Revealing The Creator Inside The Group

Question From A Student: When we say that I must ascribe importance to other people more than myself, does it mean that I must regard the things that are important to them, or could it be putting their needs before mine?  

Answer By Dr. Michael Laitman: Neither. The truth is, that we do not know what "in order to bestow" is and what is the significance that stands behind the words which Kabbalists keep on repeating for us: "to bestow," "to connect with the others," "to love our fellow-men," and "to prefer the group" etc. Those are things that are blocked and concealed from us: similarly to the Creator. Kabbalists write: "Connect to the group and from there you will receive the spiritual force." But I do not know what the group is. For me: the friend is concealed from me just like the Creator. Indeed the term "friend" is not the biological, physical wrapping that I see before my eyes.

Therefore months and even years go by: in work in the group, in study and in dissemination, until one can truly begin to touch upon the term called: "group." That is because the group is the quality of bestowal:, like the Creator, it is really the spirituality that exists outside of me and is allegedly clothed inside the friends' bodies': corporeal covering, even though it is not related to those bodies.

In truth, "group" is a spiritual term to which I constantly want to connect in different ways: in pride, in envy, in control and in honor. And on the other hand in self-annulment and more - and mostly study and disseminate together with the friends that are inside the group. If I do that, after a while I begin to awaken the Surrounding Light upon myself through the group.

We must understand that the Surrounding Light does not come directly; I never work facing the Creator. Only through the group, meaning in the connection to the collection of the souls in which I reveal the spiritual world, only there do I find the Creator. That is because the collection of the souls called: "Adam", is the only thing that was created.

So I work with this group using all the means that I have, and I am disappointed of them and love and hate them. But in spite of the hatred I come anyway and sit, study, participate in duties by rotations and in all different activities-- whether willingly or not, out of the intention to really push myself in the group, until out of all those actions shines on me: The Light that exists inside this group.

I say that the Light comes to me "from above, through a group," but in fact everything is inside of it. The Light that shines out of it upon me begins to show me that the place from where It shines: exists within the group. Then I discover that the "group" is not the biological bodies, but rather the spiritual connection between the souls, even though they themselves are not aware of it. Then I discover that the Light, this force called the: "Creator," exists among them to the degree of connection that is between those souls. And then I begin to understand the term called: "environment."

To the extent that I understand this and am attracted to it, in accordance with the egoistic importance that is revealed to me as a result of the investment in the group, I begin to develop an attitude of bestowal toward them. The Light shines and gives me new discernments, which enables me to start turning to them as a: giver, as a fulfiller, and not as a user. The Light does those things for me. This action is called: "cure," "wonder," "miracle" or "exodus." "Exit" because when I step out of myself and wish to deal with that internality, with the collection of souls that was revealed to me inside the group, I begin to feel that the Light, the Creator, is found there.

But it takes a long time until this thing begins to occur in a man. Therefore the only things that help are: patience, diligence, and the degree to which one requires himself to come to the group to participate and subjugate himself before the group, the teacher, the method and the books. This is how it works and Kabbalists write about it. This is the realization of free choice.