Friday, October 1, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Spiritual Geometry: From A Pyramid To A Point
Posted on September 26th, 2010
I join the group and with its help I start forming the image of the Creator in my mind. Meanwhile,
I don’t wish to unite with the group, to listen to the friends, or to
accept their opinion above my own mind. Yet, gradually I develop a
clearer, more detailed understanding of the notion of “group,” where I
must keep annulling myself. As a result of this opposition, I gradually discern the place of my free choice.Baal HaSulam explains that free will implies choosing the group. At the current stage, the general understanding of this is: Join the group, realize yourself inside the unity, and everything will be fine. But in truth, all the worlds or all the 125 steps of spiritual ascension to the goal are located exactly between me and the group. When I adhere to the group inseparably and irreversibly, I will reach the full correction, the World of Infinity, where we are united together in one point.
All of the worlds are laid out along this path and they are all yours. Our entire work lies in unifying with each other. In our times all of mankind is standing at the threshold, as it were, in the form of a pyramid. We, the souls who are a little closer to starting this work, are the upper part of the pyramid. The remainder of the pyramid below is the rest of the world. The difference is that we at least are trying to unite, while the rest of the world isn’t even thinking about it. Yet, the world is experiencing extreme pressure through suffering and the global crisis.
Why is it global? It’s because mankind is being shown that it must come together, that this is imperative in our era, and that our aim is unity. Granted, this is a long and difficult process, but nonetheless, it has been set in motion. This point is being rubbed into every person’s face.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Love And Hatred Of “600,000 Souls” | Laitman.com
Love And Hatred Of “600,000 Souls” | Laitman.com
...Six hundred thousand” stands for six Sefirot of Zeir Anpin multiplied by ten Sefirot in each of them and then by ten thousand, the power of the ascent of Zeir Anpin to Arich Anpin which governs all corrections. 60 x 10,000 = 600,000. Hence, the common soul (the general, final, corrected state) is called 600,000 souls.
...Six hundred thousand” stands for six Sefirot of Zeir Anpin multiplied by ten Sefirot in each of them and then by ten thousand, the power of the ascent of Zeir Anpin to Arich Anpin which governs all corrections. 60 x 10,000 = 600,000. Hence, the common soul (the general, final, corrected state) is called 600,000 souls.
Correct Yourself, Correct The World | Laitman.com
Correct Yourself, Correct The World | Laitman.com
...We correct the connection between us, our “layer,” until the differences between the souls get erased, and from our side, the entire humanity is corrected. But they themselves don’t feel it. When their time of correction arrives, they will receive all the necessary tools for it.
...We correct the connection between us, our “layer,” until the differences between the souls get erased, and from our side, the entire humanity is corrected. But they themselves don’t feel it. When their time of correction arrives, they will receive all the necessary tools for it.
Not All Means Are Good | Laitman.com
Not All Means Are Good | Laitman.com
...Together, we have to look for the opportunity to reveal our connection or lack thereof, to reveal the need, the mutual guarantee, the energy, mutual support, and the Creator among us. If we focus all our work and fixate ourselves only on this place, we will achieve the result very quickly. Either we surrender and retreat, or we finally make it through this narrow pass and reach the goal.
...Together, we have to look for the opportunity to reveal our connection or lack thereof, to reveal the need, the mutual guarantee, the energy, mutual support, and the Creator among us. If we focus all our work and fixate ourselves only on this place, we will achieve the result very quickly. Either we surrender and retreat, or we finally make it through this narrow pass and reach the goal.
Sustenance During The Time Of Preparation: Tasteless But Nutritious | Laitman.com
Sustenance During The Time Of Preparation: Tasteless But Nutritious | Laitman.com
...If we gather the means that the Kabbalists speak of, try to apply them to our environment, and rise above reason with the help of envy, then we truly begin to correct the Shechina, the very place in which we will receive the Creator’s revelation for His benefit.
...If we gather the means that the Kabbalists speak of, try to apply them to our environment, and rise above reason with the help of envy, then we truly begin to correct the Shechina, the very place in which we will receive the Creator’s revelation for His benefit.
Were You Awaiting Salvation? | Laitman.com
Were You Awaiting Salvation? | Laitman.com
...It is said that after death the soul “in the heavens” is asked only two questions. “Did you study the Torah (did you draw upon yourself the Light that Reforms)? Were you awaiting salvation (for when this Light will correct you)?” We must always remain in this intention.
...It is said that after death the soul “in the heavens” is asked only two questions. “Did you study the Torah (did you draw upon yourself the Light that Reforms)? Were you awaiting salvation (for when this Light will correct you)?” We must always remain in this intention.
