In the News (translated from Novayagazeta): Wishing people an early and agonizing death and rejoicing when it arrives is becoming good form in Russia. Notices of others having a serious illness or sudden death cause the citizens to experience spasms of malicious joy.

Respect for death – the common end for everyone, has ancient origins in many civilizations and is a social consensus. When death is not respected, neither is life. Russia went through this during Stalin’s repressions and the world went through it during Fascism. But with such symptoms, the forecast is quite dreary.

My Comment: The only way to change the public opinion is by educating people, by giving them the explanation of the correct relationships. How? By completely restructuring the mass media – eliminating oppression and introducing goodness. This is what Kabbalah suggests. People are like children: they learn only through example.

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In the News (from The Telegraph): Brazil’s racy telenovelas inspire drop in birth rate, rise in divorce, a new report has found. Over the two decades that were studied, an estimated three million fewer Brazilian babies were born than would have been if telenovelas had never been broadcast, and 800,000 more couples separated or divorced. What is more, they added, “Women living in areas covered by the Globo signal have significantly lower fertility.” Alberto Chong, one of the study’s authors, said the reason for the change was the “aspirational ethos” of the country’s soaps.

My Comment: And what would happen if we’d perform the same experiment using good, positive examples?

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A letter I received from my student, Michael Chernikovsky, about the present state of humanity:

I finally got Kabbalah’s general idea:

1. The difference between man and animals is man’s ability to absorb desires from the society around him. These desires become his, and he in turn transfers his desires to the society.

2. This creates a system with positive feedback, which is initially unstable. In lower-level systems, such as biological ones, this kind of mutual influence does not exist, which is why these systems are stable.

3. Until today, human society was “open.” Therefore, disturbances exited out to the external environment and faded out in it.

4. We have reached a stage where society has become “closed.” Closed systems with positive feedback become chaotic. This is what we see today.

5. However, along with the disease, Nature has given us the medicine. If we begin to exhibit love and care for each other, instead of unrestrained consumption, then the same positive feedback mechanism will stabilize the system, bringing it from chaos to harmony. This is, in fact, the only solution, because any external regulator will become ineffective since desires grow mutually.

6. “Love your neighbor” is not a new idea. From time to time, humanity had tried to build societies based on this principle. But due to the “openness” of society, it was always possible to escape the positive example. Today, however, we have reached a point where we have no place to run. Therefore, this is the time to implement the principle, “love your neighbor.”

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A question I received: What exactly will the new system of upbringing teach? Will people learn a simplified version of Kabbalah?

My Answer: Don’t call it Kabbalah, call it “bestowal.” The world’s problem is that people lack the right relationships. That’s why they can’t organize a system that will work in the new, modern conditions. And therefore, it is necessary to explain the meaning of the global system to people.

“To serve the creatures according to the Creator’s precepts” means to treat people according to the true laws of Nature. “The Creator’s precepts” are the true laws of Nature, and “serving the creatures” means creating a connection among the creatures that will follow the universal law of Nature. This should clear up any confusion.

That’s why the first thing Baal HaSulam says is that all of humanity must agree to perform this work. And why wouldn’t anyone agree to it – what can be bad about treating each other well? We will all prosper and develop, and in addition, this is not only best for us, but it is also the Creator’s (Nature’s) desire. Therefore, if we only move in this direction, He will meet us halfway. Thus, there is a likelihood of success from both sides: the people want this as they have no other choice, and Nature – the Creator – has established it as a firm law.
(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept,” 03.05.2009)

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In the News (translated from RBC Daily.ru): The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is considering closing a reality TV show called “House-2.” The authorities finally recognized that Russia has a problem of low moral values, perpetuated by the TV channels and the entertainment businesses. Instead of showing immoral reality shows on the TV, the experts advise showing positive heroes and ethical behavior.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has proposed a bill that will protect children from information that may be harmful to their health and development. The country’s shame and misfortune is that a police officer has better morals than the actors and producers.

