Laitman.com » Religion

Connection—Above All The Differences

admin.bb — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:43:46 +0000

Question: These days the tension between the Orthodox and the secular is growing. Your dissemination doesn’t pay enough attention to explaining to the non-religious community the essence of religion, its spiritual roots, etc. How do you help society deal with this “civil war” in a practical way?

Answer: We are busy explaining the next level of development to society in which everyone, every member of society, has to rise above all the differences and to unite by understanding the uniqueness of each individual.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, we have to put all the differences among us below the unity among us as nature’s law requires us to unite despite and above our differences.

This can only be achieved by gradually educating people to mutual guarantee as each one is given a chance to live according to his own laws and unity is achieved above the different groups in society and above their customs. We should know how to separate the different communities that live according to different laws, as it is done between the Muslim and the Jewish communities.

City planners and public transportation planners have to take this into account. The external media should exhibit mutual respect. In a young state such as Israel, it is simply irresponsible to build cities without taking into account future potential conflicts.
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To Flounder Or Surrender To The Flow?

admin_bb — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:21:43 +0000

Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”: In this article I would like to resolve three issues:
A. What is the essence of religion?
B. Is its essence attained in this world or in the next world?
C. Is its purpose to benefit the Creator or the creatures?”

Evidently, these three issues cover the entire, immense topic of religion. So, what is religion?

A person living in this world has these three questions about his life. He wants to know: “Who am I? Where do I come from? Who governs me? How do I exist? Where am I going?”

Animals are not concerned with this. They are born naturally, live under the rule of their instincts, and die without asking themselves any questions. The questions awaken only in the human race, and then not in everyone. Ninety percent of people do not think about this at all. They accept birth, life, and death as given. What happens is obvious and clear for them.

However, what if a person thinks about something greater, about the reason? This reason comes from the Creator.

As we know, each stage is divided into four levels of Aviut, that is, the depth or coarseness of desire. If a person already has reached a deeper, more corrupt level, he has more questions. He experiences various fears, wants to earn money, seeks the truth, and digs deeper. Thus, people become scientists and philosophers, and in general, develop a particular attitude toward life.

At the last step of this ladder, a person begins to relate to what is happening objectively, independently of himself. It is not just a scientific approach; he wants to discover the secret of life in spite of great personal interest while remaining as independent in his judgment as possible.

A traditional scientist obtains data, ignoring himself, without revealing his own relationship to the subject. He studies only material nature in which there are no answers to questions about the meaning. That is why scientists and philosophers cannot discover the dimension that lies above this life, unfolding in the five bodily sense organs.

However, if a person realizes that he must reveal the essence of life above his nature, apart from himself, then he should disconnect from this life, rise above it, and become a real scientist. He cannot remain a prisoner of his own nature that dictates to him his world view and behavior.

So, in search for the meaning of life, we must reach such a level where we are really independent of our nature, that which is the most objective and completely separated from everything that exists within us. How can this be? It is a big problem, and the wisdom of Kabbalah deals with this above all.

Our progress in life is divided into two stages. In the first stage, we must rise to the level of independence, armed with all necessary facilities, tools, and details of perception to occupy the “no-man’s land” where we owe nothing to anyone: neither to this world, nor the future world, nor egoism, nor bestowal, nor the good inclination, nor the evil inclination, nor the Creator, or the creature. We must stand in the middle, in the place called Klipat Noga or the middle third of Tifferet.

We do not understand how this could be. After all, there is nothing but the Creator and the creature, nothing except the Light and the vessel. And since we are talking about ourselves, about the creature, then by definition, we are in the vessel of the created desire. How can we be brought to such a state where we will depend neither on ourselves nor the Light? How can we walk the razor’s edge? Who actually makes decisions in this situation, and what side may we choose if we are neutral?

Here, we have to understand that making an impartial analysis of our life is possible only if we rise above ourselves, above our own properties. Thus hanging in the air, we become independent of ourselves in the first place. Then we, possibly, will find that we are under the authority of the Creator and will have to get rid of that as well. How could it be otherwise?

So, to answer the question about the essence of religion, it is necessary to understand the origin of my life, who controls me, and where I am going. After all, I am carried by the flow, but will this knowledge help me? Could I change my fate to the better? Revealing the meaning of life, could I improve it, or to the contrary, is my ignorance bliss?

In the end, what will be will be. So, the question about the essence of religion is very complex, and approaching it, we have to solve a few preliminary tasks.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/24/2011, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

Cause, Destiny, And Consequence

admin_bb — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:00:51 +0000

Question: Is it possible to give the notion of religion a modern definition? After all, soccer and basketball today captivate people the same way.

Answer: No, that is not really religion after all. “Religion” is something that answers my questions about the meaning of life, about reward and punishment.

Suppose I live a regular life of seventy years from birth until death. Besides that, I ask questions about the cause and the outcome of my life, about my destiny. In other words, I wish to attain that what exists above me, something that cannot be revealed through regular sensations.

Soccer does not answer these questions. It only allows me to fill my seventy-year existence with something, along with other pleasures from food, sex, family, money, respect, and knowledge. However, I wish to rise above these things.

I understand that they are summoned to confuse and “deafen” me. I do not wish to go any deeper into this mire than my life’s necessities require. No matter what, I only use food, sex, family, money, respect, knowledge, envy, and passions in order to reveal the essence.

This is the kind of attitude that I must develop toward life. What should be important to me are cause, destiny, and consequence, not what lies beneath them.

Naturally, today we fulfill ourselves with corporeal pleasures in that segment between birth and death. This is why mass media shapes social opinion, even though who are they, in essence? What do they understand? We see the results of their actions with our own eyes. However, the public does not care who shapes their opinions. Let soccer do it.

Still, at least this is the lesser of the evils. Mass media lulls the masses and feeds them substitute goods. For example, the Internet is a real sedative with plenty of benefits. People would lose their minds without it, not being able to apply themselves. A person pounds the keyboard, chatting with virtual friends, and searches for nonsense on the net while the clock is ticking, and death comes nearer. Just imagine what we would do today without the Internet.

However, when a person rises to the level of questions about the meaning of life, he begins to research what this life is for. He wants to know why he started researching, why he is living, why he was given an opportunity for an analysis, who set this up, and what will the result be like. The person is not just curious; he is searching for purpose. All of this falls under the notion of “religion.”

