Two questions I received concerning Jewish mixed marriages and Jewish ancestry:

Question: If there are any problems in mixed (Jew and non-Jew) families then religious representatives of Judaism say that these marriages were prohibited by the Creator. Why then did the Almighty create so many mixed families?

My Answer: I don’t see problems in mixed families. Today, most families in America and Russia are mixed. If one spouse doesn’t become religious then there are no conflicts. Kabbalah is above religions and talks about unification of all in one Creator.  Religions were invented by people and thus separate them.

Question: Recently I found out that I am Jewish from my father’s side whose ancestors lived in Portugal in the Middle Ages and were forced by the Inquisition to either convert to Christianity or leave the country. They were called “marans.” How should I relate to it?

My Answer: Don’t change anything; continue to live your life as before. There are millions of people like you in the world. All will reach adhesion and equivalence of form with the Creator and with each other.

Related Material:
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Kabbalah Today Article: New Jersey’s “Courier Post” Interviews Rav Michael Laitman, PhD
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”
Video: The Law of Equivalence of Form (4:10)

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In the News (translated from ISRUS): “Pilgrimage to Ukraine: The Jews Fell to Paganism?” – Annual “migration” of Chasidic pilgrims to Ukraine proves that their inner world is empty. Leaving wives and children at home and running away with the guys for a holiday no matter where – that is really an adventure! This illusory bridge conceals the emptiness wrapped up in a packaging called “faith.”
My Comment: Kabbalah talks about the immaterial and abstract Creator who will take the place of all the icons and pictures, replacing exaggerated customs with inner contemplation of the Creator in the corrected self.

Related Material:
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Baal HaSulam Article: “Disclosing a Portion, Covering Two”

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News Report (translated from Cursorinfo): In a survey of Russian immigrants in Israel, 75% feel that Orthodox Jews are meddling with their lives. The majority of respondents are of the opinion that religion and government in Israel should be separated. The pressure and limitations imposed by the religious interests only intensify the hatred for the Orthodox and deepen the schism between the secular and religious groups.
My Comment: The following steps are necessary to completely separate religion from government:  Do away with all compulsory religion-driven conditions and laws, and form a joint institute of secular-religious consensus. By practicing love of others (love thy neighbor is the main rule of the Torah!), the Orthodox will ensure that religion is understood and accepted, and not hated as it is today. Their current behavior reveals the avarice of religious institutions and their opposition to the commandment of love of others. As with all the other commandments, they stole it from Kabbalah, though they don’t have the means to actualize it – the Upper Force.

Musings on true religion: To be religious is to act for the benefit of others. Because that is the nature of the Creator, everybody must achieve such an attitude toward others. The mission of a religious person is to help others become like that.

A person is considered religious when he develops that kind of attitude toward others, and not because of any rituals. Ritualistic behavior alone denigrates the Creator and religion in the eyes of the non-religious by giving the non-religious the wrong perception of the purpose of religion. See Baal HaSulam’s article, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.”

There is only one religion – Kabbalah. All earthly religions are formations of egoism, with their purposes being absolutely egoistic. All religions separate and control people, whereas the essence of religion must be to eradicate the egoism within man!

Religion must create the conditions wherein man could turn himself over, just as soil is turned over when it’s being plowed. Religion must create an environment that would force everybody to change their mentality and values. “Force” because otherwise man cannot change himself, no matter how hard he tries.

One of the primary intents of religion is to put everyone on the same level, regardless of religious title, social or economic status – be it king or slave, rich or poor – everyone is equal. Man is judged solely on his love of others, and not by his adherence to rituals.

A religious person cannot possibly despise others (non-religious, people of other faiths or ethnic backgrounds). The ruin of religion is that people begin to exalt it, and in so doing exalt themselves through association. Thus religion turns into another form of power!

Religion is one’s personal link to the Creator which stems from the feeling of merging with all of humanity. That is why religion is a personal and private matter, and ought not be subjected to outside evaluation.

The mission of a religious person is to inject the sensation of the Creator, the Upper life into our world.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Opposition Between Religion And Kabbalah: Actions Versus Intentions
Laitman.com Post: The True Origin Of Religions
Laitman.com Post: Why Religion Is Against Kabbalah
Baal HaSulam Article:”The Essence Of Religion And Its Purpose”

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A question I received: I am a member of a Chile group; I work as a teacher at the University of Protestant Theology, and have a PhD in Practical Theology. The inner conflict that I have been going through relates to my analysis of everything that I have studied for the last 7 years. I understand that Kabbalah should not interfere with my work as a teacher, but it can’t last indefinitely.

