Kabbalah4women

How Could Katrina Happen To A Country With A God-Fearing President Like Bush?

2005-09-06T12:05:00.000Z

Please visit my NEW and UPGRADED blog at http://www.kabbalahforwomen.com/

Doesn't it seem a little strange that this terrible disaster took place at a time when America has a god-fearing president like Bush? Doesn't it make you stop and wonder what really makes the world go round? Maybe it's something very different to all the traditional (religious) stories we've been told all our lives. Maybe it's something much more sophisticated and advanced than we are capable of understanding right now? On the other hand, maybe if we make a tiny bit of an effort to understand it we will ....

The science of Kabbalah explains how it is man's collective thoughts and prayers that drive us forward. Although the current events in New Orleans may seem like a punishment of some kind, there will come a day when America will look back at these tragic events and see them as a tremendous turning point for mankind. The force that created us is sending these blows to make us grow up and start thinking about what we were put here for. And here's a clue - I seriously doubt that movies, TV, eating out, and non-stop shopping were what that force had in mind at the time of our creation.

Kabbalist & Scientist Rav Michael Laitman explains global changes in An Interview With The Future (that is available for free download). He explains how if we want to know what's going on we must know that there is a system (or upper force) with subsystems within it, which operate on us, on our body and soul, and the whole universe.

In order to achieve permanent contact with the upper force, we need to develop a new sense for feeling this connection. That upper force tells us how the communication system is built, how it works around us in reality, and how it aspires to bring us back to the center. It shows us how this force runs through the entire world and through man himself.

That system is what motivates man and the world around him. You can call that force “upper force” or “Creator,” it makes no difference. If you feel the collective power of the world, you will be able to understand how to conduct yourself correctly. The soul is like a computer program. If we study it, we will be able to organize the situations we face in the best possible way for ourselves and for society. The program never changes. It is our thoughts and prayers, meaning our desires, that change the program and man alike.

Kabbalah explains that the upper force, is complete, and it is only our perceptions of it that change. Everything depends on the changes we undergo, not on the light, because the light does not change. The light behaves intransigently, mercilessly, and atrociously. That modus operandi cannot be changed, because the light extends and works on the entire creation from its origin, from the point of the “end of correction,” the point where the creature is equal to the Creator. Hence, this condition and operation of the light on us force us to reach the same situation. It is therefore obvious that if we do not aspire for the same thing we find ourselves placed under the pressure of a vicious power that pushes toward the center.

The equivalence of form is tantamount to your consent with the plan. I compared the plan of the Creator to a computer program, because they are both unchangeable. You can scream at your computer all you want, but it will not answer you until you fix the problem by yourself. And so is man with regards to the Creator – before man corrects himself, he has no reason to expect creation to treat him benevolently.

We are unaware how much our sensory system, which is the whole world, depends on the emotions, on our ‘vessels.’ If they change even just a little bit, the whole world immediately looks altogether different. But before a person crosses the barrier and doesn’t feel the upper world, meaning the Creator, he feels that it is the Creator who changes.

Tags: katrina new orleans kabbalah Intelligent Design Science Religion DARWINISM Creationism

Kabbalah: Choosing Not To Be a Victim

2005-09-04T11:26:00.000Z

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO A NEW HOME: http://www.kabbalahforwomen.com/

I spoke to my graphic designer this morning, who doesn't study kabbalah. He is of course devastated by the news from New Orleans. This is how our conversation went:

Designer: "I can't believe something like this is happening in America, it's just unbelievable."

Me: "It's going to get worse because Israel isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing."

Designer: "What are you saying - that you know what's going to happen? We've seen prophets before ...."

Me: "It's not a matter of seeing the future! The root for everything that happens in our world is in the upper world. Kabbalists or people who study kabbalah, are people who research the upper world and essentially live both in this world and that world at the same time. So they can run the movie of our entire existence back and forward because they have the complete picture in front of them."

Designer: "Well there's all sorts of changes taking place in the world .... it's just nature taking its course ... there's nothing we can do about it ... we can't control nature."

Me: "Actually we can. And that's our whole purpose for being here. Kabbalah is the only way to achieve real freedom."

Rav Laitman is talking about all these 'blows' we're experiencing nowadays in today's morning lesson, how this is the only thing that's coming to us now from the upper world, because the force that created us wants us to grow. "If we go with the flow of things, Laitman says, "we can use these sufferings to get to a better place. But if we don't use these 'blows' properly then we will feel them like blows. Mankind is now experiencing suffering and hardship on many levels and this will only increase. Our spiritual advancement is dependent on these blows. If we recognize them as good we will see how beneficial they are. Once we reach a certain stage of development, the corporeal world we live in will dissappear because there will no longer be a need for it. The purpose of these blows is to show us that our time here is running out - that it's time to correct ourselves and move on to the upper world."

Israelis are so arrogant - it's very difficult for someone whose grown up here all his life, survived all the crazy stuff this country goes through, done everything he was told to do, served in the army etc. - to all of a sudden realize that they're missing something really big. Thank god there are lots of young Israelis waking up now and joining us. Hopefully, eventually my designer will get the message too.

Tags: katrina new orleans kabbalah

Catskills North American Kabbalah Congress: Sep 23-25

2005-09-01T18:44:00.000Z

The Next Step (click for more info)

View a video invitation from Rav Michael Laitman

Spiritual Rocket Fuel
Dear Friend,Working on your own you have a single power of desire that attracts the surrounding light. Now imagine the vast, positive force that becomes available to you simply by coming together, even for a few days, with people from North America and all over the globe who share this true desire to reveal the Creator. The gentle intensification of the light is truly transformative. A gathering of Kabbalists is like spiritual rocket fuel - it can swiftly bring about desirable changes within us that ultimately reveal both inner and outer peace, our healing and the healing of our world, by taking a person to the next level: to know and fulfill the purpose of life.

