Entries in the 'Zohar' Category

Procrastination Is Like Death

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe problem is that we agree to remain in the current state as it is. We think that due to this we are becoming smarter, but this is the effect of the egoistic forces (Klipot) of this world. Indeed, in our world, the longer I stay in one place, live there, observe different phenomena, the more experience I gain. And there is none wiser than the experienced.

It turns out that I ought to be in the same stage as long as possible, and thus I will “grow older” there, that is, will gain wisdom (Hochma). This is what we see in our world concerning our experience. And so we resist any change. It seems to us that there is nothing wrong if one state will continue day after day.

But we need to have faith above reason, understanding that each degree is possible only from a higher degree. Everything received by us at the present stage comes from the next one above it. This is the source of all our actions, decisions, conclusions, and strength. The head is at the top and, below it, we have just its consequence, that is, the body. We will never learn anything from these consequences and will not know the real cause of what is happening.

We will only see how one is related to another, but why? This reason will always be false. We will replace the knowledge of the true root with a link between its consequences. And they do exist. But the origin of all that has happened through this chain of events is only at the highest degree, it’s always at the top.

This is a completely different understanding like that of a young child and of an adult beside him. The child knows his toys and knows how to play with them better than adults do. But the mind, hidden in these games, concerned with how to build with them and teach the child in order to advance his development is all done by the adult. A child would have remained at the same level if he hadn’t been given new toys and put in a more developed environment.

Therefore, we must understand that our willingness to remain in the existing condition is an egoistic Klipa. The group and the teacher must put pressure on everyone and move him toward the goal, not agreeing that people get stuck in one position for many years. Being frozen in one state is religion (Daat). And an ascent every time above knowledge (Daat) towards faith, bestowal, requires work. A person has to be awakened to it because our egoism does not allow us to move and hangs onto our feet.

Usually, the ego holds us by the feet and coaxes: “Stay here and everything will be fine.” Why bother if it all depends on the Creator and comes from Him, because it’s said that “it is better to sit and do nothing”? A person immediately finds a lot of quotes to justify his laziness and ceases to advance.

It turns out that he is already dead. This is because spiritual advancement is calculated by the states (even momentary) during which the person tried to get closer to delighting the Creator, and that is why he was searching how to bring pleasure to created beings, because only through the created beings is it possible to bring pleasure to the Creator. Thus this chain is closed, helping us scrutinize. The Creator is the cause and the created beings are the means. The created being is the means and the Creator is the goal.

But the person thinks that he is tired, out of energy, motivation, and the feeling of importance, and he agrees with this state thinking that it will move by itself. He hopes that in the end everything will pass, and thereby he already condemns himself to death. Only the group can help here, the influence of the environment, mutual guarantee, and, above all, constant responsibilities according to a strict daily schedule that a person has to carry out. Thus, he buys time.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/28/13, The Zohar

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A Simulator For Studying The Truth

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe shell (Klipa) has a very important role; it shows us mistakes and the error itself. And in fact, we are actually never wrong but only see the mistake. With the shell we grow wiser, learn, and don’t actually hurt or harm ourselves and our relations with the Creator.

We only study it, like in a game, like performing an exercise in a simulator. This is all thanks to the system of Klipot that allows us to discover what is true and what is not, to work with it and study the outcomes of our actions, but all these actions are actually not real.

The whole world of shells, the whole evil world, all of creation that seemingly doesn’t belong to the Creator, was created precisely in order to teach us how to work with this half, how to understand and organize ourselves correctly for the second right and good half of creation.

The shell takes this work upon itself, accompanies a person and teaches him. Therefore, we are nourished by the shells during the whole period of our study until we are ready for the spiritual world. Then we reach Holiness.

It says: “The Creator has created them one opposite the other,” the worlds of Holiness opposite the worlds of impurity. If we don’t go through the system of the shells and learn from it each time, we will not be able to move over to the right side that belongs to Holiness.

Once we reach Holiness we have to return to the side of the shells and learn, and practice like in a simulator in order to return to Holiness from there. It’s impossible to enter Holiness if one is not ready. The shell prepares us for that, and the moment you attain the necessary state, it opens the door for you: “Well, now you are ready, go!”

