Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi discuss the principles of a restaurant that operates on the principle of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The following is a transcript of the conversation:
Oren Levi: Dr. Laitman, have you ever visited Dubai?
Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman: Not yet. I'm saying not yet only because everyone is talking about it.
Oren Levi: When you visit Dubai, you will see a restaurant called Tel Aviv. With pictures of Israel and music from Israel. Is it possible that people will be drawn to Israel because there's something good here?
Dr. Laitman: The entire world will start discovering the spiritual Israel as the center of the world. And then maybe somehow they'll also associate it with the corporeal Israel. Real Israel where people will demonstrate what the most exalted value - love another as yourself - means.
Oren Levi: Let’s look at “love another as yourself” as a spiritual concept. Say, if we would like for a person who goes into that restaurant in Dubai to feel that there's a spirit of love - Love another as yourself there. What would it look like?
Dr. Laitman: There would be an orchestra playing all kinds of songs - Israeli, in English and in Arabic - Songs of fun, connection, closeness. These would be songs that make everyone feel good. The menu won't be just Israeli. It'll be varied, you would have American, European, Russian, Arabic and Jewish dishes there.
Oren Levi: The entire restaurant staff, starting with the chef in the kitchen and the waiters, the orchestra, everyone, what kind of intention do they need to have in order to create that atmosphere of love another as yourself? What should they keep in mind?
Dr. Laitman: Love another as yourself. Suppose you are a crew manager at the restaurant. It's the beginning of the shift. Focus your workers on being in favor of a connection.
The Israeli spirit is characterized by the tendency to see beyond difference, striving for everyone to include everyone else. Like a tightly woven tapestry, we become integrated in each other through the food and music and the overall experience.