In the News (from CNN): “Record 31.8 million on food stamps” A record 31.8 million Americans received food stamps at the latest count, an increase of 700,000 people in one month with the United States in recession, government figures showed Thursday.

In the News (from Zogby Interactive): “Zogby Poll: 70% Have Cut Back On Entertainment Due to Weak Economy” Survey finds 39% have pared down vacation plans, 40% have put off major purchases, and 40% have cut grocery spending, with 70% saying they have cut back on entertainment, recreation and eating out. It isn’t just taking place in poorer households, but also with around 70% of those with more than $100,000 in household income.

My Comment: The same thing is happening in the entire world. Of course, this exacerbates the crisis, yet this is exactly what will accelerate people’s recognition of the crisis, making them realize that it is a crisis of society, not just economy.

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A question I received: I am discovering that people don’t understand what it means to “treat others well.” No one feels like they are doing anything wrong. Everyone says, “I treat everyone well. I have a family, and I treat them well. And I don’t lie or steal from anyone.” They don’t understand that they need correction.

My Answer: The crisis will gradually bring us to the understanding of what it really means to treat others well. It is when I make sure that everyone else has what is necessary. This is called treating others well. I repeat: I am concerned only with what is necessary for them! And in addition, I have to concerned with attaining adhesion with the Creator, together with everyone. This will be revealed in the world absolutely clearly.

The wave of the crisis will wash away all the nonsense in the world. This will begin to be revealed very soon and very rapidly. Never before has humanity and the world been in a situation like this. You will see how, with the aid of various outside forces and means, people will wish to free themselves of all excesses because they’ll feel that this gets in their way and deprives them of something. Eventually, people of power and influence will feel embarrassed of their power and financial strength. They will reveal that these phenomena are harmful and negative, and society will hold them in low esteem, even despise them.
(From the lesson based on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept,” on 03.05.2009)

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A question I received: Many economists and leaders, particularly Gordon Brown, are talking about the need for unity. Why doesn’t nature lead him and other leaders in the right direction?

My Answer: Why can’t they discover the science of Kabbalah? It is written, “The hearts of the kings and rulers are in the Creator’s hands.” They find themselves in a shameful position before the whole world because they cannot find a way out of the present economic and industrial situation. For the first time in human history, a situation has come about where humanity is standing face to face against Nature, and Nature is doing anything It wishes to people. And for the first time in history, everyone is throwing up their hands in despair, not even the smartest, bravest, and most confident people are able to do anything about it.

They are bewildered, like children who have lost their mom. People have never experienced this before. Egoism has always won; it was always in control and attained new achievements. However, today we are not driven by egoism anymore. We are now finding that nothing can be achieved through egoism. On the contrary, egoism brings on a disaster that humanity has never before experienced: it elicits blows, similar to the Egyptian plagues.

Therefore, the leaders are incapable of doing anything – they are in the position of the miserable Pharaoh! Everyone understands that egoism is evil, but what next? There is only one solution: to get Kabbalah’s message across to every person as quickly as possible and in the simplest, most positive form! It is worthwhile to try and deliver this method to G20 before the summit begins. Then, the world might have a chance.
(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept”, on 03.08.2009)

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Two questions I received on the study of spiritual texts:

Question: Can your teaching replace the study of Gemara? What is the connection between Gemara and the science of Kabbalah?

My Answer: Gemara is the continuation of the Mishna. Both are part of the Babylonian Talmud. All of these texts speak about the Creator and the creation, creation’s correction and attainment of the goal – similarity to the Creator. Other than this, there is nothing for a person to do in this world; it is the reason why he is here.

In order to explain this, Kabbalists used four languages: Tanach, Alachot, Agadot, and the language of Kabbalah. The language of Kabbalah is the most precise, and therefore it’s the one Kabbalists use most. Only occasionally do they resort to other languages. All of these texts speak only about the Creator’s actions. This is why these books are called “holy.” See Baal HaSulam’s article, “The Teaching of Kabbalah and Its Essence,” the section, “Four Languages are Used in the Wisdom of Truth,” and my article, “The Language of Kabbalah,” the section, “Four Languages.”

Question: After listening to your lessons for a long time, I finally reached the conclusion that you repeat the same thing over and over, just phrasing it differently. Do you do this intentionally, or is it just more convenient and acceptable for you not to reveal new things from the primary sources? For example, I have never heard you try to reveal new aspects of the Mikra (one of the Biblical primary sources). But you are a Kabbalist and should therefore see the inner meaning in these writings.

My Answer: At our lessons, we follow a certain program, just like Rabash‘s students did. You can verify this with any of his students. I also discuss the weekly chapters of the Torah on my TV shows. All of these programs are available on the Internet.

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A question I received: The  G-20 summit reminds me of the famous story when the residents of a Kibbutz prayed for rain in the middle of the desert. Is this a good comparison?

My Answer: You’re saying that the Kibbutz members prayed for rain from the bottom of their hearts, and the rain finally came, and so if the G-20 and all of humanity in general will wish for goodness, will it come? Well, the people who lived in the Kibbutz were already united! They were willing to sacrifice their egoism in regard to each other and to annul themselves in regard to the Kibbutz. They had a common desire, a prayer that came from their unification, and this is why it came true.

But what unification do you have here? On one hand, we can say that people are united by a common problem, like nuts in a sac. However, this is not enough, because what’s required is true unification. It won’t help to just try and escape the woes. This will not redirect people toward goodness. They can be directed to goodness only under the condition that they understand how to create this goodness.

