Entries in the 'Science' Category

Above the Ego or Under the Ego?

963.2Question: It often happens that a person brings in psychology into and thinks that he is engaged in inner work. How can one distinguish inner work from psychology?

Answer: Psychology is when you work with your egoism, and spiritual work is when you work on your egoism.

In spiritual work, you consider the desires of others and try to transcend yourself and exist within them. You accept the values of the Kabbalistic environment, which defines what is important to you, and you strive to realize the guidelines you receive from it. Spiritual work is above the ego because you work with the desires of the environment.

In psychology, you work within your ego, sorting out within yourself what is important and what is not, how you think, and how you influence.

Spiritual growth is based on constantly doubting yourself, jumping back and forth, and thus studying yourself. Spiritual development is self-knowledge, where you constantly go within and understand yourself more and more. After all, all perception is within you, the worlds are within you, the world of infinity is within you, the entire universe is within you, in you.

Question: But how can I attain a planet within myself?

Answer: Oh! You will see that it simply appears to you,  a certain spot on your screen, it turns out, is the Moon and another spot is the Sun. They are drawn within you by your inner forces, just as you see a picture on your computer screen.

There are 613 forces on your inner screen, the vectorial combination of which paints the overall picture for you. That is all, there is nothing else. Just as we are talking now, you see me on your computer screen, and I see you on mine. It is absolutely the same thing.

I’m sitting in my office right now, and I have a device here with which I can see a dozen other places outside. These are my eyes. I have become so accustomed to this device that I feel it as part of my body, as if I were outside the building, in a hallway, somewhere in another department, in a lecture hall. I live in these places. How is this device different from my eyes? Not at all.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Are You Above or Below Ego?” 10/5/10

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The Basis for the Unity of the People of Israel

267.02Question: What is the basis for the unity of the people of Israel?

Answer: First of all, people feel on an animalistic level that the whole world hates them. Therefore we must explain that the entire world hates them because the Creator is displeased with them, that He is standing behind all the nations of the world and treats them this way. We must explain that He does not like them in their current state. They are the people of Israel. This main emphasis should be on this.

For the world, the explanation must be somewhat different, about what the real reason for its suffering, and the way out. There the explanation must be more general.

With regard to Israel, the explanation is simpler. They have a direct problem with the Creator. They do not strive for adhesion with Him; this is the source of the problem.

With regard to the world, the problem is twofold. Each time they receive a blow because Israel is not corrected, and it does not bring them abundance from the Creator.

Here, the explanation must be more moderate, with the right approach so that it is not distorted and turned into even greater antisemitism, which not only will not help, but will also hinder the correct development, and then neither we nor the whole world will be worthy of good. The explanation must be comprehensive. The reason and the solution must be explained very clearly so that it cannot be interpreted differently.

That is, the explanation must be comprehensive and true. It is not easy.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2025, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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How to Explain the Law of the Universe

269How can one rationally explain the general law of the universe? It is from two directions. First is from the human, social side of life. Here we can rely on scientists and philosophers of all kinds, who arrive at similar conclusions through their research.

They come to results that are very close to the idea that an upper force exists in the world that possesses reason and its own freewill, and that there are individual changes in relation to us that depend solely on it. That is, it is not a blind nature, but something referred to as an upper thought.

Scientists discover this even through their study of nature. I understand them very well in this because, in some way, I also came from that direction.

And from our side, we must, to the extent we can, explain the wisdom of Kabbalah and cleanse it from the assorted rubbish that has stuck to it. As much as we can, we must point people to what is written in the true, ancient sources. There is no person who would disregard them. They may be feared, but no one dismisses them entirely.

It is good if we manage to present these sources in such a way that, in addition to direct quotations, we also provide a very simple, easy explanation, one that can be absorbed by anyone quickly and effortlessly.

It must be something that is grasped instantly, even by a person with little understanding. After all, people today do not have time, cannot stay immersed in a thought for more than a few seconds, and their level of perception is very limited.

What does “quick and easy” mean? It means as close as possible to their Kelim (vessels), according to the law of equivalence of form. It should be that in order for them to perceive an idea, little effort is needed that each time they need to exert effort or overcome something in order to grasp the idea, that effort is very small, a slight reflection, and they have caught it, and with a little bit of thought, they have absorbed it.

Exactly like that. Just a little effort, and what I intended to pass on is already within them.
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From the 1st part from the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/14/2025, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Rational Process

88Question: Are there any well-known scientists today who assert in their research that the upper force exists?

Answer: There are many such scientists. We are in contact with them and try to show how, through research of nature and research of the inner world of man, we come to the same result: that there is an upper force above us with certain properties, which apparently has a specific purpose in relation to us, and we should check our reactions with this.