Three days that will change your life
This year our annual Fall Congress will take place in a beautiful retreat setting in upstate New York where you’ll meet with master Kabbalist, Rav Michael Laitman PhD, many of the students from BB and the world. For three days we’ll study together, laugh, eat, enjoy workshops, seminars and entertainment. We’ll celebrate and take in all of the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains.

Whether you’ve studied for a month, a year or just a week, you’re invited !!
The cost per person for the 3 days and 2 nights is $230 US, which includes lodging, food, transportation, lectures, seminars, and much more. Transportation to and from metro NYC airports (JFK, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty) will be provided.

Congress will start at 3pm EST on Friday and finish at 2pm EST on Sunday. We would prefer that all air travel will be completed no later then 1pm on Friday, so that we have sufficient time to transport people to the Congress before the opening. All outgoing flights should be scheduled for after 6pm on Sunday.

Space is limited so REGISTER now. In order for us to process your registration on time, please, register by August 30th.

Phone: 800-540-3234 Fax: 212-918-0737

Looking forward to meeting you all!www.kabbalah.info

Tags: kabbalah

Kabbalah: Forces We Haven't Discovered Yet

2005-09-01T13:36:00.000Z

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO A NEW LOCATION: WWW.KABBALAHFORWOMEN.COM

Take a free trip to the Upper World: Check out this morning's lesson (one hour video)

Here's an excerpt:

The forces, from the coarsest that we can feel the most - to the most hidden forces that I am only now discovering, or will discover in the future - but only according to my revelation. It's not like they didn't exist before and now all of a sudden they exist. The corporeal reality and the spiritual reality are one and the same, it's just that for us the corporeal world is revealed and the spiritual world is still hidden. As we progress and perceive the different forces around us (reception, bestowal, etc.) the spiritual reality slowly becomes revealed. We can feel the forces at work and then that reality becomes more and more revealed.

A person separates these things subjectively according to what he feels or doesn't feel, but it's actually all one and the same thing. But once we start discovering these hidden realms we understand that our five senses present us with just a tiny portion of reality and that if we depend only on them we can't move onto the next level. A person in this world may have more intelligence, but not an augmentation of feeling. He uses his mind to constantly add to the dimensions of time and space, and therefore sees bigger processes. But that's it. The wisdom of kabbalah adds additional senses, of course along with intelligence, and this person gets into a much higher type of research, of another reality. And when we do discover this other reality, it will feel perfectly normal - just like little kids today know how to operate all kinds of complicated computer things that didn't exist 10 or 20 years ago. In other words, when it actually happens, we will go into the revelation of the hidden reality in a very natural manner.

Tags:
kabbalah

Kabbalah on Katrina

2005-08-31T07:15:00.000Z

Got the following from the Huffington Post off of Neil's blog:

"This month, a study published in the journal Nature by a renowned MIT climatologist linked the increasing prevalence of destructive hurricanes to human-induced global warming. Now we are all learning what it’s like to reap the whirlwind of fossil fuel dependence which Barbour and his cronies have encouraged. Our destructive addiction has given us a catastrophic war in the Middle East and–now–Katrina is giving our nation a glimpse of the climate chaos we are bequeathing our children."

Yes - everything happening in the world is our fault but it has nothing to do with global warming.

The only Kabbalist & Scientist in the world, Dr. Michael Laitman often explains how nature is in perfect harmony - and how the only thing out of whack in the natural order of things is the human ego. Everything that is happening around us in the reality we live in is all simply to direct us toward taking care of the issue we were put here for in the first place - and that is getting our ego in perfect sync with nature. That is the only way we can advance and rise above our obsession with material things that actually give us no lasting type of filling.

Here is the part that we can't see in our current state: Humanity is ONE - and not divided into all these groups - Republican, Democrat, American, Christian, etc. All that is an illusion and is simply like that to distract us from the main goal - which is to return to that state where we are all truly as ONE MAN WITH ONE HEART - just like we were when we received the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

What am I trying to say here? We are all on the same team - we have a job to pull off here together. If you don't have a burning desire to know the meaning of your life then we're going to have to wait for a few more of your incarnations until you're ready. The greatest Kabbalists throughout time who achieved very high levels of adhesion with God cannot get to the final stage until the rest of us have woken up. Think about that for a second. If Katrina isn't making you think about the meaning of your life today, maybe the next disaster will ...

As Baal HaSulam writes, we can choose to advance through suffering or pleasure - the choice is up to us. That is actually the only real thing we choose here on earth. The script for everything else we do here was written a long long time ago.

Tags: kabbalah

Kabbalah - The Power To Change Reality

2005-08-30T08:49:00.000Z

I really recommend checking out this morning's lesson (1 hour video with full english translation) - Rav Laitman is talking about how Baal HaSulam's material gives us light for the entire way.

The last greatest Kabbalist to grace the earth in our time, Baal HaSulam (hebrew for: owner of the ladder) explains where we exist, in which status, the reality around us, who we are, how we perceive our lives and reality, how we should relate to it, and whether it is in our power to change reality. How we go through this world and return again in different incarnations. Are we in some other situations than our current situation? Are there other dimensions? In another time? That we can be in at the same time as that we're in now? There is time and space and movement. Can we alter that? And if so can we move between this world and other dimensions in a different manner?

The answer to all this comes from recognizing who we are. As we come to know ourselves, we see clearly the reality that is inside of us, and from that point that we begin to develop.

Tags:
kabbalah
reincarnation

Kabbalah: Expand Your Perception Of Reality

2005-08-29T13:51:00.000Z

Rav Laitman talks about his teacher's father, the Baal Sulam (hebrew for: owner of the ladder) :

"... He revealed the wisdom to the world. No other Kabbalist apart from Baal HaSulam wrote for people who don't yet have a sensation of the upper world. He was the first to put the wisdom in a format that anyone who simply desired something above this world could understand. His books enable people to enter the feeling of the upper world and get close to the Creator.

