Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can I overcome stress quickly?“
The best way to overcome stress is to deal with it in a group setting.

When we are parts of a supportive and encouraging group that immediately starts discussing the cause of the stress and how to work with it, offering empathy and advice, we can then overcome the stress.

That is the only real solution to stress because it is indeed a solution. It is not merely an escape, nor is it a means of postponing the stress for later, but it is a way of working together with others on building understanding, awareness and an approach directly in relation to the cause of the stress.

The group deliberation of the problem means that others understand the state of the person experiencing the stress, and they accordingly accept it upon themselves. If we raised a stressful circumstance in a supportive group discussion setting, then we come to understand that others accepted the problem upon themselves, which in turn provides us with the needed strength to overcome the stress.

Moreover, we then come to feel that we received the stressful state precisely in order to pass it over to others. By engaging in it together with others and repairing the cause of the stress, we strengthen the overall connection of the group. Likewise, all the group’s members gain from the resulting stronger connection.

We can compare such a group approach to solving stress similarly to how an infected bodily organ starts sending an alert, like an SOS, to its hosting body, which then instantly comes to its aid and takes it upon itself to compensate for the organ’s problem. By shifting the problem to the rest of the body, the individual organ gains the strength to restore its health, and the overall immunity of the body also increases. Such is the principle by which we can truly fix the cause of any stress.

Based on KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Drugs, Alcohol and Sex” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on July 29, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Who led the Exodus from Egypt?“
The exodus from Egypt is the exit from our egoistic approach to each other to new relations of love and positive connection.

Being in Egypt and under Pharaoh’s rule means that we are under our ego’s control, which pits us up against each other, making us each wish to enjoy at the expense of one another.

If we reach a desire to leave such a state of unfounded hatred that we find ourselves in by letting our egoistic desires control our lives, and start to feel each other with open hearts—a collective force of love and bestowal appear among everyone—then we become ready for the exodus from Egypt to the Land of Israel.

The word for “Israel” in Hebrew comes from two words, “Yashar El” (“straight to God”), which means a desire to aim ourselves directly at the force of love and bestowal, which is God’s or the Creator’s quality.

Based on the video “What Is the Exodus from Egypt?” by Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What does it mean to truly be free?“

Being free means being free from our egoistic desires, which make us wish to benefit ourselves at the expense of others and nature.

In other words, freedom means becoming free from our egoistic nature that rules over us, so that instead of constantly thinking about our personal benefit, we instead think about the benefit of others—of everyone together as a single whole.

Similarly to how we think about ourselves today, when we become free from our egos, we then think about humanity as we now think about ourselves. Also, even beyond humanity, we then think about the whole universe—nature on the still, vegetative, animate and human levels—as a single system of which we are its parts, and that there is an upper force filling and sustaining this system.

We then accept everything as our own system, which we live in and care for, and that everything and everyone in this system is equally important, equally caring about everyone to the maximum of our ability.

Reaching such a state of freedom requires mutual support, consideration and encouragement of one another to overcome our divisive egoistic desires.

How could we reach such a level of support, care and encouragement in society, to overcome the ego?

We can do so through education, i.e., by adjusting our educational, media, social and cultural influences so that we learn why we are alive, what we live for, how nature works both inside and outside of us, what nature wants from us, and that we truly reach a state of positive human connection, with friendly relations between people, nations and continents—that everyone would connect around the world “as one man with one heart.”

Based on the video “What Does it Mean to Truly Be Free?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are the modern-day equivalents of Egypt, Pharaoh and Moses described in the Passover story?“

There is an increasing understanding that we can no longer live our lives the way that we do, i.e., that our consumerist culture of overproducing and over-consuming is destroying our planet, robbing it of its resources, and which ultimately leads us to destruction. More and more people see no point in bringing more children into such a world where they end up suffering most of their lives.

Today, it has become commonplace to work 10-to-12 hours a day, and to endure long traffic jams before and after work. It seems foolish and even unreal, as if we have been placed into some game and we do not know what we are doing in this game, that someone somewhere is pressing on a controller that moves us around.

That is how our ego plays with us. Our innate desire is one that wishes to enjoy for personal benefit alone, and it makes us picture all kinds of pleasures that we can receive for running the rat race that so many of us do. Yet, since any pleasure we receive fades away, we remain feeling empty and wanting, and we never achieve any kind of complete fulfillment. On the contrary, the more we run around trying to fulfill ourselves, the worse we end up feeling.

We would thus be wise to stop for a moment and to think hard about what we are doing with our lives.

In the Passover story, Pharaoh is the king of Egypt who tries to hold the people of Israel in slavery. In the 21st century, Pharaoh is this very egoistic force that rules over us, which makes us each consider how we can live our lives in separation from each other, for personal benefit alone, and which holds us back from positive human connection and the discovery of a true harmonious, peaceful and purposeful life.

