Entries in the 'Spiritual Work' Category

Rising Above Hatred

232.08Comment: You said there are two kinds of hatred: hatred on the spiritual path and hatred from outside people. Friends in the group face the first kind of hatred, which is a beneficial rejection. But there is also harmful hatred that comes from people on the outside.

My Response: Hatred that comes from people on the outside is a small hatred on a material level. It leads to murder, extermination, and all sorts of problems, but on the animate level. This hatred does not forge, but destroys, like kids in a sandbox who do not play together and destroy each other’s forms built out of sand.

We need to think about the other hatred that arises when we aim to get closer to each other. Then a rejection emerges between us that we need to rise above. This is a particular hatred on the path.

To the extent that you strive for unity, you reveal your nature that resists it and build a connection above it, like laying bricks and rising above this masonry.

That is, hatred is like blocks. You want to aim toward another, but face a wall before you. While climbing this wall to get closer to others, you face yet another wall. You climb it, and there is another wall. And so you rise above the wall until you reach its top.

Therefore, this is the hate that forges; it gives you qualities, strength, and material, and by rising over it, you form a connection. It gives you the property of love and bestowal. After all, this hatred comes to you in all the ways you understand: why you dislike, despise, and repel each other. The reverse side of this, like a glove turned inside out, is love.

Then you understand what love is because, in fact, we do not know what it is. We do not know how to unite or treat each other with kindness. Today, everything is based only on lowly mutually beneficial interactions.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Two Kinds of Hate” 12/1/12

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What Do We Celebrate During Passover?

252Question: Who are the Egyptians and Israelites in spiritual work?

Answer: The Torah speaks of a person as an object that includes the entire world. Everything is inside a person.

The Egyptians in us are egoistic forces; the Israelites are altruistic forces or forces that want to be altruistic but are under the control of the Egyptians (egoism).

Pharaoh represents the entire egoism in which we exist.

The Creator is the upper force that governs Pharaoh, Moses, and everyone else. His task is to bring all creation to become similar to Him, to altruism. But this requires recognizing egoism as evil and exiting it.
Moses is the force that represents a part of the Creator, which is located inside a person and pulls him forward to the revelation and attainment of the upper spiritual qualities.

Between these forces, interactions occur where a person feels within himself which of his desires are egoistic, which are altruistic, which require a connection with the Creator, and which cling to the Pharaoh.

Thus, he sorts them out in himself, and as a result of his work understands what is speaking within him; he sees that he is completely under the authority of the Pharaoh. Wherever he turns, there is the Pharaoh hiding inside of him.

It seems to him that he is already working for the sake of bestowal and love for the other and that he is above all earthly egoistic desires, but he continues to constantly reveal them inside himself. In the end, he does not just despair, but he is convinced that the Pharaoh owns him 100%.

At the same time, a special point becomes apparent within him called Moses, which opposes the Pharaoh. It enters a fight with him and condemns itself to the ten Egyptian plagues, which must be performed on the egoism. In this way, a person begins to understand that he can get rid of the ego. But how? This is not clear yet.

With this feeling, he enters the dark night, where, on one hand, it is not visible and it is not clear how the redemption takes place, but on the other hand, he longs for it. This night is called the night of the exit from Egypt, which we celebrate at Passover.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/11/23

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Passover: To Become Human

744Question: Passover symbolizes the exit of each of us from the animal state. But it all starts with the Creator’s promise to Abraham about inheriting the land of Israel. The land of Israel is Eretz Israel, the desire for the Creator. Did nature originally provide that every person will achieve this quality?

Answer: In general, yes. As a result of our development, absolutely all people on Earth must achieve the quality of “Man – Adam,” that is, similarity to the Creator.

Question: What does “becoming a Man” mean from the point of view of Kabbalah? What is this degree?

Answer: “Man” is “Adam” in Hebrew, from the word “Domeh,” which means “similar to the Creator” or “in God’s similarity.”

What does “in God’s similarity” mean? Since all the qualities of the Creator and His attitude to everything that He has created are love, bestowal, and good feelings, then a person who acquires these qualities becomes like the Creator and is called a Man. And before these qualities are acquired, he is considered an animal.

