Entries in the 'Politics' Category

Why Mr. Obama Can Benefit from Learning Kabbalah

obama_wpThe President-elect of the United States, Barack Obama writes in his book, Audacity Of Hope - Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream:

“In response, I would usually smile and nod and say that I understood the skepticism, but that there was – and always had been – another tradition to politics, a tradition that stretched from the days of the country’s founding to the glory of the civil rights movement, a tradition based on the simple idea that we have a stake in one another, and that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and that if enough people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done.”

Does Charity Really Help Anyone?My Comment: Throughout all human history, from the ancient times to today, there were many people who realized and wrote about the cause of all the suffering and crises that take place in society and in nature as a whole. That cause is man’s egoistic nature.

However, in our world there is no means to correct man’s egoism. The only thing capable of correcting it is the Upper Light, which created it. And there is only one method in our world that can draw the Light’s influence upon our egoism – the Science of Kabbalah. Its intended purpose is to reveal the Creator - the quality of love and bestowal - to man in this world (see the beginning of the article, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”).

So if the new American President plans to make the world better, he has to familiarize himself with Kabbalah. Otherwise, things will turn out as they always have.

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Is Capitalism in Russia Realistic Or Necessary?

russiaA question I received: Why doesn’t capitalism work in Russia like it does in the West?

My Answer: You are mistaken because Russia hasn’t experienced capitalism yet. However, today this is no longer necessary, if we do as Baal HaSulam wrote: provide people with an understanding of the world we now live in – a world that’s global and interconnected. In this new world, the competition changes from “who will receive the most?” to the spiritual competition “who will give the most in order to merit a greater connection with the Creator?” However, when it comes to technology and service, it’s still best to “learn what is good in the West,” as Vladimir Mayakovsky put it.

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Is It Realistic for Politicians to Unite?

realisticA question I received: Listening to your latest lessons, I have come to the following conclusion:

According to Russia’s character and mentality, this country is a sensitive system, whereas the United States is the opposite - a logical system. Israel, according to its root, must regulate the balance between them. Then, with Israel as a connecting link, this system will bring harmony and prosperity to the world.

However, today we have the opposite situation: every country seeks to declare its exclusive superiority, pushing the world to the brink of war. If the two superpowers - with Israel’s participation - were to replace their mutual antagonism with mutual cooperation, they would bring the entire world to a new ascent.

Is this summary correct? If yes, then how can we aid this process? Is it realistic for politicians to unite on a higher level and avoid massive bloodshed?

Leonid Elizarov, PhD

My Answer: I agree with you. This is exactly the direction we are working in.

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The Crisis of Earthly Wisdom

History Is the Unraveling of Reshimot Inside UsTwo questions I received on failed “wisdoms”:

Question: Why are all the “wise people” in crisis?

My Answer: Because it has become clear that their “wisdom” is in crisis! After all, it is human and earthly, not “Upper.” Only the wisdom of Kabbalah alone will become revealed to everyone – proudly alone, on the throne of the highest value.

Question: Lenin was driven by the desire to make more people (the proletariat) happy with the help of a better society. In essence - though not in form - this desire coincides with the Creator’s desire to make the creatures happy. Then why do you still feel “sick” about his “speech on the armored car?”

My Answer: Half of the world are still sick in the stomach just thinking of him! Today they still can’t recover from this mistake of forcefully imposing the condition of unity, mutual guarantee, brotherhood, communal property, and mutual means of production, as well as the consequences of this.

All of these must occur by means of man’s self-correction, voluntarily, and through education, instead of through the overbearing “education” of the KGB, when they were annihilating their own people. Baal HaSulam writes about it in his newspaper “HaUma” (The Nation) and in the article “The Future Generation.”

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Russia May Lead the Way to Global Unity

RussiaA question I received: A new worldview seeking to shift the entire civilization to a new level of consciousness has been published on the site of the national movement “RUSSIA IS US,” in the section “A New Worldview,” on the discussion forum, and other places.

Your thoughts and ideas from different articles published on your Kabbalah Academy websites and the Internet at large, were used in building a foundation for the new worldview. We would greatly appreciate your comments and suggestions.

With deep respect,
Alexey Yurievich Bartunov
Leader of the national movement “RUSSIA IS US”

My Answer: Dear Alexey Yurievich,

I will be very happy to participate in an opportunity to build a better Russia. I have always said that the inner demands of the Russians are close to the Kabbalistic ideas. The search for a national idea, self-expression, self-realization in the world in the capacity of a special enlightening force that draws respect and praise – all this is possible precisely by correctly implementing the idea of unity of all the nations. Russia can come forth as the initiator of an organizational plan for the new humanity. I am completely together with you in this!

Additional Comment: Professor Dov Sadan writes in his book Spiritual Revival that during the revolutionary period in Russia, Baal HaSulam took part in Polish workers’ demonstrations and supported them by carrying a red flag! He explained that what was happening in Russia signified that the masses were coming closer to the ideas of Kabbalah.

Later, after moving to Palestine in 1921, when socialistic changes started taking place in Poland, Baal HaSulam returned to Poland again and tried to get in touch with the leaders of the Polish workers’ movement. He wanted the socialist changes to be implemented correctly.