Pharaoh describes this egoistic force in us that obliges us to try and enjoy ourselves, but which ultimately leads us to destroy our own lives, the lives of others, and also the still, vegetative and animal levels of nature—all in the name of our personal enjoyment.

However, like there is the great ruling ego, the Pharaoh in us, there is also a small desire called “Moses.” Moses appears as a certain force or thought that tells us that we are heading in a wrong direction, that we are indeed under Pharaoh’s rule—the rule of our egoistic desires—but it is detrimental to us, and we need to find a way to get out of this egoistic mode of wishing solely to benefit ourselves at the expense of others and nature.

Based on the video “What Are the Modern Versions of Egypt, Pharaoh and Moses of Passover?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Did the prophet Elijah do anything?“

Elijah announces that the Messiah is coming.

What is the Messiah? The Messiah is a force that pulls us our of our egoistic desires. In Hebrew, the word for “Messiah” (“Moshiach”) comes from the same linguistic root as the word for “pulling” (“Moshech”).

This force pulls us out of our problems and leads us to the degree of love and bestowal, i.e., to a desire of harmonious connection among each other and with the upper force of nature. That is Elijah’s message.

Love is all we need, to relate to others as to ourselves, and even more than we relate to ourselves.

A section of the Passover Haggadah states that we open the door for Elijah, and one of my students asked me about this: why do we wait for Elijah every year and he does not come? It is because we never waited for the true Elijah. Do we yearn for loving other people like we love ourselves? No. So it means that we do not wait for Elijah.

Who do we wait for? We wait for Elijah to bring us a bag of gold coins, a new car, a new apartment, a private jet, each according to their desires. That is what we generally picture as the coming of Elijah: that he comes to profit us according to our self-serving desires.

Elijah is the upper force that connects us according to our desires to positively connect, and which can connect us until we reach a state of love for each other, until we feel ourselves as parts of one body, a single desire, and that the upper force love and bestowal dwells in our connections. That is the true revelation of Elijah. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, that state is called “the end of correction.”

We should thus concentrate on the force of love and bestowal that can come to dwell in our connections, i.e., the force of Elijah. By doing so, we will feel that we harmoniously connect with the whole world, that everyone embraces us, and that this is what brings us to the true exodus from Egypt—the exit from our egoistic desires into a harmonious and peaceful state of love, bestowal and connection.

Based on the video “What Does the Prophet Elijah Do?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “When does having an ego become a problem?“

The ego is the desire to enjoy at the expense of others, and the problem with it is precisely in that it makes us think and act at the expense of others.

It blocks us from seeing how we are one with all the people of the world, as well as with the still, vegetative and animate parts of nature.

Outside of the self-serving perception of reality that our ego gives us, we live in a reality where we are all parts of a single, interconnected and interdependent system. In this system, the ego makes us think and act without considering ourselves as parts of a whole system.

Problems and crises proliferate in our world when our egoistic approach to life continues growing, coupled with us becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent.

On the contrary, if we think and act for the benefit of the whole system, where we consider the benefit of others and nature in our every move, then we will enter into balance with nature.

When we reach balance with nature, we will experience a major upgrade in life: from a life of increasing problems and crises, to a life of harmony and peace.

Based on the video “What Is the Problem with the Ego?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Who is God?“

God is the general integral force of nature that operates upon our planet and our universe, which is behind the existence of everything and everyone.

God wants to teach humanity as His children, for us all to recognize His greatness, uniqueness and love for us, that He made everything perfectly for us. Moreover, He suffers even more from our suffering than we do, because He needs us to undergo this learning period.

When we get through this learning period, we will reach a state about which it is written, “My sons defeated Me.” In such a state, we rise above our egoistic desires—desires to enjoy at the expense of one another—that He created to start with.

Why did He create us in egoistic desires that are the opposite of His altruistic desire to love and to bestow goodness?

It is so that we would become even stronger than the ego He created, that we will exercise our freewill to enter into a positive connection among each other. By doing so, we will reveal His quality of love and bestowal in our connections, and we will then come to truly enjoy everything He prepared for us: a harmonious state of eternity and perfection.

Based on the video “Who Is God?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What did Dale Carnegie do?“

Dale Carnegie was an American psychologist, speaker, and author. He made a significant impact on countless lives through his inspirational teachings and best-selling books. A staple in the realm of self-help literature, Carnegie’s most well-known book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, has sold millions of copies worldwide and continues to be a go-to resource for improving interpersonal communication skills. Carnegie’s lectures and seminars drew large crowds eager to gain insights into personal growth and better communication skills.

