Entries in the 'ARI' Category

The Environment And I

What's the Right Attitude to Have To This World?Two questions I received on relating to one’s environment:

Question: In one of your lessons in the United States, you said that people who are ready for a new worldview should voluntarily limit their needs to the minimum bodily necessities for food, shelter, leisure and knowledge. What should we do about the rest of our surroundings such as children, spouses, and parents, who are not ready to limit themselves? Is it sufficient to limit myself while giving those around me what they desire, and show them that my path is correct just through personal example? By the way, I have acted this way all my life, and in return everyone around me tacitly hates me and puts me down.

My Answer: If one’s head is “in the clouds,” then he naturally takes no more than the necessities from this world. He does not have to limit himself because this just comes to him naturally. This is the attitude one has when he realizes that the whole world is one family.

If the people around you hate you and put you down, it’s probably because you’re forcing them or prohibiting them from something.

Question: Can one person make another person feel a lack or need (whether spiritual or corporeal)?

My Answer: The environment can evoke or suppress any earthly desire in anyone (see the article “The Freedom”). Moreover, if a person has a point in the heart, the society can accelerate its development.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Influence of the Environment
Kabbalah Today Article: The Freedom Blues
Baal HaSulam Article: “Peace in the World”
Society as a Condition for Attaining Spirituality

A Person Is A Copy Of The Soul

soul1Three questions I received on souls and reincarnation:

Question: At some point you talked about how a single Soul descended into this world in different bodies throughout centuries: Abraham, Moses, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the Ari, and Baal HaSulam. As I understand, you and everyone who has crossed the Machsom (or in the process of crossing it) are in contact with this Soul. Has it completed its mission?

My Answer: No, it hasn’t. We are all parts of one soul. Its “lighter” parts have already undergone correction and are now helping all of us (this is called Zhut Avot in Hebrew). Gradually, one by one, they help us to do the same thing they did – connect to the single soul of Adam. All of humanity are parts of this single soul, the only created creature.

Question: What is a “ Kabbalistic soul”?

My Answer: It’s a soul that compels a person to attain the Creator. Actually, there are no other souls, because if a person still doesn’t have the aspiration to reveal the Creator, he still doesn’t have a soul. However, this aspiration will be revealed in the future, or perhaps in the next life cycle.

Nevertheless, even if a person doesn’t have this aspiration, listening to or reading Kabbalistic materials will accelerate the revelation of the aspiration toward the Creator and the revelation of the soul.

Question: If one is born a genetic Jew, does this mean that one always reincarnates as a Jew?

My Answer: Yes, just like anyone else. It’s because our world is an imprint of the Upper World, and a person is a copy of the soul.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Immerse Into the Waters of Bestowal, and You Will Become Pure
Laitman.com Post: A Kabbalist Feels the Same Pleasure As the Creator
Laitman.com Post: Nationality Results from the Soul’s Properties
Kabbalah Today Article: Soul Splitting
The Structure of the Soul

Why Mr. Obama Can Benefit Fom Learning Kabbalah

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe President-elect of the United States, Barack Obama writes in his book, Audacity Of Hope – Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream:

“In response, I would usually smile and nod and say that I understood the skepticism, but that there was – and always had been – another tradition to politics, a tradition that stretched from the days of the country’s founding to the glory of the civil rights movement, a tradition based on the simple idea that we have a stake in one another, and that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and that if enough people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done.”

My Comment: Throughout all human history, from the ancient times to today, there were many people who realized and wrote about the cause of all the suffering and crises that take place in society and in nature as a whole. That cause is man’s egoistic nature.

However, in our world there is no means to correct man’s egoism. The only thing capable of correcting it is the Upper Light, which created it. And there is only one method in our world that can draw the Light’s influence upon our egoism – the Science of Kabbalah. Its intended purpose is to reveal the Creator – the quality of love and bestowal – to man in this world (see the beginning of the article, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”).

So if the new American President plans to make the world better, he has to familiarize himself with Kabbalah. Otherwise, things will turn out as they always have.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Obama: A Chance for Hope or Another Disappointment?
Laitman.com Post: Economists Say Beautiful Words, But Cannot Implement Them

The Kabbalah Channel, YES 66, Brings Good Changes

I’m receiving many letters that once people turn on our new Kabbalah channel, they simply stay glued to it and can’t turn it off. I’m certain that after a brief period of hearing Kabbalistic texts in the background, people will begin to feel a change happening inside them and in the world at large – a change toward Goodness. This won’t be an illusory change, but a genuine change of man and the world, since it will be performed by Ohr Makif (Surrounding Light) – the only force that can turn everything around toward Goodness!

tv_66

24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Free of charge
Watch diverse programs about Kabbalah
For the whole family

By simply watching or hearing these programs, one evokes the influence of good forces upon oneself, as Baal HaSulam writes in item 155 of the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot“:

“While one has not attained perfection, the Light that is destined to fulfill his soul is considered the Surrounding Light.