The objective of human culture is to fight the instincts, so we will be human beings rather than animals. It is much more difficult to make interesting movies, to write books, and to create programs than to appeal to the animal in us and to make money by appealing to our base, instinctual desires.

Unfortunately, the television promotes primitive values and behavior. It does not simply clog up our brains and hinder our development, but it is outright dangerous.

My Comment: Kabbalah says that the solution to all of humanity’s problems lies in correctly educating a human being with the help of the right environment. People are the only thing in the world that has to be corrected. All the world’s problems come from incorrect human behavior. The “Introduction to the Book of Zohar” says that it is egoism that causes all the diseases and suffering in the world.

In the News (translated from Utro.ru): Countries are unable to enforce laws on the Internet. The laws that are currently in effect are not working. The need for laws on the Internet has become imminent. In fact, there are no Internet laws in Russia at all.

My Comment: It’s the same in other countries as well. The need to survive in the new interconnected world requires us to introduce new laws that will eliminate animosity, as well as the promotion and display of violence and evil. It requires the media, the school programs, and public organizations to start promoting relationships of kindness among people.

These laws must also become the basis for a new, worldwide court of law. The revelation of the global world is forcing us to establish a completely good bond between us and with the entire system of Nature, including Its still, vegetative and animate levels.

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We have no choice but to begin studying the global system. Just the act of studying will improve our intentions: We will reveal the right intention, which means that we will wish to bring the world to the kind of relationships that nature deems necessary.

As soon as we begin to do this, we will come closer to nature and will cease being opposite to it. We will have a good relationship with nature because we will become similar to it through our qualities.

We will be like an obedient child, who no longer wants to break everything around him and be punished by his mother. Even though he still isn’t corrected inside, he is already trying to understand what is required of him and what he has to do in order to avoid being punished. He is already being treated differently, and as a reward he receives a candy.

The same will immediately happen to us. But how can we start? We can start simply by studying. We have to give people this knowledge through the TV, the Internet, newspapers, and all other media. We have to explain to them what Baal HaSulam is saying.
(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept,” on 03.05.2009)

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A question I received: The world today has become global; we’re all bound within a “small village.” Suppose one person wants to buy something and another wants to sell it. How should this transaction proceed in the global world? Typically, people haggle: the seller wants to sell for the highest price, and the buyer wants to buy for the lowest price, and in the end they reach a middle ground.

My Comment: Actually, that’s not true. When I walk into a store and see something I want, I don’t want to buy it – I want to take it, just like a child who comes and takes whatever he wants. This is our nature.

What did the owners of those financial pyramid schemes do? I invest my money in a bank and the bank gives it back to me with interest. That’s the agreement. But the banks broke the agreement by trying to take all of my money. Essentially, this is what happened to everyone.

We have reached a state where our will to receive – our egoism, has complete control over us. And it doesn’t allow us to do honest business. Everyone is willing to steal, kill, or do whatever it takes to “succeed.” The cause of this senseless behavior is our egoistic nature. Egoism is controlling us like a puppet master.

It is precisely this egoism that has forced us to build our financial systems and pyramid schemes. And people still keep investing their money in other banks, knowing that they may also collapse. But the bankers don’t care about that – each of them wants to earn another 50 billion dollars in addition to the dollars he already has that he can’t possibly spend anyway.

Imagine there’s a chunk of lamb roasting on a rack. I’m devouring it with my eyes, wanting to consume the whole thing! But what happens? After eating half a pound, or a pound maximum, I can’t possibly eat any more. I look at the remains and think: “I can’t throw this out!” But I can’t force myself to give it to someone else either! So, even though a person invests those 50 billion dollars in some enterprise, and he already realizes that this investment will be worthless, he still continues trying to build up his capital more and more. He just can’t stop himself.

This is what our ever-growing egoism has done to us! An ancient parable says that the angel of death brings a sword to a man dying of egoism, and the sword has a drop of poison at the tip. But this drop of poison gives that man momentary pleasure, which he can’t live without. So the man opens his mouth and swallows this drop – and dies. This is how we die from the moment we’re born. Yet precisely this egoism, which is now being revealed, will enable us to reveal its dominion over us and the need to escape this dominion. This will be our “exodus from Egypt.”

