New Life #1046 – The Wisdom Of Kabbalah And Science

New Life #1046 – The Wisdom Of Kabbalah And Science
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz

Summary

The wisdom of Kabbalah is the root of all sciences. It is the study of the whole world and provides us with tools to explore all of reality, independent of the viewer. Our inner structure determines what we see as reality. In normal research, a person investigates the world through the five senses and other instruments that expand the range of his egoistic perception. This type of scientific study is based on the desire to receive. The wisdom of Kabbalah, however, approaches study from a new vantage point, namely, the desire to bestow. We perceive the power of bestowal or “nature” according to the degree of our inner development of the desire to bestow. In other words, in order to explore the power of bestowal, a person has to build within himself a force of bestowal, similar to the one found in nature.
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From KabTV’s “New Life #1046 – The Wisdom Of Kabbalah And Science,” 8/14/18

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Barkan Terror Attack

From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 10/8/18

Tragic Barkan Killing Bursts Bubble of Coexistence

The tragic killing in the Barkan industrial zone, where Kim Levengrond Yehezkel and Ziv Hajbi were murdered, has left us with nothing except to embrace our grief. To embrace the lost children, the broken parents, the suffering siblings.

Along with the sorrow and pain, a dream has vanished. The bubble of coexistence between Jews and Arabs was shattered, and the illusion of life based on mutual respect and cooperation blew up in our faces. But was there ever coexistence between us to begin with?

True coexistence will occur only when the people of Israel are united. The Jewish people was created when Abraham gathered representatives from the various tribes and clans who lived in ancient Babylon, some 4,000 years ago. They were all strangers and very different from each other, but they preferred to maintain unity over the division.

Their efforts to connect with each other above all differences evoked a positive, powerful and connecting force from nature itself. It is only the discovery of this natural force that allowed the people of Israel to live in unity and coexistence. As Rav Kook writes: “the secret for the unity of the world lies within Israel.”

However, the unity was shattered and the people of Israel parted and dispersed throughout the world for two thousand years. Only when we reawaken the connecting force that lies between us will we rise above our egoistic nature and be able to live in coexistence – within our country, with our neighbors and with all the nations of the world.

Before we correct the human ego, we can sum up the talk of living in peace and coexistence as a naive aspiration and nothing more. Coexistence and connection between human beings requires the capacity to rise above the growing ego, not any temporary cooperation.

Human egoism will only grow and continue to complicate our lives. It is the natural course of human development. If we do not balance the ego, it will lead us to a bitter future. The horrific murder in Barkan is another eruption of the human ego, and unfortunately, will not be the last case.

The Barkan industrial zone will no longer be marketed as a symbol of peace in the chaos of the Samaria region. But if the people of Israel set the example of unity, Israel will become a symbol of peace within the chaos of the world. Then, we will not only live in coexistence, but in global coexistence. We will feel ourselves as one united people, and we will shine like a lighthouse to the world, fulfilling our duty to become a “light unto the nations.”

Do Not Be Afraid Of Desires

Question: What desires interfere with the spiritual path? Do I have to fight with them; what should I do with them?

Answer: Do not be afraid of any desires and do not try to rebel against them. There is no need to fight with them. This is all quixotic. The only thing you should do is draw the upper Light: it created these desires and it is intended to correct, direct, and use them.

We neither reduce nor increase desires. We do not pressure ourselves. We do not develop the property of bestowal, love, and unity on purpose, as it is not our competence. We only have to draw the upper Light so that it does the work.
It is a big mistake to think that we can change ourselves by ourselves. We only confuse ourselves this way.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 5/13/18

Shining Sefirot

A Sefira is a desire to receive pleasure that restricts itself and opens up to bestow to a friend, that is, it already has a screen and reflected Light, a calculation for bestowal. To the extent that it bestows to a friend, it is considered radiant, and therefore, it is called a Sefira. The desire is divided into ten Sefirot that want to shine, to bestow to each other, and thus to unite in order to bestow to the Creator. To this extent, the Creator shines on them. Then, they begin to glow and are called ten Sefirot.

We can work with these ten Sefirot on many levels provided that we are able to rise above our desire and turn it into radiance, a source of Light.

Obviously, I cannot be the source of Light, but to the extent that I want to bestow, the Light begins to appear in me and grants me the force of bestowal. Thus, I become the channel for conducting the upper Light to others. Everyone has to become such a channel, connecting the Creator with others. This is how we will rebuild the broken system of Adam HaRishon—one common soul of humanity.