Significantly, it turned out that America’s foremost promoter of unwavering optimism and enthusiasm experienced a period of depression and loneliness toward the end of his life. After he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, Dale Carnegie was overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and isolation. These feelings were compounded by the absence of close friendships during this challenging period. Despite his teachings emphasizing the importance of social connections and the value of maintaining strong relationships, he found himself lacking the support system he had advocated for throughout his career.

The irony of his situation is hard to ignore. While Carnegie offered guidance and inspiration to millions, his books and lectures did not grant him immunity from the struggles of loneliness and unhappiness. It goes to show the limits that such teachings, which are based on psychology, can reach. While Carnegie was correct in highlighting the importance of meaningful relationships and strong social networks, we need more than psychology to achieve true connection and happiness.

After all, we are born egoists, desiring to enjoy for self-benefit alone, and psychology measures everything solely within the framework of our egoistic nature. That is why despite employing the best psychological tricks, we can be left alone and lonely when we need others the most. Likewise, we can easily turn away from others when we no longer benefit from them.

As we age, our egoistic powers gradually weaken and dissolve. When we lose all desires, the body dies. The exact circumstances of Dale Carnegie’s death remain uncertain. An official statement from Dale Carnegie & Associates stated that he died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but it is widely rumored that he committed suicide. Later, Irving Tressler wrote How to Lose Friends and Alienate People as an unauthorized parody of the classic Carnegie book, and he committed suicide. Like so many others, they both left the world disappointed and alone.

We all die alone. Before death, people feel completely torn and detached from others. Carnegie’s knowledge and expertise were insufficient to help him. Developing sustainable connections requires drawing the positive force that dwells in nature, which comes through the understanding sourced in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

People who study Kabbalah can become linked with creation, the souls (present, past, and future), above time, and beyond the matters of this world. Even the death of the physical body does not interrupt such a connection. Kabbalah lets us develop a soul and relate to others in a very close and positive manner—as to parts of our own soul. Such closeness takes place by ascending the spiritual ladder, thereby elevating us to a state of connection and absolute happiness.

If one fails to achieve such a state in the current lifetime, the body dies, and we leave this world just as we entered it–with nothing. The desire to enjoy once again dresses into other corporeal bodies, and such reincarnations continue until we reach our ultimate purpose.

Kabbalists feel no death. The soul is eternal, and when we acquire connection with it, we are no longer bound by space and time. We then see life in this world as a means to an infinitely better reality, which is currently hidden from us. We can feel it only when we acquire the positive force of bestowal and love that dwells in nature. We then see how the force of bestowal and love fills everything, and everyone is included in it. We can then break out from the lonely cages of our individual egos that keep us separated and alone despite our efforts to “win friends and influence people.”

Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” on June 5, 2023. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What does “Next Year in Jerusalem” really mean?“

“Next year in Jerusalem” is an optimistic part at the end of the Passover Haggadah, and it means that we will reach a desire that includes all of humanity’s desires within itself. In other words, wherever we go, we will feel the need to positively connect with everyone above the ego’s divisive drives.

By doing so, we come to a state in which the upper force reveals itself to us, as it is written, “for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them” (Jeremiah 31:33). We then build a system of connection between us, which is called “the house of the Lord,” about which it is written, “And My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7).

That is the meaning of us building a network of connections from a different quality, where the upper general force of love and bestowal fills, creates and sustains the system we exist in.

Such is our future state.

If we aim in the direction of positively connecting to each other above our egoistic drives—and especially if we do so together—then we will reach the sincere desire to connect described by the words, “next year in Jerusalem.”

Based on the video “What Does ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’ Mean?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why is there still antisemitism and what can we do to stop it?“

Antisemitism will not end until humanity develops to its final harmonious and peaceful state of balance with nature.

Why? It is because human egoistic nature, which makes us wish to enjoy at the expense of others, pits us up in opposition to nature, which is an altruistic force.

The desire to come into balance with nature is present in people only as a tiny point, and this desire lies dormant in most people underneath layers of egoistic desires. This tiny point of a desire is rooted in the altruistic force of nature. Thus, our egoistic nature hates this desire, without knowing why. That is the root of antisemitism, and it makes people come up with all kinds of reasons for hating Jews, that they steal, plunder, and lie, or that they have long noses, ears, horns, and so on.

Today, humanity needs upgraded explanations as to the reason and purpose for its existence, to understand the processes taking place at the level of its desires. The more we understand how nature works on us, and how we can optimally adjust our attitudes to the trajectory of development we find ourselves in, the more we will spare ourselves from all kinds of blows. Nonetheless, we can expect more suffering to befall humanity, which will also help us all wake us to a new kind of perception and sensation where we balance ourselves with nature’s altruistic force.

Based on KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Hatred of the Jews” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 14, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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