What Is The Connection Between Vegetarianism And A Volcanic Eruption

Question: How does Kabbalah relate to the ideology of vegetarianism, which is based on the desire not to cause harm or suffering to living beings?

Answer: People who make this claim do not understand the purpose of creation and the fact that each species in nature acts and exists for the sake of another higher form of being.

Inanimate nature exists in order for plants to grow; plants exist in order to raise animals, and animals in order to raise humans, while people exist in order to raise the Creator.

Each level of nature is required to maintain a higher level. Just like the task of the earth is to support the plants and lend itself for their use, so the task of an animal is to be used by man. The question is only in exactly how to use the animals, in what form.

This is why we are given laws that define how to rear animals, how to kill them, how to prepare the meat, and how to eat it. All of this is described in great detail in the laws ofKashrut.

If we perform these actions correctly, then through them we sanctify both plants and animals, raising them to the degree of man, and together with man, onto the next degree. After all, a person lives in order to bring himself up to be Adam (man), “similar” (Domeh)to the higher force.

This is how I see it through my knowledge of the wisdom of Kabbalah and understanding of the entire system. I am not forcing vegetarians to eat meat. For example, my wife eats it very rarely, but not for ideological reasons but simply because her blood type is A, and people of that blood type do not like meat.  So this occurs in a natural way.

But the problem is that vegetarians are usually fighting for their idea. I have not yet met a single calm vegetarian. One would think that on the contrary, those who eat meat should be bloodthirsty and aggressive. But they appear to be calmer, perhaps because they are well fed, while vegetarians, possibly from lack of satiation, are often very irritable and demanding.

I do not understand why they are taking such a strong stand. Let everyone eat all the foods that nature has provided for us. We do not realize that we exist in a closed system of nature, and if we somehow alter our habits, then through that we change the laws of nature even on its still, vegetative, and animal levels.

Suppose the majority of humanity would now decide to become vegetarians, meaning, they would change their attitude toward the still, vegetative, and animal nature. Thus, we introduce into the overall system, which integrally ties all of us together, a new attitude that is opposite to the one originally imparted to us by nature.

Nature intended for every level to nurture and raise the one above it: the still would do that for plants, the plants for animals, and the animals for people.

We are made in such a way that we need to use all types of food specifically in this form: salt and water from the still level, permitted vegetables from the vegetative level, and permitted meat from the animate level, carrying out all the laws of their preparation.

We are talking about natural laws. I am not simply eating, but through this I am figuring out my attitude toward general nature. After all, I have to observe all the rules that determine what can be eaten and what cannot, and if it is allowed, then in what form. And if something cannot be eaten, maybe it could be used not as food, but in some other way, for example, for making leather.

Everything is structured so that a person would utilize all of nature correctly. If he does not do so, then through one’s incorrect relationship to nature he introduces a distortion into the overall system and alters physical, chemical, and other natural laws.

And then we are surprised when suddenly, some volcano erupted, or a tsunami appeared, or that there is an extraordinary heatwave up to 50° C in London. We do not understand why such disasters occur “all of a sudden,” and yet it is we ourselves who have disrupted the balance in the system.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 7/2/15

Understanding Each Other Without Words

Question: Is it possible to have such perfect family relations that I feel everything my partner is experiencing as if it is happening in my own body?

Answer: It is possible, and moreover, we need to achieve this mutual feeling not only in the family, but on the scale of all of humanity in order to be one person with one heart.

After all, from the very beginning we belonged to one body, one desire. All matter is desire manifesting itself in different ways at different levels. Originally only one desire was created, but then because of the fall of Adam and the breakage, we lost the ability to feel as one person.

But now we need to return to that, despite the fact that our growing egoism amplified all feelings manyfold. Complete breakage and destruction prevail between us.

But when we unite on the day of love, the 15^th of Av, after all the darkness and mutual hatred that are revealed on the 9^th of Av, then we will reach a magnificent unity that is 620 times more powerful than before.

Question: In a perfect spiritual family, spouses never quarrel with one another?

Answer: Together we try to uncover what kind of disagreement or misunderstanding still remains between us. But all of this happens under the rays of Light that illuminate the darkness, since the benefit of Light is attained only out of darkness.

