Question: During my studies at MAK [the KabU (Kabbalah education center) for Russian speakers], I felt how my older friends cared for me, I felt the system according to which we were advancing, I felt a powerful desire. This was the development we were given.

And now it is time to make efforts and do your inner work. You feel forces diminish, the desire disappears. How do you make this transition smoother? How can you generate the necessary desire among the friends after graduating from MAK [KabU]?

Answer: You know, when a child goes to kindergarten for the first time, he also finds himself in a different environment. And then from kindergarten to school it is completely different. And if not for the support of the environment, the surroundings, and parents, everything would certainly be much more complicated, more dramatic.

Therefore, I believe that there should be some kind of organization that would surround you, that is, more experienced friends who would guide you like children and help make a smooth transition from MAK [KabU] to bigger life.

When you were at MAK [KabU],  you already worked a little in a group. That is, the group remains. You create from it for yourself an environment like an incubator, which will continue to warm you, protect, and support you.

Therefore, it doesn’t matter where you are—even in heaven, on earth, wherever you are—but if you are within this group, then by holding onto each other, you obtain your own soul and are an independent unit in the spiritual world. No matter how small it may be, if there is a connection in a group, by supporting each other, you will never be lost.
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From KabTV’s “Videoconference”

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If we do not feel pleasure from being purified of past baggage, then we do not really want to be purified. After all, we are still yearning for pleasures that do not belong to the Creator, to bestowal, rather we want to be filled egotistically.

Getting rid of egoistic intention, from receiving for our own sake, is called the work of purification. To do this, I must jump into the upper light, as if into the water, and completely immerse myself in it, so that the light will act on me and purify me.

This is how it happens at every new degree. When we ascend the degrees of attainment of the Creator, coming closer to Him, every degree begins with the work of purifying ourselves. This is the first stage. The second stage already is holiness when we are already in connection with the upper light.

But first, we need to get rid of our egoism, purify ourselves with the help of the upper light as if we are plunging into the water, into the sea. Once we are purified, we can put on clean clothes, that is, restriction, screen, and reflected light.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/9/21, Writings of Baal HaSulam, Shamati #54 “The Purpose of the Work-1”

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And if it displeases you to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell, but as for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord.” (Prophets, Book of Joshua, 24:15)

As it was said, there are many paths to the Creator, and every desire in a person says that it knows how to pass them. But, in principle, there is only one way and only in the desire to bestow.

Over any desire to receive, we can go to the Creator, without turning, making sure that our intentions are directed only to bestowal, to love through everyone, near and far, to the Creator.

Love for one’s neighbor, love for people, here is set like a front  sight on a gun. If you look through it and aim directly at the Creator, you attain Him. And without a front sight you won’t get anywhere.

Comment: For millennia mankind has been trying to come to the connection “I and the Creator.”

My Response: Therefore, almost three thousands of all kinds of religions, beliefs, and other teachings appeared.

Comment: Still, fantasy is very strong. A person has a feeling that he is communicating with the Creator

My Response: Because he is tied to it personally, it does not oblige him to sacrifice himself, to do something for the sake of others. And the Creator? “I will deal with the Creator, He is mine.” It’s easier for a person to live this way.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 9/6/21

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Kabbalah says that if something has arisen, it is from some preliminary state when nothing has happened yet. This state is the initial one for everything that exists.

We can only say that there was an upper force from which everything then happened. This we can consider now.

In Kabbalah, the upper force is considered a quality of absolute bestowal. When we consider the actions of the Creator in relation to the creations, we come to the conclusion that He is absolutely kind and does only good. All His care, all His actions, are aimed at creating creations like Himself.

The Creator created the creation “out of nothing” because it was His desire.

The material of creation is the desire to receive. There is no such desire in the Creator Himself. By His desire to bestow, by His intention to create, He created the desire to receive, because that was what He lacked. But since He Himself does not have such a desire, it is therefore called “existence out of absence.” So the desire to receive arose from the Creator’s desire to bestow.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 10/19/21

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Question: The psychologist in me tries to understand himself and others, to analyze and solve problems, to manage his feelings, and to change his attitude to reality. What does a Kabbalist try to do within himself?

Answer: A Kabbalist finds the sources of perception of the surrounding reality, its boundaries and, by working on himself, pushes these boundaries so far that he begins to see the upper force behind reality, the quality of bestowal and love, opposite to the quality of reception and rejection of everyone and everything, which is inherent in egoism.

In the fight between these two qualities, by preferring bestowal, love, and connection over the quality of separation, reception, and hatred at each stage of spiritual development, a person becomes a Kabbalist. He begins to act not for his own sake, not in order to fulfill his egoism, but for the sake of others, for the sake of spreading altruism.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 10/15/21

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And Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it under the doorpost which is in the sanctuary of the Lord.