This does not refer to philosophy or fantasies, but to the highest evaluation of our lives, an evaluation that takes place in vessels above our body. It is these vessels that we must develop, new vessels where it is really possible to study cause, destiny, and consequence.

All of this is programmed in me from the beginning. I am only given a small spark that I blow up to open myself up. How do I do that? I do it through a united environment, the group, which will drag me up from this world with its influence.

When I am among my friends, I gradually grow new vessels inside that are different from anything that I experience in our world. They do not stand against it; the world stays as it was. My animal body with its five senses does not change.

At the same time, I develop in a spiritual environment and manifest five new senses together with my friends. They are called KHB-ZON in the language of Kabbalah. I discover “religion” in them: the upper force as the origin, its program, and the purpose of this program.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/24/2011, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

Victory Over The Creator

admin.bb — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:33:09 +0000

The purpose of our studies is to develop recognition of evil within us. On the other hand, even without studying, people can identify the evil within themselves. We are brought up in a certain spirit and acquire cultural values; thus, we are unable to steal, beat or kill anyone. We become better, more open-hearted; we start charities and help the sick and needy. Hence, we learn to distinguish good from bad and intentionally want to do good.

At the same time, all people in this world no matter how highly developed or poorly bred they are act in accordance with their egoistic desires. Some people help others because they are afraid to get into a similar situation in the future. Others feel pain when they see their neighbors’ affliction and would like to calm down their own pain. Our egoism contains multiple bases for “altruistic” behavior, that is, caring about our neighbors.

However, it has nothing to do with authentic correction. All good and bad qualities as well as all principles of our world are rooted in egoism. A person can be the quintessence of kindness, be utterly concerned about his surroundings, be loved by everyone, but still is being governed by self-love.

In Kabbalistic terms, a person remains on the animate level since he is not in control of his own properties; rather, his properties are in control of him. No matter how wonderful he is, he is not the one who manages his behavior, but rather, his ego is in charge of him. We can call such person “an angel” according to the spiritual classification, meaning on the “animate” level.

In fact, inanimate, vegetative and animate developmental levels are considered “angels” since they implicitly fulfill “orders” of nature. This applies to everyone in this world. It explains why there are no such things as punishment or reward; they are applicable only to those who work on self-improvement in order to approach the Creator. The rest are simply ordinary “derivatives”; it’s useless to expect more from them.

We study Kabbalah because we are triggered by a point in the heart, which allows us to differentiate between reward and punishment on our spiritual path. What bothers us is whether we will rise above our nature that in fact is the Creator. We’d like to have power over it.

What does this mean? Do we really want to take over the Creator? Yes. It is said: “My sons have defeated Me. I created the evil inclination and they demanded that I create a force that corrects it.”

A person develops in order to validate his existence rather than blindly submit himself to nature. His development depends on the recognition of evil. What kind of evil do I disclose in myself? Maybe I am a thief or a liar…. But it is the Creator who made me this way.

The ability to differentiate between a human being and the Creator is in fact a genuine recognition of evil. Only in comparison with Him, my evil inclination reveals itself. It is about the desire that I identify as being opposite to His.

But how can I possibly compare myself with the Creator? For that, I need a group. It is my only opportunity, my only standard, and my sole criteria for evaluating myself. My negative mind-set towards my friends and detachment from the group allow me to acknowledge my evil inclination. Then, I unite with my friends in order to approach the Creator.

So, there are three components: myself, the group, and the Creator. According to them we evaluate evil and good inclinations, rewards and punishments, and all other details of our perception that we measure up to the Man (Adam in Hebrew) who is similar with the Creator. The rest is simply irrelevant.

Basically, this is the way to separate creation. This approach accurately focuses my attention on the goal. The group becomes a method of achieving the Creator; the Creator is hiding behind the group and reveals Himself to the degree that I immerse myself in it.

After I incorporate myself into the group, I realize that the Creator is also a part of it. Thus, the group is a common territory between me and Him.

I disclose my evil inclination through my relationship with the group, while I am trying to unite with my friends in the group. Similar to when we exited Egypt, Mount Sinai emerges between us; it’s a mountain of hatred (Sina in Hebrew).

On the other hand we must unite and be as one man with one heart out of desperation. The gap between unity and enormous hatred constitutes the evil inclination. This is what we raise our demand to correct.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/30/11, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

Once Again About Religion…

admin.bb — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:48:41 +0000

“Religion” in general is one’s attitude to life. It determines how I perceive life and how I discover the secret of its essence. Do I have a tool by which I discover the reason we are born, the reason for our existence and the reason of our death, the changes in life and of the times, the basic reason for all of reality and for this world, and perhaps for other worlds too?

All this is “religion,” religion is the means by which I open all the doors, understand and feel everything, and am incorporated in everything. This is where the Hebrew word “religion” (Da’at) comes from, meaning to know, to perceive, to be familiar with, to discover, to attain.

People have given the name “religion” to something that doesn’t bring them to any attainment, but only gives them a psychological guarantee for some reward for their suffering. Where does that come from?

Once, before the destruction of the temple, religion was the wisdom of Kabbalah. In that life, we attained the upper world. In Babel, Abraham discovered this paradigm, this attitude to nature, to man, and to the development, and passed it on to the group of Kabbalists that he assembled. Its way from Babel until the destruction of the second temple was realized by a method called religion or Kabbalah.

Later, however, this group that had become a nation, fell from the spiritual level to corporeality, and lost the religion, spiritual recognition, spiritual understanding, and the connection with the upper force. Abraham’s offspring were left with just the external customs that are preformed on the corporeal level, while the true religion disappeared and was concealed from them. Now we are returning to it.

In the meantime, for centuries, other methods that are based on egoism, on concealment, and on ignorance regarding the elements of the world have replaced religion.

In “The Writings of the Future Generation” Baal HaSulam says that we are not fighting anyone’s mistakes. After all, this whole process is part of the plan of the development humanity has to go through. We don’t blame anyone for anything or the new “religions” that appeared. On the contrary, through them, we have developed while we were in exile.