Husband And Wife: Where Is The Creator Between Them? | Laitman.com
Husband And Wife: Where Is The Creator Between Them? | Laitman.com
...If we examine where the deepest and soundest connection is made – between a husband and wife, the friends in the group, all of humanity, or the entire universe – the innermost connection is found between a husband and wife.
...If we examine where the deepest and soundest connection is made – between a husband and wife, the friends in the group, all of humanity, or the entire universe – the innermost connection is found between a husband and wife.
“And A Wise Wife Is From The Lord” | Laitman.com
“And A Wise Wife Is From The Lord” | Laitman.com
“A woman” or “a wife” is a desire that “the man” or “the husband” has to correct."
A Time Of Giving And A Time Of Receiving | Laitman.com
A Time Of Giving And A Time Of Receiving | Laitman.com
...Baal HaSulam writes that there is a time of giving and a time of receiving. Giving initiates the process that leads to receiving. However, giving and receiving can’t happen together. That’s because a “place” needs to be created inside a person to feel the lack of what is being given to you
...Baal HaSulam writes that there is a time of giving and a time of receiving. Giving initiates the process that leads to receiving. However, giving and receiving can’t happen together. That’s because a “place” needs to be created inside a person to feel the lack of what is being given to you
Stretched Out Into A Line By The Light | Laitman.com
Stretched Out Into A Line By The Light | Laitman.com
...The Light’s action lies above knowledge, but if a person receives the force to overcome, if he bestows and gives himself over to the Light with full agreement, then the Light orders all the components of his soul according to their importance.
...The Light’s action lies above knowledge, but if a person receives the force to overcome, if he bestows and gives himself over to the Light with full agreement, then the Light orders all the components of his soul according to their importance.
Only The Creator Gives Us The Soul | Laitman.com
Only The Creator Gives Us The Soul | Laitman.com
...All we have to do is try to reveal the Creator between us, the force that unites us and that we want to attain as a result of living together. Otherwise this entire life will be a mere animalistic existence
...All we have to do is try to reveal the Creator between us, the force that unites us and that we want to attain as a result of living together. Otherwise this entire life will be a mere animalistic existence
Where Is My Soul? | Laitman.com
Where Is My Soul? | Laitman.com
...In spirituality, everything is constantly changing by going from one state to another; the Light and the vessel are always different. We “clothe” in a certain state and name ourselves in accordance with it as actors who change cosumes for new roles. It is as if we are in a science fiction movie where we play a variety of characters.
...In spirituality, everything is constantly changing by going from one state to another; the Light and the vessel are always different. We “clothe” in a certain state and name ourselves in accordance with it as actors who change cosumes for new roles. It is as if we are in a science fiction movie where we play a variety of characters.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Havoc in Modern- Day Babylon
The idea of unity among all human beings is no more to us than an imaginary children’s story. Back in babylon, someone had a way for humanity to unite. Today, our world needs such a method more than ever
“…we are like a pile of nuts, assembled by a wraparound bag. That level of unity does not turn them into an
integrated body. Every slight movement of the bag makes them swing and separate from each other. They, in turn, partially join and unite anew. And all that they lack is the natural unification from within. Any force of unification is due to an external incident. This is very saddening.”
Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam),
HaUma (The Nation)
Unity. That is what we experience from time to time, in moments that bring us together as a people. We celebrate the Jewish holidays, each in our own way, and we share many collective experiences rooted in our culture.
But such experiences are not enough to grant us a real sense of a unified people. As Baal HaSulam allegorically puts it, to the onlooker we may seem like nuts in a bag, united only by the cloth that holds us together. Any knock from the outside wiggles the contents to and fro, and when pressed, they unite. When nothing pressures them from the outside, they remain apart.
Obviously, this kind of unity does not really make us feel as one.
What Turns People into a People?
231 years ago, the United States declared its independence. Its residents came from all over Europe, Africa, and Asia. They were Jews, Christians, and others from many religions and nationalities, and they all left their homelands to move to the “land of unlimited opportunities.”
These people, separated by language, faith, and culture, had one thing in common—a burning desire for a new and brighter future. Thus, they bridged their differences and went on to establish a vast trade system.
Unlike the United States, where people of diverse nations gathered largely to establish a country based on profitability and benefit, European countries were based on a common ethnic background. England, France, Russia, Germany, and other countries, were comprised of tribes of the same race. For those countries, one’s common origin was the uniting force.
It is easy to think that Jews, too, share a common origin. However, genetically speaking, there is no "Jewish gene."
