A question I received: There are people, groups, and organizations that see themselves as one whole and close to nature. They say they love each other, plants and animals. Is this “love your neighbor?”

My Answer: “Love your neighbor” is a law of Nature, a condition in the world around us. This condition is suddenly being revealed to us now because we have grown into it, similar to a child that grows up to be an adult and suddenly has to abide by the laws of the society.

Imagine that all the media channels suddenly announced that everyone has to follow the law of “love your neighbor” by the end of the year, and anyone that won’t be able to do this will be executed. This is not funny at all – this is the condition Nature has set for us. However, we are unable to see it.

So, what are we going to do? We have to learn how to attain “love for your neighbor.” We must find out what this law means, what Nature wants from us. We cannot avoid this law – we must learn it. But how?

Through studying. This is the only means that will enable people to understand that there is no place to run and the only solution is to be corrected by a special force of Nature. This special force influences a person who desires to be corrected, to attain the degree of “love your neighbor.”

It is like a wave or frequency among billions of frequencies, and you will perceive it only if you desire it. Nature requires you to tune in to the frequency where you will feel that the only thing you want is to love your neighbor! Then this force of Nature will come and correct you.

All other attempts will lead us to a crisis, in order for us to find this path to the goal. Other directions are gradually dwindling all around us. This is called the “Egyptian plagues,” and they will eventually make us see that there is no other choice. When we find ourselves in total darkness, we will be willing and eager to run away and attain just one thing – “love your neighbor.” Where did the people run to from Egypt? Only to love, as evidenced by the unity that later took place by Mount Sinai.

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Questions I received on our lecture series, symbols used in weddings, and names:

Question: I listened to a lecture series you gave on the “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah.” The last lesson, given on 11.21.08, ended with Item 121. Will you continue giving lectures on this topic?

My Answer: The regular study of the “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” ends there because from that point on, it is better to continue studying Kabbalah using the book, Talmud Eser Sefirot. The material becomes extremely dense at that point – you can check this for yourself. In addition, this was my teacher’s custom.

Question: Please explain the Kabbalistic meaning of the symbols used in the Jewish wedding ritual: the Huppah (wedding canopy), the glass of wine, the ring, the money for the ring and the bride, the breaking of the glass, the Ketuba (marriage contract), and so on.

My Answer: These are all symbolic of the unification of the desire (vessel) with the right intention (screen) for the reception of Light (adhesion with the Creator). The Huppah is the screen, the wine is the Light of Hochma, the ring and the money is the effort to create a screen, the bride is the desire, the Ketuba is the condition for adhesion, and the breaking of the vessel or glass signify that the correction and unification begin with the revelation of the broken, egoistic desires. And the entire family life is the correction of the vessel.

Question: You wrote that the Torah contains all the names that have spiritual roots, that these are all names of spiritual forces, whether holy or evil ones. Out of these names, we should choose the “holy” ones to name our children. How do I know which names are holy?

My Answer: Use the names that have been given to children throughout the centuries.

Related Material:
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A question I received: Yesterday I was watching the news and saw an economic forecast by Ben Bernanke, the person heading the development of the entire US economy. He said that if the banks will use the government-issued bailout money and pass it along to other businesses, the country can come out of the recession over the next year. What do you have to say about his forecast from the standpoint of Kabbalah?

My Answer: I believe that his predictions will not come true. What he said may happen for just a short period of time, because if you start giving out billions of dollars to people, and these people decide to purchase goods, this will create a deficit in the stores. The deficit will lead to new orders for the manufacturers, which will stimulate production for a short period of time. This will create new jobs and put money in people’s wallets.

But this won’t last long. After all, the problem is the lack of connection between people and our loss of control over the system of human relationships. These things cannot be corrected by infusions of money or the use of force.

Of course, everyone is free to speak their mind. However, the fact is, we exist in a new system of laws, where we cannot succeed by using the old methods. And whoever plans on using them is doomed to fail.