Lately we've started explaining to academics in Israel about the importance of Baal HaSulam and his vital role in Jewish Philosophy. They realized that they had missed him and hadn't seen how big he really was. His books explain the entire history of all of mankind - all the reality beforehand - about the creation of the worlds and ours, and the entire process mankind is going through.

Through all of this he essentially paved the for getting into kabbalah. And his son, who was my teacher, expanded upon his father's writings even more by talking about the internal work an individual must undergo for spiritual advancement. So that anyone who has an interest beyond this world, who feels that this world doesn't fill him, can simply open Baal HaSulam's books and through them arrive there."

Tags:
history
kabbalah

Kabbalah Explains The Male Female Relationship

2005-08-28T18:40:00.000Z

Rav Laitman's words from the Heidelberg Congress -

... Why do women always have to be inferior to men? That is because we relate to this world in the wrong manner. Kabbalah says just the opposite - that it is impossible to achieve harmony and perfection without using two forces - the man and the woman together. Only the right combination of these two allows the discovery of a brand new vessel - it cannot be discovered in one of them on their own. Their joining forms a third vessel that is in a very special situation - that is ready to feel the Upper Force. It is possible for a man or woman to achieve this in a partial manner on their own because each of us are divided inside to female and male sides - but this is in the preparation period where we feel uncorrected - it is possible to advance individually or with a group. But serious advancement can only be achieved by finding a spiritual mate that complete each other's souls in an internal/spiritual manner - and through this relationship the new vessel will become revealed where they will feel divinity. Because divinity has no gender - and the separation into genders is only for us to complete one another and create this special vessel for receiving the Light.

Tags: kabbalah relationships

Kabbalah Explains The Secret Meaning of the Bible

2005-08-26T14:52:00.000Z

Very special newsletter this week - but first view an invitation from Rav Laitman for the Catskills Congress in September, where he talks about discovering hte hidden parts of reality and forces around us and how we can use them to change our destiny and improve our life.

The Secret Meaning of the Bible
Imagine our universe for a moment: the endless amount of galaxies, stars, and worlds. Now imagine that we remove from our universe a specific portion of space. How are we able to imagine the resulting emptiness of this void if it contains nothing that is able to be measured or described? In reality we perceive all phenomena in terms of time, space, and movement. We cannot envision something that is absolutely static, frozen in time, without any volume. This is an analogy of our understanding of the spiritual worlds. There is no time, movement, or even space in the spiritual worlds. Since all our reality and perceptions are based on these physical concepts, it follows that there is absolutely no connection between spirituality and our construction of physical reality based on our perceptions and sensations. This results in a lack of words and vocabulary that is able to express spiritual concepts
The Secret Meaning of the Bible

Why There has to be Death?
Question: Why do we come into this world? And on the other hand, if it took so much effort to bring us into this world, then why do we leave it? Why do we have to die? Can we exist in this world forever? If a human being is destined to live for 100-120 years, wouldn't it be better if he lived for 600 years and died, after finishing all of his incarnations? Why do we have to come back into this world and revive it again? And the last question: if the soul is some sort of entity that continues to live after physiological death, then why do we relate to death as to something that happens to us and at the same time, not to us? That is, we do exist at the place where the eternal soul dwells - we die and have no idea what happens next. Is it a fact that although we perceive only this world, our soul exists simultaneously in some other dimension which is on another side of the verge that we call death?
Why there has to be Death

Heaven and Hell
Question: Let us talk about Heaven and Hell. Does the science of Kabbalah believe that Heaven is a kind of pain relief pill, an analgesic, used by all religions? Religions depict images of the Heaven Garden and Hell to manipulate believers. Do such places, such dimensions really exist? Is it true that after death each soul either burns in the fire of Hell or enjoys eternal pleasure? If there really are such dimensions, then how do they correspond with the fact that according to the Science of Kabbalah there is no reward and no punishment, as everything in this world is predetermined, and man is not in fact responsible for his actions?
Heaven and Hell

Thought of the Week
If you attune yourself as a part of the group, and, along with others, wish to feel the Upper Light that would correct your egoism, then this Light will affect you. This is because now it has to influence you only in this way – through correction.
Rav M.Laitman PhD: One Law

Tags:
kabbalah
bible

No Such Thing As A Coincidence

2005-08-25T11:56:00.000Z

A client of mine was just here for a meeting. We got into a very long discussion about Kabbalah, and of course he forgot his notebook (and actually just came back to pick it up as I started writing this). This is perfectly normal.

A fellow blogger of mine just had a similar experience. He visited my new blog yesterday, left a comment, updated my link on his site to the new domain etc., and all of sudden got a very unusual kabbalah sign from Above.

This is something I forgot to mention in my Monster-In-Law post. Jennifer Lopez runs into the man of her dreams (in the movie) about three times in a matter of two days - and she knows that there has to be a reason. She's absolutely right. We get signs all the time but often choose to ignore them because change requires effort. And we are very lazy by nature.

All we do throughout the day is simply to reach a state where we can chill out at the end of it all and do absolutely nothing. That is because in the Upper World life is like that all the time. There is no hustle and bustle up there because we're all connected as one so there is no need for any of that. That is why the Sabbath (a day of total rest) was created so we could start training for that type of existence. Actually everything we do in the other six days is all just for achieving the state of "Shabbat".

Kabbalists are people that can achieve that state of Shabbat any time they want. A few times a week, or even a few times a day. But don't expect to ever catch them with their feet up on the sofa watching tv. Our guys get up at 3:00AM every single morning for a 3-hour lesson that is broadcast on Israel TV and to the rest of the world on www.kab.tv.

