Question: Yesterday, we talked about the upcoming conventions and various events in Latin America, and you talked about the importance of going there, that you will feel the place, the people, and that there is something special going on there behind the scenes, a special force. Can you say something about North America, whether there is importance in the place itself?

Dr. Michael Laitman: We have had many different conventions in North America. Indeed I began to feel them much more closely. The problem with North America, perhaps at least a little bit, it that there is a group dealing with Kabbalah and a group dealing also with integral education, the wisdom of connection, and I think that these two parts need to be connected, because today it is inappropriate to be divided. I really hope that the divide will be at least narrowed through the convention, because it disallows people from actualize themselves effectively and correctly.

If that divide connects, then there will be no difference between the South American and North American attitudes. For now, this is hindering, and especially lately it became a hindrance to our progress. We have to come to a state where our students feel no difference between the wisdom of connection and the wisdom of Kabbalah, as there is no difference. However, if we are talking about going outwards, then that is a different story. If we disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah and people come to us, then we teach the wisdom of Kabbalah first, and afterwards, one comes to the wisdom of connection, as Baal HaSulam writes about “love your friend as yourself.”

You can realize the wisdom of Kabbalah only by connecting to others. That is its actualization. On one hand, studying the wisdom of Kabbalah theoretically gives nothing. On the other hand, if people do not come to the wisdom of Kabbalah and display no interest, you come to them with the wisdom of connection in order to make their lives easier. Then, you gradually pull them into connection, and in the connection, little by little, you show them the basics of Kabbalah, even without mentioning it first, that it is the wisdom of Kabbalah. You then eventually reveal it. It depends on how they advance. We still need to put together these things.

Student: So it is a very meaningful stage in the development of the North American Kli [vessel], which is bringing all the different students to the same perspective and understanding with respect to the wisdom of connection.

This Q&A is based on the Special Q&A Session with Dr. Michael Laitman in Preparation for the ONE Convention, which took place on Sunday, June 16. Watch the whole video & stay up-to-date with ONE Convention preparation materials here »