I do teach Christian theology, philosophy, Islam and Orthodox Judaism. My path brings me to a conflict with my friends at work, who consider themselves to be wise. I have decided to openly declare my commitment and endorsement of Kabbalah, as the only divine wisdom, capable of correcting the heart. Today, I handed our newspaper across the department and explained to them my view. A lot is at stake, so here’s my question: “What do you think about my actions?”

My Answer: I am concerned with your future at the university, and more precisely, with your source of income. I understand that you can’t remain professionally what you were, before you came to Kabbalah.

I recommend that you start writing comparative research articles, portraying Kabbalah as the source of all religions, while underscoring the similarities and not the differences. It would add purpose to religion (bestowal and love of fellow man) and help guide people to the means of correction. I wouldn’t criticize religions and would even stay away from them!

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Religion of the Future Is “Love for the Fellow Man”
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Baal HaSulam Article: “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”
Shamati #179: “Three Lines”

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A question I received: What should be the connection between the Jewish religion and the state of Israel?

My Answer: There shouldn’t be any connection between religion and state. Every person should be able to lead the lifestyle of his choice without coercion. Kabbalah states: “There’s no coercion in spirituality!”

People should only be influenced by the correct education. Sure, the upbringing in Israel should be conducted the spirit of the Jewish tradition, Jewish culture and all that we received from our forefathers. However, this should be done through a gentle, kind upbringing in the spirit of the nation’s traditions.

Through the dissemination of Kabbalah, today’s religion – a set of obligatory actions, will turn into true religion. This is what Baal HaSulam describes in the article, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose.” How will this happen?

The Upper Force that is being reveals to us today will change us, and people will then begin to feel and understand the Creator. His revelation will eliminate the need for the religious services of today and the need for intermediaries between man and the Creator, such as religion and its leaders. It is written, “And people will stop teaching about Creator, for all will know Me, from small to great.”

The revelation of the Creator will show everyone the principle of the entire Torah: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which is currently absent even among the religious people. Baal HaSulam writes in “The Future Generation”:

The religious (ethical) form, determining the life of all nations, must first and foremost obligate its representatives to engage in bestowal to the fellow man, according to the principle, “love your neighbor as yourself.” And this will be the social consciousness of all nations… However, with this exception, each nation should be free to follow its own religion and traditions, and no nation should interfere with the affairs of another.

The science of Kabbalah explains that the main principle of the Torah, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” indicates that the observance of the Mitzvot (precepts) and Torah means the correction of one’s egoism, where one reaches the level of love for the fellow man. So it is the correction of one’s egoistic desires that is called the observance of the precepts.

If a person engages in self-correction in order to develop an attitude of bestowal to the fellow man, this means that he is performing all the rules of Torah. This is what the great sage Rabbi Akiva said. When he was asked to explain all of the Torah while “standing on one leg” (metaphorically speaking), he cited the general rule of the entire Torah: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Another sage, named Hillel, who lived in the times of the Talmud (the beginning of the Common Era) states this principle as: “Don’t do to another what you don’t want others to do to you.”

Therefore, the entire institute of religion will definitely go through a big change, as it doesn’t stand by these principles.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Learning to Live In the Spiritual World
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Talk: “There is No Coercion in Spirituality”
Baal HaSulam Article: “A Speech for the Completion of The Zohar”

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In the News (from Haaretz): “The majority backs civil marriage” The vast majority of the Jewish community (65 percent) supports civil marriage. Among those who describe themselves as “traditional,” just over 50 percent support civil marriage. Among religious and ultra-Orthodox respondents,13 percent supported it. Among the secular, about 90 percent support it.

My Comment: This is a result of people’s adverse reaction to the religious decree governing marriage in Israel, and the absence of the proper, conventional education that nurtures love and respect of Israel’s traditions. The people’s attitudes to the Jewish traditions would improve a great deal if religion was separated from government. Giving people orders and using violent methods is not the way to have people develop the proper attitude to their cultural traditions correctly!

Related Material:
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Questions I received on observing religious practices:

Question: I practice Torah and the Mitzvot (commandments) in my daily life and my practice often becomes mechanical – not spiritual. You state that Kabbalah has nothing to do with religion, yet it seems inextricably linked to Torah.