Now, when we are waking up towards the spiritual revelation, we discover the same and only initial religion, which is also called “the wisdom of Kabbalah.” At the same time, all the other methods still exist: every individual can follow them according to his level of obligation. Even if a person has risen above them and is not connected to them by faith, still, as Kabbalists say, we respect their customs, which have become the cultures of different peoples. So there is always room for them. They constitute the external environment that protects a person and creates a certain framework in which one lives.

In any case, the true religion is a person’s attitude to his existence, to his outlook of life, by which he arranges every aspect of his life.
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From the 3^rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/20/11, “Introduction to TES”

Behind Caprices Of Nature

admin_bb — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:18:10 +0000

What does every person want at the end of the day? He wants to know exactly what influences him. Is it one force, or maybe there are two? Perhaps there are thousands of them on each side? “It doesn’t matter. The main thing is to remain connected with these forces and make them good to us. Then, we’ll be fine.”

This is what our egoism demands. As our ego evolved, our attitude to destiny also changed. People began to believe that their lives depended upon various outside factors. It’s on this basis that many creeds and religions were created.

Separation into “good and bad” is subjective. We “enter” an outside picture into ourselves and mark things with “pluses” and “minuses.” If we weren’t doing that, we would consider everything that happens to us “for the better.” However, we perceive any natural phenomena only through the prism of ourselves, and that’s why we’re unable to distinguish between them.

Thousands of details of positive and negative natures arise in our imagination. To the degree that our egoistic desires grow, we feel the need to detect the factors that influence each of its new aspects. We assign some upper divine meaning to them since we depend upon them for better or worse.

This is how our attitude is developed, through the change of our mind-set towards destiny and to who or what gives us birth and then sends us to death by taking us nobody knows where. Eventually, in our eyes all of nature splits into multiple detached elements and forces.

If we stop associating desires, feelings, and powers with these forces, we will see that we are simply talking about nature. In such a case, various factors are not dressed in human attire and do not have desires. They are just “blind nature,” nothing more than that. Nature stops being capricious by manifesting itself as “positive or negative,” but rather acts in accordance with rigid laws.

Because we haven’t learned the laws of nature and don’t have control of the general picture that is being drawn by them, we constantly deal with unexpected situations. The point is that we simply have no knowledge of the objective laws of nature, which don’t depend on anything except themselves.

The problem is that we don’t see the causes of events. Let’s say everything descends to us from the higher level that we are unaware of, whereas obvious things stem out of the laws of blind nature. However, a person is unable to exercise such an approach because he depends upon multiple factors that in his eyes are independent. So, he starts to associate them with caprices of nature.

A person doesn’t trace back his roots and doesn’t see the origin of his actions, judgments and sensations; he doesn’t even suspect that he operates according to a special program installed in him. He only views the observable part; that’s why he considers himself and others to be independent and arbitrary. As a result, he assigns the same concept to nature and starts to erroneously believe that it has a certain willpower of its own that can be altered depending on circumstances.

He trusts that he should treat nature positively, cajole it, pay it, and pay those who possibly are close to nature and can protect him. At this stage, a person stops depersonalizing nature, but rather ascribes his own desires, thoughts, and properties to it. This is the root of beliefs and religions.

Nowadays, we see that our egoistic desires, which have been growing for centuries, lead us through these theories and various attitudes to divinity. In the end, they all collapse. Some are inclined to fanatically hold on to a certain theory by artificially separating themselves from the rest of the world for the sake of alleged stability, even though it prevents them from further growth. This attitude can be traced in religious fanaticism and fascism, meaning in narrow-minded egoistic types of unity that at first bring steadiness to society, but in the end break down since they make further advancement impossible.

To the extent that people’s egoism grows, humans remain “naked” since they lose the opportunity to connect with nature. They feel that they are being captivated by absolute power that embraces all spheres of life, that they depend on chances and destiny, and that they simply cannot form any kind of subjective attitude towards these notions. This becomes a turning point that eventually will refer humanity to the wisdom of Kabbalah.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/16/2011, “The Peace”

From Naturalism To Polytheism

admin_bb — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:22:44 +0000

A person doesn’t know the world he lives in. In fact, he belongs to nature that throws him from one state to another. During his short life of several decades he doesn’t have enough time to realize what is going on. Interestingly, about 150 years ago, man’s life expectancy was not 70, but 40 years.

Regardless of the near doubling of our life expectancy, we still do not comprehend the essence of life. Humanity still doesn’t know what to look for and where to find it. The meaning of life remains ambiguous. When does life begin, and where does it lead us? Is there a purpose to it? What’s going on with us? The answers are vague.

People are subject to the power of nature. No one gets a book with revelations from Above. We all disclose everything there is within our world. The revelations we make build our understanding and awareness of reality.

Except for the substance from which we are made and our five senses, a human being possesses an inherent ability to discover something bigger. However, it is all in potential, and in reality we build our attitude to life and nature based on what we see. This gave rise to simple theories of creation based on life in this world.

First, man perceived the world as nature. He observed nature as a whole, as a complete picture in which all parts are interconnected. Thus, he felt close to nature. It is an ancient approach that was completely clear since everything was apparent and disclosed.

Later, people began to sort natural phenomena into “good” and “bad.” Man became more egoistic, and stopped sensing himself as an integral part of nature. He figured out that nature had various limitations that seemed positive or negative. He sorted the elements that influenced him into “beneficial” and “harmful” and thus created a notion of good and evil forces.

At first, it was a general opposition of good and evil, which later started to split into numerous independent forces until assemblies and pantheons of deities were created. Thus, our ego distanced us from unified nature even more.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/16/2011, “The Peace”

“Religion” As A School For Advancement Towards The Creator

admin_bb — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:05:02 +0000

The Ari writes in the book The Tree of Life (16th century) that upon exiting the animal world through the transitional stage of apes, we acquired the human form. This occurred both on the physical, bodily, level, and on the emotional, spiritual one: We develop within the desires of the still, vegetative, and animate nature until we arrive at the egoistic desires of the fourth, human, degree. The human degree is also subdivided into these four levels, but as a whole, humanity is distinct from the rest in its unique pattern of development.

Previous development proceeded at the material level, limited to absorbing and excreting substances. The still nature is almost always restricted to internal processes; the vegetative one exchanges substances with the surrounding environment: It breathes, consumes, and secretes, but only to a tiny extent.