In other words, if a person is in his natural egoistic qualities and cares only about himself, then this is called an animalistic state, and if he cares about others and the altruistic quality of the Creator is in him, then this state is called Man.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 3/26/21
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The Miracle of Getting out of Egyptian Slavery

236.02Question: What is the miracle of getting out of Egyptian slavery?

Answer: The miracle is that, in principle, it is impossible to get out of slavery. We were born and exist with the intention for ourselves, and only through the help from above, with help of the Creator, can this intention turn into an intention for the sake of bestowing to others. This is how we get out of Egypt.

The miracle is that the new qualities of bestowal and love appear in us instead of the qualities of reception and hatred.

A person himself must consciously ask for these qualities, and then the upper force of nature will begin to cultivate them in him.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual states” 4/20/22

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If There Is No Connection in the Group

49.01Comment: Sometimes you say to a student: “Do it this way.” And it is obvious that he is not happy about it because your advice is against all the rules. But you say: “It is better for your development,” and you leave him alone with himself.

My Response: But what can I do? Sometimes I need to show a person a little bit that he is close to spiritual actions, but slips past them, and does not want to enter into them. Inner egoistic security pushes him away from this and protects itself.

Question: You once gave an example: You are riding in a bus that is shaking and either you grab the handrail and you will be thrown out, or you will do something that is not typical of egoistic nature, grab a friend and it will help you. Is that really how it works?

Answer: If there is no connection in the group, it is very difficult to hold on! But through natural suffering, it is simply impossible! This is such terrible suffering when you have to give up your egoism in everything, in every element, and tear yourself to pieces slowly, piece by piece, in every cell.

Therefore, we need to understand what an amazing means we have, the upper Light, which we can attract through our correct interactions with each other. It can easily influence us and gently change us.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Correct Contact Between Student and Teacher” 1/11/13

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Work on Getting Closer To Each Other

276.04Now we must begin to connect with each other, that is, to not destroy the egoism that separates us, but to connect above it. Knowing that you and I are opposites, completely distanced from each other, and maybe even hate and dislike each other, we still have to start working on getting closer to each other, on interconnection. And so should everyone with everyone!

Do you understand how much suffering we will have to endure in order to go toward each other at least a little if we do it under the pressure of external forces? Imagine what hurricanes, explosions, exterminations, sunstrokes, and famine we have to endure so that people can become a little closer to each other, caring and listening to one another! Nature will roll over us like a steamroller.

Or we will understand and begin to ask: “Give us the opportunity to rise above ourselves,” and thus we will get strength and new qualities, and begin to get closer to each other. Then it will be pleasant and easy, although we do not have these qualities in us. They will appear as desirable, but only if we invite them.

If not, it will be just awful! Even in order for humanity to annul its enormous egoism, that is, to rise above it, requires terrible suffering and deprivation! A person must experience unbearable horrors in order to give up his “I.”

But if we only ask, we will go the easy, pleasant way. But this requires recognition. That is why we are trying to disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Threat During Pregnancy” 12/7/12

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How Should We Introduce a Person to the Wisdom of Kabbalah?

281.02Question: How should we introduce a new person to the study of Kabbalah together with the whole group?

Answer: Gradually. After all, we are talking about wisdom that is above our nature. It talks about everything in a completely different way in different terms, qualities, and forces. You need to get used to it gradually. We are trying to adapt the Kabbalistic methodology to our world, but it is not easy.

It is impossible to bring the upper world down to ours. There is a clear hierarchy of degrees and division by qualities, that is, by understanding. I cannot feel the upper world because now I am in different qualities from it. I do not see it, do not notice it, and do not feel it because I do not have these qualities. Therefore, I do not catch it in my network of sensations and understandings; I am not adapted to it.

The wisdom of Kabbalah is built on bringing a person slowly to this and allowing him to change his qualities gradually. But this happens only in the group. If you need to create qualities of connection with others, then the group is the place where you can do it.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. How to Enter a Kabbalistic Group?” 12/12/12

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Passover Is for Everyone

284Comment: Passover is a big celebration of the exodus from Egyptian slavery. It is celebrated by almost the entire country [Israel] and by all the Jews in the world.

This, of course, is also a family holiday; that is, everyone gathers at a festive meal, and everyone is waiting for it.