We uncover the dark areas and understand why this darkness is necessary, for it sharpens the taste of our relationship, like pepper or mustard added to a dish.

Question: What should be the first step toward a perfect marital relationship, since we are presently as remote as the east is from the west?

Answer: Try to perceive each other as if you belong to one whole. Begin to cultivate these inner feelings within yourselves, so that each would start to feel the other as oneself. And then you will be able to feel each other together without words.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 7/30/15

Where Is My Real “Me” And Not The Imaginary One?

Question: If the Creator controls both my heart and my mind, then how can I choose and change direction?

Answer: Me, I am just a part of the system, something that is included in the group, and with the help of the connection with it, am able to participate in the general prayer, MAN.

It’s not my body and not my present feelings and mind. All of that isn’t taken into consideration at all, thus this world is called “imaginary.” It is possible to completely erase everything that we feel since there is nothing real about it. Everything is fictitious. So what do I have left? The Reshimo (reminiscence) isn’t me either, since it also comes from above. Only my efforts to be integrated into the group are taken into account, with the goal to return the system back to what it was in the beginning. And this is calledMAN.

Question: When I work in the group, do desires of another kind awaken in me?

Answer: Of course it is another kind of desire. My desire to be integrated into the group and the efforts I make in order to connect to the friends is already my effort to reach bestowal since when I do this, I must annul myself.
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From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/9/14

A Single Leap To Happiness

Question: There is a Japanese proverb that says: “Troubles will transform you into a precious stone.” How do you relate to this?

Answer: This is Samurai philosophy and speaks about the way of suffering. I think that we have no need for this at all, since we go our own way. Why do we need to go towards happiness through the way of suffering? We can leap above it immediately, as the Jews very well know.

In the meantime, we haven’t succeeded in doing this because we don’t want to listen to the method that we received thousands of years ago, the wisdom of Kabbalah, but it can lead us to happiness in a single leap.

Comment: But nevertheless, when you had health problems, your teacher said that he was envious of you because he saw this as a sign of advancement.

Answer: Certainly thanks to suffering a person improves because suffering works against the ego that wants pleasure all the time. So another system of study and understanding appeared that was opposed to the ego. But this is not the right way!

Christianity says: “If they slap you on one cheek, give them the other cheek also.” This is not right. We must go another way. The wisdom of Kabbalah explains everything in a very simple way. The Creator created life and death, so choose life. With all our might we must yearn for good, for love, for ease, and not burrow into suffering. We have no need for it. To go willingly into exile, suffer there, and this will be better for all people is absolutely the wrong way! The ego intentionally attracts us there and this is not the Kabbalistic approach towards the world, our history, our mission.

The Creator blesses us with peace, happiness, Light, and warmth, but in no way with suffering. For in suffering, the person is not prepared to bless the Creator. He cannot cry and say: “How good it is for me to be with you!” After all, this is a lie. So it is forbidden for us to develop our own suffering. Christianity is based upon this. But from the point of view of the wisdom of Kabbalah, this is absolutely incorrect.

Question: So what does “Rejoice when the wicked are revealed to you” mean?

Answer: It means to rejoice when your defects are discovered within you. You are happy about this and don’t suffer. This is happiness because your personal characteristics are now being revealed, and you see that you can correct them. If they are revealed to you from above, it means that you will surely correct them.
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From KabTV’s “Conversations with Michael Laitman” 8/5/15

Towards The Next Level With Minimal Losses

Question: I can understand that egoism is the reason for the crisis, but I don’t see the connection to how we can ascend to some degree as a result. What are the signs that we have to ascend to a new level now and not continue to advance linearly?

Answer:  You can make up whatever you want: different rules and especially social and economic ones. Politicians do whatever they believe to be right, and economists manage everything the way they think things should be, but all this leads to nothing.

We can learn something only if we listen to those who understand the plan of our evolution and its goal, which others cannot see because it isn’t in our ego, not in our nature, not in our thinking, and not in our feelings. The people who feel and attain it have to try to explain it to everyone and the rest of humanity will follow them like small children who follow those who know what is going on. There is no other way. It is like a herd that follows one shepherd who brings the herd to the well or back home. That’s the way it will also be in this case.

