The Future Already Exists

Question: You say that the future depends on us, but our destiny is predetermined. How are we to understand that?

Answer: The fact of the matter is that we all must reach the state of the final correction. It is already predetermined. Moreover, we already exist in it.

Now we need to realize this future, bring ourselves closer to it. How we do it—the fast way or the slow, we strive forward by ourselves or urged by nature—depends on us. But the future already exists.

This is the state we were in before the breaking of the vessel of our soul and now we have to get back to it. We will not get away from it, we will be obliged to take each of our points, our cell, you, and I, and everyone else.

But the road by which we reach this predetermined future does not exist, it depends precisely on us. It depends on us how quickly we will be able to achieve this goal, how fast can we reach it, how comfortable our way will be.

We absolutely have to reach its predetermined end where all the parts of the soul will meld into one common system, into one whole, and the Creator will fill them infinitely with the upper light. We must get to this state.

Question: You frequently mention that there is spiritual information, Reshimo, in a person. Does it really exist in us?

Answer: There is a Reshimo in a person, a record of all states that this person needs to go through from the beginning till the end. But the person determines how he will go through them: fast or slow, comfortably or through blows.
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian, 4/28/19

New Life #1133 – The Need To Be Loved
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

The need to be loved stems from the obligation to be on good terms with the factors that are important for my positive existence. Love means gathering everyone back into my heart, in spite of our differences. The purpose of life is love, and when a sense of lack is filled, it produces a sensation of the essence of life. All of our relations are built upon connection and separation or engagements and lapses. In the end, we must feel connected as we were originally, like one. Spiritual love occurs when we don’t demand anything back, to the point of total devotion, simply because it is important to love. In this way, we develop love for all of creation and even for the upper force that created us.
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From KabTVs “New Life #1133 – The Need To Be Loved,” 7/2/19

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A Jewish Antidote Against Global Crisis (Times Of Israel)

The Times of Israel published my new article “A Jewish Antidote Against Global Crisis”

Warning signs of a global recession are becoming more evident, warn economic analysts. Germany’s economy, the largest in Europe and one of the strongest in the world, is heading into recession, while China’s growth has slowed to its lowest point since 2002. Besides the economic problems, a Russian nuclear accident that caused a measurable increase in radiation levels, and prolonged massive protests in Hong Kong that have continued week after week, are additional troubling news headlines that have yet to jolt the general public. So why then should Jews be worried? The hard lessons of history have taught us that when things start to collapse in society, sooner rather than later, Jews will be blamed. However, before this happens, the Jews have the ability to apply a special preventive treatment: to rise above all differences and unite.

First of all, it is important to understand the invisible connection between Jews and the future of the world. Jews have always been a unique phenomenon on a global scale—a collection of people with exceptionally well-developed desires to enjoy, who strive to earn and maximize every opportunity in every field. The first time that Jews were able to transcend the deeply-ingrained, innate trait of individualistic success and unite into one nation was about 3,800 years ago in ancient Babylon as a tribal society made up of people from different backgrounds, cultures and languages (a society very similar to today’s humanity).

Abraham gathered likeminded followers around him and taught them the wisdom of Kabbalah, the wisdom of connecting and living under the premise of love of others. This group of Babylonians, who were initially estranged from one another, undertook Abraham’s guidance toward uniting and became known as the people of Israel. This group has also been referred to as “Jews,” from the Hebrew “yehudi,” meaning one who is in unison and harmony with nature. From the time Israel was founded, it had only one mission and purpose: to be a “light unto the nations” and to serve as an example of unity and love of others to the rest of humanity.

Later on, at Mount Sinai, the people of Israel received the Torah, the wisdom of Kabbalah: a method of connection for all human beings so that they would be able to transcend the divisions and conflicts above the ego and live “as one man with one heart.” However, after the destruction of the Second Temple, once the brotherly love became lost and the value of exalted unity ceased to illuminate the spiritual vision of the people, they dispersed into 2,000 years of exile and wandering from one place to another.

The wisdom of Kabbalah, or “Reception” in English (from the Hebrew lekabel, “to receive” the upper light), was hidden. Yet the method endured intact and operational, so that when Jews endeavor to connect, the positive force of connection flows through them to the entire human network, balancing the negative force of egoistic self-interest—the source of all division—and elevating the world. This force erases fractures in human relations and restores relationships between countries and societies, including those at an international level.

Therefore, in light of the global turmoil we face today, Jews have an obligation to fulfill their spiritual role toward humanity. As Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, wrote, “Israel has the secret of unity in the world.” Otherwise, anti-Semitism will rain down upon us and the nations of the world will point an accusing finger at us, demanding our unity. As the prophet Isaiah said, “And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord” (Isaiah 14:12). However, no one promised that the road would be easy and pleasant. Indeed, it could well be difficult and painful. The choice of route depends entirely on us.

The first step toward realization of Isaiah’s prophecy is to spur the people of Israel in the construction of a new humanity, to raise awareness among Jews of their role in the world. With every anti-Semitic event that takes place, we must stop and consider why this is happening. With every explosion or horrific incident, we must rediscover our purpose as Jews in the world. We now have a great opportunity to open the gates to mutual acceptance and support for all with the use of the connection method we received from Abraham. In this way, we will be able to change the face of global society from one of hostility to one of unity.

Uniqueness Of The Creator, Part 7

The Method of Attainment, Undistorted by Egoism

Question: All theories of the management of nature are very diverse and are a combination of opposites. Is it in the combination of opposites, precisely between them, that the sensation of our world, or the Creator, is revealed?