For those who study Kabbalah, Passover is a person’s understanding that he is enslaved in his egoism and he is fleeing from it.

My Response: He is fleeing from it—he is not exactly fleeing from it because in Egypt there was everything!

Everything you can imagine as communism in this world was there. In principle, they had everything ready for them; they had the best land and everything they could wish for. But ahead of them was a dead desert, a dead sea; everything was dead and full of uncertainty, nothing good. So where is the Egyptian slavery and where are we going? This is the question.

The whole work in Egypt is to picture that all the desert in front of you is paradise. And everything in Egypt (where everything is fine and absolutely everything you want) is hell. Egypt is an egoistic fulfillment, fulfilled by everything you wish.

It relates to each of us. It is our Egypt. Everything is good in it; there is everything here. All the pleasures of this world in all their details and in all their variations are at your disposal.

Nobody wants to get out of it. All is good in general. The only one who feels bad is the one who is not like them, the one who wants to get the people out of there.

Who wants to get the people out? Moses. So, what good did he do? For centuries after that, we only feel bad. There is nothing better than Egypt!

Comment: But it is written that we were slaves in Egypt.

My Response: We were slaves because we were in our egoism, but we got practically everything we could wish for.

Question: So why does a person suddenly want to get out of this fairy tale?

Answer: That is how a person is built.

Question: Why does he suddenly hear Moses? This is instead of listening to the Pharaoh who says: “Stay here, I will provide you with everything, and everything will be fine.” And Moses says: “We will go into the unknown, into the desert. Follow me.” Why did they follow him?

Answer: Apparently, Moses told the Creator that something had to be done with them to make them want to leave. Moses made an agreement with the Pharaoh and with the Creator that there would be Egyptian executions of the Jews, from which they would want to run away. But if it had not been for those executions, they would have run nowhere. And if they had not wanted to run away, then there would have been no executions.

Question: That is, after all, the egg was first? Did they want to escape in some way at first?

Answer: I think it was Moses who made an agreement with the Creator: “Let us arrange it so that they still want to follow me.”

Question: But still you said that Jews suffered from the ten plagues there. Even the Egyptians had a hard time. It is written that the Egyptians suffered the most.

What does it mean, in your understanding that the Egyptians suffered from ten Egyptian plagues?

Answer: It is the egoism of a person who wants to be free. That is, it was unclear to whom and how to be subordinate. But the main thing was to break out of this communism that had everything. There was everything in abundance.

Question: Are the Egyptians this communism that exists within us, this egoism? They want to keep us and ask: “Why are you running away from there? You feel so good there.” Does it turn out this way?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What is the Passover holiday for the world? Jews celebrate it materially and Israel celebrates it. But what is this holiday for the world?

Answer: It is liberation from Egyptian slavery; it is liberation from egoism; it is the liberation of man from himself. I do not want to be controlled by an egoistic property that wants to get hold of everything, to be filled with everything, and thinks only about that. I want an altruistic property to control me so I want to connect with others, to fill others, and not myself. This is the desire that emerges. This is Moses in us.

We become Jews when we hear Moses when Moses is inside us. And if not, then we are the same Egyptians.

Question: Can we say that there are only two kinds of people in the world? Are there two kinds of people in the spiritual world?

Answer: Yes, you are either an Egyptian or an Israelite. There is nothing in the middle.

An Israelite is one who is directed to the Creator, Isra-El, meaning straight to the Creator. And the Egyptian is directed toward  himself.

Question: When you say that this holiday is for the world, does the world have to decide who it is today?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: Today is such a critical moment that we really need to resolve this.

My Response: We do not even realize it yet. The world is unaware of where it is being led, completely unaware!

Question: But can we say that the Egyptian plagues are taking place all over the world now?

Answer: Yes! It is very serious. There is such a wave all over the world.

Question: But maybe the world will come to an understanding that it is necessary to get out?

Answer: It all depends on us, how we show this path to the world—the path of development, the path of unification, what should be ahead, and what to strive for. Will we be able to do it?

Question: Do we have to show it so that it somehow would be pleasant, sweet, and happy for a person?

Answer: Both sweet, pleasant, and necessary! That is, it should not attract someone because it is sweet. No one sees that in Egypt it is sweet as well.

