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Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam)

Part Three

Section One

Pragmatic Communism

Accepting the religion of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” literally.

Just division of the profits, where each will work according to his ability, and receive according to his needs.

Property is kept, but its owner is forbidden to receive from the profits more than he actually needed. One type of property owners will be kept under public supervisors, another type by self-fiduciary, or books.

The unemployed will receive their needs equally with the employed.

Those who live in communes will earn the same wages as workers who are property owners, and the profits made by the communal life will be made into public property belonging to the members of that collective.

There must also be an effort to build communal life for workers in towns.

Advantages

The workers, and even more so those who are afraid of being unemployed, will certainly assume the religion, thus acquiring security in their lives. The idealistic property owners will also assume the religion by indoctrination on a religious basis.

Public opinion must be such that one who takes more than one needs is like a murderer. Because of him, the world will have to continue with the slaughter, Hitlerian manners, and terrible wars. Thus, communism will be promoted.

It is possible to make the life of property owners miserable by contracts and strikes, so they assume the religion since they do not touch their properties, only the profits. Since the religion will be international, it will be possible to win the hearts of the Arab Sheiks with money and religious influence --- so they assume the religion together with us as one unit, and promote it among the Arab workers and property owners.

That, in turn, will benefit Zionism. Because they will assume the religion that necessitates love and bestowal upon all humankind equally, they will not be envious of the robbing of the land, since they will understand that the land is the Lord’s. The standard of living of the Arabs will be equal to the standard of living of the Jews. This will be a great incentive in winning their hearts.

Section Two

Private Opinion and Public Opinion

As there is private opinion, which is one’s judgmental force where all the good and bad actions are copied, and as one chooses the good and rejects the bad as though looking in a mirror, so is there a collective intellect to the public, where the good actions for society and bad ones are copied. Public opinion sorts out the ones that are good for it, praises their doers, and condemns those who do otherwise. From here emerge ideals, leaders, rules, and preferences.

The Corruption in Public Opinion: the Powerful Ones

Until today, only the assertive had the judgment and the force to lead, being the better part, as it is said, that twenty people lead all of France, and they make public opinion. They have arranged justice, morality, and religion to their benefit. Since they exploit the majority of the public, the religion, law, and ethics are hence detrimental to the public, meaning to the majority.

Bear in mind that the current government of the assertive was quite sufficient until today because the masses did not have any force of judgment. Thus, all the ruins preceding today’s political order were only among the assertive. However, they did not come to the present order within one generation’s time, but through terrible ruins, until they have conceived the religion, ethics, and law that have brought order to the world.

The New Structure

In recent generations, due to pressure and necessity, and through democracy and socialism, the masses have begun to open their eyes and assume responsibility for the management of society by the majority. Thus, they have concluded that religion, manners, governance, and justice are all to their detriment, as it is true that it serves the assertive ten percent of the public, and harms all the others.

Thus, two images of collective government emerged: either as the Nazis, who have rebelled against religion, manners, and justice, and do as the primitive man, prior to the conducts of life of the assertive, or as the Soviets, where ten percent of the public controls the entire public by dictatorship. This will certainly not last long, in light of the historical dialectic.

If manners are revoked, Israel’s enemies will wipe out everyone. In short, we will necessarily and undoubtedly return to being cave dwellers, until (the masses, too) the majority learn the dialectics on their own flesh and bones (as did the powerful ones before them), and finally agree to order.

Thus, Nazism Is Not a German Patent

If we bear in mind that the masses are not idealists, then there is no counsel but religion, from which manners and justice naturally emanate. However, now they only serve the majority. How so? Through the religion of bestowal.

The principle of bestowal upon one’s fellow person. The leadership: commitment to a certain minimum, and commandment for a standard of living.

The goal: adhesion with the Creator.

Nazism Is the Fruit of Socialism

Idealists are few, and the true carriers, the workers and the farmers, are egoists. If a preacher such as Hitler were to arise in any nation, saying that National Socialism is more convenient and beneficial to them than internationalism, why would they not listen to him?

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1) If Nazism and its ruin had been conceived some years back, and if some wise men were to devise a plan to save them through devout religion that would suffice for protection, would it have been forbidden in the name of falsehood?

2) If, after the war, the nations come to an understanding that Israel must be dispersed to the four corners, and drive us out of our land, and a certain person would come and reinstate religion (so as to stand devotedly) between us and the nations, thus making them agree to the opposite, that even the Diaspora would come to Israel, would that have been forbidden?

3) If the Nazis, God forbid, prevail and rule the world, and wish to destroy the residue of Jacob, is it permissible to institute religion among all nations in order to save the nation?