Although very few people understand the next phase, all of humanity has to follow them in order to be saved and to reach the right state with minimal losses.
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From KabTV’s “The Last Generation” 8/12/15

Two Views Of The State The World Is In

Question: If humanity experienced periods of cultural, scientific, economic, and social advancement in the past, like the Renaissance period for example, or even the 20^th century, is it intentionally sinking to the bottom now? The level of education is dropping: people don’t read books anymore, they watch primitive TV programs, and participate in shallow entertainment programs for the masses.  Many countries have lost the hope of reaching the level of more advanced states, not to speak of the developed countries.

Answer: Personally I look at all this a bit differently. The point is that the law of denial is working here. Before we ascend to the next level there is always a negation, a denial, of the previous level. We have to fully acknowledge the worthlessness of the current stage and stop aspiring for its ideals, goals, and values. Only then do we begin to understand the next level, which in our case is a special level of development, since we have to totally change our attitude to our life.

If in the past we changed one social development to another, like the regime of slavery to the feudal regime, and then feudalism to capitalism, etc., it all advanced in one direction, in one channel. Now we experience a totally different state. We rise to a new qualitative level where all our nature works in a different direction, not according to the straight line we advanced along, but in a totally different direction.

We will use our nature not in order to enjoy increasingly greater achievements but so that these achievements will be totally different. Here a person has to reach a level where he is not interested in life inside life but in life above life. That’s the main thing.

Therefore, the alienation everyone feels towards everyone is coercive, no one controls it: not the banks, not businessmen, and not the government. The actual law of naturecontrols it and it brings a person to a feeling of absolute indifference regarding his previous values.

Gradually we begin to prefer totally different things that cannot be attained by linearegoism, but on a level above it. In order to do so we have to be connected above our animal needs so that we will provide ourselves with all the basic necessities but only in order to exist with dignity. As for our impulses, our ideals will be much higher and only the minimal care for our physical body will sustain us in this world, while our true internal human essence will not come down to wanting to satisfy our body but to wanting to attain the next level of the development of society and the universe. Then we will discover a new society and a new universe.

In that case, we totally change our attitude towards our life, and so the previous level is dead. And not only is the previous level dead, but all our previous history from the time the first elementary particle was created until today is dead.

This means that our attitude towards history is dead and there is a totally new attitude towards the world, towards life. There is the attainment of its internal structure, the attainment of the internal plan of the creation, the attainment of the force that manages everything! You can call it the Creator, God, it makes no difference, but this is where we are headed.

Therefore, the alienation, the frustration, the inertia, and the fall of humanity to a passive lifestyle is simply necessary. I see it as a great move and a big step forward.
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Who Manages Us?

Question: I have had unusual moments in life that I don’t know how to explain. An example of this is when I have needed to make a “Yes-No” decision, and I felt, knew, or wanted to say, “No,” but I was terribly afraid of saying this.

And suddenly for a few moments, I saw my future if I were to say, “Yes,” and I saw and felt fear and an anxiety that was much stronger than the fear of saying “No,” so I said, “No.”

There were more situations in which I acted in an apparent split. Logic told me one thing, whereas the body did something else and said something else, something that I would never have said or done. All of these events changed my life drastically.

I suspect that this happens to all people, but they simply don’t pay attention to this. my question is: What is this? From where does this intervention come that seems external to me?

Answer: We are constantly under external influences, since there is simply nothing else. More precisely, this is internal influence. It builds in us a feeling of this world and of ourselves. The wisdom of Kabbalah reveals to us the possibilities of influencing this source of feeling about ourselves and our world and for us becoming the builders of the world and of everything that is felt in us, which is Olam Ein Sof.
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On The Threshold Of Discovering The Goal Of Evolution

Question: People are gradually beginning to understand that there is a crisis in our world. They feel it in their lives, and they try to find an answer to the questions: “What is to be done about it? How can one respond to it? How long will it continue?” Is there some kind of rule or lawfulness according to which the crisis will continue to develop further? What can be realistically used as a solution, and what can be offered as a solution to these problems?

Answer: The idea is that we are found within nature, in a particular network of forces, that is developed to the degree of the development of the ego, meaning to the degree of the development of desire on all levels of nature.

