When our holy zeal and great desire for redemption are gone, and our natural, human and national desire to live honorably as a nation are no longer present; and when it is no longer possible to legitimately blow the Shofar (horn) of redemption, our enemies come to us and blow it in our ears, “reminding us of our purpose.” They force us to hear the sound of the Shofar by blowing it into our ears and giving us no rest, like Amalek, Hitler and others did, to wake us up to our redemption.

… This type of nationalism, meaning ‘the sorrows of the Jews’ is a whip, and it too is a form of redemption, namely, “sorrows all around us awaken us and unite us,” however, for this Shofar sound, there is no blessing.

The Writings of Rav Kook, Vol 1, Article “Shofarot” (“The Horns”)

Rav Kook tells us that if awakening comes from externality and not the internality of the system of creation, then it does not come on account of the correction of creation, but it is an awakening from above, where out of no choice, we are awakened as such, because we cannot awaken ourselves.

Therefore, what we will do, through all these blows that come to us through “in due time,” through all situations and external, unpleasant causes, all our actions are then not out of correction, but because we run away from blows, from a bad place to a place that’s “a little better.” Therefore, it is not considered as being correction, but that we are in that in the animate level, like animals escape from blows, from sorrows that come to them from nature, e.g. a brushfire, so it is with us.

However, correction needs to be at the human level, where a person arranges his own deficiency. Other than the deficiency for the purpose of creation, he needs to become equipped with yearning. Then, when he has deficiency and yearning for the correct state, Hafetz Hesed (delighting in mercy) and active bestowal to the others, if there are such inclinations that he gathered and united through all kinds of activities among all the friends, then these actions can be received as actions of MAN, of request, of efforts for correction.

However, actions that come via external blows, all kinds of unpleasant events, that is only escaping toward good from blows. It is not that one yearns for bestowal. Then, when we see that people gather and want to be together, help each other out, and collaborate. There is nothing to be proud of in such a situation. These actions are similar to animals escaping from bad, and there is no correction in that.

Therefore, in our educational program, we need to respond to what the people are used to, but the main thing is to continue running activities in the times when some blow isn’t the reason for the activities, where we can explain the matter of connection, urgency, what we attain by that, and to what state we elevate ourselves, because the whole correction is in stabilizing the desire, the yearning for bestowal, not in that it is urgent for our ego to escape from bad, but because we appreciate the quality of bestowal as something exalted and special, and work out of goodness. We thus need to feel that difference between those two tendencies, and try to work from the corporeal good, to the spiritual good, where nothing urges me in my life to add exertion, other than the revelation of the Creator, the quality of bestowal and love, and by that we come close to the act of bestowal.

Based on the “Preparation” part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson of June 20, 2014. It can be downloaded from the Kabbalah Media Archive.

What is the spiritual definition of “nation” and “Jew” and how do they not relate at all to the corporeal definitions of these terms? What is MAN? What is Hafetz Hesed? What is an act of bestowal? How can an act of bestowal be made, and what are the benefits of reaching bestowal instead of remaining in reception? Learn the answers to these questions and more by learning the fundamental principles of the wisdom of Kabbalah in the Free Kabbalah Course: 20 lessons that will transform your life in 10 weeks. Click the banner below to sign up…

As 2014’s Independence Day in Israel draws in, Dr. Michael Laitman reflects on what is independence for a nation in an age of interdependent ties among all nations, in an article published in Aliyah Magazine… 

As another Israeli Day of Independence starts being celebrated, the all too familiar chants (not to say rants) about Israel’s need to be strong and self-reliant fill the media. Perhaps the chanters know something most of us do not; otherwise, how can you explain their insistence that independence is possible? This is true for all countries, not just for Israel; independence is a myth; interdependence is the reality of our lives.