We belong to the last generation, which has an enormous desire to receive pleasure and which is very difficult to correct. Therefore, we resist this correction a lot, and stretch out the time.

On the other hand, this is such a difficult and long process because we are performing a collective correction. A long time ago, a single person or a small group was enough to get closer to the Creator, reveal the upper force, and achieve their correction because they were correcting themselves. Today, however, we are at the beginning of the process of the collective correction, and therefore we have to build a transition adapter out of ourselves for humanity as a whole, for all the souls.

That is why our correction is so vast and broad, unlike any other in history. It is why we have to exert such great efforts for even the very first entrance into the spiritual world.

Accelerating spiritual development is only possible through our connection. Also, it is important to know why we need this connection, as it is written: “the end of an act is in the preliminary thought.” We are living in the era of the end of correction (Gmar Tikkun). Therefore, we must make a move toward this desired state, and from it begin to spin the wheel backward and see what we need to do now. However, we must aim at the end goal from the very beginning. The widest circle at the end of correction and the closest one, with the ten inside of it, which is no longer a circle but a line, it all has to be included in one single aim.¹
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/18, Lesson on the Topic “Sukkot“
1 Minute 35:22

Sukkot Is A Symbol Of Internal Work

The holiday of Sukkot symbolises a cover, an anti-egoistic screen under which the desire to receive pleasure is hidden—a whole person. Sukkot is a symbol of internal work in a corrected way: the desire to receive pleasure under the restriction and the screen. A person makes sure that the shadow is greater than the light of the sun, sitting in the Sukkah for seven days according to the seven Sefirot: Hesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod.

Until one corrects them all and comes to the holiday of Simchat Torah (the Joy of the Torah), that is, until one pleases the Creator by correcting his desire to receive pleasure at this stage and moves closer to the end of correction.¹
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/27/18, Lesson Preparation
1 Minute 12:20

Medium: “World Mental Health Oct. 10th”

Medium published my new article “World Mental Health Day Oct. 10th”

This World Mental Health Day, it’s worthwhile to emphasize positive human relationships as the overarching means for good mental health. Mental illness stems from imbalance in the mind and body, which is caused by imbalance in society, which is further caused by imbalance with nature. By repairing our social connections, we bring ourselves into balance with nature, and such balance will positively affect not only our mental health, but also our general health and wellbeing.

Good human relationships are the treasure that makes life worthwhile and gratifying. That is an unquestionable truth considering that we are social animals. But around half of all Americans feel they lack meaningful relationships, that they are either alone, left out or isolated. Why is it so hard to achieve solid and fulfilling relations? It is absolutely doable; we just need to learn how.

Our Whole Life Is Based on Relationships

If we think about it, our whole life is based on relationships, at home, at work, with friends, acquaintances, at every level, in every field. We all want to succeed in life, get up in the morning happy and satisfied, but we live in a world with inequality and conflicts in basically every area where humans are involved.

From a very early age, we learn that we cannot say what we want, behave as we please, because it may provoke a negative and unpleasant reaction from others, so we adopt certain rules and codes of conduct set up by society to fit in. They might contribute to advance our personal life to a certain extent or make progress in our careers, but this framework is not enough to build significant relationships, a key factor linked to emotional stability and happiness by scientific studies. Quite the opposite, we live under constant stress which has massive implications for our well-being.

Social Isolation and Loneliness Is Unhealthy

Research finds that social isolation and loneliness are directly associated with health problems and increase the risk of early death up to 29% compared with those who have a supportive and friendly environment.

The lack of knowledge on how to relate to each other is a problem we face in today’s modern age. In the past, people were pigeonholed in classes and hierarchies. Rooted in those boundaries, relations were clear and simple. Today, those differences between people have disappeared. In a global reality, we are breaking the boundaries on religions, beliefs, socioeconomic status and professions.

This new, open perspective, on one hand, gives us a sense of equality, but on the other hand, it is merely superficial equality and people become confused. The world has become a global village, with everyone depending on each other, but while interdependent, great hatred is revealed.

We continue exploiting others for personal gain and try to impose our own views and egoistic decisions. Such a self-centered approach contradicts the principle of an egalitarian society, where every person is equally important even though everyone is different.

What Is the Basis for Positive Relationships?

