Question: When the sons of Israel felt a great emptiness, they cried out to the Creator. This cry came out of them automatically. What was their freedom of choice?

Answer: They had freedom of choice before when they were in Egypt. Now, the Creator has gathered them and pulled them to Him. Therefore, they are under the full power of the Creator.

We must understand that we do not yet feel like we are in the desert. We do not feel that we have nothing to eat. Therefore, we cannot cry out to the Creator asking where the food we ate in Egypt is. We do not yet feel Egypt.

Question: What is the difference between Israel and the nations of the world? Is it that the people of the world in this situation would not turn to the Creator?

Answer: No, the nations of the world are those who do not feel related to the Creator at all.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/12/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “And It Came to Pass in the Course of Those Many Days”

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Question: Can we say that the path of the Torah is the path of education?

Answer: Of course, the Torah is the teaching about educating a person or, more correctly, a society. We must educate ourselves to be kind, good people who support one another and rise above our physical nature.

Question: If a person decides to follow the path of suffering, i.e., the natural path of come what may, can he come to spiritual revelation?

Answer: Maybe, but this is a long path where one will endure great suffering.

Question: Does a person have freedom of choice? For example, do I have a choice in the case that I am considering whether I should follow the path of the Torah or the path of suffering? Or do we not have this choice?

Answer: Everyone has it. Not at every moment in time, but we have it. Unlike inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature, a person can choose how to advance.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual states” 3/14/24

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Question: Why did the Creator arrange it so that a person cannot connect suffering with the path of Torah (the path of correcting egoism)? Does it mean that it is impossible to do so? In the mind, one can somehow connect this; a person hears something, reads something. But not in the heart. I do not see that if I did something wrong I suddenly get punished for it.

Answer: If we were to receive immediate punishment for our bad actions, it would not be freedom of will, our consciousness, or choice, but simply coercion. We would be compelled to act in a certain way, and there would be nothing free about it. People would not have any opportunities to act differently.

Question: I understand that this would deprive us of freedom of choice. Yet, if you were to go out into the streets of any country in the world and poll a thousand people: “Can you say that all the suffering of humanity arises from our lack of unity, lack of love for each other, and from our bad behavior?” I am sure that people would not say: “Yes that is the case and that is the reason for natural disasters and catastrophes.”

That is, they do not connect these things together. And this is after thousands of years of human development. Why?

Answer: Because they do not want to delve into the nature we exist in. It is easier for them to justify themselves and act as they see fit.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual states” 3/14/24

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Comment: As far as I understand, the path of suffering is a natural process of human development.

My Response: It is we who consider this path natural because this is how we behave. But why should it be natural?

Question: Could our reality be different?

Answer: Of course. Why do we not do what is acceptable in the eyes of the Creator and our feelings?

Comment: But each of the eight billion people understands the “eyes of the Creator” in their way.

My Response: We must understand and accept that the Creator’s desire is bestowal, a connection between us, and good actions. We must learn to appreciate the good we receive from others and do the same in return.

If we do this, we will begin moving our development along the right path. And if not, then our development will happen under the lash, with blows.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual states” 3/14/24

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Question: If the Creator helps Satan (evil spirits) and its influence increases, what is my freedom of choice?

Answer: Nature consists of two opposing forces. Your freedom of choice is always in the middle so that you would walk along the middle line and not the left or right.

Satan is egoism; the Creator does not help him or helps only to the extent necessary to balance your positive properties. In this case, He makes your desire correct and balanced on both sides of nature.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/20/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “The Lots”

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The quality of freedom, which we receive as a result of spiritual work, is the desire to be above the desire to receive. That is, as one gets closer to the Creator, one falls under His influence and begins to transform all of one’s desires, intentions, and qualities to similarity of form to the Creator.

Question: Why is this called a quality of freedom, because it actually falls under the influence of the Creator?

Answer: Liberation from egoism is freedom for us.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 2/4/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Freedom”

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Question: What should our thoughts be focused on to come to study the Torah, as it is said, day and night?

