By developing the point within us that has the potential to resemble the higher force of love, bestowal and connection, then we develop something that is truly unique, and which has the power to improve, enhance and even upgrade our lives.

Nature will always be more supreme than any AI or other technology that we create. When we learn that nature itself—the force of love, bestowal and connection—has no interest in our dabbling with AI, but that it has only one demand for us: to become similar to it, and to realize the total harmony, happiness, peace, confidence and love that comes from our achievement of this resemblance.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash.

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