What is humanity’s fundamental ailment? The problem is that we do not know how to distinguish between good and evil correctly. We naturally define “good” as whatever gives us pleasure and as “evil” whatever causes us pain. Yet this does not reveal the true nature of either good or evil.
According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, the evil we ultimately have to discover is our egoistic nature itself, i.e., our nature that desires to enjoy at others’ expense. This is no easy realization. We naturally wish to think well of ourselves and are accustomed to hearing encouraging messages about ourselves: “There is good in you. Believe in yourself. You are capable. You can succeed.” There is a place for such encouragement, especially as a starting point, because without some strength and confidence, we cannot advance.
But eventually, we have to look more deeply. We need to discover how thoroughly our egoism governs us: how instinctively we calculate everything according to what benefits us, how we use others for our own fulfillment, and how difficult it is for us to genuinely rise above self-concern.
The recognition of this egoistic nature as evil is already a tremendous advancement. Why? It is because until we recognize the illness, we cannot ask for its remedy.
Humanity therefore has to reach a state in which it begins to seek the true good. Through suffering and disappointment, we gradually attract an illumination that helps us identify where the evil actually resides. We begin to understand that the problem is not simply the circumstances around us, i.e., in other people, governments, society, or the world. The problem is the egoistic nature operating in us.
Then a real request for correction can emerge. However, discovering the evil in ourselves does not mean falling into despair. There is something else within us, which in the wisdom of Kabbalah we call “a spark.”
That spark is the beginning of an aspiration toward another form of existence. It enables us to recognize our egoistic nature and, at the same time, desire something higher than it. Our work is to protect this spark, strengthen it, and gradually fan it into a flame.
Then the good can begin to cover the evil.
We do not erase the egoistic nature. We learn how to rise above it and increasingly integrate the force of good within ourselves until it covers the evil.
Therefore, recognizing the evil within us is not the end of the path. It is the true beginning.
We need to reach the point where we can honestly see our nature without hiding from it, while simultaneously holding on to the spark that points at correction. That small spark contains our entire hope. We need only learn how to turn it into a flame.
Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on June 15, 2026. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.