Entries in the 'Unity' Category

Making The Creator Happy

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What can we do now to make the Creator happy?

Answer: Everything I do in the aspiration to unite with others in order to thereby give the Creator an opportunity to bestow to us—all of that means giving Him pleasure, even if I still haven’t attained the kind of unity inside of which He could bring His abundance.

Unification has to be total. Our Kli divides into five parts, and into five more, and so on until the 125th part. This is the smallest degree of unity between everyone, and it is already sufficient in order for the Creator to give us the corresponding dose of His Light, which we will feel.

Therefore, our entire work lies in preparing the Kli, the vessel in the unification among us. We shouldn’t work in relation to the Creator, but among us aspiring toward Him. Unlike Soviet Russia, we don’t unite for the sake of ourselves, but in order to give the Creator an opportunity to bestow to us. Then Israel, the Torah, and the Creator will really be one.

And that is enough. We work among us, keeping an intention to benefit the Creator, in order to prepare the vessels for His bestowal.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/24/11, Writings of Rabash

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Place Of Residence: The Group

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: At the lesson we have to aspire to one place and unite everything into one. However, over the years I have developed different notions of spiritual phenomena. When reading about Bina and Malchut, I perceive them differently. Is it possible to reduce them to one point?

Answer: They really do have to become one whole. In essence, Bina and Malchut are the qualities of the Creator and creation. We do not know exactly what this is, but nevertheless their interconnection and relationships indicate union.

Bina lowers a part of herself into Malchut, the letters “ELE” of the name Elokim. Malchut ascends into Bina, changing the name MA to MI. Behind the descriptions of these processes in The Book of Zohar we discern the bonds connecting them.

Accordingly, we have to build our intention. By uniting with the group, I see it as the place, the focal point where the quality of Bina, bestowal, or Elokim is revealed. That is where I raise my desires and yearnings. It is where I want to unite as a corrected part of Malchut.

I hope that Bina will help me by means of its vessels ELE, which are lowered intentionally in order to take care of me in order to become a motherly womb for me and raise me spiritually. That is how I should relate to the group.

The group is the system that is empowered to present Elokim, HaVaYaH, to me. It is the place where I receive nourishment, and from where the Lights and changes come to me.

My conception of the group depends only on how able I am to reject myself before it. The Upper One may take on any forms, but it happens only to the degree that the lower one ascends the degrees of self-rejection and becomes similar to Him, going through the phases of conception, feeding, and adulthood.

This is what I want when I subject myself to the group’s influence, the place that nourishes us. This should be my intention at the lesson: to constantly search for my place in the story about the interrelationships of Bina and Malchut.

They connect through Zeir Anpin, through HaVaYaH, the quality of mercy, the Light. This is the entire system that develops us. Our territory is the lower part of Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut herself. That is where our entire life is, both the material and the spiritual.

That’s because reality is one. Even though we only see an illusory picture now, it is just a flaw in our perception, an illusion caused by meager understanding and sensation. When the fog begins to clear, the Upper World will come through from it, our connection with the group, with the other souls, which comes through in AHP, meaning in the lower part of Bina (ZAT), Zeir Anpin, and Malchut.

This is what all of the science of Kabbalah talks about. This is the expression of our relationship with the Creator, with the unity of HaVaYaH and Elokim, which we have to attain.

Therefore, we have to understand that ZAT de Bina is the corrected group in which we find ourselves. We will never reveal anything more. we discern only the degree of our ability to unite in the lower part of Bina, in the group. That is our place. By giving ourselves over into its power, we will reveal our true reality, which is concealed from us for now by a veil of hazy perception.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/9/10, The Zohar

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Detach From Everything Else!

Dr. Michael LaitmanOur unification has to take place at a quantitatively new level. We need to unite in a way where everyone internally engages inside all the others, leaving his egoistic desire outside. He must only bring his yearning for spirituality, called the spark of Light.

With this spark, he dives into the group, disconnecting from his emotions and everything else that doesn’t belong. As a result, all the sparks of all people merge together.

This detachment allows me to get to know the collective will to receive pleasure that resides outside of my ego, and in it I discover the ability to perceive the Upper World and the Creator.
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From the lesson on Rabash’s article on 11/05/10

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The Goal Is Not Half Of The Way

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is it that really unites us? Is it faith in the One who is Good and Does Good, this ideal by itself?

Answer: We are united by the Light. None of our ideals and nothing we created will work. Only if we ask the Light to unite us, it will do it. It’s one simple action — yes or no. Only the Light does it!

We are only able to reach the right request, and even that is difficult. This is our only opportunity — to discern our state, to understand what is good and what is bad, to correctly prepare for the next level, a state of greater bestowal where we are more connected together, and to ask the Light to bring us the force of bestowal.