Unfortunately, people could not hear him. After all, to do this the society should have been able to rise above its egoism and recognize that there is no path other than global unity.

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Russia and Israel Have the Opposite Problem

Russia and Israel Have the Opposite ProblemA question I received: I have been studying Kabbalah for a long time and I really enjoy it. I am also writing a book that examines Kabbalah from different perspectives. I have a million questions for you, but will start with just one: would it be good to restore royal government in Russia?

My Answer: I have been receiving many letters from my students in the entire Caucasus region because of the recent events happening there. Even though I don’t usually get involved in politics or think in corporeal terms, as if something is actually happening here, nevertheless I will talk about this in regular language in order to show how the Upper Forces reflect in our actions.

The Russian people are smart, sensitive, and even special in heart and mind, but they aren’t able to govern themselves (as the Russian saying goes: “The master will come and decide what to do”). They weren’t able to do it over the course of their entire history. The only period when Russia prospered was when it was governed by the tsars - from Peter the Great until the last tsar.

Most of these tsars weren’t Russian, but came from the West, and they directed Russia toward the Western path of development. During that time almost all of Russia’s ministers, as well as Russian culture, were “Western.” And this didn’t impede Russia’s development, but rather facilitated the development of Russian culture, literature, and industry - the foundation of Russia, which was created in the nineteenth century. In essence, Russia was built by Europe, but instead of being suppressed by Western influence, Russian culture, Orthodoxy, and science developed beautifully!

Hence, Russia’s present separation from Europe is suicide for it! Russia should imitate the European parliament and government to the letter, with the help of experienced European specialists, the way it did during Tsarist Russia. It cannot manage on its own, since it lacks the experience of the West, whose history and development go back thousands of years. By showcasing its exclusivity, Russia goes against the Upper Force. Hence, this country will once again develop unsuccessfully.

Incidentally, the Jews in Israel have the opposite problem: they are striving to be like the West, but according to their Upper Goal they must strive to create a spiritual society and become an example for the entire world. This is why the Upper Force is against them.

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Neither Side Is Right In the Georgian War

Neither Side Is Right In This WarTwo questions I received on the conflict in Georgia:

Question: What are we supposed to think about the aggression that’s happening in Georgia? “Way to go! Egoism is growing! Everything’s going according to plan, right?” I don’t agree with this.

Personally, it pains me to see innocent people bombed, and I see their pain as my own. And why is the entire world ganging up against Russia? I think that Russia is the true “Israel” (according to the Kabbalistic definition of Israel), and not Israel. What do you think about this?

My Answer: I put all of my efforts into enlightening all people. What about you? And by the way, aren’t the bombs that are falling on Georgia, Russian? What makes you think that Russia has the property of Israel more than other countries? Is it Russia’s suppression and extermination of its own people during the seventy years of the Soviet regime? Or is it because it has supplied the entire world with weapons? Or because it is encouraging the development of the military atomic industry in third world countries? Or is it Russia’s aspiration to bring the other nations into submission and impose its “truth” onto the entire world? What’s more, Russia has done all this by oppressing its own people!

To ascend above egoism means to make everyone equal, to love everyone, and to unite, instead of bringing everyone into submission like “the older brother.” I am not a politician, and I am not defending or condemning any side in this conflict. I am only pointing out a persistent tendency that Russia has. I think the period of Russian prosperity was when it was connected with Europe, when the Russian tsars were in power. And that’s because the tsars came from Europe, but they reformed and built Russia.

One can only judge an action after ascending above one’s personal and national egoism. I feel very sorry for the people of Russia, because once again, they will suffer from everything that is happening more than anyone else!

Question: The war in Georgia is helping us understand that egoism is evil. But how can one justify it from the Creator’s point of view, how can one ascend over one’s nature?

My Answer: No one is right in this conflict, because people are being forced to collide by egoism. Don’t condemn anyone, but instead disseminate the truth which will draw the Light to our world and correct everyone. This is our only thought, desire, and objective.

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Why Don’t Kabbalists Enter the Political Arena?

Why Don\'t Kabbalists Enter the Political Arena?A question I received: More and more people are waking up to the evil within us. Why don’t Kabbalists go out on the political arena? Won’t establishing a political party also be a way to distribute the knowledge of Kabbalah? Or will this hurt the distribution of this wisdom? Even if people don’t like what they hear, they will still have a relation to Kabbalistic knowledge. Wouldn’t the Light give people a push in the right direction then?

My Answer: Our goal is to educate people, to give them knowledge about the true structure of the world, its goal, and man’s role in the world. People will soon start to understand that in order to reach a better future, they have to change their lifestyle, the entire social system and government relations. They will then desire to change their world based on our explanations of the laws operating in society and the world, and will come to naturally realize that the world has to be governed by Kabbalists.

However, this will happen to the extent of people’s Kabbalistic education, the recognition of evil and correction. Until then, we have to disseminate Kabbalah from below upwards, because any attempts to enter politics (to “take over” the Ministry of Education and teach Kabbalah to the masses) will be misunderstood and met with hostility.

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