A Different Kind of Unity
To understand what “the Jewish people” is based on, we need to make a short trip to Babylon about 5,000 years ago. Mesopotamia, and especially its capital, Babylon, was a melting pot much like today’s New York City. In fact, in many ways, Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilization. Back then, humanity was built as an aggregate of clans. An instinctive, animal-like closeness made people feel very close to one another, as with kin.
But as time went by, human egoism intensified and began to turn people away from one another, to alienate them. People became increasingly concentrated on self-interest, ignoring the needs of others. After some time, exploitation and hatred appeared.
One of the Babylonians was able to see how humanity, once a warm family, was turning into a lions' den. But this was not all that he saw. Abraham realized that beneath its egoistic surface, humanity was, in fact, a single, collective entity, like cells in a body.
Abraham understood a crucial point: once humanity transcends egoism and reunites into a single entity, it will match the inclusive force of love that binds all parts of Creation—the Creator.
Armed with this new perception, Abraham began to develop a method capable of allowing all people to transcend their egos and connect to the Creator. However, few of Abraham’s contemporaries expressed any zeal to correct their egos. The minority that did follow his method would actually become the first group of Kabbalists in history. Ultimately, this group grew into what we now know as “the people of Israel.”
Why were they called “Israel”? Ysrael (Israel) is a combination of two words: Yashar (straight) and El (God). Thus, Israel means “Straight to God.” The name implies the essence of the unity among the people of Israel: a profound, eternal bond that connects them to Nature itself, beyond race, nationality, or personal considerations.
Away from the Public Eye
Since human egoism continued growing to new highs (or lows), the people of Israel gradually lost their unity, as well as their bonding with the inclusive Nature, the Creator. This happened in two stages called "the ruin of the first, and second Temples."
Eventually, only a select few were left who could sense of the immensity of Nature. And for approximately two millennia, away from the public eye, these people, whom we call “Kabbalists,” continued to develop Abraham’s correction method and adapt it to humanity’s (still) growing ego.
Consequently, over the years, authentic Kabbalah has become shrouded in mystery, immersed in misconceptions, and, as of late, tainted by commercialism.
Kabbalists have been preparing the method for a time when humanity would reach the height of egoism. At that point, it would be ready and willing to use Kabbalah as a correction method, and as nothing else. Now, the time has come.
Living in Modern-Day Babylon
Today, our lives are not much different from those who lived in ancient Babylon. Admittedly, we have a variety of foods, clothes, high-tech communication, high-speed transportation and whatnot. And yet, our world is swamped by corruption, hatred, segregation, terrorism, and other forms of menace. We have become so “sobered up” by hatred and pain, and so cynical, that ideals like "love of man" sound absurd, if not inconceivable.
The more the global crisis escalates, the more accusatory fingers will be pointing at the Jews. The reasoning is rather simple: Nature pulls all of its parts into unification, like a magnet at the center of its field. But to be drawn towards the middle, we need to implement the correction, or bonding method, developed and guarded by Israel. As long as we are not using our correction method, all of humanity remains stranded, and the tension between where we should be and where we actually are will continue to grow. As a result, consciously or not, other nations are driven to impel Israel to move.
We Jews must recognize the merit of the wisdom we possess and put it into practice. The authentic wisdom of Kabbalah has nothing to do with any kind of mysticism or belief. It is rather a systematic method, imprinted in Nature itself, aimed at elevating humanity to its next evolutionary phase.
When we find within us the desire to revive our inner unity, we will discover the natural love that awaits all human beings, the kind of love we are intended to dispense throughout the world. In the words of Prophet Isaiah, we will be “a light of the nations."
Feature Article: Havoc in Modern-Day Babylon
ARTICLE: Who is to Blame? - Selected pieces from a discussion on Baal HaSulam's article "Introduction to the Book of Zohar" by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD
VIDEO: Fixing the Middle East Crisis - Perceiving Reality discusses the present-day role and global-scale responsibility of Israel
Baal Hasulam - Nigun (Modern Version)
"Melodically, the songs are strongly influenced by Slavic folk song, but they are freer in rhythm."
Kabbalistic Wisdom by Baal Ha-Sulam: There is None Else Beside Him
"It follows that his entire longing should be only for the sake of the Creator" ♥♥♥
When You Leave Yourself, You Gain Infinity | Laitman.com
When You Leave Yourself, You Gain Infinity | Laitman.com
"Wherever there is love, every person loses the sensation of his self. He becomes included in others unboundedly by unifying with them completely."
Sunday, September 26, 2010
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