News Report (from Science Daily): All spiritual experiences are based in the brain, according to a University of Missouri neuropsychologist. …spiritual experiences associated with selflessness are related to decreased activity in the right parietal lobe of the brain. This study, along with other recent neuroradiological studies of Buddhist meditators and Franciscan nuns, suggests that all individuals, regardless of cultural background or religion, experience the same neuropsychological functions during spiritual experiences, such as transcendence.

My Comment: The science of our world can only discern the external manifestations of all phenomena, as in this case with physiological phenomena. However, it cannot say anything about their inner essence.

Kabbalah explains that at the very center of Nature, there is Light. Surrounding the Light is the desire It created. The desire and the Light create a system of interconnections, called the system of the worlds. The most external (the last) world creates a shell around itself – the matter of our world. We perceive just this matter, and based on it we reason about what’s happening. However, all occurrences originate at the very core of this great global system – in the “place” where God resides.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Scientific Theories Cannot Prove that God Exists
Laitman.com Post: We Are In the Center of All the Worlds
Laitman.com Post: Why Would Anyone Believe In God?
Kabbalah Today Article: The Tree of Life
Kabbalah Today Article: “Light”—the Kabbalistic Meaning

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News Report (from GfK): For the international GfK survey on cheating, carried out in 19 countries, the respondents were asked whether cheating was more common today than ten years ago, particularly at school, where taxes were concerned, in sport, in the workplace, in business and in relationships. Almost half of all respondents thought that more cheating goes on now than ten years ago.

My Comment: Indeed, egoism is growing, and there is no way for us to curb it. Even though we admit that our actions are bad, we no longer blush about it; we’re even proud of it.

News Report (translated from Israelinfo.ru): “Israelis have become crueler to the weak” Statistics show that over half of those who were killed on the roads of Israel in 2008 were the most unprotected: pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bikers.

My Comment: This is evidence of an increased egoism, neglect for the weak, and the feeling of impunity due to the fact that such egoistic behavior is becoming a norm. The accidents aren’t even mentioned on TV anymore, and people don’t have the right attitude to them. Indeed, egoism doesn’t allow us to take even the basic precautionary measures. Defenseless, our society is heading right into the mouth of the Snake!

News Report (from Times Online): Although there is no definitive list of mortal sins, many believers accept the broad seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, anger, envy and pride. …new sins have appeared on the horizon of humanity as a corollary of the unstoppable process of globalization. Whereas sin in the past was thought of as being an individual matter, it now has “social resonance.” You offend God not only by stealing, blaspheming or coveting your neighbor’s wife, but also by ruining the environment, carrying out morally debatable scientific experiments, or allowing genetic manipulations which alter DNA or compromise embryos.

My Comment: So how would we put the sins in a spiritual order?

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Consequences of Egoism’s Growth
Odessa Congress 2005: “The Last Stage of Evolution”
Chaos to Harmony: “Chapter 4. Breaching the Balance”
Shamati #59: “About the Rod and the Serpent”

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News Report (from BBC): The past year has been one of the most devastating ever in terms of natural disasters, one of the world’s biggest re-insurance companies has said. Munich Re said the impact of the disasters was greater than in 2007 in both human and economic terms. The company suggested climate change was boosting the destructive power of disasters like hurricanes and flooding. Munich Re quoted World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) figures showing that 2008 was the 10th warmest year since reliable records began, meaning that the 10 warmest years on record all occurred in the past 12 years.

My Comment: We are about to face all the consequences of the melting glaciers and other phenomena, since we have already passed “the point of no return.” However, if we correct our relationships on a higher level, this will also influence the lower level – the climate. This is because the whole natural balance was disrupted due to the human relationships. It is difficult to accept this position, but the revelation of the crisis in economics, industry, and security will force us to correct ourselves, to become a single organism – and along with our correction we will find that balance will be restored in all of nature.

