“But the words of the Torah are sublime secrets” (The Book of Zohar, “Beha’alotcha,” 58). What does “sublime secrets” mean? There actually are no secrets. We just are not ready or don’t want to discover them. The secret is with respect to us. The whole world is open!

The upper world, the world of forces, is here. Supposedly, we control it and do what we want in it. But in fact, we have no access to it. It is not possible for us to manipulate the higher forces because our inner characteristics are very limited. If we were to expand them, we would begin to exist within an entirely different world.

Comment: Often we “accuse” the wisdom of Kabbalah of being mysticism, but, in fact, all religions are based upon mysticism.

My Response: People are accustomed to accusing others regarding something in which they are themselves immersed. But the wisdom of Kabbalah speaks only about a method through which a person can discover himself individually and not in any other way, and it is not something easy.

It is natural for us to accuse the wisdom of Kabbalah of being mysticism, of fortunetelling, and so forth! After all, there is nothing more hated in our world than the wisdom of Kabbalah because it says that we must correct our nature, change ourselves. Who would want to do that?

Comment: But it is being done in the name of a higher purpose: attainment of the Creator!

My Response: The simple person doesn’t see that and doesn’t want it. For him it is better to shut his eyes like a child.

Question: What is the difference between what the wisdom of Kabbalah tells a person: “Change your nature and rise to the level of the Creator!” and what religions say: “Perform some actions in this world and you will assure yourself of the next world this way!” After all, in both cases, isn’t the person performing actions to gain the next world?

Answer: Certainly, the person is performing the same actions according to his egoistic nature. But to become equal to the Creator, a person must turn himself inside out. This is an absolutely different approach, so few agree with it.
[200538]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 8/14/16

Related Material:
Are There Secrets That Still Haven’t Been Revealed To Humanity Yet?
The Forbidden Secret Is Open To Any Baby
Uncovering The Secret

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Religion - 1 Comment →

Question From Facebook: Buddha did not create religion; Jesus did not create religion. If that is true, who created it and for what purpose?

Answer: Three religions exist in the world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Buddhism and all of the rest of the Eastern doctrines are not religions, but currents and methods. They exist without any pretense about anything and without imposing anything on others.

Religions were created as egoistic copies of the wisdom of Kabbalah and come to us instead of the Kabbalistic principle: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches only how to achieve love of others. It is called the inner true Judaism.

When they began to carry out the principle “Love your neighbor as yourself” between a small number of people, they discovered that, as soon as they applied it, they came across difficult problems that tore the people to pieces.

The principle “Love your neighbor as yourself” arouses intense egoistic desires and drives within a person. These are described as the “Wars of the Jews” according to history. Beginning from the tenth century BCE, for a thousand years, terrible things happened among the Jewish people. There was constant, internal civil war.

Even though people struggled to hold onto the level of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” they discovered that they could not. Therefore, the Kabbalists who managed the nation during the period of King David, King Solomon, and the rest of the kings gradually began to loosen up the higher level so as not to approach people with demands that were too high to implement this general rule.

People could not tolerate this general rule, for according to the thought of creation, the law of nature, it was necessary to reduce a person to the lowest egoistic level. So, immediately after they attained the highest level of altruism called the “First Temple,” they began to fall from this level. According to the program of creation, this was necessary.

The people had to maintain this level, but people did not succeed. The sages of the Sanhedrin that stood as their head understood that they would not succeed in holding the people to a level like this, for the people were not prepared to survive physically or spiritually.

So everything gradually deteriorated to a level where the people began to carry out ordinary physical actions instead of spiritual laws. For example, to show love, they would express this with a material gift. If they wanted to create a partnership, it was created externally, not internally. Instead of correcting oneself, a person began to immerse in a Mikveh (ritual bath), etc.

In this way people moved from the inner implementation of the law “Love your neighbor as yourself,” meaning rising above the ego, to the performance of external actions called Mitzvot (commandments).

Beginning from this period until our day, religious tradition became a copy of the spiritual actions that a person performs in his heart. The books of Kabbalah say that one must write a Torah on the walls of one’s heart. It is specifically this which is required of a person.

For this reason, the wisdom of Kabbalah is called the interior of the Torah, while religion, which teaches and maintains the Mitzvot until today, is called the exterior of the Torah and doesn’t require a person to yearn for love of others, but only to study and perform physical actions mechanically.

In our day, the period of the implementation of the external part only has finished. According to the law of nature, we must begin to ascend to the next level, meaning from the external implementation of the Mitzvot of the Torah to the interior implementation. The stipulation of “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” must remain our principle, our idea, until we discover that there is an inner meaning to all of our actions.

Question: In the past, people could not hold onto this level. Can they do so today?

Answer: Today, we no longer have a choice. We have done the preparatory work for beginning to apply this principle gradually by connecting in small groups, in groups of ten. That is how Moses united the people after they left Egypt.