So what am I trying to say? If you're reading this - don't kid yourself. It's not by chance. You may not do anything about it right now but don't expect the signs to be there forever. There's always your next incarnation. Me? I'm not planning on coming back to this world. I've set my sights on a better place and I have every intention of getting there.

Tags:
kabbalah

Another Kabbalah Movie Review: Monster In Law

2005-08-25T09:30:00.000Z

I whole heartedly recommend this hysterical movie, Monster In Law - especially if you happen to have a really annoying mother-in-law. I've been married for two years so I'm a big expert on the subject.

There is a single law governing the entire universe and the way it works is very simple - you go along with it - you have pleasure. You go against it - you suffer. The law or Light or whatever you want to call it is always pushing us in a certain direction and that is up - to grow, to develop, to progress - in a nutshell to constantly yearn to be on a higher level than the one we're on right now. To constantly want to attach ourselves to something higher than ourselves. That's what we've been trained for all along.

So when a mother attaches herself to her offspring - she is going against nature. She is essentially going in the wrong direction and that's why it makes everyone around her so uncomfortable. It also makes it very difficult for the kids to have something to progress towards because their next level is coming down to their level and messing everything up.

Tags: kabbalah

Kabbalah Take on Mr. & Mrs. Smith

2005-08-24T20:10:00.000Z

My new favorite movie is Angelina and Brad in Mr. & Mrs. Smith because it is a great demonstration of the male/female relationship in action. You can basically take any movie and look at it from the perspective of kabbalah so here goes.

At first you throw two perfect strangers together and hope for the best. Most couples are pretty much winging it in the early stages. There are two completely separate egos at work here, each with its own very compelling agenda that is based on a person's background, upbringing, work and social environments, etc. Sort of like two lines making up a V - the egos are totally independent of one another and going in completely different directions. That situation is no fun because there is nothing to gain from it. And not only are these two people not getting along they basically wouldn't mind strangling one another just to further their own interests. Because each feels totally justified that their interests override those of their partner's based on their personal value system.

We see that the situation shifts altogether when the two egos (or lines) converge into one - two egos - one male and one female - with the exact same goal in mind - that is an unbeatable thing. A couple in this situation can overcome anything - and I mean anything! - as long as they stay focused on the goal. That is the entire foundation of human development in a nutshell. And you heard it here first.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith could only achieve their personal goal of surviving when it transformed into a mutual survival goal and they began working together as a team. If they hadn't each given a little to reach that state they would have been history. Notice they didn't really do it willingly at first because it's against the natural inclination of the human ego. It took a bit of direction from Above. Think about that next time you look at your partner.

Tags: relationships kabbalah

Moving Up in the World: New Blog on New Domain

2005-08-23T18:40:00.000Z

I'm very happy to announce that I have a new domain and new home on typepad.

So please update your links and click here to see the new site:
www.kabbalahforwomen.com

I hope to see you there!

What The Bleep Meets Kabbalah

2005-08-22T10:05:00.000Z

Pity this clip of Rav Laitman and the Bleep scientists meeting up in Los Angeles isn't on the English site yet - for now you can see it on the Hebrew site.

Tags:
bleep
kabbalah

America Gearing Up For Spirituality

2005-08-21T12:14:00.000Z

All the signs show that spirituality is on people's minds in the US and that is a very good thing (finally!!).

Here are some of the signs:

Good Sign #1

There are many articles on the whole science/religion issue of what to teach in American classrooms - I chose this one because of the brilliant title - A Life With No Purpose

I've often quoted Kabbalist and Scientist Rav Laitman on this issue and here it is again. He suggests supplementing current curriculums with a secular Meaning of Life course based on the wisdom of kabbalah. "Education is currently the biggest issue facing mankind because 20 years from now these youngsters will be all grown up and then we will understand exactly what we put into them. A person of any age who is exposed to kabbalah very quickly understands the structure of the universe and nature, beyond the world we grasp with our five senses. From my experience, children are more receptive to this material and automatically apply it to their everyday behavior."

Good Sign #2 -

This week's issue of Newsweek, called Spirituality in America. The article 'In Search of the Spiritual' is written by Senior Editor Jerry Adler who normally deals with science issues.

Headline: Move over, politics. Americans are looking for personal, ecstatic experiences of God, and, according to our poll, they don't much care what the neighbors are doing.

All I can say is Thank God - Americans may be bored silly at this point with their comfy lifestyles and are seeking a deeper meaning for being here.

If you want spirituality - a good place to start is the largest source of free spiritual content on the web at www.kabbalah.info. This site is quickly becoming a 24 hour broadcaster of free spiritual content from Israel.

Tags:
kabbalah
spirituality
israel
spiritual
america
education

A Collection of Essays By Baal HaSulam

2005-08-20T18:29:00.000Z

Another great newsletter this week - Shamati is a book of notes that was handed down to Rav Laitman from the last Kabbalist to grace the earth in our generation:

"Among the books and manuscripts that my teacher would study from, there was one particular notebook titled Shamati (What I Heard). That notebook would go with him wherever he went and time after time he would delve into it. On his deathbed, in the wee hours of the night, he suddenly handed me that notebook and said: "Take this notebook and study it." Early next morning, with me by his side, his pure soul climbed into the heavens. The notebook holds a collection of essays written word for word from the mouth of Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), my teacher's father, immediately after they were spoken."
Rav Michael Laitman PhD.
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The Reason for the Difficulty of Annulling Oneself for the Creator
Everyone works, studies, lives, leads a normal life, and has a realistic attitude towards life, that is, they are just normal people. They have egoistic reasons for behaving, earning, and feeling pleasure. In other words, contrasting himself with other people, one sees that he is somewhat unreal, weightless, floating, and somehow not solid in his actions. One thinks of the spiritual, the need to annul oneself, to do something with oneself...

