Clip of Lesson by Dr. Michael Laitman, Bnei Baruch, Israel
November 16, 2009
Attaining the Higher Level is something that the lower one cannot do on his own—that’s first. It’s like in our world; a baby can grow up only by receiving education from the adults, who can provide that to him with understanding him, level after level, year after year—whatever fits him; and what he receives depends on his level of nullification. He can never appreciate the environment of the Upper Level better than himself because his own mind and heart is really his bubble, more than that he doesn’t understand. One can never do it, it’s as one judge is according to his own flaws. It’s just it—it’s your vessels.
This is why there was an opportunity given here to use the society in order to ascend and start considering what’s outside of you. That will be called… Let’s say it will be called ‘faith above reason.’ That is, to the extent that society brings me their reason, their opinion, it governs me and then it’s called ‘faith above reason.’ Let’s put it this way, let’s say they tell me Coca Cola is important and I don’t like it; really, I like water. But they convince me and persuade me, again and again, time after time with public opinion and in all sorts of forms until I accept their opinion better than my own. I suddenly feel that it changes for me; I begin to think that it’s really better. I don’t keep my own opinion that water is better and I’ll just drink Coca Cola in order to be together with them and connect with them. I don’t keep, maintain my previous opinion and accept theirs because I have no choice. No, I actually take on their opinion.
Question: What does Baal HaSulam refer to when he says, “Even if one does not attain, it is still a great privilege”?
Because all the efforts one made towards the Creator are recorded, it doesn’t matter whether he attained or not. Maybe I should have attained, but I didn’t and I should have attained a long time ago. This is just because the generation, the environment, were not worthy yet, so I’m dependant on them. A person is advanced within an entire system, all those I advance with have free choice, and we’re interdependent. This is why one has to feel and should feel responsible for the whole world. That’s why we have to understand that group and dissemination is in our blood. It’s impossible to achieve any revelation otherwise.
Each and every one of our students, of our friends, should realize that—that we are dependant upon the unfolding net or system. It’s like an embryo that evolves: first this organ, then that organ, you don’t know. One does not know whether he’s supposed to advance or not. If he’s supposed to advance then he’ll be moved faster than everyone by blows. If not, then it works the other way, but there’s still a matter of an effort; I still put the effort. If I didn’t succeed it’s not my business. This isn’t how it’s measured. What’s measured is your investment, your effort. If I didn’t succeed it was because there was no need for me in the general system now. Others should have put their effort too, and they didn’t, and because of them I was kept out of the revelation. They stopped me, but I still put a lot of effort before, and the moment that they fall into place, let’s say by suffering or eventually they advance in the right way, and then I break through. Meaning, the effort doesn’t disappear.