And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; it shall be a witness against you, lest you deny your God.” (Prophets, Joshua, 24:25-27)

“Stone” (In Hebrew “Even“) from the word “Havana,” understanding. This is about a person’s heart, which he feels either as a stone or as something alive that has the ability to hear. No wonder the heart is called either an alive one or a stony one.

We need to make the stones feel, cry, and live and we would build a Temple to the Creator from such stones, that is, from our hearts. This is the basis for the people, for the country, and for all of humanity, and in principle, for the Creator.

Question: Until when is it necessary to warn the people and threaten them not to deny their God?

Answer: Until the end. Until complete correction (Gmar Tikkun). And each time a person will still receive punishments, rewards, and advance in such a way between this and that.

Question: Why do we not learn?

Answer: We learn. We cannot say that we do not learn from the past, but there are always new desires, new obstacles. We cannot take the old things and move on. Practically, when we reach the goal, we will see that, in principle, everything was good.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 9/6/21

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Question: Every morning we get up and say: “We have to get up early for work. We have to make another business call. We have to exercise. We have to write an article. We have to go to our son’s game.” And by replacing only two words in these sentences, we can change the general approach to life. You do not “have to”—”you can.”

You can get up early for work. You can make another call. You can prepare dinner for the whole family. And the perception of life, the perception of everything that happens in it, changes.

What is the advantage and what is the distinction between the two attitudes: “has to” or “can”?

Answer: It depends on one’s perception of the world. I either want absolute peace and agree, like Oblomov, to lie in bed all the time, I have everything, I do not want anything, I will wait for the day I die. So what?

Or I feel that this life is worthy of being able to fix something in it, achieve something else, become different. And then I rejoice at the opportunity before me. It depends on what kind of attitude you have to life: creative or consumeristic.

Question: Does the consumer attitude lead a person to the point of “I have to” or “I can”?

Answer: I want and that is it. I want to use everyone and everything—this is the consumer attitude to life. And the opposite is to use this life to rise to its next level.

Question: Life means that there is always an opportunity to use every state?

Answer: There is always an opportunity in life. Always look for an opportunity and seize it.

Question: Then I have a few questions and please comment on them.

The biggest obstacle is fear. Is it true?

Answer: Uncertainty and fear immobilize a person, closes and “cans” him, that is, deprive him of the opportunity to act.

Comment: The biggest mistake is to lose heart.

My Response: This is also true. “The biggest,” I don’t know. But it is a big mistake. The biggest one is to disconnect from the Creator.

Question: So you still need to be connected to Him?

Answer: And without connection to the Creator where will the forces come from? Where will the direction come from? Where will the appeal to the one who corrects and does everything come from? I am not doing all this. I simply must turn right to Him for Him to do everything.

Comment: The most dangerous person is a liar.

My Response: Yes. But I do not listen to them so I do not think they are dangerous people. If only someone really asks for help, spiritual help—to find a goal in life, strength to realize this goal—then I hear, but otherwise, no. Therefore, no one can seduce me.

Question: Who, then, is the most dangerous person?

Answer: For man, the most dangerous person is himself. Who can harm him except himself? No one.

Question: And how can he harm?

Answer: By the fact that he listens to himself, to his egoism. Trusting his beloved self.

Question: Who needs to be trusted?

Answer: The teacher or the Creator. This is, in principle, the same thing.

Comment: The most insidious feeling is envy.

My Response: This is the most wonderful feeling if a person can correctly implement it. There is nothing better than envy! There is nothing more, generally, there is nothing better than envy to move forward.

Question: Can you give an exercise on how to use envy correctly?

Answer: You must first find a goal, and then envy everything that leads to this goal.

Comment: The most beautiful act is to forgive.

My Response: The most beautiful act—it is not to forgive. The most beautiful act is to direct a person to the truth.

You do not have to forgive anything. The Creator forgives nothing! There is judgment, continuous judgment. And thanks to the fact that nothing is forgiven, we understand where we are wrong, and we can correct ourselves.

Question: And in relations between people, should a person judge himself or others?

Answer: Why should I judge someone, or myself, or others? I judge the Creator, I always go to Him, and so I check everything with Him. This is called “I judge Him.” Then there is no offense, no reason for forgiveness. Everything is checked only in relation to the goal.

Comment: The best protection is a smile.

My Response: I do not think so. It seems to me that a smile, to the contrary, can be perceived as mockery, disdain, and condescension.

It is best to show a person that you do not consider him at all, that you are directed only at your goal, and he has nothing to do with it. And therefore, you don’t treat him well or badly, but you relate to him to the extent that you can show him what is worth paying attention to in life.

Comment: The most powerful force is faith.

My Response: By faith I understand something completely different from what ordinary people understand, and therefore I believe that there is no greater error in life than faith. There is nothing more harmful in life than a person who believes.

