September 6, 2014 at 10:00 pm · Filed under Torah Portion
Deuteronomy, 26:1-29:8
This Week’s Torah Portion | September 7 – September 13, 2014 – Elul 12 – Elul 18, 5774
In A Nutshell
The portion, Ki Tavo (When You Come), begins with the last part of Moses’ speech before the people prior to his death. Upon the entrance to the land of Israel, Moses orders the people to write the words on big, whitewashed stones, and to build from them an altar for the Creator.
Moses describes the blessing that will come to Israel if they keep the Mitzvot (commandments), and the cursing that will come to them if they do not. He describes the state of the blessing and the curse on Mount Eival, and on Mount Gerizim—who will stand on each side, what are curses and what are blessings, and how they should be said.
The portion also deals with the Mitzvot of the first fruit, and the tithing laws. At the end of the portion Moses summarizes the events through which the people went, the Creator’s help on every step, and the people’s commitment to keep the Mitzvot.
Commentary by Dr. Michael Laitman
Our soul consists of 613 Mitzvot (commandments). Initially, they are all as the evil inclination, meaning aiming to benefit ourselves. In each of our desires appears—in the best case scenario—concern for ourselves. In the worst case scenario appears how we lie, steal, and use others for our own benefit.
Even if we do not use others, we still feel that the worse off they are, the better off we are. By nature, we are built to compare ourselves to others.
And yet, there is no one to complain to about it because the Creator admits, “I have created the evil inclination.” It is a process that began in Egypt, where we received the big evil inclination, the will to receive.
We discovered it at Mount Sinai, where we agreed to be “as one man with one heart,” to bond. Although we were by a mountain of hate, we united around the mountain and expressed willingness to unite. Although we were unable to actualize it, we were prepared to go for it. That was enough to receive the force of correction called “Torah,” whose light reforms.
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September 5, 2014 at 7:30 pm · Filed under Articles, Books
Why Abraham Is Just As Relevant Today As He Ever Was
Just as the Creation story can be used to help us understand the evolution of our souls and our purpose on the earth, the story of Abraham the Patriarch teaches us about the essentials of growing toward the Creator and coming to know Him in our lives to fulfill our purpose in life. Anyone who ascends from this world toward the Creator and unites with Him must take the same path that Abraham first took, and for which he is regarded as the father of the nation.
If we relate to the Torah as a historic tale, we will see that it is not very different from the histories of other nations. But the Torah does not deal with the past, rather it deals with us. It deals with each and every one of us; with who we are and what we are and what we must do with our lives. The Creator appeals only to people, to each and every person. That is how the Torah explains the entire system of creation. Each person contains everything that exists in all the worlds inside him or her, including our own world. Besides humanity, there is only the Creator. Humanity is the representative of creation and of all the other worlds.
What ‘Abraham’ Really Is
The Creator turns to Abraham, who represents a specific attribute in us and who is like all other properties (nations) in a human (Av Ha’am, Abraham in Hebrew, means “the father of the nation”), and tells him: “I now separate this specific trait in you, which is called Abraham, and you must leave your country, meaning your situation and all the desires that you cur- rently feel. Go from your homeland, and break free from the desires you were born with.”
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September 3, 2014 at 9:44 pm · Filed under Q&A, Video
In this episode of “Ask the Kabbalist,” Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman answers questions on why some people and nations are more fortunate than others, on whether Kabbalah shares restrictions that religions have on sex, why is there so much hate in humankind, and more.
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