Personal Pressure

198Question: If the Creator puts pressure on us, it turns out that He does not put pressure on everyone personally but on the group and the relationship between us. How can we make a restriction and build a screen together?

Answer: The fact is that so far, this work is individual for each of you. You must perceive the impact of the Creator as personal pressure.

He pressures everyone by wanting you to move forward, receive His light, and see how lucky you are or not. The Creator sends you these signals so that you can determine the state of connection that you are in with Him.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/4/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Prayer that One Should Always Pray”

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Not To Worship Other Gods

515.02Comment: In Shamati 88, Baal HaSulam talks about idolatry. You mentioned that idolatry is the belief in other forces, but that also comes from the Creator.

My Response: If you believe that everything comes from one Creator, then you have no problem.

The article discusses how in past centuries, a thousand or two thousand years ago, people believed in upper forces that resided in trees, water, rivers, and the sea. So they worshiped various objects and natural phenomena. Today this is almost nonexistent.

Question: Is the exaltation of someone also idolatry, and how should we react when this happens within us?

Answer: If we elevate certain individuals above others, we must be cautious to ensure it does not resemble worshiping other gods or idols.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/6/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “All the Work Is Only Where There Are Two Ways – 1”

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Purify Ourselves from Intentions of for Our Own Sake

243.01Question: When we enter the intention of for the sake of the Creator, are we automatically in purity?

Answer: No. We need to go through many various actions to purify ourselves from all the Klipot, from all the intentions for ourselves. Only then will we free ourselves from them.

We gradually rid ourselves of all Klipa, unnecessary thoughts and unnecessary desires, and become more sharply directed toward connection with the Creator. This is called purification from Klipot.

Question: How can we check the purity of our intention?

Answer: Through our attitude toward the friends.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/3/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Torah, the Creator, and Israel Are One”

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What Can We Rely on along the Path?

528.04Question: The primary sources say that if there is faith, no support is needed. But we rely on the group, the teacher, and the Creator always. Why should not there be any support?

Answer: The group and the teacher should always be there since each of you exists within them. You must strive to have a connection through the group and through the teacher to the Creator.

Question: It says that the inner point in the heart relates to the inheritance of our ancestors. How do our ancestors help us in merging with the Creator?

Answer: They are constantly pulling us along and thereby helping us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/3/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Torah, the Creator, and Israel Are One”

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Grasping onto the Creator

509Question: What do you do in a state of complete disappointment and lowliness when you do not feel a connection with the group and consequently do not have the opportunity to connect with the Creator?

Answer: When feeling your lowliness, insignificance, and absolute hopelessness in your attempts to connect with the group, you should try to sense joy from reaching the right point.

When a person sees that he is incapable of doing anything, he has the opportunity to grasp onto the Creator and see that the Creator gives him a chance to rise.

Question: Can the suffering of our friends due to our insufficient unity in the group be equated with the suffering of the Creator?

Answer: Yes, then we can respond to the Creator exactly as He requires from us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/5/24, Writings of Rabash “Three Prayers”

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After the Restriction

49.03Question: Is restriction a process where I have restricted everything, or should I make a restriction for every desire and every unfolding state?

Answer: As soon as you feel that some kind of desire is revealed in you, you should restrict it. The following action will be the desire to connect with the Creator in the measure of equivalence to Him; this is working with reflected light.

That is, after the restriction, we can begin to open ourselves to bestowal for the sake of bestowal and even to receive for the sake of bestowal.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/4/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Prayer that One Should Always Pray”

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Audio Version Of The Blog – 3/21/24

Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
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How Can I Convince Myself Not to Overeat?

546.04Rani writes:

Dear Michael Laitman,

You always talk in your programs about harmony and balance. But my whole family is completely out of balance. And it is not just my family. Today children suffer from overeating and obesity from childhood. They grow up, and the race for weight loss begins, like with my wife. All sorts of starvation programs to lose weight, pills, counting calories. I want to ask you: maybe in order for a person to have a balanced diet, they must first achieve internal balance?

My Response: Of course, we see that when a person starts to get nervous, they start eating more, and so on.

Question: Do we just need inner balance and not any weight loss programs or calorie counts?

Answer: None of that.

Question: Then the main question is how to achieve this. You could win the Nobel Prize right now if you could advise humanity on how to lose weight. How can one come into balance with oneself, into equilibrium?