In other words, there is this clear psychological difficulty in crossing from this state into another. There's nothing you can do about it. Sometimes it's even embarrassing to be this way, be so absent from this life, share these out-of-this-world ideas. It is not manly, not serious to treat life differently than the laws of human existence seem to dictate to us. This is how one feels.

"...as if the entire world stands still and he alone is now seemingly absent from this world; and leaves his family and friends..." In other words, it seems that he abandons everybody around him. He does not participate with them in regular life, consumption, securing, or communication. "...for the sake of annulling before the Creator."

Shamati no4 - Lesson by Rav M.Laitman PhD

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There should not be Emptiness in the World
"There should not be emptiness in the world." A world is a creation; the will to receive that was created by Creator. Each of us possesses the desire that perceives the Creator's Light, His manifestation within us which is called "world."

"Desire is the basis of creation and man's magnitude is measured by it (Katnut or Gadlut; small or big desire). Since desire is the basis of creation and is what prevails in man, it follows that man always has to have some desire for this world or for the spiritual. The person who has no desires is considered dead."
Desires can be good or bad, with a screen or without one, but all the same, the person can be big regardless of whether he is good or bad; his desire per se should be big.

Each of us has many desires. The desires which we do not feel at any given moment are referred to as dead, and the desires that demand fulfillment are called living. This refers to our world.

Shamati no154 - Lesson by Rav M. Laitman PhD

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There is no Coercion in Spirituality
What is the life of a Kabbalist? First of all, for him it is an ordinary life. Why is it ordinary? Because there is a law in Kabbalah that states "There is no coercion in spirituality." Everything happens only according to what action one feels is correct. From outside, it is impossible to impose anything upon a person. So you may find a thousand and one books filled with advice, various laws and customs, all of which has absolutely nothing to do with the truth. Kabbalah says nothing about how a Kabbalist should behave.

There is no Coercion in Spirituality

Thought of the Week
In order to justify the things that happen to us, we must always look at ourselves from a higher degree than the one we're in. Only then can we see that the process of decision-making doesn't take our body into consideration, but works only to elevate the soul, and the calculation seeks the shortest possible route to the goal.
Rav M.Laitman PhD: Interview with the Future

New Interactive Kabbalah Course (Free)
Bnei Baruch North America is pleased to provide an interactive course on the fundamentals of Kabbalah. The first of its kind.

Duration
One lesson(1.5 hours) a week for 6 weeks

When
Every Sunday evening 8pm EST.

First lesson on Sept 11, 2005
more info

Tags:
kabbalah
books
religion

Kabbalah on the Gaza Disengagement

2005-08-19T05:18:00.000Z

Very intense days here in the Holy Land. Everyone in the center is very moved and sad about the current state of affairs but inside they're happy it's happening to someone else and not them.

My 70 year old mother who lives over the green line in the Shomron is in her element - she attends every single demonstration - day or night - anywhere in the country.

Me? I'm not phased by the current saga because I'm connected to people who see the big picture. People who know exactly what we have to do to make things better. Kabbalists have all the answers. They explain to us that these sufferings are sent to push us in the right direction. To realizing our true purpose for being here. It has been like that throughout time - our lackings and desire for fulfillment is what has got us to where we are - and we are now in the final stretch of discovering what Providence (or whatever you want to call it) put us here for.

Everything that's happening outside us is simply a reflection of the lacking inside.

In Rav Laitman's words, "When we learn to attach the attribute of Bina (bestowal) to Israel - then we will be connected - and all these disconnections won't be necessary."

With all the confusion there is one thing for sure - the ball is in your court at the moment. You can either keep reading about all the drama surrounding this sad affair or you can start doing something to change the future.

It's not going to happen on its own - the force that created us is waiting for us to give something back. It's time we got started on that because up till now we've just been taking.

Good places to start are the live broadcasts on www.kab.tv, the new interactive series for North Americans, or the upcoming event in the Catskills.

Tags:
kabbalah
Current Affairs
disengagement
israel
gaza

Free Interactive Kabbalah Course for North America!

2005-08-15T12:17:00.000Z

I'm really happy to have great news to post - Bnei Baruch North America is launching a new interactive kabbalah course - the first of its kind ever in the world!

The first lesson is on September 11th, at 8:00pm - the lessons will be given by Rav Laitman's advanced students Tony Kosinec and Mike Kellog.

This is especially for people who are new to kabbalah and just want to get the basics. You don't even have to register if you don't want to but registering allows you to participate in the live lessons.

Here's a link to all the info:
http://www.kabbalahgroup.info/~nabroadcast/

Come ONE, come all!!

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Women, Love and Kabbalah

2005-08-10T19:11:00.000Z

Some random quotes about women and kabbalah from www.kabbalah.info:

There are no women at the mid-night session. “Women have a spiritual head start and they don’t need the discipline of the nocturnal study hours,” said Rabbi Michael Laitman, 55, teacher and founder of the Bnei Baruch Center.

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First of all, what is love? Everyone thinks that it exists in our world. We want to feel it, and possibly, we are even ready to love somebody. But what does the notion of "love" mean?

Scientists have not discovered it yet, but now they are beginning to see that genes determine everything; that there are genes that determine a person's inclination towards theft or murder for instance.

Perhaps there is a love gene? If someone does not have this gene, then can that person be held responsible for not being able to love? If everything depends on genes?

What is love? What does it mean that I love someone or something? I love what brings me pleasure. This is clear. If something brings me suffering, I hate the source of my suffering. I draw closer to someone I love, I desire to establish a connection with that person, to be together. But the moment I discover that possibly, this is not so good for me, I start to cool off and move away.

Love is a sensation of pleasure from an object that gives me pleasure. If I am a desire to receive, then I must look for someone who gives me pleasure.

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If a human being advances and attains the degree of love of the Creator, and in addition, he has a wife with whom he can work with in the same manner, then of course, as they advance, they create among each other a system of Kelim, a connection in which they feel the light existing between them.

