Entries in the 'revelation' Category

Watching Life From "The 10th Floor"

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the secret of life?

Answer: The secret is to change the direction of this life from reception to bestowal, to “love for the neighbor” or at least to the principle, “Do not do to another what you yourself hate.”

As soon as you start to go in the direction of bestowal, you come out of your narrow world where you are locked and operate like a robot, following specific, deterministic laws that are set in advance. Nothing can escape the boundaries of the law. We only think this way because of concealment and lack of knowledge.

For example, suppose I am looking down at what is happening from the 10th story and I see how a car is about to turn the corner, whereas a person who is entering the street does not see the car and therefore gets run over by it. Or I see how a person leaves his car in a place he isn’t supposed to, but there is already a policeman coming in his direction in order to give him a fine.

I see all of this from above, but the people below don’t see any of it! But does this lack of knowledge enable them to say that this event is pure coincidence? For me it isn’t a coincidence because I see how everything was interconnected ahead of time. This is not just a fantasy, but a certain revelation.

Sometimes we look at a baby and understand that something is about to happen as a result of what he is doing. We already know it ahead of time, but he does not know because he lacks knowledge about himself. Therefore, we have no freedom of choice; there is only lack of knowledge.

The deeper we reveal this world, the more we feel how we are bound in iron chains. There is no freedom – not in thought, nor in desire, nor in action. The only thing we can do is change our direction. Our current paradigm is entirely aimed at reception for our own sake; it is completely limited and it is limited by ourselves or our desire.

However, we are able to change it to the opposite, from minus to plus! Start bestowing and you will see what you can do through it! You already have the root of that future altruistic desire, “the point in the heart.” You must only attract the force that will develop it. Then you will no longer be limited in this regard because you will come out of yourself to the outside!

After going through all of our development we will eventually reveal that the animate body we are placed in contains nothing “human” besides one single point! If you focus on the body, then you are an animal, and if you are focus on this point in the heart, then in it you reveal the human.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/30/10, “Body and Soul”

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Salvation Comes In A Blink Of An Eye

Dr. Michael LaitmanUnderstand that you did not fall, but rose to the next degree and received a new desire, specifically because you did such a good job! Now, we simply need to join forces in order to turn this darkness, this apparent barrier (Machsom) into Light. And then you will receive an even stronger inspiration than at the convention.

We received some initial impression there, and now we need to realize it in a clear and practical form. Now, we need to methodically break that wall, the Machsom between us, which we have felt slightly. We need to keep hitting it in one place, and it will collapse after several blows.

This happens suddenly, “in a blink of an eye,” as it is written about the coming of the Creator’s redemption. Revelation occurs suddenly: Efforts keep accumulating and, all of a sudden, the escape route opens for us to run in extreme haste.

We need to do all of this now, but instead we keep remembering how nice it was at the convention, unlike here, where I am now. However, this is the actual time for work. We did not work during the convention. It was the result of everything we had accumulated in the past, which combined all the efforts, hopes, money, and nerves.

The time to work has come again. The work is always the same. Our ego, the desire to receive pleasure, constantly keeps growing and shows itself in different ways. You need to recognize it and understand that this is “help against us,” that this is sent to you for a specific purpose, out of great love.

The Creator is playing with you like with a small child who is given small obstacles on purpose in order for him to learn to overcome them and grow up. This is how we advance.

However, a child has a natural instinct that pushes him to develop, and he never sits in place, as he is constantly trying to overcome something, do, understand, feel, or break something. Meanwhile, you need to work on your desire yourself.

Imagine the fate of an indifferent and bored child who is too lazy to play with toys, and he sits in class like you, all sleepy with his eyes closed. Will he develop and grow up? This is exactly what is happening to you now.

However, the Creator will not deviate from His program. He must raise you to His level until you become equal to Him. So, what is there to do when you sit with your eyes closed? He will have to beat you until you wake up.

Yet, if you want to do the walking instead of going down the path of suffering, there is one simple law: “He who chooses the best environment every time, advances.”
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/23/10, “Body and Soul”

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You Will See A Reverse World….

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe exist inside a system of forces, in the only place that the Creator created – Malchut of Infinity, which is in a completely corrected state (Gmar Tikkun). We are opposite to it and are in concealment behind 125 levels that conceal this true state from us. I do not feel the true state I am in, and because of my sensation I am behind 125 degrees of concealment, filters that lower everything, placing me inside fog and confusion.

I have to remove these concealments and do it in such a way that I will absorb them inside, turning them into revelations. I have to do this with every state, every veil, and every degree.

After going through all of these concealments I became completely opposite to the true state due to the opposition of my inner qualities. Yet, if I take this concealment upon myself and desire to ascend above it with the help of the Light, then all of the concealment transforms to knowledge, sensation, revelation, and attainment.

That is how we advance from total detachment (with the exception of the spiritual spark that awakens in us) until the highest level. However, the concealments do not become revealed to me from within this world. I have to leave this world completely. These concealments become revealed between myself and the Light, or between me and the Creator.

