![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.kabbalah.info\/var\/kbl\/storage\/images\/kabbalah\/vystavleno_na_sajte\/spryyt_ktby_mqoblym\/mihael_lajtman\/besedy\/zhenschine_xxi_veka\/muzhchina_i_zhenschina_10_07_07_foto\/beseda_muzhchina_i_zhenschina_foto_1\/892279-1-rus-RU\/beseda_muzhchina_i_zhenschina_foto_1_full.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nContent<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n- Two types of creatures: Man and Woman<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Should women rule the world?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What do women want?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The male ideal<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Is there such thing as fate or destiny?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How do we understand each other?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The soul has a sex<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What does it mean to be \u201cmade out of his rib\u201d?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Two types of creatures: Man and Woman<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Greetings! Today we\u2019re in the studio with a famous Kabbalist, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD. By \u201cwe\u201d I mean Michael Sanilevich and myself, Eugene Litvar, instructors with the World Academy for Kabbalah Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRecently we\u2019ve received a multitude of questions from people that have acquainted themselves with the materials of our site. Also, a massive survey has been conducted on the streets of major cities around the world. People were asked the question: \u201cIf you had a chance to ask a genuine Kabbalist three questions, what would they be?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have thus chosen several topics, and today we want to discuss one of them with you. The topic is expressed rather simply\u2014\u201cman and woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>And yet, explaining it from the standpoint of Kabbalah is no simple task, particularly because it lies at the foundation of the entire world. I realize how significant this topic is. It has always been significant, but today even more so\u2014it worries everyone, considering the problems that have been recently emerging in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>Why is it that there are men and then there are women, us and them? Does this division have a spiritual root?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>There are men and then there are women, because there is the Creator and then there’s the creature, created by Him\u2014two of them, two partners in this tango. There is the prototype of the Creator\u2014the giving, dominant leader\u2014that’s the male root. And then there’s the creature\u2014receiving, drawing closer to the Creator, bringing them together\u2014the female root. The same applies to our life in this world. If we were to act correctly, clearly understanding how these two roots are implanted in nature and interconnected, then we would do quite well\u2014both men and women. After all, it is not just us, but all of the nature before us is divided from above downwards into clear-cut male and female roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, the difference between men and women is that man corresponds to the Creator\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>His root stems from the Creator\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>\u2026and woman\u2014to the creature?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>\u2026and woman from the creature.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Then man isn’t a creature?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Man is a creature as well. We’re talking about two types of creature; it’s just that their roots stem from different sources: the root of one is in the Creator, and the root of the other is in the created creature.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Does that mean that the Creator created woman, but did not create man?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No. The Creator created a single being\u2014he created Adam, just as it is written. Then, out of Adam (allegorically speaking) he further created a female part. The Creator created a desire to receive, to become fulfilled. Then this desire split into two different parts: the desire to become fulfilled for the sake of others and the desire to become fulfilled for one’s own sake. The desire to become fulfilled for the sake of others is the male constituent. The desire to become fulfilled for one\u2019s own sake is the female constituent.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In our world, this is not at all obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes. In our world, none of this is obvious! Our world is opposite to the spiritual world, and thus everything in it is also opposite. Moreover, not only is it opposite (if only it were that simple!), it is also completely mixed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Then all of us sitting here, who consider ourselves men, cannot yet brag about the fact that we have something in us from the Creator?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Of course not. With regard to our connection\u2014nothing, except for a seed, a root, a certain tiny spiritual gene, and nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Does that mean that I don\u2019t yet have any grounds to show off before my wife?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No. Spiritually you are no different from your wife in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>That\u2019s a pity. I liked the beginning better.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>That\u2019s something you need to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>But who\u2019s better\u2014men or women?