The attitude of equality and mutual acceptance is the basis of all positive relations. A social educational system should be established to open up our eyes to the deep level of interdependence in all areas of our lives, which should amplify the indispensable need for positive social connections. We can begin with concrete steps to acquire strong and solid relations.

First, it is important to realize that in this tightly interdependent world, every piece is indispensable to complete the full picture of reality, like in a puzzle. By affecting one another, we affect the whole system, for better or for worse. It is a system that each person is part of and that influences each person directly. Do we want to benefit from the fact that we have good relations and a warm environment? Certainly, every person desires that reality for themselves. It is then in our own interest to transform our actions and intentions from harmful egoism to mutual understanding and care.

The way to achieve this goal is not rocket science and yet, it is also not obvious to us because we have not been taught how to do it. We only need to use the right communication tools. The best means to acquire the wisdom to develop and nurture meaningful relations is through discussions in connection workshops, also called “roundtable discussions” or “circles discussions.”

By sitting in circles as equals, communicating with each other with a positive approach and relatively equal time for each speaker, not debating or suppressing other views, only sharing our thoughts and genuinely listening to others without interrupting, we gradually become closer to each other, finding a common and fertile ground to harvest good relations. This method opens a wellspring of solutions to problems we might consider unsolvable.

The sense of mutual respect and consideration create an atmosphere of unity above deep divisions, so much needed in today’s interconnected but imbalanced world. It is in our hands to change this reality, build fulfilling relations based on unity and mutual understanding, and by doing so, enjoy good health as a byproduct of our positive connections.

Sukkot

It is important to see what spiritual action each holiday and “good day” indicates and how to perform it. When we speak about the symbols of the Sukkot holiday in the language of the branches: about the cover of the Sukkah made from the waste of barn and winery, the blessing of the Arba Minim (four plant species), we should always point to the upper root. From this, we will be able to better understand what to do with our desires and intentions, how to realize these actions in connection between us with the help of material work, building a spiritual form within the ten.

Sitting in the shade of the Sukkah means being under a screen. Together, we can build such a big screen that we can not only give, but even receive for the sake of bestowal—this is a real holiday. We will be able to receive “guests” in this Sukkah, that is, every time we will have the Light of Hassadim sufficient for some disclosure of the Light of Hochma.

On the Sukkot holiday, we leave our permanent home and enter the temporary one, the Sukkah. The temporary dwelling changes every time, but it is more valuable to us than a permanent home because by this we acquire a “shadow,” that is, the screen on the Sefiraof Malchut, and we can receive for the sake of bestowal as a spiritual Partzuf.¹

A holiday, a “good day” (Yom Tov) is receiving the Light that returns to the source, which gives us a screen for our desire to enjoy and makes us similar to the upper world, to the Creator, to bestowal. It is called a “day” because by means of this illumination, we can get the intention of bestowal, and the “good” is the reception of Light for the sake of bestowal.

The covering of the Sukkah must be sufficiently dense so that the shadow in it is larger than the sunlight penetrating the cover. It is a symbol of a constant concern for such a great Light of Hassadim that covers all our desires so as not to be afraid to receive the Light for our sake.²

The holiday of Sukkot symbolizes the construction of the anti-egoistic screen. We lived safely in our “permanent home,” in the desire to enjoy, and now we have to go out to a temporary dwelling, which is a symbol of going on a spiritual path. After all, there is nothing permanent in spirituality: we are constantly in a “temporary dwelling,” in constant changes, taking care of the cover, the screen, so as not to return to the “permanent home.”

The most permanent house is the grave; there will be no more changes there. And in the interval between the grave and eternity, we are given a material house.

If we are able to live all the time in a temporary dwelling, that is, in changes, caring for the screen, rising above our desires and striving to become similar to bestowal, to the Creator, then we live as if floating in the air on an air cushion. The main thing is to take care that the bestowal is on top, that the Sukkah covering is above one’s head because it is a symbol of the screen. Therefore, on Sukkot it is accepted to eat only in the Sukkah.³

Sukkot is the joy of overcoming one’s egoism and receiving the Light of the sun for the sake of bestowal through the cover of the Sukkah, through the screen that we have built over our heads. This is a return for love: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” First, “I am my beloved’s”: to the extent I am able to bestow to the Creator, I feel that He bestows to me. All the symbols of the holiday of Sukkot—an embrace on the right, an embrace on the left, a kiss, a merger—is the result of corrections made on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kipur, the Days of Repentance.