These two systems are one opposite the other, and there are many more systems of confusion and sophistication on the side of the shell that operate with regard to us. We don’t need them later since we are incorporated in the system of the shell, and then on top of this system, we can make simple calculations and reach the simple Light. But this is already after we are incorporated in all the complex systems of the shells.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/13/13, The Zohar

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Shamati #33 The Lots on Yom Kippurim and Haman

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 09.11.13

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Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Meaning of Conception and Birth,” Lesson 14

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The Book of Zohar — Introduction, “The Second Commandment,” Item 201, Lesson 71

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Talmud Eser Sefirot, Volume 3, Part 9

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Writings of Baal HaSulamThe Peace

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 09.10.13

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 09.08.13

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Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Meanings of Conception and Birth,” Lesson 12

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The Book of Zohar — Introduction, “The Commandments of the Torah,” Item 191, Lesson 69

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A Car Won’t Go By Yelling At It

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why do I feel that I need to be corrected, but it doesn’t happen?

Answer: That cannot be. If you demand correction, then it must immediately happen. It seems that you demand, but is not for correction as long as you are just saying this with words but aren’t feeling it in your heart. You need to check yourself. There cannot be such a thing that someone is refused correction.

If you truly want to correct something in you, if you have clarified that this is a corrupted characteristic, see it before you, and you act in order to bestow without regard for any benefit for yourself, then it will be corrected. The system already exists and it cannot be otherwise. It acts like a sound car and it cannot be that it doesn’t work.

Besides you, no one in the world has free choice, including the Creator! It is said: (Psalms 148:6) “He gave a law and it will not be transgressed.” The Creator cannot suddenly want something or not want something, as if a higher power could change His decision.

We don’t understand how this system is built. It is found in the state of the final correction (Gmar Tikkun). And you are found in a completely corrupted state, and you need to reach from one extreme to the other. To do this, you are given Partzufim and “spiritual worlds,” a staircase of steps, and on every level there exists a unique Light that works on you.

Besides you, no one else can do anything! So how about the rest of creation, all seven billion? Okay, let’s suppose that those who don’t have a point in the heart don’t have free choice. But what about those who have a point in the heart, because  they have free choice can’t they intervene  No, they cannot, everything depends only on you.

Everyone needs to say this about himself, and this is truly so. Only I–in my section in regard to my soul, in regard to my part of the work—possess free choice. And no still, vegetative, animate, or speaking, including the Creator can intervene. Everything else other than me is the system.

Therefore you can scream, cry, beg, but you are facing a system, a machine. If you have already learned how to run it, then you can make it work. And if not, then it is necessary to learn more about how to do this. That is all; there are no excuses.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/18/13, Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 09.03.13

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In A Higher And Higher Field Of Tension

Dr. Michael LaitmanAll of reality except for us is found in a state of rest and waits for our work. Everything is seemingly evolving and changing at every moment, yet without any free choice. The result of the cooperation between the Light and the Kli that is found opposite to it, is projected, extended, and evolved downward, and influences the world more and more.

 

 The link between the Light and the Kli in the meantime is created without our participation, without an attempt to establish a proper link between them. And if we don’t link them correctly, then these two lines of force will evolve further and further downward, in parallel to each other, and will influence us who are found between them.

The entire world is found in a field between these two forces, plus and minus: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking (humanity) and within it also Israel. The positive and negative forces evolve further and further from above to below, meaning they are revealed one against the other with greater and greater intensity, where the minus and the plus are made more opposed to each other.

And if we, with our free choice, cannot link and complete them in the right way, then they will descend to an even lower level and cause more and more trouble. As if there was a -10 tension opposite a +10 tension, and this becomes -100 opposite +100; that is, the opposition between them is made much greater. Therefore the troubles grow and become greater, and then we have no choice, and they oblige us to make some kind of link between the plus and the minus.

If we create a link like this, then the entire nature of the still, vegetative, animate, and all the nations of the world, also merit a more balanced supervision, which is to say a quiet life. There is no longer such strong opposition between the minus and the plus, rather the opposite; there is something that links them together. The positive force supplies intention and the negative force supplies desire, and if we combine intention and desire correctly, then all of of creation will enjoy the fruit of this covenant. That is how it works.

All of the negative egoistic forces, all the wicked (Nebuchadnezzar, Amalek, Hitler), which collectively are called “Pharaoh,” have no free choice. Therefore, there is nothing to curse or blame them for; rather, it is necessary only to understand that nobody can correct the situation except those who have free choice, that have a natural inclination towards correction of the world.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/20/13, The Zohar — Introduction

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