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>That\u2019s not even an issue. If the creature attains its root, its destiny, it becomes good; if it doesn\u2019t\u2014it\u2019s bad. If it aspires to attaining its root, then to the extent of its effort, regardless of its level, we can talk about who is better and who is worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In our world, as a rule, men are stronger than women.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>How so?<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Physically\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Ah! In that case, why don\u2019t you take an elephant or something along those lines?<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>:<\/strong> Do spiritual roots have something to do with the fact that a man is physically stronger than a woman?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes, of course. Because the physical form of a man as compared to a woman is as though a reflection of the Creator\u2014on the surface, he is less dependant on others and on nature than a woman. Among other ways, this is manifested in his strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, he is less dependent in terms of the spiritual, but not in terms of our world?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No. What you\u2019re asking is this: \u201cHow is the fact that the Creator is above the creature manifested in our material world; is it reflected in the properties of men and women?\u201d Man is as though (as though!) less dependent on others, on the world, even on women, on his family, but that\u2019s just on the surface. In reality, if we take inner relationships and examine how they function in nature, we will see that it\u2019s actually the other way around\u2014that it\u2019s the woman who leads all development and nature\u2019s course, and not the man.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>We have a question on this topic from one of our female students. She says that in the modern world many women hold dominant positions\u2014leaders of corporations, heads of families, they feed and support their families. And the modern man gladly and readily accepts the woman\u2019s dominant role. This worries women, and they’re asking how Kabbalah relates to this issue: a) Why did women begin emerging into leading roles? and b) Should it be so?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nShould women rule the world?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>I’ll explain briefly. So long as our world remains uncorrected, so long as we exist in a state opposite to the spiritual\u2014the more our world is ruled by women, the better off and the safer it is. Should the world begin to correct itself, turn to its true goal, instilled by nature, and move toward it, the situation and the roles of men and women would need to be immediately changed. Man will need to be the leader; essentially, this will be revealed instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt is precisely the fact that today woman is ahead and out at the forefront, that she asserts herself as dominant and a leader, as the stronger and more energetic constituent, whether she wants to or not, all this testifies to the fact that our world is uncorrected, wrecked and in a state of crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as we begin to emerge out of this crisis and utilize Kabbalah to do so, the natural contacts and interrelationships between our world and the Upper World will be established. Optimal relationships will begin to form within our world between all of its parts\u2014man will instantly rise and become the leader in this life, and woman will gladly accept this. Man will become more dependable, not like he is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Would it be correct to say that the increasing activity of women with regard to certain weakness of men is caused by the fact that men are subconsciously afraid to take any steps toward spirituality?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>To a certain degree, that is correct. Aside from that, this is manifested in everything else\u2014in education, in the division of family duties. Look at families in Sweden\u2014after a divorce, the children generally stay with the father, and not with the mother. Man is the one receiving alimony. In most cases he sits home and cooks, and the woman goes out and makes money; in other words\u2014everything is not how it was in the stone age\u2026 There was no such thing as a woman hunting (except for Amazons, but that\u2019s mythology) and a man sitting in a cave\u2026 How is he going to feed the children? With his breast? In other words, absolutely everything is unnatural. All of this testifies only to the revelation of a genuine, severe and enormous crisis in all things and on all levels.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat does a woman want?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>I have the following question: why is it that a woman is always dissatisfied with her man, but, conversely, always praises someone else\u2019s?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>I think that it’s simply her fantasy\u2014to her it seems that someone else’s man is exactly how an ideal man should be. Essentially, the woman herself doesn\u2019t really know what she wants from her man. This isn\u2019t some flaw of hers; I’m simply referring to nature\u2019s manifestation. She\u2019s being pushed forward by a harsh law of nature, which is closely related to her and manifests in her.