Given all that, the vegetative level of nature wholly depends on the external conditions; it doesn’t move from its place and is subject to the cycling of the seasons. The animate nature has fewer restrictions: Its representatives move from place to place, possess a more developed desire, have specialized ways of producing offspring, and can better consume nourishment and excrete waste. And this, in essence, is the conclusion of the external, material, development.

From this point on a special fourth degree becomes added to it. But first let us ask ourselves: Why couldn’t the process be completed at this level? Why couldn’t the third phase of the Direct Light become the final one?

Keter, also known as the root, zero phase, created the desire to receive, the first phase (Behina Aleph) and filled it. Then this desire longed to become like the upper one, which is already the second phase (Behina Bet), the will to bestow. In order to perform bestowal upon the upper one, the second phase makes a decision: “I must receive.” Then from the center of Bina it forms a new state for itself, the third phase (Behina Gimel), Zeir Anpin, which receives in order to bestow.

What, then, is missing here? Seemingly, the third phase has everything? It has everything except its independence, self-awareness, and perception of the upper one, everything except its own “I.” It lacks the inner development relative to the upper one. In other words, it requires a connection with its root, the one thing that would allow it to continue on its path.

It is here that the fourth phase arises (Behina Dalet) or Malchut. This is a unique phase, characterized by inner, qualitative development.

Up to this point the desire has already developed in its due course. We see this in our world, which has more than enough egoism. And now we have to develop qualitatively in order to attain the upper root. The world has already realized its egoism and understood what can and cannot fulfill it. All forms have been tried, as a result of which we grew up and destroyed everything. The only thing that remains now is the question of connection with the upper one, the Creator: Where do I come from and where am I going?

And this precisely is the fourth phase: the degree of true development of man, accompanied by the desires of the other phases. From here it is necessary to understand what “religion” is in the context of development. It is a special mechanism, a special method that allows us to grasp the distance between me and the Creator. And it pertains only to the human degree.

Who, then, can start doing this work? The one who senses the separation from the Creator, who feels the inclination towards this. In other words, it is only those who have the point in the heart. All the rest are in the previous stages of development: still, vegetative, and animate.

This is why we perceive this difference, the separation, the pressure, the drive towards something. It develops within us the feeling of recognition of evil.

What is this evil? Perhaps I am experiencing negative sensations because I wasn’t able to steal something and escape unnoticed? Or is it because I am aware of the evil relative to the Creator? Thus, “religion” in this sense is a school of internal and external education, which reveals to me how distant I still am from the Creator and how I can overcome this abyss.

This has absolutely no connection with the traditional notions of “religion.” There is man, and there is the upper force. The question is only in recognition of how opposite we are and in overcoming this gap.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/29/2011, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

We Don’t Take Love Here

admin_bb — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:45:43 +0000

Today we come to the question of “what is the meaning of my life?” and suddenly discover the wisdom of Kabbalah. We find it not because we wish to bestow or reach connection, love, and a common concern.

No. We come to it precisely through the question: “What is the meaning of my life? Why do I feel bad?! I want to have power over my life! I want to rise above it, grasp eternity and perfection of nature.” I want, want, want… We come to the wisdom of Kabbalah precisely through egoistic questions, and not by means of a delicate, sensitive soul. On the contrary, we are led by the desire to receive, to take control over our lives.

Thus, when we come to the wisdom of Kabbalah and begin listening to what it talks about, many don’t understand: “Why do we talk about love and unity? Where are we? Is this a kindergarten where we are taught to be good? Is this a society of idealists? What do they want? What are they talking about?!”

Or a person comes to Kabbalah through religion and also doesn’t understand what’s going on: “Who talks about love in religion? It’s true that there are a few similar nice phrases there, but in reality, it’s all about doing actions known to us from childhood.” Today, where is the basis of religions, which once spoke of love, connection among people, mutual help, and equality among everyone? For a long time, each of them talks about what is good for people who use religion for fulfilling their own egoistic needs.

It turns out that through thousands of years we completely forgot about and moved away from the opinion of people who felt the presence of the force of bestowal. We moved away from the basis of religions set thousands years ago, which also talked about the force of bestowal.

In addition to that, our ego got so developed that we don’t even think about that, and all our systems are directed toward earning more to be independent from others and moving away from them like they don’t exist. Everyone is ready to fill the house with servants and household appliances and stay independent from everyone instead of being with his family and close, loving, and supportive people.

Thus, when we come to the wisdom of Kabbalah, it’s extremely difficult to start listening to the words of love and connection. After all, we’re used to the fact that that’s how little kids are taught. We egoistically want them to be better protected and unharmed, and hence teach them not to harm others. We tell them: “You have to love the other, be his friend.” We see that while a person is still young and dependent on others, it’s worthwhile for him to be good and loving, and then everyone loves him as well.

But as children grow, we tell them: “You have to win, be higher than everyone else! Show your strength and your power and you’ll be big!” We begin encouraging the ego inside of him instead of love. Our education is opposite to love.

So it turns out that we are led to Kabbalah by over-satiated and hence suffering egoism.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/2011, Writings of Rabash

In Search Of Yourself

admin_bb — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:04:34 +0000

Question: How can I exactly recognize the point of my free choice?

Answer: First of all, we discover that we are absolutely, one-hundred percent not free. This is the realization of evil.

However, on the other hand, what is so bad about that? If I am entirely under the power of the Creator, or Nature, then there is nothing to ask of me. I am neither good nor bad. What is there to demand of me? No matter what I do, it is not me doing it, as it is written: “Go to the craftsman who made me.”

Religion is based on this. I am a small person. I do everything that He wants. If He says do, I do. In this way, all my charges are removed, any questions are canceled, and I rid myself of problems.

However, on this path, you lose independence and freedom. Just by following the Creator’s decrees, even if unwillingly, you will always find a reward for yourself and ease your task—at the cost of your real “I.” This is why religion is good for the masses. When everything comes from Above, it adds a feeling of comfort to life and provides psychological support to flow together with everyone.