News Report (from USA Today): Hit by extreme weather and operational glitches, U.S. airlines canceled nearly 9,000 flights, disrupting more than 1 million passengers’ plans in the first half of the holiday travel period, according to a report Monday. The number of cancellations from Friday, Dec. 19, through Sunday jumped 70% from last year, says FlightStats, a Portland, Ore., firm.

My Comment: This can happen anywhere in the world. Our spiritual opposition to nature will be revealed on all the lower levels. We can save ourselves from the threatening consequences of this only by reaching balance, harmony, and complete interconnection with Nature. The global interconnection will force us to become a harmonious part of this picture. We were obligated to pass the point of no return, and there’s no sense grieving over this. Precisely the impossibility of returning to the “sweet” world of the past will enable us to make the decision to change ourselves – the only parameter in this system that we can change.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: A Spiritual Revolution Is Inevitable
Laitman.com Post: How to Make Nature Change
Kabbalah Today Article: “The Tip of the Iceberg”
Interview: “What Lies Ahead of Us”
From Chaos to Harmony: “Altruism is Life’s Law”

Filed under: News - 1 Comment →

A question I received: The crisis has uncovered the ideological and political emptiness of the global society. The call of the times is for the active part of humanity (politicians, businessmen, scientists, and artists) to develop a project that will renovate our civilization. The problem is, they lack ideas. Do you believe it’s possible for us to get through to this active part of humanity?

My Answer: What I see is that it is necessary to unite all those who believe that the crisis can be overcome by correcting man. That is to say, that it could be overcome by creating the correct relationships between people, in accordance with the laws of Nature’s single closed system – the system we have found ourselves in after all our development.

It would be best to create an international group – the active part of humanity, which will become the world’s spiritual expert or government. Hence, it is necessary to look for such people.

I kindly ask you to send me materials which, in your opinion, correctly reflect the reason for the crisis or the solution to it.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Our Future Security Depends on the Dissemination of the Wisdom of Kabbalah
Lesson on Article “Attaining the Unity of the Universe”

Filed under: Crisis - 1 Comment →

Two questions I received on conversion to Judaism:

Question: Why would you say that Rabbi Akiva was not Jewish? How carried away can you get? He was 100% Jewish! I guess tomorrow Rav Ashlag will also be called non-Jewish!

My Answer: First of all, this doesn’t matter at all in relation to the Torah. We are all Babylonians by origin. The Jews started calling themselves differently because they differed from other people in that they based their lives on the law, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is what is now required from the whole of humanity, including the Jews, who have fallen from the level of following this rule.

I heard my teacher explain Rabbi Akiva’s origin. You can also go to Google.com, type in the words “Akiva proselyte” and read what it says. Please verify your knowledge. And you shouldn’t get so offended: it’s an honor to be a proselyte! After all, it’s an indication that a person went through correction. I wish for all of us to become proselytes as defined in the Torah! The Torah repeatedly states, “Love a proselyte.”

Question: Upon reading the text, “The Last Generation,” I came once again upon the reference to Jews and Gentiles. I am the latter in the physical sense and have at times felt exclusion from Kabbalah because of this fact. But I have read with much interest other texts where the dynamic has been clearly explained in the spiritual realm: the term “Jew” pertaining to an individual with the point in the heart. However, I still seem to feel that there are two definitions in various texts, some referring to the physical and others referring to the non-physical. Any clarity would be greatly appreciated on what is the correct way to view these two terms.

My Answer: There is no such nationality or people as “Jews”! It’s because this “nation” emerged from Abraham’s students, according to their spiritual quality. Kabbalah explains that there are 70 spiritual roots of the nations of the world, but there is no separate spiritual root for the nation of Isra-El! And that’s because anyone who aspires to the Creator can become Israel. Here is what we have today:

• A genetic Jew must study and disseminate Kabbalah (see item 70 of the “Introduction to the Book of Zohar”).
• A spiritual Jew (Isra-El) is any person who aspires to reveal the Creator.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Israel Is All the People Who Aspire Toward the Creator
Laitman.com Post: Being “Chosen” Means Having the Responsibility to Spiritually Serve the World
Kabbalah for Beginners: “Rabbi Akiva”
Shamati #72: “Confidence Is the Clothing for the Light”
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Love for the Creator & Love for the Created Beings”