But if the connection between them does not go beyond their egos (under the condition that both of them perform work for the Creator), no other connection between them will materialize. It will exist out of necessity, in order to help each other, to raise children and so on, but this will not be love...

In our world, we have no idea what love is. There are stories about a few exceptional couples, such as Rabbi Akiva and his wife, in which both husband and wife existed at the spiritual level. Just a few records on what they experienced and felt have reached our times.

Evidently, in the condition of Final Correction, when human beings will rise above their egoism (it is said: "the world behaves according to unchangeable laws", everything stays the same as it is now; life continues), the connection between people, and especially the connection between spouses will originate from the spiritual realization. Then, undoubtedly, there will be love between them.

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This is why the minute I stop enjoying my wife or it seems to be that another woman will bring more pleasure to me I leave my wife and get another one. All of that is happening because I pay attention to the level of my own fulfillment.

But if the source of my fulfillment is the Creator, and if my relationship [with my wife] is defined by correspondence of form, this is something completely different, and permanent.

__________________________________________________

Love between mother and child comes from nature; it exists among animals as well and it is a natural love. The mother does not undergo certain corrections in order to love her child. She loves her child because it is implanted in her nature. If we switched off a certain system in her brain, she would stop loving her child and would relate to the child as to anybody else. The relationship between mother and child is not love.

Based to what we can understand, all of our relationships - such as relationship between mother and child, and, in general, between people in this world - are not love. It is either natural instinct, defined by our genes, that is, our natural systems that compel us to act in a certain way towards each other, or it stems from our egoism, when I feel pleasure and, thus, become attached to someone.

When a young man says to a young woman: "I love you!", what does he have in mind if not the pleasure that he receives from her? Sorry, I do not want to spoil the romantics. (Laughter)

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Not all, because the others became disappointed already. (Laughter) Some people have immersed themselves in drugs, while half of the world is swallowing pills from depression. This is the picture for today.

Whether we want this or not, our live pushes us towards the true definition of love, towards the realization of where we can really fill our Kli (vessel) for love. Kli for love is in bestowal, in the Reflected light.

If you are looking for love, what does this mean? You are looking for nice, pleasant, and beautiful fulfillment. There is a lacking in your Kli, in your egoism, and so you want to fill it. You give the name of love to a certain filling. But you will not receive fulfillment in this way. It is a pity to waste time!

_______________________________________________

Today, single men or women also do not have any problem studying Kabbalah, neither do couples, or one spouse. These are the times when everything happens according to the person's lacking, his or her need for the spiritual development.

And if a human being feels that some new Kli has really revealed itself in him, and that there is no fulfillment in this world neither in money, nor in fame, nor in knowledge, nor in animal pleasures - in nothing, and if a human being yearns for some fulfillment that comes from above, then he or she should study Kabbalah.

________________________________________________________

The era of the descent of the souls lasted until the 16th century, and ended when the ARI wrote that from his time on, not only is the study of the Kabbalah desirable, but it is a must for everyone: men, women and children of all nations.

It is explained that the souls have reached a certain degree of evolution, so that each soul, using the unique system that the ARI developed, will be able to attain complete attainment of reality, the attainment of the source of light and its own end of correction. Thus, each soul would be able to attain the purpose for which it came down to this world, to fulfill its destiny in this world.

___________________________________________________________

Q: Is there a different curriculum for women?

A: Women study differently to men. The purpose of correction is different and the ways to approach the Creator are different. Women, like men, will ultimately attain adhesion with the Creator - the highest degree in creation - there’s no discrimination in spirituality.

Q: Can any woman rise to the spiritual world, and If so, to what degree?

A: Yes, any woman can, and no less than men, provided she has a desire from above and devotion on her part - exactly the same requirements as for men.

Q: Is it the will of the Creator that a woman will study Kabbalah?

A: All the souls reach their destiny. All the souls should reach equivalence of form with the Creator, to become a part of Him, male souls and female souls alike.

_______________________________________________

Today, out of the people that are interested in Kabbalah you see that 90% are women, 10% men, none of which knows Aramaic or the Hebrew that was used in these books. There is no clear method either.

_____________________________________________

A correct use of the light of wisdom is attained only through a correct mating between a ‘man' and a ‘woman': the mating between the desire to give and the desire to receive.

______________________________________________

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Free 10-day Birthright trip to Israel

2005-08-09T12:47:00.000Z

This is a really great opportunity - my nieces and nephews come on these trips all the time -

Check it out: www.israelfree.com for the winter 2005-2006 trips in December and January.

Hopefully one day soon these trips will include an introduction to Kabbalah

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Who is a Kabbalist - Kabbalah Newsletter

2005-08-09T09:26:00.000Z

From this week's newsletter:

Who is a Kabbalist
Does a person who starts studying the science of Kabbalah withdraw from our world and distance himself or herself from daily life? Maybe he no longer cares about his family, work, children, or humanity and all of our human concerns cease to exist for him? Maybe he looks down on us from above, scornfully thinking, "What are these little people so busy with?"

He comprehends the entire existence and its entire process; sees everything from the beginning to the end: all the worlds and souls; how these souls descend into our world, move with its flow, and ascend upwards. Seeing their preoccupation with petty daily problems, seeing how meaningless, powerless, limited they are, perhaps he scorns us. Is that how a Kabbalist looks at our world?
Who is a Kabbalist

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Rav Laitman's recollections about his Teacher, Rav Baruch Ashlag

The only prayer that is answered instantly is the prayer for spiritual ascent. All our other requests, all our other prayers and longings come from within the egoistical will to receive and therefore we are not worthy of an answer. This contradicts the Purpose of creation. The Purpose of creation is to bring us to spiritual elevation, adhesion with the Creator. We receive an answer only if we plead for this.
Memoirs about Rav Baruch Ashlag, 1997

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Thought is a Consequence of a Desire
"A thought is a consequence of desire. Therefore a person thinks only about what he wants and never concentrates on something undesirable." He cannot act differently because desires control him. Our mind and properties are guided by desires. This means that contrary to widespread view, man's head is not the superior organ of the body, but the inferior one. If a person feels pain, all he can think of is alleviating the pain. Any of his desires, to get rid of pain or enjoy something, command the mind what to do.