On the other hand, in Kabbalah, I demand independence, instead of self-cancellation. I want to find the beginning of my “I.” In this search, in this rational and logical evaluation, I discover that in reality, I do not exist. I did not make the decision about being born in this world, I did not chose my qualities, my genetics, my parents, my country, or my environment. I was reared and educated by already formed systems and institutions such as kindergarten, school, mass media, and so forth. Who am I after all this? I am a piece of dough baked in a common oven into a regular loaf of bread.

When I see this, a question arises in me: Is this what life is? What does it give me besides never-ending concerns, a constant flight from suffering, and brief moments of pleasure? This is the realization of evil: I begin to think about the essence of what is happening, about my journey and its end, and I understand that I do not exist. There is only a machine that I neither launch nor control. When there is an algorithm conflict in the computer, it gives an error message. I too respond to problems, albeit in a sensory way. The pressure jumps somewhere, and I feel pain. That’s all it is to it.

In this case, I simply have no reason to live. Many people come to this conclusion. The only thing that holds them back is an instinctive fear of death, and even that does not always work.

This is where I begin the search for true freedom, my true essence. The path to it lies through becoming like the Creator, not in worshiping and canceling yourself before Him, but actually becoming like Him. I must grow and become more like Him. Absolute independence and freedom is inherent of the Creator. There is none else besides Him in all of nature. I can grow according to the same principle when there is no one else besides me in all of nature.

This is the Kabbalistic method. We search for freedom and independence. The most painful thing is the fact that I do not exist. Where can I find my “I?” This pursuit of my own “I” is my entire life. I want greater self-expression. I want to rule over everyone and receive. What is all this for? It is for my “I” to form and grow. Here, Kabbalah explains that to acquire your “I” means to acquire the qualities of the Creator, in other words, to acquire freedom.

Question: So how can I find my “I” without free will?

Answer: The initial point of my “I” manifests itself through questions about the meaning and essence of life. A person who comes to Kabbalah already has this point of choice, a point in the heart, a spark, the other side of the middle line, the reverse side of freedom, the feeling of emptiness and lack.

I have no freedom, and this is why I ask questions about the meaning of life. This is exactly what I lack. I do not care about life itself; I need to find my “I.”
[63025]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/13/2011, “The Freedom”

We All Believe In Something

admin_bb — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:03:07 +0000

In articles like “The Essence of Religion and its Purpose,” Baal HaSulam refers to more sublime things than a certain religion. “Religion” in this case is one’s attitude to life, the perception and the feeling of reality. How is reality depicted to me: externally or internally? Can I see the difference between the two?

Can I be certain about what I feel? Can I rely on my mind and emotions? Do I perceive the situation correctly, or am I trapped in blurred feelings? Could it be that everything isn’t really as I see and feel it? How can I check the credibility of my image of reality? How can I understand the phenomena I perceive in this picture? How can I use them correctly? Where do I find these criteria? How can I look at myself from the side, objectively? All these questions and many more are part of the concept called “religion.”

In our ordinary life, religion is our attitude towards a certain concept that we have created for ourselves by ourselves. Almost every person in the world wants to believe in something that he doesn’t know or feel, something that he cannot test logically.

It’s convenient from the egoistic point of view to make up theories that will help one sweeten his life a bit. The answers cannot be tested, no one knows whether they are true, and each one has a theory of his own. At the same time, a person feels good with it, he suffers less and feels that what will be will be. After all, we cannot ascend above our realty and actually check and analyze it.

We need another science, another concept that comes from Above, from outside our nature. I don’t know what it means to be really objective because no matter how you look at it, I am always in my own desire, in my mind and my emotions. How objective can you be? If we take all the options into account, all the desires and the thoughts, all the sciences in the world, we will still not reach objectivity.

So in our present situation we will never be able to determine the right approach, the right outlook of life. This is why we cannot answer questions about the meaning and purpose of our lives. We shouldn’t be ashamed of these questions, but we cannot answer them because we are in a very limited position.

We don’t know how the universe was created and what preceded it. We don’t know how it develops and what drives the natural evolution of the still, vegetative, animate, and speaking nature on earth. We don’t know anything about the process we are going through and how it will end. So, no matter how much we discuss it and the assumptions we make, it’s all worthless. No one can prove that it’s the truth. People can say that, but no one actually has any facts.

This means that we don’t need another system, but a true revelation of the upper force that operates reality. Until we discover it, we should not rely on anything.
[61862]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/27/2011, “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose”

Nuances Of The Theory Of Duality

admin_bb — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:25:48 +0000

Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”: They found it difficult to accept the assumption of Nature’s supervision…. In consequence, they came to a second assumption that there are two supervisors here: One creates and sustains the good, and the other creates and sustains the bad. And they have greatly elaborated that method with evidence and proof along their way.

The theory of duality is a natural stage of development. Nature affects us in different ways, and we feel positive and negative things in it. We feel good and bad, and we naturally divide reality into two parts. After all, we do not have another sensor but the desire to receive.

The five senses are types of mechanical sensors whose readings do not mean anything on their own. The desire to enjoy stands behind vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. It displays the positive (+) and negative (-) features of the data that I perceive. This is the only thing that is important to me, and the only thing my desire recognizes is what is good and bad for me.

Consequently, I divide reality into the two parts: positive and negative. This is strongly manifested in little children who avoid certain places and things but like others. Man also has this stage of development where he distributes everything between two forces. Nature itself brings us to this because we live through sensations.

This theory is very simple, but it is important to understand here that it is not limited by individual good and bad sensations, but transfers them to nature. It attributes corresponding intentions to it on our account. In this way, we attribute to nature a certain power, attitude, and intention to either help or harm us. Without this, no one could believe that nature had an intention, a design, or a plan, but it is seen as something inanimate, no more than that.

However, when nature has power, it is no longer without personality. It no longer is a set of firm, impersonal laws determined by the interaction of elementary particles. No, the power of nature is something else. It can be single or dual.

In general, duality is a very logical theory because everything in the world is based on two opposites, a plus and a minus, beginning with electrons and protons in the atomic structure. At first glance, the two powers really oppose one another, and everything depends on the balance of forces between them.