And what is happening to us now is happening because we do not have the correct connection with this force and because we do not comply with the laws established by it in nature.

Today there are enough people in the world with education, titles, and status both in society and in science who can state this in a way that it can be heard.

And on the other hand, we who are engaged in the science of Kabbalah can add to everything they have said. We can add confirmation from Kabbalah to all their discoveries in quantum physics, in the study of biological forms of life, or in the study of the psychological nature of man. Kabbalah explains why this happens at all levels of nature: still, vegetative, animate. Kabbalah adds explanations together with them, and in opposition to them. In this way, we clarify things to such an extent that they will be easy and convincing for the general public.

This is from the human side. But from the side of the upper force, since we still do not fulfill its will, we are of course facing even worse states ahead. For it is known that blows purify a person, and then he becomes sensitive enough to understand and hear that these blows depend on something he does not understand and for which he does not see a reason. And since he wants to get rid of them, he will want to find the cause even though it is hidden.

Thus we come to a certain stage where we explain, together with scientists and with specialists who will actually be able to present our explanation, the “means to avoid blows.” On the other hand, society is already in a state where it wants to hear: “It does not matter what the solution is; just give it!” It is like a sick person who demands medicine just to get rid of the problem. This process is very rational.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2025, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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When Correction Comes from Above

261Kabbalists are not planning a nationwide return to religion so everyone stands in line to put on tefillin. None of us even think in this direction. Especially regarding the nations of the world. Even if they become corrected, will they also have to fulfill all these commandments? Of course not!

Baal HaSulam writes that a person can even remain in his religion, as it has nothing to do with what we do. All these things are carried out only spiritually anyway: in relation, intention, and one’s inner connection with the Creator.

It may not be easy to explain this, but it depends on the measure of internal, personal suffering and the degree of general, collective suffering. If we actually reach a state where we have to take it upon ourselves, this will serve as our internal preparation, and people will hear this and understand we have nowhere else to look for help.

This is called a cry to the Creator. This is a prayer, raising MAN—all this is, in fact, the same thing. You have no choice, you must. This is how a person who is in pain, who has a seriously ill loved one—his inner concern, his fear, his anxiety is about it. This is surely revealed in him. These things, in general, correct his state, and we see this is how it is.

What does it mean, they correct it? Of course, they do not correct anything, but they lead to correction coming from above.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2025, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Attitude Changes Reality

224Question: Many advocate the idea of the Creator and unity. Is our approach different?

Answer: In essence, action is an attitude toward society, humanity, and the Creator. Attitude is a Kli (vessel), through which everything is transformed. It is an instrument in one’s hands, a means of change.

And herein lies the difficulty. A person does not perceive that through the right attitude, through thought, they bring about qualitative change. Physicists and chemists can already argue that this principle is embedded in the basis of matter itself, that material behaves according to the human perception of it.

But an ordinary person does not grasp this; one cannot comprehend it. How do I relate—correctly, incorrectly? If I think one way or another, what does that change? People say that if I think negatively about a flower, it will sense it, and through my energy, I could kill it. But it is still just a flower, when would such a thing even happen? I would rather use a stick, a gun, a bomb, tangible things, that allow visible action.

That is why the Baal Shem Tov and other sages established commandments and various rituals of service in the Temple. What was the purpose of all this? Does slaughtering a poor lamb, pigeons, or a cow performing these rituals truly accomplish anything? Do these actions have meaning? Of course, everything is determined by one’s intention.

People needed a framework to which they could attach their intention, their thought—why am I acting this way, upon which part of my desire to receive am I performing this action, what does blood symbolize, or a pigeon, a ram, bread, and water in the Temple service? This provides a deeper understanding of the correction of desires.

Today, we do not intend to carry out such practices; they belong to a past stage. We ascend from below upward. First comes the correction, and then, in accordance with it, action. If a person comprehends what correction must be, then…
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2025, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Instead of Explanations

112Comment: Each stage of explaining Kabbalah to the people requires proof in itself. The first—that there is a higher force, the second—that it influences us, the third…

My Response: We should not seek proofs. We must focus on our world, and since on one hand, we exist within it, and on the other hand, we have something that belongs to the higher world (our methodology), we must do no more than organize and connect it together. Like, for instance, natural phenomena and their explanations beyond nature: where these phenomena originate and why they appear to us in the way they do.

We need only to establish the right connection, the correct picture, clear, convincing, and understandable, and that is sufficient.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2025, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Approach to Dissemination

168Question: How can I “disconnect” myself from the explanation when disseminating?

Answer: We approach the masses as scientists, as researchers, and a true scientist must be absolutely impartial toward the outcome. They investigate nature outside themselves, outside their own “I,” just as Kabbalists do in this world.

