It is impossible to receive the influence of the society if he is not attached to the society, meaning if he does not appreciate them. To the extent that he does, he can receive from them the influence without any work, simply by adhering to the society (Rabash, “The Meaning of the Strict Prohibition to Teach Idol Worshippers the Torah“).

Our work is not hard at all. You just need to connect with the group and everything else will come through our association. The revelation of the Creator will come from above. We don’t expect anything else. By uniting with each other we will reveal the Creator and thus reach the goal.

We see that the Creator does not leave us alone; He wants us to rise in our properties above ourselves as egoists and at least stop appreciating the state of egoism we currently exist in. I really hope that we will understand this and somehow start pulling ourselves out of the ego.

And then everything depends only on us. If everyone prays and asks the Creator to lower us in relation to the group and lift the group up, then through the ascending group we will be able to see the Creator who stands behind it.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/7/22, “Adhering to the Friends” Lesson 3

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In the News (Pew Research Center, “What Makes Life Meaningful? Views From 17 Advanced Economies”): 

Family and children—38%
Occupation and career—25%
Material well-being—19%
Friends and community—18%
Physical and mental health—17%
Society and institutions—14%
Freedom and independence—12%
Hobbies and recreation—10%
Education and learning—5%
Nature and the outdoors—5%
Romantic partner—4%
Service and engagement—3%
Travel and new experiences—3%
Retirement—2%
Spirituality, faith, and religion—2%
Pets—1%
…
Outside of the U.S., religion is never one of the top 10 sources of meaning cited – and no more than 5% of any non-American public mention it. In the U.S., however, 15% mention religion or God as a source of meaning, making it the fifth most mentioned topic. 

Question: When will the lofty meaning of life rise to at least the fourth, third, or second place?

Answer: If something changes, it will change only under the influence of very acute events.

Question: In your clips when you talk about an upper force, about the Creator, about goodness, about nature, about connecting people with each other, and about good relations, what do you expect?

Answer: I am counting on suffering, when we—by our actions, by our way of life—will cause such suffering that we will not be able to turn away from it just like that, and that it will make us think about the meaning of suffering or, in other words, about the meaning of life because life will be filled with suffering.

Then we will begin to think whether we should live at all, whether we should suffer, whether it all makes sense, and what we should do with ourselves. And then we will start asking serious questions and trying to answer them.

We will come to the conclusion that our life is wrong and we must find the right style of life so that everyone feels good and so that life itself does not end but rather comes to its top result. That’s another story. But people will start listening.

Comment: Meaning you do not fade at the end of life, but on the contrary…

My Response: No, of course not! During this life you go to the next degree of development; that is, you rise from the animal level to the level of Man, Adam.

Question: Why does it not fascinate a person?

Answer: It is at a completely different level of attainment. This requires completely different feelings and intelligence. And neither our brains nor our hearts work for this.

Comment: But even for our inner peace, it’s good that you don’t fade, but rather blossom.

My Response: It sounds nice, but nothing more. It’s been replaced with religion, maybe a little philosophy. But in our time, when everything is packed with television, travel, and other things, which a person does not have today, he does not need that.

Question: But if, one way or another, people must come through the suffering to whatever you say, then why was this whole program launched on humanity, this whole program of entertainment?

Answer: It is in order to realize the evil of our nature and what it leads to so we can go against our nature.
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From KabTV’s “News with Michael Laitman” 12/2/21

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Question: If we act through the group, can we come to the point that we will no longer feel the attraction to the desire to receive but will feel only the pull in the direction of bestowal?

Answer: Of course! Just as now you feel natural egoistic urges, the desire to receive and to rise above the rest, under the influence of the upper light you will feel the opposite properties: the desire to humble yourself before the rest and to be connected with others, and through them with the Creator.

All altruistic qualities will gradually begin to manifest in you and you will have to act in accordance with them.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/9/22, “Asking the Creator to Fill the Place Between Us” Lesson 7

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic: “Faith Above Reason” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam “You Have Made Me in Behind and Before“

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 120

Selected Highlights 

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 2/1/22

Why do children wake up with their eyes wide open and jump out of bed while we open them just wide enough to see the phone so we can set it to snooze? Why are young people energetic and ready to “conquer the world” while older people are cautious and hesitant? Can we stay young-spirited forever? After all, if life is not a game, there is no excitement in it. And if there is no excitement in life, what is the point of living?

If we want to keep enjoying, we need to make life a lifelong game. This game is very different from anything we know. It is not about what we can receive, but about what we can discover! By connecting to other people, we discover new worlds, other people’s worlds!

How do we achieve this? Quite simply, we need to focus on others rather than on ourselves. This may sound simple, but if you try it, you will realize how self-absorbed you are.