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWoman searches for the correct structure of the world. She is closer to nature and feels within that the present world structure is incorrect. This includes any and all interrelationships: with the children, within the family, between families, and, naturally, between nations. It includes even those relationships that she essentially has nothing to do with. But they all press on her and worry her, because the current global, international and ecological state affects the family, the children and their future; in one word\u2014everything. Thus she suddenly becomes tied to such an enormous space, which was previously limited to just four walls of four rooms: kitchen, bedroom, living room and nursery, as this was her entire world. After all, it was only recently that women were even allowed to go outside! And now it\u2019s the opposite, it\u2019s as though she\u2019s being kicked out: \u201cGo and work, bring home the other half of the earnings.\u201d No one had ever seen anything like this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the natural order of things, woman constitutes the home. She raises the children, runs the household, cooks, and greets her husband. This stems from as far back as the Stone Age, and this is how it should be today as well. The fact that in our time everything is opposite tells us that we\u2019ve reached rock-bottom. So, being unhappy with one\u2019s man is perhaps a result of mass media providing her with other ideals\u2026 Although it seems to me that everywhere we look we only see man\u2019s negative image, and not a positive one, but for some reason everyone savors this fact, loves this image. We are not raising the younger generation with positive images; hence the collective discontent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, this isn\u2019t even discontent. I think that it is the general impression that women get from men that invokes in them the aspiration to give them less freedom, to be less dependent on them, to expect less, not to appease themselves with illusions. The times of old have passed. That is why women today are becoming more independent, more leading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>In view of what you said, a question arises: is there a spiritual root to feminism at all?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Everything stems from the same place. Today it is already clear why women want to take everything upon themselves, why they don\u2019t want to be dependent on men, why they\u2019re organizing everything between themselves. They are naturally more dependent, but they don’t want this dependence, because they cannot stand it. It is impossible to be dependent on the part of nature that suddenly begins to malfunction and fails to provide them with what they demand and deserve. Therefore, on one hand, the manifestations of feminism are unnatural, but on the other hand, they are a natural result of today’s crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd, of course, we need to take this into account. Do we have a choice?! This is the larger part of humanity, its \u201cstronger half,\u201d and right now it\u2019s coming out ahead. Today there\u2019s still the influence of religion and other remnants, which hinder this process. If, however, liberation of conventionalities takes place in religion and in all the other areas, where man traditionally held the leading role, our world will acquire an entirely different nature\u2014the one that it should acquire to the extent of its corruption and oppositeness to the spiritual world. We\u2019ve said that in the roots man prevails over woman, whereas in our case it is the opposite, as our world is truly opposite to the spiritual one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Is this phenomenon positive or negative?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Neither, it is natural\u2014in equilibrium with nature. Nature thus balances itself between the two worlds. Hence, opposites must be located one opposite the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Many say that, whether consciously or not, women sense the spiritual world or spirituality much more acutely, are much more sensitive to it than men. Perhaps women have a certain inner ideal of a real man? And that is the reason why a woman is always dissatisfied with her man\u2014because her man doesn\u2019t match this ideal?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>The problem lies in the demands. Because the female spiritual root is lower than the male, its demands in our world are also lower than the level of \u201cman\u201d in an individual. In reality, man demands of a woman the following things: service, faithfulness, fidelity and looks that would satisfy him.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhereas a woman, seeing as she looks upon her man as though from below upwards, in accordance with the spiritual root, demands from him a higher level\u2014not the animal one that he demands of her, but one that is spiritual, soulful, human, cultured and so forth. From this stem all the familiar differences in our world in the demands of men toward women and women toward men. This stems from the spiritual root and thus manifests in absolutely all forms and on all levels of our relationships: family, society, with our children (both girls and boys), and so forth\u2014everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, there\u2019s only one solution: to correspond to one\u2019s spiritual root. There is no other way. Half-baked solutions won\u2019t get us anywhere. They will only deform the world and delay the process of correction, to which it must eventually come to anyway. Since nature doesn\u2019t tolerate emptiness, it doesn\u2019t tolerate opposites, unless these opposites are balanced with one another harmoniously. Therefore, in spite of all of the negative forces that we call upon ourselves via our disparity with the spiritual roots, we will nonetheless need to reach equilibrium\u2014homeostasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We must study this equilibrium as the principal law of nature. Essentially, this is my profession. This is precisely what