Hence, when one engages in the wisdom of Kabbalah, the Light immediately shines upon him to a certain measure, bringing him much closer to reaching perfection.”

The Origin And Purpose Of Eastern Teachings

Dr. Michael LaitmanA question I received: According to the Ari, the people of Israel were exiled to different countries in order to collect the “sparks” of the nations of the world into one large force, directed toward the Creator. Could it be that the Eastern meditations and teachings, used by many Israelis to come closer to spirituality, are these sparks, and therefore these teachings are necessary for us to develop?

My Answer: It is written that once Abraham revealed Kabbalah, he started teaching it to others who were interested in the opportunity to attain the purpose of life – the revelation of the Creator, adhesion with Him. These people became his students. However, there were others who still hadn’t revealed this desire, the question about the meaning of life – see item 2 of the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot.” He gave these people another teaching as preparation.

Those who followed him – his students, are called his sons. Those who weren’t yet able to follow him, but listened to him, are called the sons of his concubines or slaves. It is written in Midrash Raba that he taught them religions and sent them to the East.

However, today we are only starting to rethink religions and beliefs. People must realize and feel that religions and beliefs were given to us temporarily, to last through the period of the Creator’s concealment in order to then be replaced with His revelation. When He is revealed, the only thing that will remain of them are folk customs and traditions. Meanwhile, all the nations of the world will unite under one Creator, and He will be revealed to them.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Everything Comes From Kabbalah
Laitman.com Post: Eastern Teachings Have No Connection With Kabbalah
Humankind vs. Human Kindness
Chapter from Book The Kabbalah Experience: “Beliefs, Mysticism and The Supernatural”
Chapter from Book Kabbalah Revealed: “Handling Desires”
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

How To Calculate The Tither

Dr. Michael LaitmanThree questions I received on tither (Maaser):

Question: You wrote on your blog that one should pay Maaser from his net income. However, in one of your lessons you said that Maaser is paid from the total income before tax deductions. My question is: is it paid from the income before tax deductions or from the net income after tax deductions?

My Answer: The rule states that the Maaser is 10% of one’s gross income. Otherwise, the tenth part from your taxes does not get corrected! However, beginners get a “discount” in order to get used to the Maaser and to make the calculation easier for them.

Question: My question regards the giving of Maaser. I understand the spiritual meaning of tithing 10% of your income to disseminating Kabbalah. What is unclear to me is the method in which a person must give Maaser. For example, a person earns $400 a week working at their job (which comes down to $10 per hour). Considering how time equals money, if a person volunteers 4 hours of their time disseminating, they have given $40 worth of time. Is this a valid form of giving Maaser?

My Answer: It is written that a person has to separate a tithe (10%) from all of his income.

Question: I am retired. My husband, who is not “on the path,” still works and we live on the money he earns. I participate in dissemination whereas his main interest is football. We don’t spend money on entertainment, other than going on vacation once a year. How should I calculate the Maaser?

My Answer: It is 10% of your pension. For example, you can make an arrangement with the Bnei Baruch dissemination center to buy our newspapers or books, and then hand them out or distribute them to libraries.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: How Does One Pay Maaser?
About Maaser
Help Share Kabbalah

Economists Say Beautiful Words, But Cannot Implement Them

Shari Arison, the famous Israeli-American businesswoman (and the richest Israeli citizen), said the following about the financial crisis:

We are going through a difficult but extremely important period – important for the Jewish people and all of humankind.

We have a very important role, which is to raise the torch and set it afire. We will lead through awareness, humaneness, truth, values, love and peace. We must be united – only then will the turmoil, pain and hatred disperse.

The world today is on the brink of destruction. Anywhere you look there’s chaos, and it starts with something small – the relationships between people. The turmoil, danger and pain permeate all aspects of life: personal, interpersonal, ecological and economic. Today everyone understands this, and it’s a pity that we don’t see the solution.

I stand before you today and say to you: there is a solution, and it lies in our value system. The solution is concealed in the verse, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” We all want to change the collective situation, and we can do it. However, each and every one of us must assume the individual responsibility, the personal obligation.

My Comment: These are beautiful words, but there’s no way to implement them. I only hope that people will soon recognize that egoism is the cause of all their troubles, and then quickly realize that the only method of correcting it is by drawing the forces of Nature from the outside.

It is written: “I created egoism and I gave the Torah for its correction, because the Light that’s in it returns one to the Source.” This Light descends upon a person only during the correct use of Kabbalah – see item 155 of Baal HaSulam’s “Introduction to Talmud Esser Sefirot.”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: I Am For the State of Kabbalah
Laitman.com Post: There Is No Prohibition On Correcting Egoism
Kabbalah Today Article: Kabbalah Chronicles

Everything Is Done By The Light

Dr. Michael Laitman1. The Light is the Creator. The Light is always the source of everything! In the beginning the Light created the creation, and hence creation is completely subject to the Light. If the Light were to disappear, then the creature would cease to exist. Every movement and change that takes place in the creation happens only under the influence of the Light.