Today, a country that wishes to be independent must focus its attention on the society rather than on the economy. The only way a country can be independent is if the people within it feel solidarity and mutual responsibility toward each other. Read Full Article »

The war of Gog and Magog is a spiritual concept that relates to Kabbalah. It is not spoken of anywhere but in Kabbalah. Gog and Magog happens at a spiritual degree and not as it does in our world, where the wars and torments happen before our eyes.

What Is the War of Gog and Magog?

The struggle between internality and externality is called “The War of Gog and Magog.” It unfolds within the people of Israel (i.e. people with a desire for spirituality, the meaning of life; “Israel” being a combination of the words “Yashar Kel” [“straight to God”]), and its consequences determine the fate of the entire world. If we are triumphant, we will spare ourselves the horrifying depictions of the war of Gog and Magog as an apocalyptic global war.

The war of Gog and Magog is actually an internal war, occurring within individuals from Israel (i.e. people in whom the desire for spirituality has awoken; who have an inclination to question the meaning of life and discover the altruistic desire above the inborn egoistic desire). It is not a physical war with planes and missiles, as is often thought. The planes and the missiles are not the real war; they are merely a physical manifestation of accumulated imbalance.

The war of Gog and Magog is a war between the internality and the externality of our desires. It is fought in our hearts and in our minds. As it unfolds, it gives us a choice. To which do we want to belong? Do we prefer the internality of the world or its externality? Where are our desires, minds, and hearts drawn? This is the war. [Source: Dr. Michael Laitman, From Chaos to Harmony: The Solution to the Global Crisis According to the Wisdom of Kabbalah. Part II: Israel’s Role. “The War of Gog and Magog“]

The Internal War of Gog and Magog

Question: I know that there is a prophecy about a war called Gog and Magog. From life, I can feel that this war is happening within me, all the time. Can you explain more about these two forces Gog and Magog? What happens to them in this internal war and where is it leading?

Answer by Dr. Laitman: First of all, I’m very happy that she is talking about internal things. Gog and Magog is an internal war; it is like the strife between Moses and Pharaoh. We, specifically Jews, are opposed by alien forces that are threatening us. Within us, too, we are in the same war. In the people of Israel too, with its ego that had vanquished us, after the ruin of the Temple and within each and every one of us, is that perpetual war.

But now, especially, we have completed the period of the exile and we have to rise from that level of exile to redemption; we are pretty much behind already. We should have started this spiritual ascension in accordance with our return to our land, Israel, about one hundred years ago. That is what the Kabbalists say.

Then begins this war of Gog and Magog, which is the last war between the good forces in us that want to achieve bestowal, love of others, brotherly love, “love thy friend as thyself,” and those forces that still keep us in exile and don’t let us out; the internal forces, in each of us and the forces in the nation. There are bodies that still think that we should remain in exile and also the whole world thinks so.

This war is, indeed, as you say; a perpetual war that now exists in each of us. And in the end, the whole world, with the globalization and today’s crisis in ecology, education and security, it’s all in this Gog and Magog war campaign. Let’s hope that we will succeed in it, without an eruption of physical war, but we will complete it and finish it and succeed at the spiritual level.

This is why the wisdom of Kabbalah is emerging today out of seclusion. It is presenting itself to everyone and through it, we can succeed with the forces of bestowal and love, with the Upper Light that will correct all of us, so we will succeed in this campaign. [Source: Dr. Michael Laitman, “Ask the Kabbalist (April 10, 2008)“]

To learn more about Kabbalah’s attitude to war, and the inner definitions of words such as Israel, Jews, and many others, it is recommended to take the Free Kabbalah Course. The reason is that many of the concepts and terms we have a heard a lot about in our upbringing have completely different definitions in Kabbalah, and it takes a while to process them properly. Therefore, if you’re interested in this topic, then we recommend taking the free courses and start learning about the world around you and inside you anew…

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Dr. Michael Laitman discusses the soul – the collective soul & the Jewish soul – in this episode of Jtimes.

Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman discusses the spiritual meaning of Purim & its relevance in today’s world.