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What is the cause of the new situation we are in? Why is the connection between us being revealed? It is to reveal the connection between our souls. This net that binds people together is spiritual, and it is called Adam HaRishon, the common soul.

We are “caught” in it like fish in a net – this is how we feel because we do not desire this connection! However, if you will desire to be connected to everyone else by this net, it will become a pleasure for you. Why? Because through this mutual connection, you will attain the Upper Force and spiritual life.

You are already inside this net – it is Nature itself. And the financial crisis, as well as all the other crises that are happening in different areas, are there for us to become aware of the net we are in.

Related Material:
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A person loses the actual concept of death immediately after crossing the Machsom, because the fact is, death doesn’t exist! Death is the feeling of emptiness inside our egoistic desires; it is when we find out that these desires will be empty forever. Therefore, if a person feels completely empty, he finds it easy to take his own life, since it is nothing but suffering for him.

Thus, the most important thing is to realize that there is no fulfillment inside the egoistic desires – and there never will be. However, it is possible to receive fulfillment inside the desire to bestow, and moreover – this fulfillment will be eternal and perfect.

No matter how hard a person works to fulfill his egoism, it’s all in vain – it’s like trying to fill a container with holes in it. No matter how much money you make or how hard you try to accomplish something, you soon discover that things like money, respect, power or knowledge all go away, disappear, leaving you with greater emptiness and disappointment.

The whole world is beginning to realize that money, fame, power, and all other competition will never bring good results. The only useful conclusion we can make from our personal experience and the entire history of humanity is that it’s useless to toil for our own egoism. After reaching this conclusion, a person begins to have a sensible outlook and understands that there is nothing to pursue and nothing to wait for. And there’s also no reason to despair: we just have to grasp the correct, real picture of the world. We have to recognize that the world is developing in a new way, where we are offered the highest opportunity – eternal fulfillment.

A smart person will not get himself into a deal that will leave him disappointed ten years down the line. Rather, he will see everything through beforehand and will carefully choose another, more correct path. Thus, we have to explain to the world that there is a short and easy path to the goal of creation. This will save everyone from unnecessary and lengthy suffering, which will end up bringing us to the same goal anyway.

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A question I received: It’s possible that the Jews were the chosen people at one point, but I doubt this is still so. How are the Jews any better or worse than the other nations? This kind of thinking would be a display of egoism, wouldn’t it? Sure, you can quote the Torah, but the Torah also says that the Arabs were chosen by G-d, and G-d also promised to multiply them as the stars in the sky and put them above other nations. And we do see that they have multiplied as the stars and they also own oil.

My Answer: To be chosen means to be responsible for passing onto the world the method of the world’s correction – the science of Kabbalah. It does not mean to be superior to anyone. See Baal HaSulam’s articles, “The Revelation of Godliness (Matan Torah)” and “The Arvut (Mutual Guarantee).”

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In the News (from University of Cambridge): The human brain lives “on the edge of chaos,” at a critical transition point between randomness and order. It might be operating in a self-organized critical state – the brain can spontaneously organize itself at a point on the edge of chaos between order and randomness. This point at the edge of chaos allows neurons to jump quickly between different states enabling them to alter behavior as necessary, allowing humans to respond quickly to the environment around them.

Due to these characteristics, self-organized criticality is intuitively attractive as a model for brain functions such as perception and action, because it would allow us to switch quickly between mental states in order to respond to changing environmental conditions.

My Comment: When a person is on the spiritual path, these states are especially vivid: one constantly goes from chaos, confusion, and uncertainty to clarity and confidence.

In Hebrew, the word for evening - Erev, originates from the verb Learvev – to mix. Thus, when one is in the state called, “evening,” the clarity that one felt before turns into uncertainty, confusion and then a total lack of understanding, which is the state called “night.” This is exactly the state when a person is internally preparing for new possibilities and new attainments. It is similar to when our physical bodies rest before a new workday.

