Comment: Our viewer Galina Azaria writes: “Michael Laitman, I am very grateful for your instructive, informative programs. I am interested in one question, and no one else will answer it except you. Who is the Messiah? Will the Messiah come soon? If he comes, will there be changes on our planet? Why are so many people waiting for him? Who is he?”

My Response: The Messiah is not a person. It is a special force of nature that pulls us out. Therefore, it is called “Messiah” from the word “Moshech” (to pull out). It pulls us out of our egoism and thus brings us closer to each other and helps us create a better atmosphere, a better society, better families, and so on.

This positive force acts even now, but in a very small capacity. However, we are getting closer to the state when all of us will think and hope that this force will be manifested more.

Question: Despite the fact that we are egoists? This is a bit contradictory. He pulls us out of egoism, and egoists suddenly think “Let the Messiah come.” Why do they think that?

Answer: In principle, we theoretically agree to exit egoism, and no one wants to admit that he is an egoist. Therefore, if the Messiah pulls us out, it will be like the current pandemic. Some kind of a virus comes into the world and annoys us until we wish to free ourselves from this egoism.

He must show us that this is necessary. No one in the world feels that this is what hinders them.

Question: He must demonstrate to us that this is evil. Will he then pull us out according to our request?

Answer: Gradually, according to our consent, he will pull us out.

Question: What is above this line?

Answer: There is the same life there, only not egoistic; instead you live for the other, and everyone lives for the other. This is a completely different system of relationships, connections, and values. Then everything is fine.

Question: What kind of system of values? Does the concept of “love” exist there?

Answer: There is nothing else besides providing service to the other. A person feels his freedom, his destiny in this.

Question: Does it mean that you do not even think to grab everything for yourself?

Answer: The thought is there. However, if a person rises above this, he has great pleasure. If there is no thought to grab, then what will be the pleasure from bestowal and love? Therefore, “to grab” remains.

Question: Does ascent above your nature bring great pleasure? Is this what a person will want to come to?

Answer: Yes.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 7/8/21

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And Joshua rent his clothing and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust upon their heads.

And Joshua said, Woe, O Lord God, why have You at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? Would that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! (Prophets, Joshua, 7:6-7:7)

Joshua sees his mission is impossible. He cannot do anything. Therefore, he says to the Creator: “You have given us all the opportunities, but they are impossible to implement.”

So similarly the children of Israel complained earlier: “It would have been better if we had stayed in Egypt!” Or as Moses said: “Why did You give me such a people?”
The same thing is repeated all the time.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 7/12/21

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The Spiritual Basis of Man

But attaining its emanator is a deficiency toward itself, and this is its being. (Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit Volume 2, “From My Flesh I Shall See God”)

The attainment of the Creator is originally embedded in the soul. A person yearns not for comprehending itself in life, but for attaining the root of life, the Creator.

There is a record of spiritual information inside us called Reshimo, which is revealed from time to time and demands its fulfillment. This is man’s spiritual basis. This is the reason we feel the urge to know everything: Who am I? What am I living for? Where am I headed, etc.?

A person cannot remain indifferent to these questions because if he does, then who is he and what is he living for? It is very important for him to discover his origin and destiny, at least the starting and ending point of his earthly existence. Otherwise, we simply live as beasts and even worse than beasts because they do not have all these questions.

The question is how to realize our internal impulses and find answers to them.

Here, the wisdom of Kabbalah comes to our aid and explains everything very clearly. Later, if we wish to achieve revelation, we have to make serious efforts.

That is, it feels itself as an emanated being. All its events aim toward it, and this is the deficiency that it feels— that it will be able to attain its emanator.

The higher the soul, the more strongly it yearns for that.

Even from the people who come to us to study one can see how strong, stable, and consistent their yearning is or, on the other hand, how inconsistent they are and can easily leave everything and go. This is the first point.

Second, a person is tested by being given all kinds of obstacles in life and he shows to himself and to the upper forces that develop him the extent to which he is ready to stay on track, to keep developing, and has no intention of giving in to or to follow any corporeal interruptions.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 6/23/19

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Zohar for All, Chayei Sarah, Item 74: All the deeds of wicked Balaam were from the side of impurity.