Kabbalah deals with\u2014it teaches one to be in accord with his spiritual roots. Otherwise, there\u2019s nothing we can do\u2014we have absolutely no chance of opposing nature or running away from it and hiding somewhere. Therefore, to be a real man or a real woman is to exist in full accord with our spiritual roots. And then we will simply exist in a limitless, eternal and perfect dimension of nature, in harmony with all its levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But meanwhile, we will continue to see women becoming more and more independent. And their emergence onto the level of independence and leadership accelerates the emergence of more and more men\u2019s problems. That is because the correction of the world, meaning oneself and all of humankind, rests on man, since he is the one that possesses within himself the Creator\u2019s root. In this task, a woman is only his helper, as it is written in the Bible: \u201cI have created for you help against you.\u201d So, man will continue to look more and more pathetic, and woman will become more and more independent, strong and complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>I\u2019m afraid that men won\u2019t be all that happy to learn this, but I\u2019ll ask anyway. Can we deduce from the aforesaid that the constant demands on the part of women to their men with regard to their obligations to their wives and families are justified (in accordance with spiritual roots)?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>In accordance with spiritual roots, if man were to fulfill his foremost mission\u2014self-correction,\u2014and would do the same with regard to his wife and kids, i.e., if he were to inject a spiritual element into the relationship between them, his woman would demand of him nothing more. Her demands would be minimal, since, owing to her spiritual gene, this is the very thing that she inwardly desires to see in her man\u2014this and nothing else. Minimal household provisions, even if they live in a cave in today\u2019s modern world\u2014as long as she\u2019s happy with her man when it comes to the spiritual, to the soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, if man were to introduce into his family some spiritual advancement\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>And minimal income\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>\u2026then the woman\u2019s demands, which she constantly pressures him with from all sides\u2014\u201cgive me!\u201d\u2014would fundamentally change?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Hear that, guys? There is a cure!<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>The cure is very simple: pick up a book, learn what \u201cman\u201d and \u201cwoman\u201d signify in the spiritual world, and abide by it. I guarantee absolute understanding, harmony and delight in family life to everyone, to anyone\u2014starting with presidents and ending with farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>You were talking about the notion of a real man, and I thought of the following question: what does it mean to be a real man from the standpoint of Kabbalah? We were all brought up on Hollywood movies, and whether I want to or not, I already have a certain imprint, some idea of what a real man is.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe male ideal<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Because we nonetheless contain within us a spiritual root, the male ideal for a woman constitutes attachment to and feeding from the male spiritual root. When she attaches herself to him, she thereby makes it possible for him to develop and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMan cannot develop spiritually without a woman. In particular, when new people come to Kabbalah and start studying, they begin to clearly feel that they need a family. We\u2019re talking about a man who is already beginning to sense his spiritual root, himself, and how he should advance further. Just as the bond between the two roots of the universe\u2014male and female\u2014exists above, man needs to establish the analogy of this bond below in our world as well. He needs to construct this model here\u2014both within himself and outside in the family unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is precisely what constitutes this ideal for a woman. She feels it within herself, since she is very close to nature. She won\u2019t be enticed by all the toys that man creates for himself\u2014sports, politics, the stock market and so on. She begins to participate in it all, because today she is pressured\u2014she feels that the world is such and these are the rules that she needs to play by. But in reality, if you listen in on women talking, and look closely at what they\u2019re saying, you will see how far it is from even the modern woman. She is close to nature, and she needs that which exists in her spiritual root. This cannot be ignored. So look for the male ideal there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>And what is \u201cthe spiritual\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>The spiritual is the force that stands behind matter and drives us. It is not something imaginary or far-away. It\u2019s everything that I\u2019m doing right now, everything that guides and governs me: my thoughts and desires that arise in me from out of nowhere, my decisions, everything that happens around me at every moment with either individuals or objects. All of this is governed by a net of forces, which is created and programmed in nature beforehand, manifest in our imagination and sensations as time (past, present and future), and provide us with new substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is more, today we begin to understand that there are other dimensions, other worlds and other possibilities of existing in other sensations. So then, if we return to nature, then all that exists around us, but