Creation is lifeless and motionless when the Light influences it with the smallest possible force. If the Light shines stronger, then to this degree the creation undergoes a qualitative change, transforming from “still” to “vegetative,” where it starts to sense and perceive. And so on.

2. The Light is the Actor. The Light is always the source of everything! This is why it is written: “There is none else beside Him” and “The Creator is your shade.” You must “find” the Creator in every circumstance and definition, since He is the one who made this state happen.

3. I Control the Light! When you strive to change something in you, you must evoke the Light upon you, and It will change you. The Light can influence me and my Reshimot, and it will change me only in a way that brings me closer to the goal of creation. In other words, the only thing that I can ever do in my life is accelerate my spiritual development. Or, through my lack of desire to evoke the Light’s influence upon me, I can evoke the Light’s absence, and then I will experience all kinds of suffering – because the Light is life.

However, if my desires come from the Light, then I cannot exert a return influence on the Light with my desires. I must receive a desire for the goal from a source other than the Light, and then I will be able to influence the Light with this desire and evoke an additional influence of the Light on me, accelerating my path. This is why I am given the correct environment (the group), which is the only opportunity for me to evoke acceleration toward the goal.

4. The Woman’s Role. The group isn’t influenced physically, but through one’s desire. Hence, a woman who participates in the group’s work (by studying virtually and disseminating Kabbalah) and desires to receive the correct influence from the group, receives it and uses it to involuntarily turn to the Creator (the Light). With the exception of physically participating in communication with the friends and studying virtually, she does everything else just like a man and goes through the same states.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Overcome Yourself by Raising the Importance of the Goal
Laitman.com Post: A True Desire Is Always Answered by the Light
Laitman.com Post: Woman = Desire
Shamati #1: “There is None Else Beside Him”
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Lord Is Thy Shade”

The Internet In A Time Of Global Crisis

International Blog ContestTwo questions I received on what will happen to the Internet during the crisis:

Question: In this great international crisis, plus everything that is apparently still in store for us, it is reasonable to assume that many different infrastructures will be affected, including the Internet. How do you think this will affect the role of the virtual group and our dissemination in the entire world, which happens primarily through the Internet?

My Answer: If we use the Internet correctly in order to correct the world, then it will remain, or be replaced by something even more suitable for this goal.

Question: Are you still working on materials to submit to the Google 10^100 project? At first everyone was excited about it and there was a lot of talk about it, but now it seems like everyone forgot about it. Will Bnei Baruch participate in it or not?

My Answer: We did what we could, and the rest does not depend on us. In the midst of it, the crisis struck. It looks like Google has forgotten about it, or perhaps something is still happening there, but since no one is contacting us, we are keeping quiet as well.

To be frank, I don’t believe that such undertakings have good intentions or integrity from the start, but I’m obligated to participate if there is an opportunity. In addition, working together on these projects helps us unite!

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Internet Is a Reflection of the Society
Laitman.com Post: Virtual Lesson on Google’s Project 10^100
Laitman.com Post: The Creator Will Become Revealed Inside the Unity of Our Virtual Meeting Space
Shamati #72: “Confidence Is the Clothing for the Light”
Shamati #131: “Who Comes to Be Purified”
Kabbalah Blog Post: Make a Difference, Cause a Social Change!
Kabbalah Blog Post: Better the World Campaigns Strike a Chord
Kabbalah Blog Post: Will Project 10^100 Change the World?
Kabbalah Blog Post: Project 10 to the 100th by Google

On Pleasure And Suffering

Man's Relationship With the Creator Is Like a Dramatic Love StoryMan is created out of a desire to receive pleasure – a desire to be filled by the Light. This is why he feels pleasure or its absence – suffering. A person is inside the all-enveloping Light of the Creator. To the degree he is similar or dissimilar to the Light, he feels either pleasure or suffering. This is how he determines the state he’s in.

Kabbalah explains how one can reach the maximum equivalence of form with the Light in order to obtain maximum fulfillment, to the point of receiving infinite (or unlimited) fulfillment while being fully equal to the Light or the Creator.

The global nature of the current suffering is moving all of humanity toward uniting into one whole creation that is completely equal to the single Upper Light. Man implements similarity to the quality of the Light – “Good and Does Good” – by implementing the law of “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Suffering will force us to understand that it is necessary to fulfill this law, but the science of Kabbalah will help us to understand Nature’s plan quickly and without the blows, and to consciously aspire toward fulfilling this law of similarity to Goodness. This will replace the suffering with pleasure and shorten the time it takes to attain a state that’s infinite, boundless, and absolutely good.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Kabbalah’s Method to Change the World Is Unique
Laitman.com Post: The Source of Happiness
Laitman.com Post: The Source of All the World’s Problems
Shamati #129: “Divinity in the Dust”
Attaining the World’s Beyond – Chapter 34: “Suffering Sent As Absolute Kindness”