However, when we aspire to unite with one another, we mustn’t see our unity as the goal, but as a means in order to bestow to the Creator. Don’t forget about the Host! At the end of the day, if you always think about your correction and your uncorrected qualities, if you are immersed in this all day long, thinking, “I have to unite with my friends! Why aren’t we united?! Am I uncorrected or are they?” What are you doing this for? You forget about the goal and think only about half of the work! You scream and fuss about, but you are worrying only about the means. But what is it that you want?

We forget that through our unity we must attain bestowal to the Host. There is the Creator and we have to reach the state of bestowal to Him by performing actions so He will enjoy us. This is why we unite.

The end of the action lies in the initial thought. You must always open your path from its final point. That is how everything is planned. Figure out exactly what you want to receive at the end. Then start writing down what phases have to precede it and what you need, such as forces, money, knowledge, and equipment. However, we are screaming at the middle of the path as if it were everything.

This is very important because otherwise we won’t attain even half of the path. Why? It’s because we receive the Light from the final point, from the Creator. That is why I cannot put half of the path as a goal right now. I can only take a small measure of the work as the goal: I want to attain 10 grams of unity among us in order to give the Creator 10 grams of pleasure. Great! Then you have a full action: Rosh (the beginning), Toch (the middle), and Sof (the end). This works.

But if you say: I want to put forth all my energy in order to unite with the group! Then you won’t receive anything because this is just one half. That is why Baal HaSulam explains in his article that Israel (those who aspire to the Creator), the Torah (Light), and the Creator have to be present in every state. Otherwise you veer off the path and don’t move towards the goal. Therefore, the end of the action has to be present in the initial thought.
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From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/21/10, The Zohar

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The Internal Formula Of The Integrated System

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the law of the system of Arvut (mutual guarantee)?

Answer: The law of this system is absolute reciprocity. This is how it is described in the Torah: “As one man with one heart.” This means that the one desire in the entire system, mutual bestowal, is realized in the adhesion with the Creator. The law is defined by the word “one,” as in “unity.”

It could be said that unity of “one” cannot be a law. But the definition of “one” contains many different properties connected with each other above hatred and rejection by relations of love and bestowal. This is the internal formula of the system: Qualities opposite in their nature are connected above this opposition by the law of equivalence of form.

This is the way our body and any integrated system are constructed. In order for such a system to exist, it must be built from the different forms and opposite parts over which there operates a universal law: existence for the sake of one unified purpose.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/15/10, "The Arvut"

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The Friends Are Always Higher

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can I tell that I am not mistaken when assessing my desires?

Answer: You shouldn’t pay attention to your desires. What difference does it make what is happening there and how bad things are? At the end of the day what can you possibly find there besides self-love which has taken you over and doesn’t let you ascend?

The most useful thing to do is to feel the degree to which I don’t accept the group’s opinion and goal, and the unity and mutual guarantee of the friends. If I am united with them, then I will always discover that that they are better than me at this. However, if I don’t have a part in their unity, this fact already indicates that they are higher than me.

It doesn’t matter what state they are in. Unification automatically puts them above me no matter how high I rise. That is because unity is the Kli with which the Light works, while an individual is nothing.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/21/10, “I Am the First and I Am the Last”

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Your Grandma Will Also Be Well

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: It is written that when 600,000 people will have no other business in life but guarding the fulfillment of my needs, then I will be satisfied. When it says that “they will have no other business in life,” it confuses me.

Answer: There is nothing else with which to concern ourselves. We should only be concerned with every person having an opportunity to rise above his ego.

Question cont.: I can list a great deal of things which are still necessary.

Answer: No, I only want to free myself of obstacles in order to give myself to thoughts about unity so as to reveal the Creator in them.

Question cont.: What about taking care of yourself, work, and family?

Answer: We are speaking about those who strive to reach the mutual guarantee. This means that you only want to care for unity, where the Creator is to be revealed. So, we pledge to provide you with peace if these worries interfere with your work on the mutual guarantee.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/11/10, “The Love of the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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Rising Above All Of Your Possessions

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the entire diversity of my perception I have to discern only the most important element: unity. I check myself regarding my friends in the group only to the extent that I see in them the benefit or harm to our unity. So far, I do not take anything else into consideration. I evaluate my friends “within reason” and “above reason.”

This means that I do not cancel my logic; instead, I use it to view myself through the prism of my own opinion (desire, vessels) and see how high I need to raise the group in my own eyes in order to give my friends a positive assessment. However, I know that my logic is egoistic, and it always registers my friends as “debtors.” This is why I rise above it to view my friends as “absolutely righteous.”

Is it true or is it false? There is no true or false; everything depends on my judgment. When I use my logic to judge, then naturally, there is nobody righteous in the world, but myself. I only justify myself and those who are dear to me. However, when I go above reason, I feel that all my friends are righteous, that they have attained the final correction, and I am the only sinner among them.