Filed under: Israel - 2 Comments →

A question I received: I am studying Kabbalah for 3 years and I have translated many writings from English to German. I also know almost all of your women’s lessons. But sometimes it happens to me that I still wonder why, for instance, the children’s lessons are made only by men (even if a woman appears, her role is played by a man), or why women are not allowed to read texts for audio material or translate your lessons simultaneously? All the Kabbalistic songs are sung only by men. Why are women excluded from participating at cultural evenings during Congresses? Is it really because men are distracted and cannot concentrate on the goal?

My Answer: The lessons are taught by men because Kabbalah in general is taught by men. As the method of correction, Kabbalah must come from men. Didn’t you study that Zeir Anpin corrects Malchut?! However, the translation of our lessons to Spanish, for example, is always done by a woman. Our TV shows also devote a lot of time to women and women participate in them. We welcome women’s participation anywhere possible. However, it doesn’t correspond to our inner work to have women speaking in front of men. We learn in Kabbalah that the female part (Malchut) receives from the male part (Zeir Anpin), but not vice-versa.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Men, Women, and the Soul’s Correction
Laitman.com Post: Spiritual Labor Pains and the Future of Kabbalah (Advanced)
The Path of Kabbalah: “A Holiday as a Means For Correction”
The Book of Zohar: “Rose”

Filed under: Kabbalah Study, Women - 1 Comment →

News Report (from The Daily Galaxy): “DNA Found to Have ‘Impossible’ Telepathic Properties” Scientists are reporting evidence that contrary to our current beliefs about what is possible, intact double-stranded DNA has the “amazing” ability to recognize similarities in other DNA strands from a distance. Somehow they are able to identify one another, and the tiny bits of genetic material tend to congregate with similar DNA.

The recognition of similar sequences in DNA’s chemical subunits, occurs in a way unrecognized by science. There is no known reason why the DNA is able to combine the way it does, and from a current theoretical standpoint this feat should be chemically impossible.

My Comment: The forces of unity (bestowal, love, and mutual responsibility) come from the next, higher “intellectual” level than the level of the egoistic elements that unite. For example, every cell and organ in our bodies is egoistic, but by uniting together, each one annuls its egoism and they acquire the quality of complete bestowal and mutual interaction. This way they rise to the next degree of existence: a living and developing body.

The nature of attraction lies in recognizing those who are similar to you, according to the law of balance (homeostasis), or the law of similarity. Two opposite elements – whether cells or other structures – are drawn to each other according to the program of creating a higher mutual existence. This is the connection between all parts of the universe, including all the spiritual worlds. Any connection leads to the assimilation of the following level of existence.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Using the Sixth Sense, One Perceives Like the Creator
Kabbalah Today Article: Contradictory Phenomena
Article: “Above Reason In Divine Service”

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News Report (from US News & World Report): A team at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University followed 1,000 seniors in three Florida retirement communities for up to 15 years. They found that women with higher levels of anxiety at the start of the study lived longer than others. In contrast to women, men with higher anxiety levels at the start of the study were more likely to die earlier, the researchers said. “Our research indicates that anxiety may have a protective effect on women…,” Dr. Jianping Zhang, of the department of psychiatry and psychology at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a prepared statement. “In contrast, increasing anxiety over time is more detrimental to men.”

My Comment: Well, this just goes to show who’s the stronger sex! And the reason for it all is that a woman is naturally closer to nature; she is Malchut – all of nature. A man, on the other hand, does not have strong roots in our world, because he has to master them through becoming similar to the Creator. Only then will he find his place and become strong – stronger than the woman. So it’s true what they say: Behind every successful man, there is a woman. This is absolutely true in the spiritual sense as well, where one’s “woman” is one’s corrected desire.