In essence, the question is: can humanity find the path to a happy future naturally, without the science of Kabbalah? The answer is: no, it cannot, because it does not have the Force that’s capable of uniting egoists. They don’t have the channel that draws the Upper Light, which can fill the vacuum between egoists and “glue” them together. What’s necessary is a connection with the Upper Force; this is why the science of Kabbalah was revealed in Ancient Babylon and why it is now coming back.

(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept” on 03.08.2009)

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Two questions I received on love, marriage and divorce:

Question: I’ve heard someone say that a couple’s sexual relationship is an indication of their standing in the spiritual world. But surveys show that 65% of people lose their attraction for their partner after two years of living together, although some of them still maintain a wonderful relationship. It seems that 65% of families should be “broken up” in spite of the kids, but divorces cripple our children!

My Answer: Families should stay together, and the way to do this is to make compromises to one another as much as possible.

Question: My wife is 14 years younger than me. She is not Jewish and has never been interested in spirituality, but she converted to Judaism in order for us to get married. We have a two-year old son. We split up because of her stubbornness: she always thinks she is right. She is materialistic and likes anything that “shines.” I gave her everything I could, and even more because right now I am on the verge of bankruptcy.

In spite of everything, I still love her and she loves me in her own way, but our egos won’t let us make up. Plus, I am afraid of getting another divorce. Yet, despite everything, just seeing her smile makes me happy. Is this love or am I just satisfying my own ego? Maybe your advice will help me.

My Answer: It’s best to do what you did before: be together, in love, and with your son.

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A question I received: The G20 summit is coming up. Let’s suppose they will hear our message and accept the principle that “All of humanity is one family.” In this case, what should we do with the “bad apples” who don’t want to comply with this principle yet? For example, what should we do with Ahmadinejad? Elect someone else or try to reeducate him? After all, as long as any part of the organism refuses to accept the law of the mutual guarantee, the whole organism suffers.

My Answer: By examining our body, we see that the organism isolates any part that’s harmful or foreign. It places that part into a “sac,” increases the temperature so it will die, and then extrudes that harmful or foreign part. If the whole world isolates a country or a block of countries, they will not be able to survive, and they ’ll accept the law of global coexistence.

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Questions I received on the Maaser:

Question: Is it possible to cross the Machsom without paying Maaser?

My Answer: No.

Question: Do we correct ourselves during the initial period of study, when we do not contribute the Maaser?

My Answer: Yes, but only at your first preparatory stage. Kabbalists never accepted students who refused to follow this condition. After all, no matter how much a person tries, Malchut, the tenth Sefira, becomes corrected only when a person gives away to others one tenth of what belongs to him.

Question: Do new students who are in their first year of studies also need to give the Maaser? When should a person begin to pay the Maaser?

My Answer: One should begin to pay the Maaser when he begins to understand that he desires spiritual development. A person will not advance without making efforts. Maaser is the tenth part of the desire, which can only be corrected this way, by being given away.

Question: I have a question about the Maaser. I am a 13 year-old boy who is studying Kabbalah at your center. I do not yet earn any money and I cannot ask my mother to pay the Maaser because she does not study Kabbalah. Besides, my mother has no job. What is the solution for someone who cannot pay the Maaser? I support the center by disseminating, but the problem is, I cannot pay the Maaser because I cannot afford to.

My Answer: Only a person with his own personal income is obligated to pay Maaser. Whoever does not have a personal income has no right to pay it.

Question: If I give away 10% of my income for the dissemination of Kabbalah, will I go hungry?

My Answer: Well, have you ever really tried it?

Question: Can a person who lacks financial resources study Kabbalah?

My Answer: The study of Kabbalah is not contingent on any financial investments. All of our study materials are available on our website for everyone free of charge!

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In the News (from BBC): Unhappy children are more likely to grow up to become adults who are permanently sick or disabled, a UK study has suggested.

Question: Almost all children who require a psychiatric evaluation exhibit the same trait: lack of maternal warmth and care. In your opinion, do mothers really care less about their children or is it that the modern-day children are not satisfied with the same care and attention that were sufficient for previous generations?

Answer: In our time, women’s egoism surpasses their maternal instinct.

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A question I received: Do the mass media and our culture have to change?

My Answer: Definitely. In fact, this is the most important thing. The mass media must serve as a global education system, explaining the essence of the globalization process. This should be their primary responsibility.

All the sources of communication and all the channels supplying people with information should spend 24 hours a day giving people the knowledge of how to organize life under the new conditions. And in truth, this is the only thing people want to hear because everything around them is falling apart and this knowledge gives them the only thing that can save them.

If millions of people begin to think about this, then this thought will be prevalent everywhere. After all, there is no distance for thoughts, so whatever people think about in one place becomes instantly expressed in other places. The power of thought of millions of people is enormous, and it can make everything become revealed at lightning speed. As a result, the correction will happen much faster than the corruption. While the process of the fall of the generations took place over millennia, the correction can happen in just a few months.

Kabbalah explains the process of our development. No one goes through this process by their own will; everyone is forced to participate by the pressure of the circumstances. No one asks our consent to participate in this process, because egoists would never agree to give something up and unite.

However, people will be able to do this because they desire to get rid of their troubles! And they need to know that there is no other solution. The explanation must be based on evidence taken from nature and science and it must cite the opinions of scientists and specialists in the field of economics and finance. Then people will become convinced that there is no choice but to unite in the global world, which is dominated by the “butterfly effect.”

There is no other choice – we will have to do this! What else is left for us to do, if this is what Nature demands? We can either die or live – the choice is ours!
(From the lesson on Baal HaSulam’s article, “One Precept,” on 03.08.2009)

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