We are all like that. Even those who feel that they are generous and giving are absorbed in their giving and do not see how much they do it for their own interest, and how they are focused on their own benefit when they give. Giving is fine, but the focus is the point here. Had the focus been on the receiver, the giver would have discovered countless revelations that are hidden from a self-centered eye.

For the game to succeed, you need partners. It is impossible to play the game of giving without people to whom you can give and from whom you can receive. Therefore, there must be a group of people, up to ten or so, who play the game together.

In order to succeed in discovering the other players’ worlds, we need to think good thoughts about them. Otherwise, we will have no incentive to approach them, no desire to discover their world. We can think good thoughts about each other if we do good things for one another. These can be the simplest things, but they must make us feel good about each other. Positive thoughts about each other bring us closer, and closeness opens our minds and hearts to others, so we can see the world through their eyes.

As with any game, the more we practice, the better we get, and the harder, yet more rewarding the game becomes. But unlike any other game, as we improve in it, we will find that our entire perspective on life changes and expands, and we become wiser and more competent.

The game of life, unlike any other game, reveals to us the secrets of life, the secrets of reality, because when you can look at something from all angles, nothing remains hidden from you.

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My new article on Linkedin “To Live, or Not to Live, That Is the Question”

“To be, or not to be, that is the question,” mused Prince Hamlet in the so-called “nunnery scene” of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Every year, around the world, some 800,000 people answer this question negatively and take their own lives. Even worse, suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young people. Why do people, especially young ones, take their own lives? Is it possible to strengthen their desire to live?

The authors of the Talmud wrote, “For two and a half years, the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel disputed. One side said, ‘It is better for man not to be born than to be born,’ and the other side said, ‘It is better for man to be born than not to be born.’ They concluded, ‘It is better for man not to be born than to be born, but now that he is born, let him look into his actions’” (Eruvin 13b). Indeed, if an alien were to land on Earth and look at us, it would probably say, “The pathetic humans bump into each other, ridicule and humiliate one another, and do everything they can to ruin each other’s lives. No wonder they are so depressed. Why did nature create such miserable beings?”

Suicide is the extreme consequence of a series of problems that afflict people to the point where they decide to end it all. But even before these problems become too much to handle, they make us ask about the meaning of life. After all, if life is only about survival through ordeals, then it is indeed better not to be born than to be born.

The thing is that when we begin to ask questions about life, or as the sages wrote, “look into our actions,” we begin to grow. Pain leads to spiritual development that lifts us to realms we would not have dreamed existed, and we would not have searched for them were we not forced by pain.

The key to these new realms lies in fostering positive connections among people, in emerging from the mindset of alienation and narcissism we have so devoutly nurtured until now, to find that when we sympathize with others, we gain rather than lose. We win new perspectives and new ideas, new wisdom and knowledge, and new friends. By changing our attitude to others, we change our world.

Moreover, by choosing who we bond with, we shape and reshape our world with every new acquaintance. In this way, no world is too harsh to live in, since we can always change the people we connect to, and in so doing, change our world. Also, there is no end to the insights and knowledge we can gain since there are always more connections to make than we can establish in our lifetime.

And best of all, when we connect with other people, we attune ourselves to our surrounding reality, which is already connected and would have worked in perfect harmony if we, humans, did not disrupt it. The more we develop positive connections, which aim to support and nurture rather than depress and oppress one another, the more we expand our perception of reality. We find that the reality we have known until now was only a “corridor” to a deeper and more expansive perception.

If we want people not to take their own lives, we must give them a reason to live. When people understand what life is for, they will have a purpose to go through life’s trials and tribulations. As Nietzsche wrote, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

Therefore, our task today is to reshape our connections in order to reshape our world. The world reflects our attitude toward others. If we jointly transform our attitude toward others from abusive and aggressive to considerate and caring, the lives of all of us will change, as well, from a losing battle to a smooth and pleasant ride. It is really up to us.
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Michael Laitman, on The Times of Israel: “On the Difference between Unity and a Show of Unity”

On January 26, Jewish leaders met under the auspices of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, to discuss unity in the face of antisemitism. The meeting took place one day before the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The speakers stressed “that the community should unite and go on offense against anti-Semites across the political spectrum.” Former Obama-administration Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Ira Forman, for example, said, “If we only criticize anti-Semitism from our political opponents and not people in our own party, our own ideology, we really aren’t caring about anti-Semitism. …We’re just using the platform of anti-Semitism to wage war against our political opponents, and those are those of us on the left, like myself, those on the right, have done too much of this and we have to end it.”

Unity has great power. Accordingly, this meeting could have been a powerful show of force. It could have shown that Jews can unite in the face of Jew-hatred, which would have gone a long way toward mitigating antisemitism.

