From Chaos to Harmony The Solution to the Global Crisis According to the Wisdom of Kabbalah LAITMAN KABBALAH PUBLISHERS Rav Michael Laitman, PhD Translation: Chaim Ratz Editor: Claire Gerus Layout: Baruch Khovov Cover Design: Richard Aquan Printing and Post Production: Uri Laitman Executive Editor: Oren Levi Laitman Kabbalah Publishers Website: www.kabbalah.info Laitman Kabbalah Publishers E-mail: [email protected] FROM CHAOS TO HARMONY The Solution to the Global Crisis According to the Wisdom of Kabbalah Copyright © 2006 by MICHAEL LAITMAN All rights reserved Published by Laitman Kabbalah Publishers 1057 Steeles Avenue West, Suite 532, Toronto, ON, M2R 3X1, Canada 194 Quentin Rd, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, New York, 11223, USA Printed in Canada No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. ISBN: 0-9781590-4-7 FIRST EDITION: FEBRUARY 2007 From Chaos to Harmony TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR ...............................................................................11 THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK .................................................................15 FOREWORD ...............................................................................................17 PART ONE: FROM CHAOS TO HARMONY ....................................25 PROLOGUE ................................................................................................27 CHAPTER 1: DESIRE IS EVERYTHING ................................................31 One Cause, One Solution ...............................................................31 Evolution of the Human Desire for Pleasure ..................................39 CHAPTER 2: THE BOUNDARIES OF JOY ............................................41 FOOLING THE DESIRE TO ENJOY ................................................................44 CHAPTER 3: ALTRUISM IS LIFE’S LAW ................................................51 Harmony Among Cells in a Living Organism .................................53 Connectedness Creates Life in a New Degree .................................54 An Egoistic Cell is a Cancerous Cell ...............................................54 The Individual vs. the Collective .....................................................55 Helping Others ................................................................................56 A Communal Society Among Animals ...........................................57 Interdependency ..............................................................................58 Without Poverty or Lack ..................................................................58 In Nature, Everything Moves Toward Unity ....................................59 CHAPTER 4: BREACHING THE BALANCE .........................................61 What Gives Us Pleasure? .................................................................65 Correct Use of the Ego ....................................................................68 THE CRISIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESTORE BALANCE .............................72 CHAPTER 5: OBEYING NATURE’S LAW ..............................................77 LIFE’S PURPOSE .........................................................................................77 What Should We Do? ......................................................................81 Much Easier Than It Seems .............................................................86 A Long Way and a Short Way ...............................................................88 CHANGING OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD OTHERS BRINGS ALL OF NATURE INTO BALANCE .....................................................90 CHAPTER 6: THE ROAD TO FREEDOM ..............................................97 Pleasure and Pain .............................................................................98 Where Does Choice Come In? ......................................................100 CHAPTER 7: REALIZING OUR FREE CHOICE .................................105 Imitating Nature ............................................................................108 A NEW DIRECTION .................................................................................110 CHAPTER 8: EVERYTHING IS READY (FOR LIFE’S PURPOSE) .....115 EVOLUTION OF THE GENERATIONS ...........................................................115 SOCIETY’S APPROACH TO ALTRUISM .........................................................118 A New Generation of Confident, Happy Children ......................119 EGOISTS AND ALTRUISTS .........................................................................121 CHAPTER 9: A REALITY OF WHOLENESS AND INFINITY ...........127 PERCEPTION OF REALITY .........................................................................127 Life is Within .................................................................................129 NATURE’S PLAN ......................................................................................133 OPENING OUR EYES ...............................................................................139 Chapter 10: Balance with Nature ..............................................................143 Balance at the Speaking Level ........................................................146 PART TWO: ISRAEL’S ROLE ..........................................................151 ISRAEL’S ROLE ........................................................................................153 HUMANITY AND THE WISDOM OF KABBALAH ...........................................154 THE BIRTH OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL .......................................................161 THE EVOLUTION OF THE CORRECTION METHOD ......................................164 THE ROLE OF ISRAEL ..............................................................................168 The Return to the Land of Israel ...................................................170 Uniting the Nation ........................................................................173 ANTI-SEMITISM ........................................................................................176 THE RISE OF THE ISLAM ..........................................................................178 INTERNALITY AND EXTERNALITY ...............................................................182 THE WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG .............................................................186 THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD IS IN OUR HANDS ......................................192 NOTES ..................................................................................................197 FURTHER READING .................................................................................201 ABOUT BNEI BARUCH .............................................................................207
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