Rav Michael Laitman.PhD:Thought Is a Consequence of Desire, Shamati No 153.

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Thought of the Week
Man cannot control anything. He cannot control feelings or thoughts. If he tries to control one thing, it comes at the expense of something else. A certain kind of water is healthier than drinking another kind. So I choose this kind over that one. This is called controlling one of my desires and replacing it with another. This is not control.
Lesson in the Perception of Reality (Lesson 4)

Definition of the Week
The divine Light exists in an absolute stillness, only the souls are transformed. At every stage of the transformation they receive new information from the Light.
The Order of Creation

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Getting Personal

2005-08-03T12:42:00.000Z

I basically only have one person commenting on my blog at the moment so I guess I better answer all his questions. (You're getting lots of points for this Neil!! and not from me ...)

How can you call Kabbalah a science without scientific experimentation?

Like I've said before it's better for a male to hear about this stuff from another male but we'll let that slip for now. Kabbalah is only about one thing - learning and applying the method for receiving light. This is done in a trial and error manner just like learning to ride a bycicle. But while learning to ride a bycicle is something you do externally with your hands and feet, kabbalah is about changing your insides into something completely opposite to what they are right now. Why the heck would you want to do that you may be asking? When you realize that all the external things we do here for progressing (money, honor, power, etc.) are simply distracting us from the real path of progression - you do an abrupt turn and go the other way. There is no one outside of you telling you to do this or do that - yes there is a Rav guiding the guys but basically you have to figure out everything for yourself - within yourself so to speak. And that can only be done through experimenting. Eventually after a couple of years people get on a steady path of advancement without really requiring the things that helped get them there in the first place.

I'd also like to learn more about you -- again. Chances are that I'm not going to jump right in and study Kabbalah. I'm sure the same happened to you. Were you into traditional Jewish stuff before? Do you keep Shabbos and kosher? At what point did you say to yourself, let me explore Kabbalah. Even if it found you, what were the circumstances? How did you learn about it? Did you take a seminar? Are there different schools of Kabbalistic thought? Why do you choose one over the other?

I was in private jewish school in Montreal from grade 2. My family got religious right before we moved to Israel, but I was dead against it by the time we got here and insisted on being in a secular school. Nowadays I keep kosher etc. and dress differently but probably for very different reasons than religious people. My family doesn't care why they just love it that I'm not prancing in from the beach in the middle of shabbes with the car keys in my hand and my stomach on display.

How did it start? After 10 really crappy and lonely years of depression and all kinds of not pleasant experiences - I lost two sisters one right after the other and that really messed me up for a long time - I escaped to NY, read hundreds of self-help books - I was on lithium for about 8 years - long long story - whatever - a few years after getting back to Israel from New York I decided to start taking some holistic courses. I kept hearing about kabbalah in the background because the owner of the school used to give free lectures every thursday evening to a packed room - but it was all hush hush in those days and it took me about 2 years and 3 courses till I finally went to one of the lectures. If I tell you what happened to me while I was sitting in the front row there you will have me hospitalized ASAP. We can't talk about these things. It's not right and it's not allowed. All I can say - and remember I had just done all kinds of feel-good imagination courses that take you flying all over the place - there is no other feeling like it in this world. From that moment there was no going back. Around that time is when the owner of the school took me to meet Rav Laitman who needed help with positioning his organization and the rest is history. There are other people that teach kabbalah - but the system is all about doing it in a group - ours is the most intensive group in the world (I'm talking about people studying authentic kabbalah) - and that can be felt immediately by walking into one of our events if you are slightly sensitive. I brought my sister once and she said "what's in that room?" - she couldn't feel her legs when she walked out. There are lots of people selling things under the title of kabbalah - but anything you receive from that in your five senses (success at business, marriage etc.) is not real kabbalah - because real kabbalah is about acquiring a sixth sense.

And why did Kabbalah replace all your "secular" pasttimes? Can't you be involved in both Kabbalah and skateboarding?

You can be involved in both and some people are - I'm just as close as you can get here with my husband in the core group in Israel - you do those things for the adrenaline - I used to skate on ramps with 8 year olds! There is thousands of times more adrenaline in my every day life so why should I shlep all the way to a ski resort?

Was your husband interested before he met you?
Yes - I saw him on screen in the morning lesson and knew somewhere inside that he was my future husband. But was in total denial for about half a year even though he was really the only available guy in the group my age (39). I had so many issues building up in me for so long that I probably never would have gotten married if it wasn't necessary for spiritual advancment. Finally we were matched up, went out twice and got married a couple of weeks later.

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Talk about receiving pleasure!

2005-08-01T20:00:00.000Z

Searching for satisfaction and the process of filling

Human life is a process of endless search. Man incessantly looks for something that can satisfy his new desires: he keeps seeking after food, wealth, sex, power and knowledge. All these desires constantly pop up and alternate in him. Man devotes his entire life to satisfying them.

There are many people in the history of mankind who managed to fill their spiritual desire. In their books they tell us about the search for satisfaction and the process of filling. Their explanations and the description of this process have developed into a science called Kabbalah. Such people call themselves Kabbalists.

Kabbalists explain that while being in our world man should fill his soul with the light so that it will rise to the same spiritual level which it was prior to descending and dressing in man’s heart, i.e. his earthly desires. Our task, regardless of all other desires called “heart” or “body”, is to fill that point in heart with the Supreme light.