Pragmatism

Faith stems from a need; it is true as long as it satisfies that need (James [William James]). Thus, the need is the reason for faith, and the satisfaction of the need is its trueness.

Two needs: 1) A material need to establish social life; this is its trueness. 2) A mental need, without which life is loathsome; this is Lishma (for her name).

Of course, the sages of religion come from the mental need, but from Lo Lishma [not for her name] one comes to Lishma (see “Pragmatic Truth”).

Life’s Direction:

1) To bring progress and happiness to society through modern science.

2) By perfecting all of one’s mental powers, one will attain dignity in life and a good name after death. Kant mocks it as egoism, and indicated that only not in order to receive reward.

We must understand: If it is not worthwhile to live for myself, is it worthwhile to live for a thousand others like me, or a billion? Thus, the direction must be to benefit the Creator, whether for oneself, or for the entire world, to award them adhesion with Him.

Truth and Falsehood

Truth and falsehood are a psychic replica of existence and absence, which are thesis and antithesis, from which stem the “ephemeral truth,” which is a synthesis. This is a pragmatic truth, lasting until the “absolute truth” appears, where there will be no falsehood in one’s conscience.

Example no. 4 (see above): Would ancient, primitive humanity, which slaughtered and killed each other like wild animals, permit the institution of a religious government?

Example no. 5 (see above): In my childhood I did not want to read novels so as not to deal with lies. I read only history. When I grew up and understood the value of them, that they develop the imagination, they became truth for me.

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Necessity

From the perspective of Lishma [for her name], it is an emotional need. Admittedly, they are few, as it is written, “saw that the righteous are few… and planted them in every generation,” that they may have demand from birth. However, some abhor material life. If they do not accomplish the goal of adhesion, they will commit suicide.

The Religious Principle: from Lo Lishma [not for her name], one comes to Lishma [for her name]

Providence has prepared the guidance of people in an egoistic manner, which would necessarily induce the destruction of the world, unless they accept the religion of bestowal. Hence, there is a pragmatic need for it, and from that, one comes to Lishma.

What Is an Emotional Need?

As a blind person cannot perceive color, or a eunuch the joy of sex, it is impossible to depict this need to one who lacks the emotional need. And yet, it is a must.

Performing Mitzvot [commandments]

Performing Mitzvot can become for one an emotional need.

Morality of Manners

Morality of manners means good attributes not in order to be rewarded, and without external necessity, but based solely on altruism and a sense of responsibility for human society. It is achieved by education. However, education requires public approval to keep and sustain it after one departs from under the authority of the education. But public opinion does not stem from the education, but only from the benefit of the public.

The benefit of the public is evaluated only according to the specific state of that public, which is necessarily in contrast with other states and countries. Hence, how will education help in that? The proof is that the manner, and even the religion, sufficient for internationality, has not been created, as killing and looting rule everywhere, without any manners whatsoever. Moreover, the greater murderer one is, the more patriotic and well mannered he is considered. And today, it is international manner that we need.

Public Egoism Can Be Corrected Only by Religion

Public egoism can be corrected only by religion because education that is based on nothing can be easily ruined by any wicked person, and Germany is the evidence. If Hitler occurred in a religious Germany, he would not have done a thing.

Natural Egoism

You will not break natural egoism with artificial means such as public opinion and education. There is no cure for that but a natural religion.

Double Benefit

The religion of bestowal is salutary for both the body and the mind; hence, it is necessitated and agreed upon more than any method in the world (see below at length).

Motive Power

There are two discernments in it: The attracting force, from before, or the repelling force, from behind.

How can education help when one is free, without any motivation for the duties he was brought up on? After all, there is no attracting force in them, and they are also devoid of the compelling force.

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The Remaining of the Soul

This is a given, as it is a part of God above. However, it is not included in the wisdom of Kabbalah because no object is attainable. Indeed, the soul appears to the person who carries it only through actions, and its actions are only attainments of Him.

It is therefore clear that the maxim, “Know yourself and know all,” is from ... philosophical because in Kabbalah the opposite should be said, “Know everything and ... attain yourself.” An object is not attained at all, only actions, which are attainments of His names, meaning only subjective.

Five Senses

The power in commandments is similar to corporeality, where the actions stimulate the senses. And when the senses remain ... in the memory brain, they become there images of beneficial, detrimental, and property. And when the mind or the will or the guard ... looks in the image of the memory, one gradually scrutinizes the images and brings the truths closer, meaning the beneficial or the property, and rejects the falsehoods, which are the detrimental.

Man’s knowledge grows according to the clarity of the scrutiny. And if in mathematics, he should attach to it images that are beneficial for clarity and validity. They also save time because these help him, as in existing property. The same goes for playing music, healing, and an attribute.