Answer: Everything must be related to the Creator, only to Him. We need to understand that everything comes from Him, and everything is for us to realize that we are constantly correcting our nature that is initially completely opposite to the Creator, and that we are moving toward Him, getting closer to Him.

If we do not come closer to Him, we will still be approaching Him, and things will get worse for us. But if we know that we must come closer to the Creator, then we will act wisely, and our approach to Him will be benevolent.

Comment: I personally feel that here lies the entire truth. That is, while I am fixated on the body, I will not advance anywhere; I will be fixated on it. But I need to focus on the Creator.

My Response: On the Creator.

Question: At what point does balance happen? How many attempts do I need until suddenly at some point there is peace?

Answer: You need to set yourself in advance that search for balance is my life.

Question: Usually we fail all starvation programs and start gaining weight again. Are you saying that even if we fail, but keep advancing toward the Creator, this search for balance will give us…?

Answer: It will give us a happy life.

Question: And we will not need any programs, none of that?

Answer: Nothing. I should reach a state where I eat to exist and maintain balance.

Question: Not more?

Answer: No more. What for?

Question: When will I start living like that?

Answer: When you understand that it is precisely in balance, in equilibrium that you find the connection with the Creator. He is gradually revealed in you, and you feel it.

Question: Does one way or another everything come down to this?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can we completely reduce all our questions to this?

Answer: Absolutely everything!
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/22/24

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The Place of Contact with the Creator

740.03Question: The place of connection with the Creator is called Mount Sinai.
How do I climb this mountain?

Answer: If you commit yourself every day to thinking about contact with the Creator, how to come to this connection and connect even more with Him, then you will move forward day by day.

Question: Why is this place called the mountain of hate and not the mountain of love and kindness?

Answer: Because it is reached by the gradual unfolding of hatred in us, which forms a mountain on top of which is the Creator. And man rises above it all the time until he climbs to its top.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/3/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Torah, the Creator, and Israel Are One”

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How Do You Ignore Barking Dogs?

115You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks (Winston Churchill).

Question: Overlook the haters, that is, the barking dogs, did Churchill say this correctly?

Answer: In general, yes. Yet, it is impossible not to react to this. But it is possible to respond correctly.

Question: What does the correct reaction mean?

Answer: Starting with the fact that you do not pay attention. That is, the reaction is internal, externally it is not.

Question: It is clear. What does this do to barking dogs? What does this do to haters?

Answer: It deflates them.

Question: They begin to deflate by not seeing the reaction. Could this really cool them down?

Answer: Absolutely! There is no greater means to cool down an enemy, a hater, than such an attitude toward him.

Question: Previously, they would challenge each other to a duel.

Answer: They were small, prideful people.

Question: So, you think that this is just the ego? Pride?

Answer: Certainly.

Question: Is, in reality, the big one passes by and does not pay attention?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Does it burn inside?

Answer: No, I think it does not even burn. To him, it feels like the right thing.

Question: The question remains: Do we adjust our path not according to the haters but according to criticism, or not? What do you think?

Answer: It is not necessary. If this criticism ties you even more tightly to your roots, then good. This is what needs to be checked!

Question: That is, I have a path that I follow, and if criticism binds me even more to this path, then…?

Answer: Then follow.

Question: Afterward, can you treat critics with warmth and kindness?

Answer: Certainly. It comes from the Creator.

Question: How did your teacher deal with haters? I know there were haters, and there were a lot of them.

Answer: There were many haters, but I tried not to talk about it with him and not communicate with them. And, in principle, we tried not to mention all this between us. Why, in vain, incite some bad feelings in a person?

Question: But there were haters, right?

Answer: Yes! A lot.

Question: And some real ones?

Answer: Yes, from so many sides. Both from the Torah, the study of the Ten Sefirot, the students, and other teachings.

Question: As you say, this tied him even more to the path. What was your impression?

Answer: This straightened him up.

Question: So, can this be taken as advice, if you are criticized, let’s not say harshly “they hate,” but they criticize and try to lead you astray, and then you need to cling to this path even more?

Answer: I cannot tell each and everyone and why.

Question: But what would you say to everyone when they are being pressed from all sides? How can one resist?

Answer: If you are being pressed from all sides, it is best to switch off, step aside, and look at yourself and others from outside. And you will see how right or wrong you can be. Then, make a decision.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/28/23

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