All the villains: Balaam, Balak, Pharaoh, Haman, and others are the result of the serpent. The serpent is their common property, and they are all partial manifestations of it.

In the beginning of his deeds he took a serpent from among the serpents and tied it before him. He split the head of the serpent and took out its tongue. Then he took certain herbs and burned them all and made a single incense out of them. Then he took the head of that serpent and split it into four sides and turned it into a single incense (Item 77).

Making incense is making the most of your egoism.

Balaam is a property that pulls us to be so selfish that we do not even know what it is. Only as we climb the spiritual levels do we begin to feel it.

In fact, everything that is written in The Book of Zohar talks about people who are already spiritually ascending and feeling these problems.

Around it, he drew a single circle and would say things and do other deeds until he drew upon himself the spirits of impurity, which informed him what was needed. And he acted by their words, according to what they knew from the side of that serpent of the firmament (Item 78).

The task of Balaam is the same as that of the snake. All the negative characters in the Bible are intended only to continue the same work, that is, to come to a person at the right time and sting him with their egoism.

The fall of a person into egoism shakes him up. From this state, he begins to see a distant goal and to rush toward it. Therefore, he needs such a shaking, what is called the awareness of evil.
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From KabTV’s “The Power of The Book of Zohar” #16

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic “Annulment as a Preparation for Ibur (Impregnation)” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee)”

Selected Highlights

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In the News (factor.am): “The pathogenic potential of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has not yet been realized, the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic will be the infection of domestic and farm animals, said the director of the Gamalei National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology,  Alexander Ginzburg. ‘The coronavirus has not yet realized its pathogenic potential. The next stage is the infection of farm and domestic animals, ‘Ginzburg said in an interview published on Monday in the “Izvestia” newspaper.

“’And when we protect humanity with the help of good vaccines within a year, pets will be infected by that time, and no one is going to get rid of their beloved pets. Therefore, the sources of this pathogen will constantly be present around us, which will still evolve,’ he added.”

(OXFAM International):“In a survey of 77 epidemiologists from 28 countries, carried out by The People’s Vaccine Alliance, two-thirds thought that we had a year or less before the virus mutates to the extent that the majority of first-generation vaccines are rendered ineffective and new or modified vaccines are required. Of those surveyed, almost a third gave a timeframe of nine months or less. Fewer than one in eight said they believed that mutations would never render the current vaccines ineffective.” 

(World Health Organization): “At a time when COVID-19 has exploited our weaknesses and divisions, we must seize this opportunity and come together as a global community for peaceful cooperation that extends beyond this crisis. Building our capacities and systems to do this will take time and require a sustained political, financial and societal commitment over many years.

“Our solidarity in ensuring that the world is better prepared will be our legacy that protects our children and grandchildren and minimizes the impact of future pandemics on our economies and our societies.”

My Response: This is a call. And how can we do it?

We are in about the same state as the Jews were when they left Egypt when it was necessary to disconnect themselves from egoism. Egypt represents egoism.

They were led to the Red Sea, the so-called Final Sea (Yam Sof) because it represents the end of egoism, the end of the egoistic kingdom. And they were told: “Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel” The main thing is to disconnect from this egoism and then you will pass this sea. And if you don’t go forward, that is, if you don’t want to disconnect from your egoism, then you are finished here.

This is how a condition will be set for us. Either you rise above egoism by drawing closer to others in “love your neighbor as yourself,” or this will be your end. We will be faced with just such a condition.

Question: Do you think we are getting close to being given an ultimatum? And does nature do it?

Answer: Of course. Where does the virus come from? It is nature. And no tricks will help us. Everything we invent is only to understand that the hand of the Creator is here. As it was said at the exodus from Egypt, in the last blow, the punishment: “It is the finger of God.”

So, everything is going very well and according to plan. We should be happy to find ourselves at a turning point in the history of the world. We are getting there. Either forward with songs into the stormy waves of this egoism of ours, which will drown us, or with songs about love and friendship toward each other and cross over dry.

Question: And the sea will part?

Answer: Of course! And we will reach the end together. I am happy!