Question: What is your view about Hillary Clinton being expected to accept the position of Secretary of State in the Obama administration? A woman is a powerful force; could this be a positive move?

My Answer: In our time, when everyone is feeling empty and revealing the need for correction, perhaps this is best, since women are more cautious and realistic, less ambitious and closer to nature. However, on the whole, this is contrary to our spiritual nature, where a person begins by correcting the “man” within and only afterward – the “woman” within.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Men and Women in Kabbalah
Laitman.com Post: Men, Women, and the Soul’s Correction
Laitman.com Post: On the Men and Women Inside Us
Man and Woman: Talk between Rav Michael Laitman and Kabbalah Academy Instructors

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Questions I received on questions and answers:

Question: I am confused about how you can give one answer to many questions asked by different people. You treat them as if they are robots, and you give everyone the same answer: that they have got it all wrong and that their path will clear up with time. I agree that there is a lot of confusion along the way, but how can you assume this kind of authority? After all, every soul is different from the others, and their paths are also different. Just as there cannot be two identical people, there can’t be one answer for everyone. I think that you have to open up to people a bit more.

My Answer: Man is the desire to enjoy. Everything is determined only by the size and quality (type) of the desire. Generally speaking, everyone develops in the same way – just like it happens with children’s physical development. There is only one Law. And just like with children, the differences are insignificant. The method is the same for everyone, and I was not the one who created it. The Teacher (me) explains the method and the rules of spiritual development; he gives answers and advice, and the student applies them to himself. Through the searching and the confusion, called “the Creator’s concealment,” one seeks the opportunity to reveal the Creator by changing himself.

I understand your complaints about me and about the path, but you will have to accept the conditions of spiritual development – “from darkness to the Light.” Continue reading and you will see why it cannot be different.

Question: Sometimes people ask you simple questions on the blog, but your answers are so complicated that it seems as if you’re not answering the questions directly. Instead the answers always come with broad, lengthy and complicated explanations. Is there a reason for this? I sincerely hope that you will have the courage to post this question.

My Answer: It’s because I’m either unable to give a simpler answer, though I do try, or you don’t understand the depth of the question and the answer.

Question: When I have questions, should I look for the answers only through my study? Or should I ask them and make them public? Or can I combine these two alternatives?

My Answer: By making efforts, you evoke the influence of the Correcting Light (Ohr Makif) upon you. As a result of Its influence, you will start understanding and seeing through the matter of our world.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: An Invitation to Ascend – the Purpose of This Blog
Laitman.com Post: Try to Answer Your Own Questions
“Attaining the Unity of the Universe” – Lesson of July 7, 2004

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Three questions I received on various spiritual practices:

Question: These days we hear many things about secret societies and their influence in our society – societies like the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians and the Freemasons. What does Kabbalah say about these brotherhoods? Are their teachings in accordance with Kabbalah? Are they a good thing to join? Or are they agents who only follow their ego ?

My Answer: I think of them as childish games. All of the secrecy is just for blowing up their importance.

There is a possibility to influence the Creator and thus to govern the world, and it is available to everyone – to the degree one becomes corrected so as to be good toward everyone.

Question: Is there only one school of Kabbalah or several?

My Answer: There are other groups that study Kabbalah. You can probably find them on the Internet.

Question: I am interested in the issue about the red strings. Some say that they have no relation to Kabbalah. Others say that they protect people from “the evil eye.” I understand that this could be explained as a psychological effect, but I heard that the red strings give one a connection with protective energy (due to being produced in a special ritual setting).

My Answer: They are no more than a psychological effect. Kabbalah forbids this because it is a deceit and distracts a person from the goal for which he and this world were created.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Illuminati’s Coming to Get You… NOT!
Laitman.com Post: Practical Kabbalah Has No Use for Red Strings
Kabbalah Today Article –  Kabbalah: User Manual
The Kabbalah Experience: Chapter 7 – “Beliefs, Mysticism and The Supernatural”

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