Only later can we begin to talk about how my desire for something to happen influences its actualization. This occurs due to the law of nature adapting to my desire.

So how can I remain impartial? I must strive to understand the world, to understand life, to learn what is assigned to me without any personal involvement. If I investigate while I am interested in the result is a will to receive. What will I examine then? Only what is better for my will to receive. That is what everyone studies, and no one can see the true picture this way.

I must explain to everyone: “Friends! By distancing ourselves from our will to receive, we achieve the revelation of the picture of the world, we reach a degree from which we can understand the true interrelationships between the parts of reality—how everything is operated by the upper force, how all the details are interconnected, and what purpose they serve.”

I explain everything as a scientist who has discovered the system, the general law that operates in all its forms. But at the same time, I am dependent on nothing. This is how our approach should appear from the outside.

I must show by my entire appearance that I do not exist at all in this picture. It is not related to religion, to any way of life, or to anything else. It is simply general nature as it reveals itself. Then people will perceive it that way.
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From the 1st part from the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/14/2025, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

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Better Had We Not Invented It

290Question: Why does humanity keep inventing more and more?

Answer: It wants to achieve a serene, good life. But in the end, the opposite happens.

Comment: It is interesting that nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes, and at the same time, it can sweep everything away.

My Response: Yes. Man cannot invent anything truly good or kind.

Question: What invention would you call eternal and useful for humanity that could ultimately lead it to happiness?

Answer: The correction of the evil nature of a man—only that. There is nothing else.

Comment: But man must first realize he is living with an evil nature.

My Response: That is what drives him to ultimately realize it. The world is in such a state that it does not know what to do with itself.

In the past, we thought that socialism, communism, capitalism, or something else would save us. Some kind of freedom, liberalism, and so on. Now we see that everything quickly leads to the realization of evil.

Comment: You once said that the development of humanity proceeded as  a linear development of egoism. That things would get better, and then communism would follow. Now you claim that egoism has sort of closed in, that we have become interconnected like one village, yet the same research continues, and humanity does not come to the realization of the evil of its nature.

My Response: Do you want them to shut it all down?

I think we will come to a state where humanity will say, “It would have been better had we not invented this.” Can this already be said about the atom today? And it will say the same about everything else.

It is written: “He who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18) Or “He who increases wealth, increases suffering.”

Question: Do you think this proverb is still relevant today?

Answer: And how much more so!

Question: Can we stop increasing knowledge?

Answer: We cannot. We can stop increasing neither wealth nor knowledge. Egoism will constantly push us toward it.

The goal is to lead us to the realization of evil. That evil is in our nature when we believe that the world we live in is the one we need to improve. But it cannot be improved—we need to rise above it.

Question: That is, to change ourselves?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Will we come to this realization during our lifetime?

Answer: You are already setting limitations.

Comment: Yes, I would still like to see the righteousness of your words.

My Response: I do not believe it.

Question: You do not believe it?

Answer: No, I do not believe that it will happen so quickly.

But personally, it does not bother me. What difference does it make when it happens? In whatever state we will be, it will eventually happen to all of us.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/2/25

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The Meaning of the Creator’s Game

276.02Question: What is the meaning of this game that the Creator has initiated?

Answer: The meaning of the Creator’s game is to create a creation equal to Himself, which will attain the state of the Creator, His level, and complete similarity to Him, and in this will be totally fulfilled since He instilled these desires in us.

We are meant to become like Him: to achieve absolute, mutual fulfillment of one another. Thus, the entire program of creation is realized within the framework known to us.

We rely on what the Kabbalists say, that the Creator has a need to create, a positive need, a desire to bestow. In our world, this can be likened to a woman’s desire to have children, which is an inner longing to care for and give. Naturally, in our world, this is an egoistic desire, but in the Creator, it is altruistic.

It stems from the nature of the good that does good. That is why He created beings—to lead them to goodness. This is what we can comprehend. One can philosophize endlessly about it, but Kabbalah teaches that it must be attained. For one who attains, everything becomes clear. And the one who merely philosophizes is left with thoughts that his fishes out from under his hair—nothing more.

That is why Kabbalah is categorically against it. It is a highly practical science meant to lead a person to receive the magnificent fulfillment that awaits him in the attainment of the Creator, in becoming like Him.

Comment: You speak about this so sadly.

My Response: On the contrary, it is something enormous. I simply do not know how to express it, there are no words for it. I am not sad. Quite the opposite, wonderful feelings arise in me that overwhelm me because what has been given to a person is a great thing, such a goal, such an opportunity!
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. The Meaning of the Game” 7/12/10

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