Question: That you lived to see that moment?

Answer: Of course.

Comment: When a person is in fear, he is in fear like a bunny under a bush. And he is pushed now into this fear.

My Response: And this is the same with any person—big or small.

Question: How can this person who is under the bush in fear rise to what you said?

Answer: You need to crawl under the bush next to him, cuddle up next to him and say: “My friend, do you want to be saved? I have something. I am not suggesting you buy it, but just listen to how we can save ourselves. Only by connecting above all our problems, hatred, whatever, only by connecting. Don’t ask any questions. See the other as a means to survive.” That is all. Egoistically.

Question: My life, the lives of my closest and dearest depend on it. Will I be able to rise above my hatred and cling to the other?

Answer: Only by that. So go out in the street and look for anyone with whom you can connect in this way. And you must connect with everyone. With some faster, with some slower, and so on. Connect! That is all.

Question: Does the word “connect” have a very simple meaning behind it?

Answer: Nothing else, no other meanings, no other goals—just to feel each other closer. And you will see how all these viruses can no longer exist between us. The major virus is our egoism. It is the common unifying virus. And it will start to leave. As one Kabbalist said: “The virus is from the word ‘Averes, Averot,'” transgressions.

Question: So the virus comes upon the transgressions? To drag us out of them?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: It would be good for people to hear you.

My Response: It will all be good! We cannot run away from this! Only it will be either in our generation or in the next; it depends how lucky you are.

Comment: Better be in this generation.

My Response: I am always an optimist.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/1/21

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Question: Why did you start studying Kabbalah?

Answer: I wanted to know the meaning of life, where it can be found, how to check what it is worth living for. These questions really bothered me and constantly excited me. I wanted to know what I exist for. Thus, in the end, I found Kabbalah.

I met Kabbalists in Israel and around the world, traveled a lot, asked questions, and researched. Over time, I defended my dissertation on the topic of Kabbalah. Since then, I have been known as a Kabbalist.

I have a great number of students. Every day I give lessons that are simultaneously translated to many languages of the world.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 7/29/21

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My new article on Linkedin “Net Neutrality Doesn’t Exist because Neutrality Doesn’t Exist”

Larry Sanger, Wikipedia co-founder, has recently blasted the online encyclopedia he helped create for its lack of neutrality. This isn’t the first time he has done this. On May 14, 2020, Sanger wrote in his personal blog, “Wikipedia no longer has an effective neutrality policy.” Instead, he stated, “Wikipedia now touts controversial points of view on politics, religion, and science.” Last month, Sanger reiterated his claims. A July 16 story published on Fox News quoted from an interview Sanger gave to LockdownTV two days prior. According to the story, “‘Wikipedia is known, now, by everyone to have a lot of influence in the world … so there is a very big, nasty, complex game being played behind the scenes to make the articles say what somebody wants them to say,’ Sanger said, adding the site has a liberal bias.” To summarize in a word what Wikipedia has become, its co-founder said, “The word for it is propaganda.”

Several years ago, net neutrality was a big issue. There is even an extensive entry about it on, you guessed it, Wikipedia. The principle of the neutrality of the net requires internet providers not to discriminate against individuals or organizations. According to Investopedia, “Net neutrality stipulates that service providers should not slow down nor [sic] block content from users.” Yet, Sanger says his own creation fails to meet these stipulations.

As I see it, the problem isn’t with Wikipedia, or with any other platform that fails to meet the terms of net neutrality. The problem is that we expect them to meet these terms in the first place. It is humanly impossible to be neutral. We formulate an opinion the minute we encounter anything: a person, an event, or an idea. We are anything but neutral, so how can we be asked to keep our actions on the internet impartial?

We are inherently egoistic. We may not like to admit it, but one look at the state of the world today testifies to the level of our self-centeredness. If this is the case, and we are so deeply biased that we are often unable to see our own partiality, how can we create anything neutral? In fact, who would even expect us to? What person in his right mind would think that people can write an entry on an encyclopedia without reflecting their views on the topic?