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A question I received: What does it mean to have a “good attitude to others”? A regular person gets up in the morning, goes to work and has only a few hours left for his family. He says, “I work, I am a law-abiding citizen, I’m good to my family, and I have a good attitude to others.” Is this enough?

My Answer: There must be a feeling of community that helps us to achieve something higher. To begin with, a person should understand that he can earn a living only under the condition that he is honest inside. This is not simple; it has to be learned.

We may soon reach a situation where we will have nothing to eat and people will understand that the availability of food doesn’t depend on the harvest, but on their attitude alone.

We may reach a situation where we will be nourishing the soil with everything it needs, but our attitude towards the people we do this for will be wrong, and therefore we won’t receive anything from the soil – not one kernel, not one tomato, nothing.

We can make a movie about this. A person plants a field of tomatoes, but regardless of his efforts, nothing grows there except weeds, until he changes his attitude. It is because we need to correct our nature, and not on the animate, vegetative or still levels, but on the human level. There is nothing amazing about what I’m saying; it is all rational. The fact is that people are influencing Nature negatively on all the levels beneath them.

We will reach a situation where people will feel that if you don’t have the right intention, nothing will happen, but as soon as you form the right intention, you receive a blessing. It is called “revelation,” but it occurs through a path of such suffering. That’s a tough way to be educated! Through different systems, Nature will force us sit and learn how to create the correct intention and attitude. Through huge suffering, troubles, illnesses and chaos, we will learn that we only need to learn how to create the right intention.
(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept,” on 03.05.2009)

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Imagine that a guest from another planet arrived here. He looks around and says, “Hey guys, everything here looks great! You’ve got magnificent infrastructure all over the world, mobile communications, phones, the Internet, cars, and abundant crops. You have everything! But why is it that despite all this, you’re sitting at home scared, waiting to see what will happen, and soon you may not even have anything to eat?! What are you, crazy? What are you waiting for? Go to work!”

• And we respond, “We want to work, but there is no one who will hire us.” The guest is appalled, “Well, start doing something! Send ships and airplanes out, take action!” And we say, “We can’t send anything out because no one is paying us, and we can’t do anything else either because the other guys aren’t supplying us with what we need…”

So, what we’re missing is a connection. How did this happen? We were connected egoistically, but now we have risen to the next level where we require altruistic connections. However, we don’t have them. This problem is all-pervasive, and everyone is left absolutely helpless. From now on, the only thing that will make anything work is the correct intention. The only way anything will happen is if people will have the correct intention. For example, the banks that will flourish are those with the correct intention. This is how the world will learn.

But this learning process started many years ago. About fifty or sixty years ago, we began to see that he who conquers by force is not the winner in the end. Rather, the winner is he who is able to arrange his life and business correctly relative to society.(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept,” on 03.05.2009)

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A question I received: Gordon Brown said almost the same thing as we are saying: that people have to achieve love for their neighbor. So what’s the difference?

My Answer: But is he able to implement this? No. “God will help” is not our remedy. We don’t “believe” in anything, but rather, we know that we have to make it come true. Everything is given to us on purpose: the heavens are for the Creator, and the earth (the desire) is given to man. We have to change our desire, and in order to do this, we have to study.

We have to bring everyone back to their workplaces and set up television screens at all the work stations. And everyone should spend a quarter, a third or even half of their work day studying, depending on the demands of their job. People today have too much time on their hands. We don’t need to produce more of anything since humanity doesn’t need anything more. We just don’t know how to interact and distribute what we currently produce. Therefore, everyone should sit at work and study. And this plan should be in effect for the whole world!

A family should not receive benefits to provide for its living expenses and a mother should not receive public assistance if they don’t study. They have to study! Right now we must treat all people like small children who have to go through nursery school, then school, and then high school in order to receive a diploma in the new world.

This is precisely what Baal HaSulam says. He says, “Guys, this is a new world where we have to be connected to each other.” (From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article “One Precept,” on 03.05.2009)

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