Answer: No, I do not think so, because all these theories are egoistic. Man invented monotheism, polytheism, etc., based on his egoism without correcting it.

The only theory that has the right to exist is when a person exits himself, rising above himself, beginning to feel others instead of himself, feeling what happens inside the others, outside of himself. Then, one gets a truly objective impression of who one is, where one is, and what is around him. This “theory” is called “the method of Kabbalah,” which allows us to gain a correct impression of the universe, undistorted by our egoism.
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From KabTV’s “Basics of Kabbalah,” 12/10/18

The Soul Is The Knowledge Of The Upper World

The soul is the knowledge of the upper world; if the soul could grow without knowledge, it would bring harm to it. That is why the soul is given an opportunity to act only to the extent of the acquired knowledge.

In our world, I can press buttons on some device, use various engines, and at the same time, pose a threat to myself and other people, that is, pressing the activation button of an atomic bomb.

This is impossible in the spiritual world. There, I can press any “buttons” and launch the spiritual systems of interaction between people only to the extent that I understand what I am doing. I am totally connected to this action; I am in it and above it. Only to the extent that I comprehend all this, can I decide anything. But nothing else.

The spiritual world differs from our world in that in our world a person can perform ugly, unconscious actions, without understanding what he is doing. In practice, this is how we all act because the spiritual world is hidden and the consequences of what we do are hidden from us.

I do something and what comes out, comes out. Therefore, we are marking time and are very limited in our actions, which do not have any proper development because we do not see it, do not feel it.

But after crossing into the spiritual world, we feel completely different. We see the results of our actions, and if we fully agree with them, then we start implementing them.

A person starts to act according to the knowledge acquired and his soul grows. The soul is the knowledge of the upper world. Growing up, the soul gets the opportunity to act to the extent of the ever more acquired knowledge. The result is the development of the soul.

So the child’s strength increases gradually, according to the extent of the accumulated knowledge. After all, if he had received strength before knowledge, he would have harmed himself.

There is no such thing in the spiritual world. There, we get the opportunity to act only to the extent of the knowledge we acquire.

Therefore, today, no matter how hard we try, we will not get the opportunity to act in the spiritual world because we still do not have any knowledge about it. As soon as one receives some knowledge about the spiritual world, to the extent of this knowledge, he will be able to act. This knowledge will guarantee that we will not act badly.
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From the Kabbalah lesson in Russian 6/16/19

New Life #1132 – What’s Special About Love Of Others

New Life #1132 – What’s Special About Love of Others
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Love is built through mutual concessions. Naturally, my heart is full of concern for myself. Making space in my heart to care for others is called love. For example, when spouses promise to give each other space in each of their hearts, together, they can build the middle line between them. This can only happen if they both set the mutual spiritual goal—divinity, or the upper force—above their own, individual, egoistic desire to receive and enjoy.
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From KabTV’s “New Life #1132 – What’s Special About Love of Others,” 7/2/19

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Spiritual Sine Wave

Baal HaSulam in his letters and articles explains the states of ascents and descents in spirituality, which are expected.

While working in this world, we practically do not think that there should be an alternation between successful and not successful states. We always strive forward.

But in the spiritual world, it is not so. When we really seriously enter the spiritual process, we start to comprehend that we should take into account the ascents and descents. Moreover, these states alternate, and in fact, the descents are no less important than the ascents so we should relate to them with absolute seriousness and preferably the same way as to the ascents.

Baal HaSulam writes in “Letter 25” that a descent that is intended for the following ascent, is considered an ascent, not a descent. This is really so.

The fact is that on the way to the goal of creation, there is a growth of egoism (blue line on the drawing) above which we build the altruistic part (red line). Afterward, egoism is added and we cover it with altruism again. That is how we ascend: ascent – descent, ascent – descent. There is nowhere to run from this.

Therefore, we need to relate to descents equally as to ascents. In the beginning, the ego is growing in us, and then above it, we grow a spiritual ascent—anti-egoism and cover ego with the quality opposite to it.

So the descents – ascents happen according to phases: 1 – 2, then 3 – 4, etc. Therefore, the ascent is impossible without a descent.

It is also possible to depict this as a sine wave: ascent – descent, ascent – descent. The greater the descent, the greater the corresponding ascent. That is how they are tied together: 1 – 2, 1 – 2.

In spiritual work, everything starts from a descent, from the night, from the darkness. As it is said in the Bible: “And there was evening, and there was morning— one day.”
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From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 3/31/19

Mumbai Jewish Community

From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 8/25/19

On my second day in India, I met with over a hundred members of the Mumbai Jewish community. The meeting was held at the Elijah Synagogue, located in the city center, in a magnificent building, turquoise-painted on the outside and white on the inside. We talked about the state of the Jews in the world, and their unique role, the vital need to shine light on humanity’s development in our fragile time.

Humanity is like a teenage boy who was used to being taken care of by his parents for a long time, and is now searching for himself and does not know what to do next. And this is where the role of the Jewish people comes into play: to provide guidance, direction, care and education for the entire world. And where will the Jews have the brains and methodology to do it? From the authentic sources of the wisdom of Kabbalah.

And the essence of the method is connection, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” the great rule of the Torah. Since we lack nothing besides a positively working connection between people. On the basis of this idea, the people of Israel came together in ancient Babylon, following Abraham the patriarch. After the ascents and descents throughout the ages, came the holy Ari in the sixteenth century, who declared that from now on it is imperative for the Jewish people to spread the method of human connection to all.

Some members of the Jewish community understood me more, and some less, like everywhere else in the world. But every ear that listens and every heart that understands take us one step forward on the road to redemption.