Luckily, I think people are beginning to understand that we are being fed crooked facts and false “truths.” We still want to consume media that reflects our views, that makes us feel that we are right, and that caters to our ego, but I think we are beginning to realize that being fed false narratives is not in our best interest. The question is how much longer will we be willing to tolerate it before we say “Enough! We can no longer turn our backs to the truth.”

Once we come to that decision, we will understand that there is no neutrality anywhere because we are inherently partial and self-centered, and therefore we are the reason that we cannot see the world for what it is. Although there is collective guilt, and we, as a species, are selfish, there is also personal responsibility—the realization that the fact that everyone is egotistical doesn’t excuse my being so. Regardless of everyone else, I have my own accountability to answer, especially since I am aware of my faults. Therefore, saying “Everyone else is like that, too,” doesn’t exempt me from assuming responsibility for what I could correct but didn’t.

Once enough people realize that our own egos prevent us from seeing the world correctly, and therefore make us build a twisted world, it will reflect on the rest of humanity and the shift will begin. I cannot say how many people it will take to set off the shift, but when we reach the critical mass, we will replace the currently prevailing sense of self-entitlement with a sense of mutual connection. Instead of deriving pleasure from claiming what we believe is ours, we will enjoy granting what we can. As the society becomes a society of givers, an atmosphere of mutual responsibility and concern for others will spread through communities and families, and the world around us will change for the better.

At that time, we will not pursue net neutrality, or any neutrality, since the only reason we are looking for it now is our disposition to exploit and abuse others. But when our goal is to embolden and support others, no one will be looking for neutrality.
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My new article on Linkedin “The Evolutionary Leap Humanity Needs”

Humanity has evolved at the fastest pace ever in recent decades. Once we were happy with simply walking; when that wasn’t fast enough we started traveling by car. Now that is insufficient and we want to travel to space. Has any of this racing ahead really made our lives better? Probably not. Experience shows that technological developments are always exploited by investors to the detriment of man. On the next degree of human evolution as intelligent beings, we must come to understand that a genuinely satisfactory development will require a change in the code of communication between people.

There are no surprises in nature, nothing happens by chance; everything is governed by absolute laws. Even in the development of the human race, evolutionary laws and forces are at work, whether we recognize them or not. As a result of this evolution, our emotional and mental perceptions change over time.

In the 20th Century we have traveled a long road. We have experienced revolutions, wars, and breakthroughs in science and technology. Then came the Internet revolution, and social networks opened with a loud shout. Humanity has changed greatly. But within a few short years it has become clear that the new social relationships we have constructed have the potential for causing us great harm.

The phenomenon of fake news has invaded our everyday lives, and one can now instantly quarrel with people in any part of the world. Anyone can stir up trouble anywhere, whip up fury and incite others to burn the planet.

In the past, it was clear that if countries had nuclear capacities it was in everyone’s best interest to maintain the status quo and calm. Today, such factors as the spread of false information could lead to a nuclear war and destroy the world in a flash. Furthermore, it is no longer possible to make decisions that will impact only certain limited countries because the whole world is a network, connected online, linked.

This interconnection is also present on the personal level. Slander, bullying, spurning, canceling, and shaming make people miserable and push people to extremes. If our grandparents could witness and assess the stress we live under, they would sadly say that our lives are worse now than they were when we were less developed.

We have before us the task of coming to the recognition that our human egoistic development has maxed out, and in order to continue to exist it is imperative that we develop a new driving force to take us forward. We must embark together on a pan-social educational process that will include a reckoning of the situation we are in and the need for proper connection between human beings.

We will then identify a new paradigm which describes the development of humanity, society, and nature. We will receive new guidance on how to rise above narrow egoism—the selfish approach at the detriment of others—to discover a power that evokes a brand new desire in us, a desire to do good to others.

The next stop in our process of evolution will be to understand that the root of all our problems lies in our egoistic nature, which today has reached the height of its development. It is our egoism that does not allow us to get along with others, allows us to explode in an instant and to destroy everything we touch.

Only when we learn to transcend our egoism, will we begin to treat the entire human race as one body. Only then can we begin to understand how to build a good life for everyone while enjoying the benefits of our technological developments and innovations. In the end, our next level of human evolution must be based on the development and nurturing of complementary connections between each and every one of us.
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