Answer: To do this you need to understand that everything that happens in us that arises in our thoughts and desires comes from the Creator, and we must only react correctly to this.

Question: If all thoughts and intentions are from the Creator, then the prayer given to me is also from Him. At all points I connect myself with Him. How can I outsmart and persuade Him to reveal Himself?

Answer: Beg, do not persuade or somehow deceive. Just ask, that is precisely where your freewill lies.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/19/24, Writings of Baal HaSulam “A Thought Is a Result of the Desires”

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Question: There is a little puzzle, three frogs were sitting on a log, one decided to jump. How many frogs are left on the log?

Answer: This is an old puzzle. “Decided to jump” and “jumped” are not the same thing.

Question: Exactly! So, three frogs are still sitting on the log. Sometimes, we think we’ve jumped, but in reality, we’re still deciding whether to jump. I have a question: How do you make decisions correctly?

Answer: You can make a decision correctly if you absolutely know its outcome in advance and are already in that outcome. It’s like looking at the present from the future.

Question: So, you have to anticipate and foresee the result?

Answer: Absolutely! What else is a decision for? It’s a decision about the future.

Question: You sort of place yourself in it and then make the decision?

Answer: Of course.

Question: When you decide, do you have to jump right away? Is there any time for reflection?

Answer: If you have decided definitively, rechecked yourself, and conclusively decided, then you must act. Otherwise, every minute is a delay.

Question: Tell me, how do you reassess? Do you reassess yourself? Measure seven times…

Answer: No. I don’t know about seven times, but you have to assess. Because it shouldn’t depend on your momentary mood or any conditions. It should be a normal, firm decision.

Question: So, if you made the decision, after all these checks, you have to jump?

Answer: Yes.

Question: But what if you made the wrong decision? Checked everything, did everything, and made the wrong decision.

Answer: How do you know it’s wrong?

Comment: You ended up not where you wanted.

My Response: But that’s after the decision.

Comment: After I’ve already jumped.

My Response: After implementation?

Question: Yes, exactly. I realized I made the wrong decision. What should I do about it?

Answer: Do nothing.

Question: But I beat myself up over it! Checked everything, jumped, and everything’s wrong?!

Answer: There’s nothing you can do. Nothing more to do, nothing to blame.

Question: Don’t blame yourself?

Answer: No, under no circumstances!

Question: How do you not fall into doing so?

Answer: Attribute all that to the Creator.

Question: So, measure beforehand and after it happened…

Answer: The Creator did it. Absolutely clearly, the Creator.

Comment: That is, we have now come to the golden rule. I check everything…

My Response: I decide, I act, and the rest is up to the Creator.

Question: And then the result is the Creator?

Answer: Yes.

Question: No regrets, nothing?

Answer: Nothing. That’s how it was intended from the beginning.

Question: So, He was spinning me around from the start, I was reassessing it and it wasn’t me doing it? He was the one twisting me?

If one could live like this, there would be nothing to regret at all.

Answer: Then live like that.

Comment: “Live like that”! If only we could learn to live like that.

My Response: Don’t regret anything and don’t think about anything at all! Everything is arranged from above.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/11/23

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The eagle was sitting on a tree, resting, doing nothing. The little rabbit saw the eagle and asked: “Can I sit like you and do nothing?” “Of course, why not?” he answered. The rabbit sat down under a tree and began to rest. Suddenly a fox appeared, grabbed him and ate him. Moral: To sit and do nothing, you have to sit very, very high (Fable, source unknown).

My Response: Yes, but I don’t think this is the solution to the issue. And the eagle has problems; it has enemies, and it also must defend itself and imagine other conditions.

Question: So it still needs to keep an eye out?

Answer: Definitely. No living being can exist like this, without caring about anything.

Question: When can I allow myself to be at peace?

Answer: Only if, heaven forbid, you are dead.

Question: Is this peace?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: But you always say that the Creator is at rest. And we must move toward peace one way or another.

