– Kabbalist Baruch Ashlag (RABASH), “Concerning the Hanukkah Candle.” This is why the sages taught that one who did not toil on the eve of Shabbat, what will he eat on Shabbat? The effort required is the effort to leave…
Dr. Michael Laitman
To Change the World – Change Man
What Is the Significance Behind Lighting Shabbat Candles and Saying Kiddush?
The lighting of Shabbat candles symbolizes our desire that our family and the people of Israel attain wholeness, and that we all feel like one family. The light of the candles hints at perfection and the great abundance that will…
What Are the Significant Challenges of Israel?
Israel is a unique country, a microcosm. A gathering of exiles that, to this day, has not found its way. These are not easy times internally, and hostile winds are also blowing from outside. One small question keeps nagging at…
How Does the Weekly Torah Portion Provide Context to Our Lives Today?
The weekly Torah portion points to the corrections we must undergo in our relationships with one another. Every portion reveals different challenges and provides guidance on how to deal with them. These instructions direct us to attain love for all…
Love Is the Goal of Human Development
Our entire life, history and evolution is to transition from unfounded hatred, which is our inborn egoistic nature, i.e., a quality of wishing to enjoy ourselves at the expense of others, and to achieve the love of others. In order…
What Is the Spiritual Significance of Each Day of the Week?
The spiritual work of the six weekdays begins with what we call “recognition of evil.” We come to understand that the purpose of development is to become completely connected “as one man with one heart,” while recognizing that our nature…
How Does Kabbalah Explain Funerals, Mourning, and What Remains of a Person After Death?
How should we relate to a person’s passing from this world, to a funeral, and to comforting mourners? From a spiritual perspective, the great goal of our development is to realize the principle, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” to connect…
How Is Shabbat a Taste of the World to Come?
Shabbat symbolizes a corrected humanity, which exists in delight, what is called “the delight of Shabbat” (“Oneg Shabbat”), in a state of rest. It is a state of us human beings having completed the transition from narrow egoism, where each…
What Is the Spiritual Meaning of Housewarming?
Congratulations, you’ve bought a home. A home for your family. How can you make it a place of blessing? This is about the spiritual meaning of a “home” and a “housewarming,” and about building a harmonious connection between a person…
How Bad Is Internal Division in Israel?
For Jews living in the Diaspora, things are somewhat simpler. First, there is no battle over government budgets, and second, they are surrounded by antisemites who remind them that they are all Jews. Here in Israel, however, we are consumed…
What Is the Inner Meaning of the Events at a Jewish Wedding?
At a Jewish wedding, the bride and groom get married under a wedding canopy (Chuppah). This wedding canopy symbolizes the union of the bride and groom. The single covering above them and the other elements of the ceremony symbolize the…
Tisha B’Av: A Call to Unity in the People of Israel’s Final Exile
As we approach Tisha B’Av, the day commemorating the ruin of the Holy Temple and the shattering of our unity as a single entity, we face existential threats and witness a growing trend of Israelis wanting to leave the country.…