It is similar with spiritual works, which ... the commandments that stimulate man’s spiritual senses. There are two kinds of senses here: either sight, hearing, smell, and speech, which are ord ... and also HGT NH [Hesed-Gevura-Tifferet Netzah-Hod] of the body. It is so because perpetuation of good deeds from ... in one who works the spirit of “love,” and when it accumulates into a sizable amount ... in him the sense of “fear” of sinning and losing the love. And when he is cer ... of himself that he has the sense of love and fear, a sense of boas ... over his friends who were not rewarded with it is born in him (and this is property).

And following the three senses ... the “eternity” is born in him as a mighty one who controls his spirit. And according to all the sensations of these four senses, “glory” is born in him, as he admits the existence of the Creator.

And with each commandment that he adds, the five above mentioned lower senses and the flavors of the commandments intensify in him. When they accumulate to the required amount, the five higher senses, sight-hearing-smell-speech, are born in him, to actually see His glory and hear the voice of the Creator, smell the fear of Him, and speak before Him.

And when one is rewarded further, images of the impressions of the five lower senses and the five upper sense remain in him, and he looks as though through the mirror of the brain at these impressions, and sorts out the beneficial and the ... and rejects the detrimental. And according to the clarity of the scrutinies, the knowledge of the Creator will increase.

Luxury and Accumulated Property

As in corporeality, so in learning. ...In external teachings there is economics. ...And medicine is regarded as scrutinies that help the standard of living for ... as luxury. This is the first degree of property. The second degree is accumulating property, which is not as usable as wealth. This is the science of ... and an attribute, and playing music.

Likewise, in spirituality, the scrutinies that can be used ... are for a spiritual standard of living, and a non-accumulating property.

There are also higher scrutinies that do not serve for the standard of living, but only as accumulating properties and for important possessions such as wealth and the attribute, and philosophy.

However, both come from spiritual images that were once absorbed in the senses. And choosing the beneficial for oneself or for others is called “the knowledge of the Creator.” Know that the wisdom of Kabbalah also contains these three kinds of property.

Psychophysical Parallelism

These are two manifestations of the same entity, like thunder and lightning. This is the meaning of “good deeds and Torah.” However, a person first feels the psychic explanation, and then the physical one. It is similar to love, where the giver of the present first feels with one’s mind that the giver loves him, and then sparks of love flow and spread through him. ...A revealing head is psychic, and inside, it clothes...

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The Root Cause of Every Error in the World

The root cause of every error in the world is an idea—when taking an idea or an image that was once clothed in a body, and presenting it as an abstract object that has never been in a body. That is, it is when it is praised or condemned according to that abstract value.

The problem is that once the concept has been stripped of a body, it loses significant parts of its initial meaning while it was clothed in a body. Those who discuss it according to its remaining meaning must necessarily misunderstand.

For example, when truth and falsehood work in the body, we praise the truth according to its benefit to the individual or to the ... and we condemn the lie according to its harm to the collective or to the individual. However, once truth and falsehood have been stripped of the bodies and become abstract concepts, they lose the heart of their meaning ... and acquire sanctity or impurity in their abstract form.

And according to ... it is possible for the evaluator to praise the truth even when it does great harm to the collective or to the individual, and to condemn ... the lie even when it is extremely beneficial to the individual or to the collective. This is a grave mistake that harms the ... and one is not free to ask oneself who sanctified this truth, or ... defiled and forbade this lie.

Benefit, in Fact, Everyone Admits It

Those who dispute it, it is ... that they benefit ... and a moral conduct that at times contradicts the physical benefit. However, essentially, moral and religion are also utilitarian. ... everything, except spiritual happiness, and what is the difference?

There is not a fool who will exert without benefit for the body or the mind.

Double Benefit

Accordingly, the law of bestowing upon others is necessary for all the people in the world ... as it is beneficial for both the body and the soul according to the wisdom of Kabbalah.

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A Vague Complex that Must Be Resolved One at a Time

The main problem is that here there is a ... complicated made of several interweaving doubts:

First: Even when not taking into account the validity, the question remains whether it is actually beneficial.

Second: Even if it is beneficial, is it feasible?

Third: Who are the people to be qualified for training the generation to such a sublime matter?

Fourth: Perhaps this operation will evoke the public’s contempt and mockery?

Knowing

Knowing comes in one of three ways: empirical, which is by physical observation (actual experiments), historic, using documents and papers, or mathematical, by joining of sizes and templates (through knowing)...

And the wisdom of Kabbalah is more confirmed than all three above mentioned ways.

There is also a fourth way to know—through philosophical deductions, either by deductions or by inductions, meaning from the general to the particular, or from the particular to the general. This is strictly forbidden in the wisdom of Kabbalah, since all that we do not attain, we do not know...

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