What does this game give me? After all, neither of the options is true, both are conventional. However, this game gives me the opportunity to constantly be in two states: above reason and within reason (above egoism and in egoism). So I practice until I gain experience and start desiring to reach the true assessment. Then, I will be ready to see the truth.

The more effort I put into it, the quicker my desires (opinions) become prepared by this process for the spiritual world. I will not be perceiving it above reason. On the contrary, I will acquire it in my new Kelim, within reason. Then, time after time, I will keep going above previously acquired reason. After all, every consequent degree is greater than the previous one according to its strength of bestowal and for this reason, it is opposite to the previous degree.

Man always needs to rise above his possessions. It would seem like everything is well and right, there are delicious treats on the table, and life is such a blessing. But not this time. I need to despise this blessing in order to rise to a higher degree of bestowal, which I see as darkness. Every time, I go above reason, above the current facts, and I acquire the property of Bina which is always opposite to them.

Bina rules over Malchut on the new degree, but then, in the Upper Light, I see how power goes over to Malchut. So, I prepare myself for the next degree, and the process repeats itself.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/10/10, “The Matter of Above Reason”

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Come To The Epicenter Of Unity

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why is it so important to physically participate in the upcoming Kabbalah convention?

Answer: The Creator conditions a person, and if one finds himself in a situation where he is absolutely unable to come to the convention, then this situation was prepared for him by the Creator. In this case, a person should try to join the congress in the form that he can.

A person may not be able to come to the convention physically, or maybe he doesn’t have the necessary funds, but there must be a serious excuse. In other words, it depends on the opportunities that one is given and whether or not he is using them correctly.

Each person has to make an honest calculation within himself as to how much depends on him. But if spirituality is really the most important thing in his life, there cannot be any double standards here. Everyone should ask himself whether or not he would go if by going to the convention he would win a huge amount of money, improve his health, do something very dear to him, or save his life. Make your calculations along these lines.

There is no doubt that such magnitude of unity can only be achieved at a congress and no other place. We arrange congresses overseas as well, but this congress is the most powerful one. Therefore, I cannot imagine that a person living in Israel would not have an opportunity to come. If this is the case, let him write us about what prevents him from coming, and we will work on it.

If a person lives abroad, however, it could be a problem. It is possible that he lives in a country where it’s dangerous to travel to Israel, or maybe he has no financial means to do so. In this case, he should figure out how to join the others like himself locally and watch our broadcasts together with them. But it is necessary to unite with someone.

In the worst case scenario, if there isn’t anybody nearby, then a person should watch the broadcast alone. But I hope that there will be very few people in this situation as the essence of our entire action, our entire correction lies in unity.

If the only commandment is to unite, then why wouldn’t a person want to come to the place with the greatest power of connection that he can possibly reach? Let’s not look for excuses. The Creator considers only one thing: How did you utilize the conditions handed to you from Above?

Therefore, let’s hope that many of our friends will gather at the convention, in the setting most beneficial for our unity, and at all locations so that we will attain a spiritual revelation.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/5/10, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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A Single Commandment

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe learn from the works of the Kabbalists that all that was prepared for us is the breaking, which we have to correct. Therefore, there is only one commandment: the correction of the breaking, meaning restoring the connection between the souls that have to unify and become one soul once again.

Since the collective soul and its parts (each soul separately) broke into a multitude of pieces, it seems to us that we are performing many different actions, yet all of them represent one and the same action: unification. First, we need to restrict our egoistic desire and rise above it in bestowal for the sake of bestowal, which is called “repentance from fear.”

After that, we must correct ourselves to receive for the sake of bestowal, which is called “repentance from love.” “Love your friend as you love yourself” is the outcome of our entire correction. As a result, all parts become unified as one whole, without any difference between them. In other words, there is essentially only one singular commandment: to connect.

We are yet to discover to what extent everything in this world is designed and prepared for this commandment to be implemented. Everything is arranged in order to give us a chance to ascend in a good and simple way, first to the revelation of the state of breaking and then to its correction. Hence, we think that we have to do many actions with ourselves, within the group, the family, society, the world, and all of mankind, but we should constantly keep in mind (in the intention) that it is all one singular act of unification.

The nature of this action, attaining unity, brings us great confusion since otherwise, we don’t understand why we undergo such varied states that feel heavy, confusing, and vague, and why so many hardships and problems come to us in life. In truth, there is one singular cause for it: a lack of connection. And the remedy for each predicament is connection yet again.

If we could see our present condition and the next desired state, from our lack of connection to unity, then all our problems would be cured, everything would become clear and filled with Light. Moreover, if we continue to hold the correct intention, we will rise above our confusion and brokenness to the action of oneness or faith above reason.

In other words, I am not going to drown in desires, feelings, lack of comprehension, and darkness, but will realize that this is all an effect of the breaking, and if I do everything which depends on me in order to attain oneness, I will be rewarded with the Light.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/5/10, “The Love for the Creator and Love for the Created Beings”

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