That is why Kabbalists say, “Leave this world alone, don’t correct it! It is not subject to correction!” You have to correct only your attitude to the Upper One, the Creator. You have to turn the disturbance you see between you into revelation. This disturbance is a layer of matter, your ego, separating the two of you. That is why we do not correct this world and, in fact, we do not have to do anything to it. The more you work on your connection with the Creator, the more the Light will shine for you and you will see a different, reverse world.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/29/10, The Zohar

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Windows To The Upper World

Dr. Michael LaitmanThere is nothing new in the world, we only reveal everything in relation to us as we are on lower degrees. If we were on a higher degree, then a phenomenon would not have to be realized in the material world because we would have already perceived it on the spiritual level. Once we understand what it is from the informational gene (Reshimo), there is no need for the realization even on the spiritual level.

When man requires greater materialization, however, it speaks of his low degree. That is, the realization of an action indicates a lack of perfection.

In reality, there are no new discoveries. What happens is that we ascend to higher degrees, gradually revealing the higher roots of the phenomenon that we have discovered today. It is like saying: “Wow!” as you climb the stairs and look out the window. With each step you say, “Wow!” continuing to look out the window while you ascend higher and higher. This is what we call a revelation!

In other words, there are no revelations happening outside of you. You develop, and then something becomes revealed to you. No wonder Einstein used to say that he feels like a child playing in a sandbox or with pebbles on the beach.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/8/10, “From My Flesh Shall I Know God”

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The Creator’s Loyal Messenger

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Zohar, Chapter “BeShalach (When Pharaoh Sent),” Items 28-29: Pharaoh rose in the land of Egypt and killed and avenged his rulers, ministers, officers, and every kind of minister…

Afterwards he called unto Moses and Aaron at night, “Since everything was through you, and bless me, too,” meaning do not kill me. Afterwards, he himself escorted them out of the land…

We don’t understand the extent to which this horrible, evil force called Pharaoh is mighty and opposite to the Creator. It is the imprint of the Creator and acts as His loyal messenger. As Pharaoh becomes revealed more and more, this revelation of evil pushes a person to come out of his ego.

This is what we are now observing in the world: On one hand we are becoming greater egoists, acting only for the sake of our own benefit without taking anyone into consideration, and on the other hand the growing egoism increasingly reveals to us that we are obligated to part with it, that this form of existence is impossible and we are approaching universal destruction.

This is the meaning of the phrase, “Pharaoh brought the sons of Israel closer to the Creator.” In this way the negative force is carrying out its function in order to push us closer to spirituality.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/19/10, The Zohar

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Evil Is Intended To Push Me Ahead

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe feel like we receive a “shadow,” the darkness, but this is because a greater Light comes while I am not yet prepared to receive or perceive it properly. Therefore, I sense darkness, the contrast between us. In other words, the feeling of descent is the revelation of new desires (Kelim) where for now I perceive how opposite they are to the Light that influences me.

If I am ready, then a greater Light reveals a greater desire within me. However, as long as the Light and the desire have opposite intentions (the Light has the intention to bestow, while the desire has the intention to receive), I perceive this distance between them as a descent.

Yet, this state needs to be appreciated because, essentially, this is already the opposite side of a higher degree. All sensations of darkness, descents, and rejection come from a new, stronger Light that reveals greater desires (Kelim) in us.

I exist in an infinite desire (Kli); my soul is infinite. After all, there are no creatures besides me; all the others are parts of my soul. The Light gradually increases and reveals greater layers of the desire within me.

The Beginning of a New Degree

The more the Light shines, the greater the desire that becomes revealed. When a stronger Light comes to me, it reveals an even stronger corresponding desire. But every time a new desire is revealed, I perceive it as greater separation between myself and “spirituality,” the force of life, because the properties of the desire are opposite to those of the Light, and so I feel bad. One needs to prepare himself for this state ahead of time so that when it comes, he would understand that it awakens him towards correction.

If I did not feel evil, the fall into separation between myself and the Light, I would not be able to begin correction. The revelation of evil is intended to push me ahead. For this reason, the feeling of a “shadow” of the impure worlds (Tzel de Tuma) is necessary in order to attain the “holy shadow” (Tzel de Kedusha). We should value these shadows.

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From the Hoshana Rabbah Night Lesson 9/29/10, Shamati #243

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Turning Grief Into Joy

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why do people consider Yom Kippur a sad and mournful day?

Answer: It’s because people do not understand that what is perceived as “bad” could be a springboard to good because it is regarded as good or evil depending on one’s attitude. For example, if during a routine visit to a doctor one discovers that he has a disease, then the evil was revealed so that it could be treated. So revealing the evil was good.

However, it is written, “The opinion of common people is opposite to the opinion of the Torah,” and a person pushes himself away from the correction. He does not understand why he needs this. He cries about feeling bad and asks the Creator to make him feel good. That is, he cries about his egoism and whines that the Creator does not fill him. It is as if he asks the Creator “Why are You so bad and cruel? Would it hurt You to let me enjoy?” He does not understand that the revelation of evil is for his benefit, so that he can grow.