We try to apply the law of “Love your neighbor as yourself” in our groups and try to show and teach it to all of humanity.
[201405]
From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 12/21/16

Related Material:
How Did Religions Originate From Kabbalah?
True Religion And The Religion Of Exile
The Wisdom Of Kabbalah Is Not A Religion

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Q&A, Religion - 1 Comment →

Question: If we know from Kabbalah that prophecy is very harmful to the development of humanity because it limits it, why don’t the Kabbalists combat this phenomenon? On every television channel today you see fortune-tellers and astrologers.

Answer: Indeed. In the 21^st century, on every television channel [in Israel], not only fortune-tellers appear, but also “grandmas” who read cards, throw beads and coins in the air, and whisper various incantations. Every year they produce astrological calendars with advice of what to do and not do is written for each one of the signs of the zodiac. And this is the 21^st century!

But the worst thing is that all this is attributed to the wisdom of Kabbalah in order to raise the bar and sell it at a more expensive price, while none of this has anything to do with Kabbalah.

Question: Do you think it is necessary to make some campaign to explain this, or will it all disappear by itself?

Answer: No, Kabbalists cannot engage in public relations work. If I were to be fighting all the slanders about the wisdom of Kabbalah, I would not have enough time for anything else! There are billions of people in the world. If each one of them were to say half a word against the wisdom of Kabbalah, how would I be able to carry on public relations work with each one of them?

Their attitude toward Kabbalah comes from their limitations, from their inability to comprehend it easily. But we will still continue to develop, even though in comparison to the 20^th century, this century will be darker and it will pass.
[201525]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 1/1/17

Related Material:
How Can You Foresee The Future?
Seeing The Future And Changing It
Full Access To The Program Of Life

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Religion - No Comments →

Question: Most people in the world define themselves as believers no matter what religion they belong to. On the other hand, you talk about unity.

Religion and the wisdom of Kabbalah have their vectors aimed in different directions. Kabbalah always moves forward, religion always returns to the past. There is no common ground between them. How is it possible to find a point of contact?

Answer: It is not necessary to search for one. People will remain in their religions! We don’t bother them about that. Some pray toward the east, others toward the west; this one bows to a stone, that one to a cross, it does not matter. There are close to 2,800 different faiths in the world; it makes no difference.

Kabbalah calls upon people to rise above all religions and cultures to create a single united human society.

Question: From a practical point of view, doesn’t it seem that people who believe are in a state of complete absence of freewill and that every religion divides into “us” and “them.”

Answer: Religion is just like in a family, every culture, and every profession. Anything can separate people.

But it is possible to successfully transcend religious differences. They don’t need to separate us. The time of religious wars has passed. It is not a problem if I believe in one thing and you believe in something else.

Everyone understands that for the world not to explode, we must establish the right mutual connections between us. What relevance is there between this and religion? You live here, I live here, we must reach an agreement like neighbors. If we are hostile toward each other, what is the benefit?
[200127]
From the Webinar “The Year in Review” 12/26/16

Related Material:
The Absolute Postulate
On Cultural Differences
Is The Wisdom Of Kabbalah New Or Eternal?

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Religion - No Comments →

Question: There are now more than 3,000 different spiritual faiths and practices in the world. When a person has a problem, he automatically turns to some force with an internal scream. To whom or what is a person turning to at such a moment?

Answer: If you want to turn correctly, you must only turn to the Creator for help in connecting with others and discovering Him. This means that in the wisdom of Kabbalah we are asking the Creator to change us. Generally, all people ask the Creator to remove the disturbances that are in their way, meaning to change the world “according to a person’s desire.”

Such a “consumer” attitude toward the Creator like this will begin to change when very strong feelings appear in the person that everything that is happening in the world is a result of his attitude toward the Creator.

If we are talking about a Kabbalist, then everything depends on the level he is on. Likewise, a Kabbalist passes through states that bring him below a regular person. When he is in descent, he is able to ask for himself and to carry out deeds that are difficult to define in advance.

But this happens only during a descent. When he is active, when he has power, clearly he always asks for help in changing himself because he understands how the system operates.

A Kabbalist understands that blows are goodness and kindness; they are help and concern from the Creator, because precisely thanks to these blows, he can connect with the Creator above them.

The problem is that the blows don’t happen only to him but to all those who are close to him until the completion of correction. But in the beginning of the correction, everyone is vulnerable to the Creator!
[199950]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 9/25/16

Related Material:
What Is A Prayer In Kabbalah?
We Only Need To Ask Correctly
Praying In Order To Change

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Religion, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: The wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed for ages and endless methods of different philosophies have dominated humanity. The wisdom of Kabbalah is a certain worldview. How can I give up my familiar worldview in favor of the Kabbalistic one?

Answer: It’s very simple, all the other methods give us nothing. People will gradually find out that the other methods aren’t good.