Faith in Kabbalah is the ability to be above your egoistic principles and just give everything. The power of bestowal is the power of faith in a person. That is, it is an active force that helps a person to rise above his egoistic nature: the property of Bina over the property of Malchut. Only in this way.

Otherwise, faith is I closed my eyes and left.

Comment: The best support is hope.

My Response: No. We cannot hope. There should be hope only to the extent that I grant myself correct advancement.

In Kabbalah, the surrounding light is called hope. It has not yet entered you, but it already shines on you because you are correctly directed toward the goal. That is, hope is a very serious advancement. Measured! Everything is deterministic

Comment: The best gift is love

My Response: The best gift is love. Yes! But by love we mean absolute merging with other desires in the general fulfillment by the Creator.

Comment: A person strives all his life for love, for hope, for support.

My Response: This is from weakness, from ignorance, inability, and the fact that he is just a lazy person. The whole culture of being positive refers to weakness, laziness, and slovenliness.

Comment: Therefore, some researchers advise against the urge to strive to be happy.

My Response: No, you really need to be happy. You just need to find out what kind of state it is to be happy. What is absolute happiness? Merging with the higher force because it is absolute.

Question: And then what does the person receive?

Answer: He receives the same state the higher force is in. His benefit is that he becomes equal to the Creator. There is no state more perfect.

Question: How does this distinguish him from an ordinary person?

Answer: An ordinary person is a small egoistic animal looking all the time for a warm corner. And a person who achieves merging with the Creator does not need to look for this warm corner, he is already in it, truly in the most comfortable state.

Question: And at the same time, people are striving for the positive, striving for absolute happiness that they cannot grasp. When faced with troubles, with strong grief, illness, or tragic situations, they keep silent about them. Is this a correct attitude?

Answer: No, by no means. A person must react very vividly to any manifestations in his life of bad and good traits, qualities, forces, and phenomena in order to format himself according to the highest state. Otherwise, he will miss his whole life.

Question: And if something tragic happens in a person’s life, how can he use this state?

Answer: Measure this tragic component in his life with respect to the absolute: is it de facto tragic, or maybe they want to bring him closer to the truth with a very strong influence.

Question: And what does a person need to do?

Answer: He goes to clearly find out the purpose, the truth, the central state of the world.

Question: Accepting the negative in order to direct everything toward the goal, is this a skill that can be learned?

Answer: To do this, you need to be in school, in the study of Kabbalah. To do this, you need to be in a certain state, in a certain atmosphere, encircled, and then it will work out.

Comment: Researchers say older people learn to accept negative things more easily to push them toward goals than younger people.

My Response: Naturally, this comes from life experience. But, in principle, this has nothing to do with Kabbalah.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/17/19

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Question: Is everything we see in our world forms of manifestation of “existence from absence,” or are these forms of the desire to receive, or forms of the Creator?

Answer: These are forms of manifestation of the desire to receive on the background of His desire to bestow, to fill, to love.

In fact, we, as if, see two pictures that are superimposed on each other. On one hand there is the perfect desire of the Creator toward us to fill, nurture, and bring us closer to Him so that we become like Him. On the other hand, we see between us and Him such a terrible quality as an egoistic force that we can only attribute to ourselves.

The Creator created egoism on purpose so that we would discover it and try to get rid of the ego, and once we are convinced that we ourselves cannot defeat it, we would ask the Creator to do it for us.

This is our entire work in the corporeal world, to recognize the evil of our nature and ask the Creator to change it to the opposite.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 10/19/21

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Beyond a certain point there is no return. This point has to be reached. (Franz Kafka)

Question: What do you think about that?

Answer: If there is no return, how can you not make a decision? Such solutions are the most rational, although they seem terrible.

Question: Does it mean that if you have made some decision and there is no return, then you have to keep going and that’s it?

Answer: Of course! The main thing is not to leave yourself hanging in the air.

Question: Not to think for a long time?

Answer: No. Otherwise it leads to depression, suicide, or something like that. These pauses should be shortened and the decision should be made sharply and clearly.

Question: When does a person have a feeling that there is no return? Maybe he is just making it all up? Or is it given to a person on purpose?

Answer: He should check himself.

Question: Are you saying that he should still do an analysis?

Answer: Of course. He should check himself often. Kabbalah says that we should not measure once and then start cutting. We need to keep trying again and again, constantly checking the system we are in: Can I trust it? Do I conform to this system? How can I change myself to adapt to it?

Eventually, I begin to see more and more that I am inside a harmonious and perfect system of the universe, which is governed by some single law, and I exist inside this sphere.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/4/21

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Question: Sometimes a question arises in you and even without asking it after a while you find the answer to it. How can you explain this phenomenon?

Answer: If a question has really taken shape in you, then there is definitely an answer to it. The light that gave birth to the question in you will surely descend and fill it with an answer.

The question is Hisaron, desire, emptiness created by the same light that then fills it. Thus you get both the question and the answer.
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From KabTV’s “Videoconference”

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