The World Exists Inside Of Me

When I approach reading The Book of Zohar, I must do so out of the connection with everyone - the whole world, all of reality, everything exists inside of me, and there is nothing besides me and the Creator.

How will I be able to include everyone inside of me? If I feel them as my own. What does it mean "as my own"? "As my own" means: through the love toward them. But even without using the word "love," I must approach the text from my point, out of the understanding that the person is a small world and the entire world exists inside of me.

I stand before the Upper Light, before the Creator, with all the qualities and the discernments, with all there is in me, and do not describe a thing outside of me. I have no history, no geography, and no universe - there is nothing, but only me, the Creator, and the Masach (Screen) that is between us, meaning a relationship that I must build with Him.

Scrutinies – Only Inside The Group

Question by a Student: I understand that my desire, the prayer, is the only thing I can do. But how will I be able to throw away the rest, and focus on this only?

Answer by Dr. Michael Laitman: The scrutinies are not done in the mind, but in the emotion. Everything depends on the desire, on the emotion only. And the mind is given only in order to help us operate ourselves. I cannot do a thing with my heart, but I can do various external actions which will cause my heart to be impressed by them. From here it is derived that the thought is a consequence of the desire, and only the thought can help the desire to be built.

Therefore, we have nothing left except for the actions in the group and the study, on which the Kabbalists advise us. And all those kinds of methods, which claim that we can change something through actions with our hands and legs, or through the heart's desire: it is a lie, because when it comes to my heart ─ I will always lie to myself. It is as if I want spirituality and so on. But this is a mistake, and we too are steeped in those mistakes.

Why are we not successful in reaching maximal participation in the group? Why are we not reaching the conclusion that only this action brings benefit? Because we think that inside the heart, there is a need for spirituality in us. But it is not true. This error ─ that it seems to me that I want something in the heart, prevents me from approaching the group. This is also mysticism, this is also a lie, because everything with regards to my heart: I cannot scrutinize a thing on my own, I cannot bring myself to MAN (Mayin Nukvin-Female Water), to truly desire from the heart.

Only if I enter into a group, and this group will influence me, and I will want to connect with them in return, I will be able to begin scrutinizing the connection between us, and the scrutiny of the necessary connection that should be between us is what will be called "MAN." Whereas right now, I am working directly from the heart, working opposite myself only, and therefore burning my life away while being in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Practical Kabbalah

Authentic, practical Kabbalah means that we attract the Light of Correction that causes us to change. Our world is a world of results; we are influenced by Upper Forces that govern all life in this world. So we shouldn't think that we can change anything in our world with our actions. There are no effective actions we can make in our world, besides one-raising MAN (a request) upwards. This is the only thing we can do. Raising MAN is called practical Kabbalah.

If, on the other hand, a person hopes to change his fate and influence the Upper Forces with his material actions (including the observance of traditions and commandments), then Kabbalah says that this is impossible. Don't do it-it won't help. Sure, you can carry out the rituals in order to feel more relaxed and to have order in your life, but at the same time, you should know that you will not change your fate by doing so. These actions do not enable you to reveal your egoism; they do not make you want to correct it. They might even make you feel the opposite way-more relaxed, as if everything is ok.

If a person hopes to change anything in this world by influencing it directly, rather than through the Upper World, this is called mysticism. If he isn't asking to be made similar to the Upper Forces and to change, but is instead trying to change the forces and world that seem to be outside him, then he is engaging in mysticism. It means that one's outlook on the world is incorrect. The only thing in reality that we can change is ourselves; or rather, we can ask to be changed.

All of our reality is the One and Only Creator, the Absolute, who is Good and does Good. There is no one besides Him. "There is a law and it cannot be transgressed." This refers to an iron law that we cannot affect in any way. If we want change, we can only ask Him to make these changes in us.