Kabbalists say that filling the soul with the light gives man a sensation of the upper world. This means that he can simultaneously live (feel) both in the upper world, and in ours. He unites these two worlds in him. The state, when man in our world completely corrects and fills his soul at the highest spiritual level, is referred to as the End of correction of a soul or simply “the end of correction”.

From the moment he begins to feel aspiration to spirituality a person receives his initial information on Kabbalah. Kabbalah enables the person to master a method of filling his soul, to attain a state of infinite delight, sensation of eternity, absolute knowledge and perfection. Moreover, he receives an opportunity to realize it now, in this world, in this life, instead of coming back again and again to this "not the best" of worlds searching and suffering from birth to death.

Since souls continuously change, develop and improve, the task of Kabbalah is to create a method of reception of the spiritual filling suitable for each generation. This science is called "Kabbalah" – reception, because it offers a method of filling the soul with the light. Kabbalah teaches man to receive the Supreme Light and fill the soul with it, i.e. both desires of the heart and spiritual desires. This is possible, since all our desires are created by this very light. Hence, only direct filling with the light can satisfy us.

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Kabbalah in the Catskills

2005-07-29T15:47:00.000Z

"The sensation of unity which we experience when we gather together and carry with us into all of the regions of the world shows that the media of our thoughts, the greatness of the Creator is what unites us. When we gather together for a congress and unite in one thought in order to achieve the ultimate Goal, the resulting force overcomes all obstacles."
Rav Michael Laitman PhD
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Bnei Baruch
North American Kabbalah Congress
September 23-25

"The Next Step"

Spiritual Rocket Fuel

Dear Friend,

Working on your own you have a single power of desire that attracts the surrounding light. Now imagine the vast, positive force that becomes available to you simply by coming together, even for a few days, with people from North America and all over the globe who share this true desire to reveal the Creator. The gentle intensification of the light is truly transformative. A gathering of Kabbalists is like spiritual rocket fuel - it can swiftly bring about desirable changes within us that ultimately reveal both inner and outer peace, our healing and the healing of our world, by taking a person to the next level: to know and fulfill the purpose of life.

Three days that will change your life
This year our annual Fall Congress will take place in a beautiful retreat setting in upstate New York where you'll meet with master Kabbalist, Rav Michael Laitman PhD, many of the students from BB and the world. For three days we'll study together, laugh, eat, enjoy workshops, seminars and entertainment. We'll celebrate and take in of the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains.

Whether you've studied for a month, a year or just a week you're invited

The cost per person for the 3 days and 2 nights is $220 to 240 US Transportation to and from metro NYC airports (LaGuardia, Newark Liberty) will be provided.

Space is limited so register now. Email your name, location and how many reservations you need to: newyork@kabbalahgroup.info or call 1-800-540-3234 and we'll send you a form to complete your registration details. We must receive your registration before August 15.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

http://kabbalahgroup.info/~newyork/

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Current Affairs

Kabbalah - The Ultimate Science for Receiving Pleasure

2005-07-27T08:39:00.000Z

Like any other science, Kabbalah is characterized by repeatability of experience, registered data etc. Kabbalah is a science and has nothing to do with religion. Religions do not teach Kabbalah, because it reveals to man the true universe, where the Supreme governing Force desires only one thing – to make man equal to itself.

Why is Kabbalah a science about reception of pleasure?

In Kabbalah we understand pleasure as filling in all its manifestations: material, moral, intellectual or physical. Furthermore, here we speak of delight (filling), which is absolute, eternal, perfect and infinite.

Delight is felt only when a very strong desire is present – provided there is a crystal-clear desire for something, which is unavailable. The received pleasure instantly extinguishes desire which in turn reduces pleasure. The greatest delight is felt only during the first contact of the desire with the desired, the way the first bit of food feels in a hungry man’s mouth. Then hunger subsides, the desire disappears and satiation sets in. The food stops bringing the delight that was felt at the beginning of the meal. Gourmets leave the most delicious dishes for the end of a feast, because greater delight compensates for the lack of desire.

If we start researching the various kinds of pleasure we receive from knowledge, power, riches, sex and food, we’ll notice that all of them diminish upon reception of the desired. Oftentimes man works for years to get what he wants, but having received the object, stops enjoying it.

It is the disappearance of the sensation of pleasure forces us to look for new delights. Advertising, fashion etc. supply us with new desires, and we get carried away by the constant pursuit of anticipated pleasure. Once the desired is received, we feel compelled to seek new enjoyment. This process is endless. Hence, man can never really be delighted. He is constantly moving.

Kabbalah teaches man how to receive non-vanishing pleasures: eternal, absolute and perfect, revealed as permanent peace and delight. Hence, this method is called “Hochmat HaKabbalah” (the science of reception). It was given to us by the Creator so that our enormous desires would be immediately satisfied and then new desires would emerge, be fulfilled and so on. The absence of a gap between a desire and its filling would allow us to enjoy never-ending peace and delight.

How can such desire be created? It does not exist in our world. Hence, the soul is opposite to our entire world. It differs from this world by its property of altruism called “a screen” in Kabbalah. The process of acquiring a screen is the subject of Kabbalah studies.

We speak about a strictly practical approach, about mastering a special method. It can be accomplished in the process of studying certain Kabbalistic books. For example, the principal Kabbalistic six-volume composition “The Study of Ten Sefirot” is compiled as a regular academic textbook: in each of its 16 parts, on more than 2000 pages the structure of the upper world is expounded in modern language. The part of the books entitled “The Inner Reflection” gives a more detailed explanation of its functioning. The part called “The Meanings of Words” provides questions referring to the meaning of the words used. Finally the part called “Questions and Answers” deals with descriptions and explanations of spiritual phenomena.

We welcome and await all those who find no peace searching for the answers to the questions about the structure and functioning of the universe, about the purpose of life. These are the people who discover the spiritual point in their hearts. It is for them that we created our internet site available in 22 languages.

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