Of course, will help them with our explanations, but they have to find out themselves. The wisdom of Kabbalah doesn’t compel or force anyone. But undoubtedly, a person must still actively find out exactly how he can change his life.
[199045]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 7/3/16

Related Material:
The Wisdom Of Kabbalah And Other Teachings
The Wisdom Of Kabbalah Is Not Philosophy
Are There Mantras In The Wisdom Of Kabbalah?

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Religion - No Comments →

It’s not about Trump. It’s about what he represents: a transition to a new era, a new economy and a new responsible attitude toward life.

If we want the Holocaust to never happen again, we need to understand its root cause—that Jews didn’t fulfill their historic mission.

Bioterrorism: smallpox-infected martyrs arrive at an airport. Apparently healthy, they infect everyone, as smallpox incubates for 14 days.

Germany is in panic. If the EU falls apart, it can’t rob Europe anymore, as countries will develop their economies independently.

Everything that happens is in order for us to accept it as coming from the Creator for the better—to rise above self-interest, the EGO

A crisis is both an ascent and a descent—depending on how people look at it. The collapse of the old is the birth of the new.

In Charlie Chaplin’s days, workers were looking for work. Soon, employers will look for workers, as those will happily sit on the dole.

Today is the international Holocaust Remembrance day. Let’s remember that Jews evoke hatred by not showing the world an example of unity.

Trump is not an anti-globalist. He’s an “anti-chaosist”—against social chaos—as the economy is a system that connects all of humanity.

A Jew by blood and a Catholic by faith, Madeleine Albright intends to convert to Islam. Too bad there are only three world religions.

Jan 27^th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but the best reminders are the anti-Semitic acts resurfacing everywhere.

The new economy will have to include positive social relationships, which will prevail in society through Integral Education.
[#201249]
From Twitter, 1/27/17

Related Material:
My Thoughts On Twitter, 1/26/17
My Thoughts On Twitter, 1/25/17
My Thoughts On Twitter, 1/24/17

Filed under: Crisis, Egoism, Nations of the World, News, Religion, Thoughts on Twitter - No Comments →

Question: What does the wisdom of Kabbalah say about magic? For example, there are psychics who help people.Is this a good thing?

Answer: Magic is the manipulation of the human subconscious. Both magic and various psychotherapies have a place because the inner psychological world of a person is very extensive, comprehensive, and fragile. It is not clear, so people use them. In principle, a human being is a very weak creature.

If it is possible to influence a person psychologically, in a good way, and we understand precisely how the treatment works, it is possible to allow such assistance to comfort the person, to remove stress from him.
[199105]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 9/25/16

Related Material:
Magic For Sale
Magic Tricks—Only In A Circus
Reality Against Magic

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Religion - No Comments →

Question: The wisdom of Kabbalah says that there is no sin, there is experience. But we always talk about redemption, about the forgiveness of sins before Yom Kippur. If sin is a lack of faith in the Creator, then is the wisdom of Kabbalah also a religion and not a science?

Answer: The wisdom of Kabbalah doesn’t say anything about a person excusing himself.

All forgiveness of sin on Yom Kippur is related to the person himself. A person must judge himself about not being kind enough to others, about not working enough to bring everyone closer together.

This sums up a person’s judgment of himself; nobody is judging him. There is nobody before whom to give any accountability. A person judges himself and changes his behavior accordingly.
[199417]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 9/25/16

Related Material:
Repentance
Repentance Before Rosh HaShanah
Whom To Ask For Forgiveness And For What? Part 3

Filed under: Holidays, Kabbalah Study, Religion, Spiritual Work - 1 Comment →

Comment: Political analysts believe that if President Trump creates an alliance between the US, China, and Russia, it will be a breakthrough that will pave a new path of development.

Answer: In general, there is no reason to fight today because all that was before, happily is ending.

In the past, a person wanted to be stronger and aspired to conquer more, but not now. There is no such desire anymore. There are free markets all over the world, goods flow freely from one country to another; there is no reason for war.

Comment: Wars usually had a religious character in the past.

Answer: Religious wars may still break out, but they will be wars beyond nations. Neither President Trump nor Russia want to conquer the whole world, but fundamentalist Islam wants to conquer the world—the old fashioned way, because it is still at the level of the 15^th century. Islam is considered a young religion because it emerged about 5 to 6 centuries after Christianity.

Of course it would be nice to create a union between the US, Russia, and China. But human egoism won’t let that happen.

So representatives of these countries should study the wisdom of Kabbalah, which explains how to make the world a better place. They will not be able to become friends without the method of Kabbalah.

According to global trends, Nazism is growing, not decreasing. So today there is no room for nationalist policies but only for international policies. We either advance toward connection with everyone openly or toward division and war, even religious war, which it would seem had long passed. 

I hope the development of Kabbalah will handle all that.
[199070]
From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 12/7/16

Related Material:
Two Versions Of World War III
More Religious Wars?
Movement According To The Ray Of Light

Filed under: Crisis, Globalization, Kabbalah Study, News, Religion - 1 Comment →