This drove man to create mythology. We have endowed nature with a desire, a program, and a purpose, and this has become an important milestone on the way.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/2/2011, “The Peace”

Reconstructing The Seal By The Imprint

admin_bb — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:17:33 +0000

Many Baal HaSulam articles are dedicated to one topic: man’s attitude towards the world, how we reveal the true reality. This also raises the question of who we are. We are a certain type of energy that assumes a form in our sensations that we are accustomed to, and this form is comprised of hard, live, and warm bodies that assume a place and this is known as space. This is how we perceive ourselves.

Is this the proper sensation? And is there an objective criterion? Maybe everything is relative, and everyone sees his own picture, depending on his senses? Rabash gives the following example: Whatever we see as a table is something else in an angel’s eyes. Everyone discovers the world according to his or her instruments of perception.

In general, thanks to Baal HaSulam’s articles, we are approaching a certain objective perception. With this purpose we rise over our desire to receive and acquire the desire to bestow. In other words, we form the desire to bestow out of the desire to receive in us, and then we reveal the reality that created us.

A special force created me in the form of the desire to enjoy. When in return I turn it into the desire to please another, then it’s as if I assumed the form of the One who created me. It’s in this way that a person assumes the form of “Man,” meaning similar to the Creator.

I reveal a greater desire to enjoy in me and can turn myself into my opposite, until I work out everything that exists in me. In this way I will fully reveal my Maker according to the principle of “we will now You by Your actions.” This is because I am His action. And when I turn myself into my opposite, I reveal Him. Moreover, as it is written, I reveal everything within me, as it is said, “come and see” (Bo and Reh). This is the Creator (Boreh).

This is our course, this is how we come to His revelation and the revelation of reality in general. In other words, in reality the entire enormous multitude of its parts is the creature, or I myself. And I must turn myself into the intention for the sake of bestowal.

Some of my parts I perceive as my own body, and other parts I perceive as the others. However, they also are my desires. I perceive that other desires are further from me, and in the end, they form my image of the world. All of this I must turn into bestowal. The final fruit of this work will become my Creator. He created me, and I create, formulate Him, reconstructing the seal by the imprint.

At first it seems to us that a multitude of unconnected forces operate in the world. Then we discover that this is not really the way it is—there nevertheless is a connection. Rain and wind, heat and cold, myself and my family, friends and enemies… There are many forces, and I am indifferent to some of them, while others have a greater or a lesser meaning to me.

Then I divide them into generally good and bad, and then all the good ones I relate to one good force, and all the bad ones, to one bad force. In this way mythology and a host of gods appeared, which with time have been cut down to three, two, or one….

And today the entire world is uniting into one whole before our eyes. An integrated nature, undivided into fragments, similar to sciences, is being revealed to me. Human society, ecology, everything is becoming one. We are changing our perception of reality.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/2/2011, “The Peace”

The Question About The The Devil And Quran

admin_bb — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:37:53 +0000

Question: Out of all the material published by you and Anthony Kosinec, it was easy for me to synchronize all your teachings with the Holy Quran. This made it clear for me that both the Torah and the Quran came from the same source. However, I don’t see you talking at all about the devil or how he can affect our desires. Could you please explain from your teachings where you can position him or his effects? (Saudi Arabia)

Answer: All positive (giving) and negative (egoistic) forces exist only in a person himself. There is nothing outside a person but the concealed correcting force (the Light, the Creator), which manifests to the extent of our aspiration to become similar to it in our relations.

That is why “love thy neighbor as yourself” is the general rule of the Torah (the method of correction). There is no doubt that the Holy Quran is also a consequence of the same laws of nature (the Creator) that the Torah (Kabbalah) speaks of.
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Question About Observing Customs

admin_bb — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:19:13 +0000

Question (from the Hebrew blog): Last year, while studying Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, I was granted the revelation of the Creator in my heart. His teachings continue to illuminate my path and fill my heart. I turned to faith, began to put on tefillin (phylacteries), and try to fulfill the commandments, as I understand them.

Once, I came to your class in Haifa before Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and was very surprised by the fact that before such an important day as the Day of Atonement, you completed the lesson without saying a single word about keeping the commandments.

I was hoping that at least at the end of the lesson they would read a prayer. But even this did not happen. Don’t your lessons and the method of transmitting our holy Torah include prayers and performing the commandments? It is important to note that I really enjoyed the lesson. I would like to know whether it is possible to talk about such exalted matters without including the direct interpretation of the Torah and the fulfillment of commandments.

Answer: I address all the citizens of the country and the world, and that is why I do not present my explanations in the framework of customs so as not to scare people away, but to attract them towards the main commandment: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
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Questions About Kabbalah Terminology And Religion

admin_bb — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:31:34 +0000

Question: Time and time again I hear you correcting false perceptions of your students during lessons, and I also hear how in my local group the inner meaning of the terms “Creator,” “faith,” “prayer,” and so on gets revealed as opposed to their idolatrous meaning. I understand that Kabbalists hid this wisdom in this language for a reason centuries ago, but why must we continue in this way now?

We have all spent years being shaped by our religions and society to the point that these terms have become inextricably linked to false images. If we are behind in our work towards the public, and the speed of our correction is essential, wouldn’t it be better if we finally dropped this double-speak and only talked with people using the right language? It seems that we are wasting precious time with the confusion and misunderstanding.

Answer: You are right, and lately our language is changing, especially because of the need to talk about the crisis and its causes to people who are not interested in Kabbalah. I hope that we will switch to a more understandable language and get away from the confusion in definitions.

Question: I work in the religious sector. It is difficult because people with whom I work every day do not want to develop by studying the wisdom of Kabbalah. They believe that it is forbidden. How can I influence them?

Answer: Keep quiet about your studies!
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A Question About Kabbalah And Religion

admin_bb — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:45:45 +0000

Question: Someone asked where is Jesus in Kabbalah, and the answer came back: “He is absent.” How can Jesus be absent? Kabbalah says that it deals with physical energy, so how can you separate it from the One who generates it? It’s like separating the gas from the car. How can it run without it?

God is the source of all things. In Genesis God spoke: “Let there be light, and there was light.” But isn’t light energy? Then why would God separate Himself from what He created? How can Kabbalah have no relation to religion? Regardless what religion it is, God is the source of all energy, all things in Heaven, on Earth, and beneath it.