In Aramaic, which is opposite to Hebrew, the word for “night” is Orta, which comes from the Hebrew word Ohr – light. This shows that the “night” is also light, but its light is opposite to the Light of day. Therefore, the states of confusion, chaos and uncertainty are necessary in order for one to systemize information and gain deeper awareness of it.

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A question I received: When a person is under someone else’s authority, he strives to become free. But when he acquires freedom, he doesn’t know what to do with it. Why does this happen? Where does this come from?

My Answer: This is precisely what happens when we experience hardship and breaks between periods of hardship. In between the difficult periods, everyone gives out a sigh of relief, saying, “Thank God!” It is human nature to feel this way. This is how our ego works, since it needs to understand what is happening, layer by layer.

But a break in between the hardships does not mean that the hardships are over. We have no choice: we have to go through this difficult stage, which is called the Egyptian exile and the ten Egyptian plagues. These changing states will enable humanity to begin to understand that it has to implement a new program if it is to advance. It has to run as fast as it can from the former program – the ego, and completely discard its previous form of existence.

We will then “come out of Egypt,” leaving behind all our previous ways of life, including the systems by which all the banks, industries, and all other systems functioned. We will accept a new program, and we will do so “as one man with one heart.”

This is what the world will be forced to do – to accept the new principle, “love your neighbor as yourself,” to learn it, and to find out how we can all live together by carrying it out.

But how can we do this? After all, we cannot restrain our egos. This is why we require a method, which will allow us to create the proper connections with each other. Otherwise, we will eat each other alive and destroy our entire lives! Hence, we will desire the force that will allow us to unite. And we will then reveal the Light that Reforms – the science of Kabbalah, and this Light will help us to begin to ascend in spirituality.

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When a person approaches midlife, he begins gradually “sliding down” to death. One does not die in an instant just as one does not become an adult immediately. His candle – the egoistic desire that burns in him – fades away gradually.

Until the age of 40-45, one thinks that his whole life is in front of him and that he will be able to fulfill himself. But at the age of 40, one grows disappointed and sees that it’s pointless waiting for big changes to happen in his life. And this is how he begins dwindling.

One’s egoistic desire becomes more and more submissive, accepting of what it has, until the desire to advance disappears completely. Thus, it dies. So it’s not our body that dies, but our desire to go on, which grows weaker.

Is there anything we can do about this? Everyone is looking for ways to live longer. But why do people want this – isn’t there enough suffering for us? Do we want to suffer for 140 years instead of 70? We want this because we are more scared of death than of losing something in this life.

However, if a person is in a society that engages in spiritual development, the society gives him energy and a desire to advance. Thus, he always feels like a child who has many desires. And besides his egoism, he develops a new desire – to bestow. This desire always grows bigger, glows brighter, and never fades.

This growing desire constantly revitalizes a person, so he stays as active and relentless as a child throughout all the years of his life. During the 70 or so years of his life, he will never fade away. And moreover, he will not feel any loss at the death of his physical body, but will see it as a leap to a higher degree with regard to his desires and his soul.

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A question I received: Two months ago, my Rabbi approached me regarding my speaking to the congregation about Kabbalah at our weekly services. We generally have 10 to 15 people at the services. We are a very small Reform Temple in Northeast Pennsylvania. Could you please give me some guidance on this issue?

My Answer: You should speak to them and tell them that Kabbalah is the science about the correction of the world. Today the world is discovering how incorrect it is, and this is why Kabbalah is being revealed to the world for the first time in history. Everything that was said about Kabbalah in the past was a lie, but nobody knew about this since the Kabbalists kept silent about it.

The first man who revealed this fact was Baal HaSulam. Before him, Chassidut talked about personal correction, but they said little and did it in a concealed form. Therefore, instead of performing the inner correction, people started to focus on the external actions and rituals.

Kabbalah was revealed in Ancient Babylon by Abraham in order to correct humanity. At that time, humanity recognized that it was united together in one place, but then the people separated and broke the connection. Today this connection is again being revealed on the global scale, and therefore, people will inevitably understand it – either through recognition or suffering. They will then use Kabbalah to correct mankind’s egoism.

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