Please advise me on how I can re-engage with the Mitzvot in a way that will correct my “desire to receive” to a “desire to give.” Surely that is what they are for. Please shed some light on the connection of the Mitzvot to Kabbalah, and the significance of the Mitzvot for a Jew.

My Answer: Kabbalah is the method of the soul’s correction by means of revealing the Creator. The soul bears no relation to the body.

If you want to follow the tenets of Judaism, it’s your business. Personally, I abide by this framework because it is the tradition of the nation I belong to. However, I have hundreds of thousands of students who are not Jews and who do not follow these commandments. This does not impair their spiritual development in any way. It is written: “They will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” and “My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” This means that everyone will unite by revealing the Creator.

Kabbalah was revealed in Ancient Babylon to everyone, and today it is being revealed to everyone again. Regardless, every person can practice his own external cultural traditions.

Question: How can we observe 613 commandments if we are not Jews? Where can we find the list of these commandments? How do I observe Shabbat and holidays: should I go to a synagogue or a Kabbalah center that observe such events?

My Answer: The 613 commandments are the correction of 613 desires. These desire will only be revealed inside you after you cross Machsom. They are not related to any actions in our world – they are desires.

Religious actions, however, are traditions and do not correct a person or his soul. It’s not necessary to observe them in order to attain the goal of creation. They are there for you in case you want to be connected to the culture of your people.

Related Material:
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Laitman.com Post: What Is the Machsom?
Kabbalah Today Article: Kabbalah Explains the Bible
Baal HaSulam Article: “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

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Two questions I received about religion:

Question (in response to the post, Why Religion Is Against Kabbalah): This is exactly why I left Christianity! I strongly disliked how belonging to one religion automatically excludes others. I’m so happy to have found Kabbalah! I didn’t know there was something out there that emphasized unity. But what about Judaism? Judaism does not try to convert people of other faiths and does not seem to “hate” the other religions.

My Answer: Kabbalah is the method of correcting man, making him similar to the Creator by obtaining the quality of bestowal and love. This has absolutely no relation to any religion. It is for everyone and does not entail any obligations, restrictions, observance of religious rituals, and so on.

Question: In some spiritual writings, religion is described in a positive way. In others, religion is not recommended as a path to enlightenment. Is religion better for some people than others? Is religion good or bad?

My Answer: Religion is useful only during the period of the Creator’s concealment. But even then, it is only good for confining people’s egoism. In our generation, religion is being replaced by Kabbalah, and will remain only as a social, cultural framework.

Related Material:
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Baal HaSulam Article: “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”

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Questions I received about the relationship between spiritual correction and corporeal commandments:

Question: How does one receive the Light or the screen?

My Answer: This can be achieved only by studying Kabbalah – see Item 155 of the “Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot.”

Question cont’d: Does one have to observe the 613 (or 620) commandments?

My Answer: One observes the 613 commandments when he corrects his 613 desires by the Upper Light during Kabbalah studies. However, mechanical actions do not correct anything!

Question cont’d: Does putting on the Tefillin and saying the Shema prayer also play a role in receiving the Light?

My Answer: No.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Preface to the Science of Kabbalah. Items 13-16
Laitman.com Post: Spirituality Lies Beyond Our World (Advanced)
Laitman.com Post: The Difference Between Spiritual Correction and Ritual Observance
A Guide to the Hidden Wisdom of Kabbalah: “The Screen (and the Unlikely Example)”

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A question I received: As a student of Kabbalah, I am finding myself questioning my religion (Christianity), but my faith in God is ever increasing. I want to keep a religious life but find myself with an urge (a pull) to convert to Judaism. This is a serious matter when looking at it from a Christian viewpoint. Your thoughts, please.

My Answer: The attainment of the goal of creation bears no relation to religion. Religions are no more than the cultural framework of a certain society. In this sense, they can continue to exist, but everything that’s above them can only be attained through the method of Kabbalah. This is true for any person, religious or not.

People usually abandon religion when they begin to attain Nature, the Creator. But later, once they see that religion is no more than a framework in our world, like a social club, they become ready to physically observe their religion.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The True Origin of Religions
Laitman.com Post: Why Religion Is Against Kabbalah
Article: The Difference between the Science of Kabbalah and Religion

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