Answer: Are you talking about the Creator or man, about what is revealed or what people believe in? I think this is a question of faith, which has nothing to do with science. Do you ask a physicist: “Where is the divine force in your particle accelerator?” Kabbalah talks only about what is revealed to us, people, as we develop within the force of bestowal and love.
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A Question About Why Women Need To Cover Their Hair

admin_bb — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:36:41 +0000

Question: I googled this question: “Why do married Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair?” This is what I found:

“According to The Zohar and Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, the woman is considered Malchut, or the “vessel.” The man is considered Zeir Unpin, or the “drawer of Light and energy.” When a Jewish man and woman marry, their Neshamot (souls) become one and they create a complete system. Universally speaking, the man draws the light down from the universe, and the woman is the vessel in which this Light goes—for her, her husband, and any children they have together.

How does she manage this energy? Through her hair. A woman’s hair on her head (and a man’s hair on his beard and certain parts of his head) act as conduits for this Light and energy. By covering the hair on her head a woman is managing this energy, containing it, and essentially “saving” it for her family. When she does not cover her hair, this energy can escape or become unmanageable bringing challenges to her and her family.”

Is this something that exists in authentic Kabbalah, and if it does, can you please explain what it actually means? Does a woman need to cover her hair? And if so, where can I read about this in the texts?

I thought that we shouldn’t associate our true self with our body because it was just matter? So what’s the reason for these “weird” rules about dead skin cells?

Answer: Unfortunately, the books are written by people uneducated in Kabbalah, and that is why they understand Kabbalistic texts literary, as if they talk about people in our world, and not the souls. It refers only to the desire, the only thing that was created, and its correction by way of the screen or intention.
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A Question On Religious Practices And Kabbalah

admin_bb — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 06:21:57 +0000

Question: Many of us belong to a religious group in addition to Bnei Baruch and attend church services regularly; and some of us even teach Sunday School or Bible Studies at the church we go to. Perhaps it’s being generous to say so, but it seems the vast majority of the people who associate themselves with a religion are indeed searching for answers to life’s questions.

Is it a worthy task to introduce the Kabbalistic method of Baal HaSulam into the Bible study curriculum of the Western religious institutions? And if so, what is the correct approach?

Answer: Religion exists due to the concealment of the Creator, while Kabbalah is the method of His revelation in the corrected desires of man. Therefore, religion and Kabbalah have opposite purposes. As soon as the Creator becomes revealed, there is no place for religion.
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Questions On The Evil Inclination

bb_admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:43:12 +0000

Question: My question is that there are people I know who are religious, and they complain about their lives. They pray for things to change, and when it doesn’t change, they blame others around them.

All of this is coming from their egoism. I’ve tried explaining this to them without mentioning Kabbalah at all, but they don’t get it. It’s frustrating for me to watch them make the same mistakes over and over again. But it seems like even if I try to help, it only gets through a little and then they are back to the same old complaints about their lives and problems.

How can I actually help them? I used to get defensive because they would blame me for their problems and started fights with me. How do you approach egoistic people without getting into arguments or making them think you are judging them?

Answer: Only development and a strong public opinion will gradually change them. They will be the last to reach correction. For the time being, leave them be. Correction must start with the lightest part of egoism.

Question: Our job is to reveal the evil inclination. However, what if we reveal it, but cannot get rid of it ? How can we correct evil inclinations like stealing or cheating ?

Answer: To the extent that you find the evil inside yourself, you have the power to correct it!
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http://www.laitman.com/tag/kabbalah/

The Only Religion Is The Revelation Of The Creator

admin_bb — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:17:54 +0000

Question: Throughout history, lots of people have done terrible things in the name of God, and the question is: Was it their immorality that did it, or was it a correct interpretation of immoral scriptures that commanded it?

Invariably however, despite it being completely unrelated to the question, people will point to the terrible atheists throughout history, such as Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao, and erroneously, Hitler.

Hitler certainly didn’t like Catholicism, and he certainly did toss priests and Catholics into camps. He tried several times to impose his type of Christianity on the country during his regime, he thought of himself as doing God’s work (according to Mein Kampf and several speeches), his soldiers had to take an oath to God of allegiance and many featured the phrase “Gott Mit Uns” (God with us) prominently on their uniforms. His regime even banned books that “belittled” the faith or God, or that advocated Darwinism.

The question is: “Are there fundamental elements of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, that result in such events, even (or especially) when correctly applied?”

Answer: According to Kabbalah, the only religion in the world is the firsthand revelation of the Creator to all people in the world as the sole controlling force. We can disclose the force only in its material manifestation. This matter is us ourselves.

If we try to change ourselves from egoism to bestowal and love, then according to the law of equivalence of form, the upper force of nature is revealed, which is called “Boreh,” from the words “Bo” or “come” (reach) and “Reh” or “see” (discover). All the rest are human inventions, and thus, there are so many of them, and they are not based on a study of the world or nature.
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Edward Topol: Save Israel!

bb_admin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:59:14 +0000

A Russian newspaper has published an article by Edward Topol, a famous novelist, screenwriter, and essayist, called “Save Israel!” Below are some excerpts from the article.

“Recently Barack Obama declared that Israel has to return to the boundaries of 1967. For most of the civilized world, this came like lightning out of a clear sky because it signaled a clear shift of American politics to pro-Arab, even pro-Hamas positions because returning Israel to the boundaries of 1967 would narrow down the country to an eight-mile long stretch along the ocean, which could be leveled by any Arab tank brigade in a couple of minutes….

“In September, meaning immediately after summer vacation, the UN will hold their next meeting, where most of the voices have long belonged to the Muslim countries. Once this resolution is passed, any aggression against Israel will become legitimate, and more important – inevitable, because Israel protected by the USA and Israel abandoned by the USA are two very different things….

“Today I turn to all those who understand that Israel’s demise (no matter what you think of Israel!) will unleash a total Arab expansion to the south of Russia and Europe and will be the beginning of the demise of the entire Christian, European, and Russian civilization. Let’s act before it’s too late and not allow the extermination of Israel! And finally, believe my words…: History has allotted just two months for this rescue operation….”
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The Theory Of Two Authorities And The Source Of Human Culture

admin_bb — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:44:35 +0000

Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”: They found it difficult to accept the assumption of Nature’s supervision… Consequently, they came to a second assumption that there are two supervisors here: One creates and sustains the good, and the other creates and sustains the evil. They have also greatly elaborated that method with evidence and signs along their way.