The joy of Sukkot comes from the fact that we managed to overcome our desire to enjoy and build a screen, a cover over it.⁴

The first correction is the restriction of one’s egoism. As if I leave the house and close the door behind me, ensuring that I will no longer return to egoistic reception.⁵

If we reach a connection in the ten, then the Creator is surely revealed between us. He shows whether there is a connection between us or not. If we can only bestow for the sake of bestowal, then the Light of Hassadim is revealed, that is, the Creator is revealed from afar, like an adult, a teacher among children. If we can already receive for the sake of bestowal, that is, in love, and not just supporting each other, then the Creator is revealed as our partner, filling and embracing everyone.⁶
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 9/23/18, Lesson on the Topic “Sukkot“

The Times Of Israel: “The UN 73rd General Assembly, Simchat Torah and How to Repair the World”

The Times of Israel published my article “The UN 73rd General Assembly, Simchat Torah and How to Repair the World“

During this year’s 73rd General Assembly, each member of the UN state had an opportunity to address the international community. Coincidentally, this year, the UN gathering took place during Sukkot, and the last day will align with Simchat Torah(Rejoicing of the Torah). Instead of a warm environment under one Sukkah, sealed with a joyful atmosphere, it has been a gathering to air grievances and present a gloomy state of the world.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, opened his speech by warning that the world is suffering from “trust deficit disorder,” referring to divisive global relations. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron discussed “seeing a crisis of the very foundations of today’s world.”

The issue of living under global governance versus respecting the independent, sovereign rites of nations surfaced as President Trump openly disagreed with the idea of globalism and promoted national independence, using America’s achievements during his presidency as an example of the latter’s success.

Why Unity of Nations Can’t Work Just Yet

Any form of unity that doesn’t focus on correcting egoistic relations is bound to explode. The classic example can be seen in what happened to the Soviet Union. Today’s so-called “European Union” is repeating the same mistake as the Soviet Union, which is, in the name of “unity among nations,” to exploit the nationalistic force of each nation until it is completely sucked dry. EU leaders think that this setup is possible, but it will eventually collapse.

For many years, the United States was treated as a cash cow in this game, and Trump clearly shows that he wants the US out. He sees that there is no future in artificial unity among nations, and he rattles the political atmosphere with a cold, pragmatic and business-like approach to this issue at every opportunity he gets.

Yet, the ideological tug-of-war between economic nationalism and global governance, which has become ever more prominent during Trump’s presidency, has definitely further sparked the questions about what it would take to effectively unite peoples and nations, and reach a feasible integrated global system of trade, financial, economic or social issues. Any shift to a better world would need to successfully address these questions.

Addressing the Questions

On one hand, we are globally interdependent. A basic tenet of interdependence is that if any piece fails, the entire mechanism either stops working or works poorly. Along with the evolution of human society, we have come to realize an interdependent connection is indispensable in order to enable individuals and nations to thrive.

On the other hand, the interfering element in today’s interdependent world is our egoistic attitude: where we each aim to self-benefit at the expense of others. Therefore, in order to impact a transition to happier, safer and more comfortable lives in our interdependent reality, we would need to solve how to mend our egoistic relations.

Moreover, as our further development entails increasingly tightening interdependent conditions, if we fail to realize a shift to positive mutual relationships, then we can expect increasing pressures and crises. Simply put, we need to feel that our life depends on others.

How Does This Relate to Simchat Torah?

The wisdom of Kabbalah explains that we are born with an evil inclination, as it is written, “I have created the evil inclination, I have created for it the Torah as a spice, for the light in it reforms it,” Babylonian Talmud, Kidushin, 30b.

However, we do not know what the evil inclination means or moreover, how to correct it. We need a special method through which we can determine what is evil within me and then transform it into good.

We reach the state of Simcha or joy, an exalted spiritual state, from having received the possibility of revealing the Torah, i.e. the wisdom of Kabbalah, the mechanism that gives us the tools for correction. It is also called “the hidden Torah” because it makes visible what is hidden in the person.

Throughout the years, the wisdom of Kabbalah was concealed, waiting for the time of humanity’s ripening to receive it. It is in our generation, when the world needs to be corrected the most, that it is accessible to be studied. And this is what we need to fix our problems, on a personal or global scale.

We cannot expect magical solutions from world leaders. We can only correct the world by correcting ourselves. What we call “evil” is indeed our egoistic attributes which are the opposite to those of bestowal and love that prevail in nature. Our goal should be to attain those characteristics for a joyful life and prosperous future for all.
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