But there the sweetness comes from freedom from egoism. That is, the feeling of slavery in Egypt is opposed to freedom from egoism outside of Egypt. And a person must grow inside oneself to such an extent that this difference between the two states simply pulls one forward.

Question: So must the world today hear that it is necessary to get out of egoism, out of Egypt?

Answer: Yes. We are stuck!

Question: It turns out that we were a little delayed in this Egypt. And what is happening now is pushing us out. Don’t we feel the need to get out of it?

Answer: But we must set a course, we must understand, we must strive, and we must pull everyone along with us.

Question: When you say “we,” who do you mean?

Answer: First, I mean those people who can understand and realize this, who are striving forward, Yashar Kel, Israel. And everyone else will follow.

Question: It is not necessarily the Jews that are directly to the Creator?

Answer: The main mass, the initial mass are Jews, that is, those who experienced in the past, in their roots, the state of exodus from egoism. And the rest will go and join “Israel.” There is absolutely no question about this. The whole point is to raise Jews.

Question: What is your prayer today?

Answer: My prayer today is to fulfill the role of Moses, to pull out this head part of all of humanity, which is called Israel, aspiring to the Creator, and which in potential can aspire to the Creator, to pull it out of such, I would say,  a somnambulistic state, and begin to excite them so that they themselves at least somehow try to want, to worry, and to rise forward to the exit.

Question: Is it in order that at least a thought arises that it is necessary to get out of egoism? But first, you always say that egoism is bad. Or is it not?

Answer: Egoism is bad depending on how you measure, weigh, look at, feel, smell, and taste it. But in fact, egoism is everything that gives you taste and life.

And altruism, freedom, what is it in? You go out into the field, and you do not know what, what for, or why.

Moses is not one person, in principle. It is a whole group of people who understand that the future lies in getting out of egoism. How can we get out of it? This needs to be studied and we should begin to apply it between us. And each time we take each step, it is done again out of the darkness, when we allegedly do not see any attraction in egoism, when we begin to try to get out of it and find that it holds us for all our feelings, for everything! And you cannot get rid of it.

And then we should only stick together and cry out.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/14/22

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The Uniqueness of Kabbalistic Texts

209When reading The Book of Zohar or studying The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Talmud Eser Sefirot, or TES), you feel from both of them that you are dealing with the highest information. They are unique. There is something about them that inspires respect and admiration.

This information does not incline you for servile worship or for fanaticism. On the contrary, it raises you. It does not lower you, it does not crush you, or force you to kneel or tremble.

By raising you up, it makes you a Human with a capital “H”; it reveals the upper world, and does not suppress.

This is the difference between The Book of Zohar and TES and any other religious source. Kabbalistic sources talk about the upper world, but at the same time they raise a person to it.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Zohar or TES?” 11/3/12

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Rigid Connection to the World

254.03In our spiritual work, we use the materials that Baal HaSulam wrote and build ourselves on what he did.

I know from my own experience that I am allowed to go forward only to the extent that I have to explain Kabbalah to the world, but I cannot go any further. I feel like a dog that runs on a leash beside the owner, the owner constantly holds the leash and doesn’t let the dog get ahead too much.

I would rush forward with desire and strength that I cannot even describe, but I feel that I am tied to the world. Bound! As far as the world can advance, I am permitted to go ahead of it by a few degrees and that is it. These are high, spiritual degrees, but no more! I feel a rigid attachment to the world, I cannot be free. This shows, of course, my place, my duty, and my work.

There is a huge difference in how much the world has begun to move forward in jerks now, and how much it gives me the opportunity to speak. I have to keep a lot inside myself because I cannot express myself, it is like I am mute. Then the world takes a step forward and words, images, and symbols appear. I can express it right away! Some kind of external expression appears that was not there before. This is how it follows the path that the world goes through.

He is far away, somewhere out there, sorting out his problems: the same terrorists, on the one hand, economic crises and natural disasters, on the other hand. But all this gives some kind of impetus, and I have the opportunity to express a lot of connections, laws, and root causes, to link them, and to give out a new layer that can be explained. And so, in layers, I feel that I am moving forward. But these layers depend only on how the world is going.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The Most Significant Kabbalist of All Time” 11/17/12

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