As I develop, I encounter different problems, discover new things, and gradually begin to project a copy of myself outwardly, populating the world with my qualities. For example, the computer irritates me by being slow, and I curse the failing machine with all seriousness.

This is instilled in human nature according to the principle of “We will know You by Your actions.” My attitude towards the external world comes from the inner world. Indeed, an objective external reality does not exist: Everything I see externally is a reflection of my qualities.

And for this reason, I transfer the degree of my development to the surrounding world without realizing it, and I expect it to correspond to my standards. Sometimes, when I communicate with people, I wonder sincerely: “How can they not understand or feel the way I do?” I have a deep-rooted requirement for the external world, a firm conviction that it must correspond to my understanding and perception.

This way the ancient approach of nature as a system of impassible and strict laws was replaced with a system of two authorities. People have discovered that nature also has potential and action, cause and consequence, will and unwillingness.

In their imagination, people have endowed it with something like a “soul,” given it reason, a purpose, and started a dialogue with it: “If I do this, the result will be good. If I do that, the result will only be worse. Thus, nature can react in a positive and a negative way. It is like me and other people.”

This way people started attributing their own qualities, desires, thoughts, and intentions to nature. There are two opposite forces in man: good and evil. Accordingly, they also exist in nature. People can either treat me well or badly, I myself can treat others and myself either well or badly, thus nature also has the same division into two forces.

In this case, how do I appease the good force? Or, on the contrary, the evil force? This marks the start of calculations arising from the idea of dual authority.

Moreover, there is an even deeper layer here. There is no way for me to “bring to life,” spiritualize, and endow with independent existence the authority of the single soulless nature. The single authority is always the same. This means it has no reason. How can you plan something when good and evil do not conflict within you, with your making your calculations based on their opposition?

Absolute rule is nature in its pure, mechanical form. But as soon as I attribute two forces to it, good and evil, the calculations begin. After all, I myself do calculations based on the correlation between two possibilities, two forces. And then, once I project myself outwardly, I find them in nature.

This way the resistance begins, but now man regards reality as an authority, power. Unified nature is not enough to account for the current rule, and only two powers put man between two authorities as between two fires. This is our perception of reality. Two authorities presuppose calculations, a plan, a fight of good and evil, and so on.

Religion appears at this point, including mysticism and different “squabbles” with nature. As man develops psychologically, he projects and transfers his inner world onto nature, attributing his own powers and qualities.

This is how beliefs blossom and place deities and idols of all kinds upon a pedestal. As time went by, they became the mythology of the ancient world.

Thus, initially the first theory marked the transition from the animate state: As man distinguished himself from nature and separated himself from it, he became man. And the second theory is connected to the subsequent development, the opposition of good and evil within us, the relationship between man and society. When two opposites arise within us, we can attribute corresponding considerations to nature as well.

This is where human culture originates. In relation to nature, we develop specifically as the human kind, and in this world culture and science are inherent to man by definition. This is exclusively his prerogative, which results from the theory of two authorities. Without it we would not develop culture, which distinguishes us from animals. Culture is everything: from clothes to speech and self-expression.

This is how the human race gradually developed in their perception of the world.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/1/2011, “The Peace”

Integral Upbringing For Everyone

bb_admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:41:44 +0000

Question: What is your view of extreme right wing movements in modern societies?

Answer: They exist in developed countries regardless of the national policy and the social mood, and they are primarily caused by the presence of a large number of immigrants in every developed country.

This is happening because the demographic crisis forces a country to bring in a foreign work force, and as a result, a collision occurs between opposing cultures and religions. The solution can only come from an obligatory upbringing for everyone, which will raise people above all the differences, bringing them together in a single, integral unification.

To accomplish this, it is necessary to introduce a mandatory upbringing for all members of society, including immigrants. Otherwise every country will face horrible consequences in the form of civil wars….
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Ruled by Idols

bb_admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:27:01 +0000

Baal HaSulam, “The Peace”: People divided and separated each of the general actions for itself, meaning strength, wealth, domination, beauty, famine, death, disorder, and so on. They appointed each its own supervisor, and expanded the system as they wished.

I want to attain all kinds of things in life. To accomplish that, I weigh every quality that is good for me and look for nature’s support when trying to obtain it. I ascribe a specific force to nature that will help me. For example, I lack valor, so that means I need the god of war. In order to have a lot of money, I need a god responsible for wealth. That is how I “find” auxiliary forces in nature for myself.

If I don’t succeed in something, then apparently there are bad deities in nature that should be indulged and cajoled so they would respond the same way. The egoistic desire constantly grows and brings me more and more disappointments, while in response a person develops this type of “mythological” attitude to nature, ascribing independence to its different forces and calling them deities.

Humanity has already gone through this stage to some extent by means of religions; however, it is still immersed in superstitions. People believe in all sorts of forces, signs of fortune and misfortune. How does buying a red string differ from making a sacrifice to some god by a “sacred” tree? This is the same thing, the same level.

That is where humanity is in our “progressive” epoch. People began this practice thousands of years ago and they have not changed to this day. In the same way as before, they still believe in the help of special objects that are sold to them and in the effect of monetary contributions that will apparently go directly into the account of a certain god so he would pay back with miraculous help. All of the faiths and religions are built upon these schemes.

Without man’s inner correction, which will lead him to the level of connection with the upper force of nature, everything else is essentially “idol worship,” in the terminology of the science of Kabbalah. After all, I don’t want to change myself, but some external force, so it would become more gracious toward me.

That is how we have successively gone from materialism to faiths, which ascribe a thought, will, and plan to nature. And I seem to be able to change all of this by means of certain external actions. It turns out that a simple ceremony allows me to “modify” the goal and the program of creation.

So what is this god that can be changed? What kind of “almighty” is he if his kind attitude could be bought with “cash”? That is how low humanity’s current level is.

Only if a person obtains forces and uses an entire complex of means to change himself, rising to the level of God, the Almighty, the upper force, then this method is practical, authentic, and correct. Only it is truly realistic. There are simply no other paths besides it.
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From the 5th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/1/11, “The Peace”