My Response: For us, this state is death, because we must kill ourselves, our egoism.

Question: Is this state what you mean?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So I have to kill my egoism? And my whole path is to kill it?

Answer: Yes.

Question: But we are all “rabbits”? We can’t be at rest. There is danger everywhere: on the right, on the left, everywhere?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So, you say that danger exists precisely because we are, as it were, attached to this egoism. How can we not be a rabbit?

Answer: To do this, we need to know exactly what awaits us, what we must sacrifice, and how to be free. That is, we must study the nature of our world, the nature of the higher world, and the paths of transition from one state to another.

Question: This, in principle, is education?

Answer: Yes. It is not simple. I must remake myself, become a person of the upper world.

Question: How does this peace begin?

Answer: With love your neighbor as yourself. And this is already the height of an eagle.

Question: That is, we can allow ourselves some initial, minimal repose if we come to this rule: love our neighbor as ourselves?

Answer: If we accept it at least theoretically.

Question: Do you think we do not even accept it theoretically?

Answer: No, of course not!

Comment: We talk about it all the time.

My Response: We are talking.

Question: Then what does it mean to accept it, at least theoretically?

Answer: Accept it, that is, begin to look for ways to master this law, this condition, look for how to get out of your egoism, and how to rise above your nature.

Question: To love and not to hate? Peace instead of war, good relationships instead of evil. Although you always say that human nature is different.

Answer: You can’t do anything. Especially in our time, we are already approaching this. We still have to somehow prepare ourselves to move to the next level.

Question: In your opinion, is humanity already at this stage and has lingered on the previous one, or not yet?

Answer: No! We are not at any stage yet!

Question: Have we not realized it, but maybe we are there?

Answer: No, on the contrary, we are beginning to realize what stage we are at and that it is far from ideal.

Question: So since our nature is different do we need to take a step into the abyss?

Answer: This is not a step into the abyss. These are rash actions; they are not welcomed by anyone. On the contrary, we must clearly understand what is in front of us and take an absolutely rational step forward.

Comment: So I know that in front of me is “love your neighbor as yourself,” and that is the only way I am going.

My Response: Yes.

Comment: There will be a lot of interference from all sides, naturally.

My Response: We can overcome them all if it is we.

Question: If it is not me, but we?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Could humanity make this decision at some point from great suffering or from what?

Answer: I have no idea.

Question: Then a small group can?

Answer: A small group can. And I cannot imagine that humanity can.

Question: Is it contagious if a small group comes to this?

Answer: This is the mission of the Jewish people: to become such a group and show all humanity that this is possible.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/30/23

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As our sages said (Nidah, 16b), and these are their words: “Rabbi Hanina Ben Papa said, ‘That angel appointed over pregnancy is called Laila [night]. He takes a drop, places it before the Creator, and says to Him, ‘Lord of the world, what shall become of this drop? A mighty one or a weakling, a wise or a fool, wealthy or poor?’ But wicked or righteous he did not say’” (Rabash, Article 10, “What Is the Degree One Should Achieve in Order Not to Have to Reincarnate?”).

That drop of semen from which a person emerges is practically neutral and contains everything. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, we understand what germs of good or evil actions we have and how we can speed up or slow down our good or evil development. In principle, this is what practical Kabbalah deals with.

Question: Does it mean that what kind of person one will be, strong or weak, smart or silly, rich or poor, does not depend on him?

Answer: It all depends on the drop of semen from which he develops. But a person determines whether he can influence his destiny through good actions. He must choose whether he will be righteous or wicked. This is his only choice, and everything else is already given in the drop of semen.

Question: In regards to what do we determine whether one is wicked or righteous?

Answer: Regarding the fulfillment of the commandments. Will he love other people, since “love your neighbor as yourself” is the basic law of the Torah, and will he treat the world this way?

That is, being wicked does not necessarily mean doing some kind of evil deed. It is enough that he simply thinks about himself, and this is already a sin.
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From KabTV’s “Practical Kabbalah” 1/2/24

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