Based on a thousand years of our history, we should finally understand that the Creator responds only to a desire that is directed to correction and the goal of creation. Any other appeal is not answered. It is now time to explain to everyone what it actually means to come to the Day of Atonement: to reveal “I created the evil inclination,” then “I created the Torah for its correction,” and finally “because the Light in the Torah reforms.”

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/16/10, Selected excerpts on Yom Kippur

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Help Me Understand What I Want

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What discernment should I demand from the group?

Answer: I must discern what bestowal is since I don’t have any idea about it yet and it is hidden within my connection with the friends. We must make efforts together to find bestowal between us. It isn’t somewhere out there in the clouds, but right here on earth (Aretz), in our desire (Ratzon).

We must turn this land or desire into “the land of Israel” (Eretz Isra-El, Yashar-Kel) so the desire revealed in our connection will be so correct, strong, and discerned that in it we will reveal the first “holy name,” the first revelation of the Creator. This should be our aspiration.

These discernments have to be made collectively and collaboratively, not individually. This type of discernment is made by the group depending on how much everyone desires to see it happen. Out of all these desires we build one universal, powerful desire to identify what is bestowal, which we wish to attain, and in what form it should be revealed. This happens inside the connection between us. The only question left is: How willing are we to unite as one man with one heart to reach this goal, to attain this desire?

All of our work is in order to form the inner need to receive the Torah, assistance from Above, the Light that Reforms. This is what the people received at Mount Sinai – the capacity to use the Upper Light’s assistance. As a result they experienced various obstacles and transgressions, the revelation of evil which is the vessel for revealing the names of the Creator.

Broken desires that need correction are constantly revealed in us, and inside them we reveal the holy name of the Creator, the quality of bestowal. Until we reveal this quality, however, we reveal its opposite, the egoistic quality of reception. In other words, we have to go from hatred to unity and oneness.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 08/11/10, “You Should Always Discern Between Torah and Work”

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The Zohar Is The Link To The Upper Force

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe only opportunity to be in connection with the Upper Force that corrects us is by reading The Zohar. Certainly, the other books also help in this regard, but The Zohar has the greatest force to connect us.

If we could keep the right intention for a longer period of time, we would read The Zohar more often. As a matter of fact, we are still unable to maintain the right intention for more than 45 minutes. For the duration of these 45 minutes, however, we must concentrate on exactly what we desire from it and how we imagine our future state described by The Zohar. It is very important.

In our world a child takes examples from adults, wanting to become similar to them in everything he sees. Nothing else is important to him. He has no understanding, attainment, or anything else and just repeats the examples that the adults demonstrate to him.

In a similar way, we should desire to feel the reality that The Zohar tells us about and imagine that everything is the connection among us. The Zohar constantly describes the connection between us: Zeir Anpin, Malchut, the three lines, limitations, and so on. We reveal all of this among us since our shared desires is the only “place” where revelation can happen. Therefore, we don’t need anything except for a shared, strong desire for the Light to come and reveal the connection among us. All these phenomena that we read about in The Zohar are to be found there.

The action itself is quite simple, but it is not easy to accomplish. It takes time to achieve a state in which I sit in front of a book, imagine that it is talking about the connection among us, and in it, I reveal all these words and actions. Everything is in the connection among us; this is where the Creator is revealed.

It is quite difficult to combine all this, but when you achieve it, the desire to reveal the connection among everyone becomes the only link with the Upper Force. And you have no other means except for the holy Book of Zohar which describes the states that you will reveal.

Then, like a baby that strives to be like an adult, you desire revelation and aspire to it with all your might.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/12/10, The Zohar

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The Revelation Of The Breaking

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Who are people with a broken heart?

Answer: The heart is all of a person’s desires. When a person discovers that all these desires are for the sake of self-gratification, he sees that they are broken.

What is the breaking? Once upon a time, initially, they were connected by the force of bestowal, the force of connection among them. This happened naturally due to the Light or awakening from Above since that is what the Creator created.

Then the Creator concealed Himself and the Light disappeared. For this reason the connection among them disappeared. The revelation of a lack of connection among us is called breaking. All of this is talking about the creatures.

The absence of the revelation of the Creator or the quality of bestowal caused disunity. This disunity may be felt the way we now feel: “It’s not so bad. Everything’s OK. I just wish others would stop bothering me, and I also won’t harm anyone.” This is called the revelation of the breaking.

Besides this, there is a state where we feel that we are in the state of breaking and there is no connection or unity among us. This can also involve varying degrees of the realization of evil: Without a connection among us, I will not attain a good material life; or through the absence of connection among us, I bring about natural disasters; or due to the absence of this connection, I do not attain the Creator, spirituality.

In other words, it is possible for a revelation to happen above the exile (meaning the lack of connection among us), or it is possible for a revelation to happen from below, which is what humanity is now gradually attaining.

From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/10, The Zohar

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