Regrettably, there is a big difference between wanting unity and wanting to show unity. The latter is powerless and evokes ridicule and contempt. The former is what we really need but do not have, and Jewish leaders around the world do not seem to aspire to it. Their goal, it seems, is clout and wherewithal. This is why nothing will come out of that meeting.

Unity is the key to mitigating antisemitism. It is also the key to the success or failure of our nation. As I have shown multiple times in essays, op-eds, and in several books, unity is the foundation of our nation. When we are united, the world welcomes us; when we are apart, the world scorns and despises us.

Uniting in order to fight against antisemitism would have worked had we used it as a first step toward true unity, unity of the heart. If we had moved from unity because of fear to unity because we care about each other and feel responsible for one another, I would have rooted for it. But the “unity” of Jewish leaders is merely a front. Behind it hides the same division, the same hatred between the parties, and no real effort to form a bridge above it. I am convinced that the only goal of the conference is to raise money for the organizations running the event and increase their influence in the community and in politics.

If this is the goal, the result will be the opposite of unity; it will lead to more division among us and more derision from the world. Time will tell, but I have little doubt about my conclusion and little hope that I am wrong.

For more on the significance of Jewish unity, see my books Like a Bundle of Reeds: Why unity and mutual guarantee are today’s call of the hour, and The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism, Historical facts on anti-Semitism as a reflection of Jewish social discord.
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My new article on Linkedin “The Discordant Drums of War”

As the world waits with bated breath to see if Russia will invade Ukraine, as thousands of American troops are on high alert to invade Eastern Europe, and as NATO announces it will send more ships and fighter jets to Ukraine to reinforce the Baltic states, I am convinced we are not on the brink of a world war.

Invading Ukraine is not worth it for Russia because such a move could lead to a war that the Russians will undoubtedly lose. They will probably succeed here and there militarily, even if their army is not as strong as in the past, but financially they will lose. Russia’s economy is weak anyway, and life there is difficult. The war would only crush them.

In today’s modern world, it is no longer worth fighting. What is the point? More money and natural resources? After all, the investment in conflict is greater than the profit, not to mention the subsequent participation which will cost a fortune. Nowadays it is more beneficial to enter into economic cooperation, as initiated by the European Union—to arrange industrial and cultural relations, to engage in economic activities and trade, and thus all countries joining the alliance will benefit from joint business.

So what will enable Russia to conquer more territory and control it? After all, it has vast superfluous territories stretching from the Volga River to the Far East where there are hardly any inhabitants. It follows that the Russians’ move is based not on practical thinking but on a private compulsion, on the need to conquer and feel, “This is ours!” Russia enjoys showing the world that it is a strong country. This Russian pride is well-known, a familiar characteristic that can spur it to go barefoot, eat gravel, as long as it wins respect and sympathy.

Moreover, Ukrainians are strong, full of resentment against Russians, which gives them the strength to oppose them. If this is so, where do the winds of war come from? First of all, from the media which profit from the heating up. Second, from people whose job is to fuel war. Opinion makers and political analysts know that conflict is their art, and they know how to recruit the minority dissatisfied with the existing state into their ranks, thus igniting an uproar at any hour. Third, it is the politicians who, in the event of an escalation or a real war, count on raising their prestige in the eyes of the population. The possibility of war is on everyone’s lips while U.S. President Joe Biden’s approval rating continues to drop, according to recent polls. 72% of Americans believe their country is moving in the “wrong direction,” revealed a NBC poll a few days ago.

Despite the fierce winds, I do not think Europe is on the brink of war. Even if a few missiles fall here and there, the current crisis will ultimately be resolved diplomatically, not militarily. A good agreement will be signed for all countries involved: Russia, Ukraine and, of course, the U.S., which always emerges stronger and more successful.

It is good that Israel is out of the Russia-Ukraine mess. Countries that do not enter into conflicts will form a solid and correct foundation for a better existence, especially Israel, whose role is to be the pioneer force for a new, more balanced and stable world.

We Jews who are watching from a distance what is happening there, must engage in resolving the wars between us, repairing the relationship within our people so that we can set an example of a true and qualitative cordial connection out of a great desire to play the drums of peace. That is the essence and mandate for the people of Israel to implement, to become the “light unto the nations” for the benefit of all the peoples in the world.
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Question: Is envy toward friends a correct indicator of annulment?

Answer: Envy toward friends is not an indicator of annulment, but it is a good start.

I envy them. This means that I already see something in them that is not in me, and therefore I envy them. So I already put them above me in some way.

And then perhaps I will make a decision to get closer to them. If they are smarter and above me spiritually, then why shouldn’t I be with them, together with them. It’s a good feeling.
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From the International Convention “Rising Above Ourselves” 1/8/22, “Deriving the Greatness of the Goal from the Friends” Lesson 4

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