In the beginning, these were small desires of elementary particles. After that, the particles became more consolidated until they created a gigantic structure, like our planet Earth, upon which developed conditions for biological life for the vegetative, animate, and human levels. This was the result of the evolution of desire within matter, the desire to receive, enjoy, be fulfilled, and to use material that is found in some kind of contact with us. On this basis a connection between the elementary particles, molecules, atoms and all kinds of biological parts took place, and from the grouping of animals, a beastly society gradually gathered, and from humans, a human society gathered. This means that everything evolved as a result of the evolution of the ego.

Accordingly, our desires also developed: from the beastly desires of the body (food, sex, family), the social desires emerged (wealth, respect, control), because our ego became social. After that, a desire for information developed. Our history reveals that we have gone through these stages on an axis of evolutionary development and we always understood how to act. Our egoistic development instinctively pushed us somewhere: the exploitation of more visible and hidden resources, and the realization of the craving for food, sex, family, wealth, honor, and knowledge.

But after tens of thousands of years of development, suddenly we reached an unexpected situation where the linear and even the exponential laws of egoistic development stopped working. Humanity always developed linearly, and suddenly in the past 100-150 years, this became exponential and has reached some kind of saturation, a summit. We are now at this summit.

On this level, very interesting phenomena are happening since suddenly our ego has stopped working. In the past, the more effort that we invested, the more we developed intellectually and the more we succeeded. The stronger we were, the more confident we felt. But now, not one of these simple linear relationships work. If in previous centuries, a person with a big ego profited more from its use, this is not so anymore, since our normal egoistic development has exhausted itself. It follows that we are moving towards a completely different paradigm, another dependence. The question is towards what kind of a paradigm are we moving? We still don’t know.

Scientists now are beginning to assume and imagine that our continued evolution doesn’t depend on individual ego, rather evolution depends on the mutual connection and coordination between us. Today this is derived from communication, which developed rapidly, is integral and encompasses all of human society, all of civilization, but we are using it linearly, thinking about what one can get from it.

This means that we are found in a transitional stage of the linear ego to a mutual integral connection, and it could even be towards altruism. And gradually we perceive towards what we are going. These perceptions began to be discovered in the middle of the 20^thcentury, from the time of the Club of Rome, who published all kinds of work of economists, philosophers, and other scientists. But the problem is that even though work has been done, and the scientists are more or less aware of this, nobody hears them. And even though we see the futility of the egoistic arousal that continues in both people and in larger organizations, the inertia still exists in all of this and there is nowhere to escape from it.

And in spite of it all, since we continue to work in society, where instead of linear laws, spherical, integral laws are beginning to work, we see how our society is beginning to undergo heavy pressure and find itself in an ugly form. From this is derived the stratification of society, in which its upper part, a few thousand people in the world, concentrate the wealth and control in their hands, whereas the rest of the masses are falling below. An immense gap has been created between the uppermost stratum, composed of a few thousand people, and the lowest stratum, which includes the remaining billions of people.

On the one hand, this certainly must lead to a great explosion. On the other hand, all the wealth that has been accumulated will not be worth anything. The hierarchy of the development of desires (food, sex, family, wealth, honor, knowledge) includes a level in which it is possible to use wealth for the needs of the next level of development. And when humanity begins to overtake this level and complete it, there will no longer be any need for wealth, for the next level begins to appear, it will lead towards the attainment of the meaning of existence.

The scientists who study creation are suddenly beginning to study its holography, multiple universes, and reach the conclusion that planet Earth and our entire universe are finite. We are beginning to understand that we have always been playing some kind of game with money, armies, and wars. And essentially a big process is now taking place in which we are elements within it. Moreover, we don’t determine its development, course or flow, and especially not its goal. We are in a stage where we must discover the true evolutionary goal of our own development. This will bring us to disillusionment and a new vision of the world. We need to look at ourselves and at everything that is happening from the side and investigate all of nature in its coming development.

This means that behind the physical desires (food, sex, family) and the social desires (wealth, honor, knowledge), a new desire is developing for attaining the true meaning of our existence. This is the desire that must dominate us and towards which we are moving. So today, humanity is gradually discovering the crisis, and I hope that we will design the correct vision of it for ourselves, for then we won’t come to deviations on the way, and we will understand that life continues only on this path.
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From KabTV’s “The Last Generation” 8/12/15