isn\u2019t perceived by our corporeal senses and isn\u2019t taken into account thereby (although there is much we lose because of it\u2014from not knowing where we are), is called the spiritual world. It truly exists\u2014with all its information and the forces that govern us, but we do not sense it. All of this is referred to as \u201cthe spiritual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we were to obey its laws, be in congruence with it, understand the way in which it exists and how it created and governs us, then we would be comfortable. We do not know and do not understand these laws, and we receive constant blows, and are always making some strange and terrible blunders. The science of attaining the spiritual world is called Kabbalah; in other words, this science deals with reception of Upper information. So, all of our problems\u2014both male and female\u2014exist below, but all the solutions exist above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, man is considered spiritual if he attains this net of forces?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes. A spiritual man or a spiritual woman\u2014in general, any object in our world (in our world!) that connects properly to its root, or at least tries to establish this connection, is considered \u201cspiritual.\u201d That is to say, he tries to discover for himself the Upper World that governs us so as to be in accord with it, and thereby unite the two worlds in harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>And this satisfies a woman completely?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Of course! All of nature aspires to harmony, to interdependence and homeostasis. It is just as it is in our body: if some cell breaks the correct relationship with other cells, then the work of the entire organism suffers, and it is considered sick. We are the same way\u2014our entire human society is simply one (and only) enormous, sick creature in the entire Universe and in all the worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Would it be correct to say that the entire human society is a sick cell?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No, it is not a cell. In reality, the entire human society is simply the entire world of today, since it includes the still, vegetative and animate elements of nature. Therefore, if we correct human society, or, in other words, if we supplement it with the correct relationship with regard to its spiritual root, we will then establish nature\u2019s balance on all levels, including the ecological (meaning the still), vegetative and animate. But that\u2019s a whole other topic altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>It\u2019s a very interesting topic\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>It deals with balance of all of nature in both worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In your previous answer you mentioned something about a person not being able to understand where his desires come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Thoughts and desires, both in his heart and in his mind. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen to me the very next moment: what will I desire, what will I think about?<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>And where does this come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>I\u2019m not even mentioning the fact that in addition to the informational data (desires and thoughts) that arises within, I am also surrounded by phenomena that I cannot predict whatsoever. How can I possibly know for sure what will happen? \u201cEverything flows\u2026\u201d but it is completely concealed from me, just as it is concealed from all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis net of forces that governs us, as it fuels within us newer and newer thoughts and desires, exists according to a program that is completely removed from us, from our consciousness. Thus, we are essentially puppets that are being moved so as to compel us to start paying attention to the necessity of existing in harmony with nature\u2014whether by the good path, namely by realizing and understanding this necessity, or by the bad\u2014with the help of nature\u2019s punishing blows. Where are we being moved? Toward the goal. Which goal? Equivalence with nature.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nIs there destiny or fate?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>If we are all puppets, a thought arises about the existence of destiny or fate; that is, is everything in one’s life predestined, predetermined? Am I simply walking along a certain path, along the steps of certain states that have already been prepared for me?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Just like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Of course. Not knowing which next step is the right one, we take all kinds of steps, millions of them, and they all bring us only failure. Meanwhile, whether we realize it or not, nature governs us and leads us to its goal. It follows that we are always trying to go in various directions, not knowing exactly where, and it seems to us that good things await us right around the corner, whereas in reality it only gets worse and worse. And nature is leading us to the realization that we are, in fact, in a bad state.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst and foremost, we need to begin to understand the world in which we live. Everything in it is interconnected. On one hand, through understanding all of nature and its integrality, we come to realize that the entire world is no more than a small village, and all of us in it are interconnected. On the other hand, we are giant egoists, and we don\u2019t even want to live with our own families. And there it is\u2014our inner egoistic nature, which tears us apart from one another, against the boundless and integral outer altruistic nature. And today we come to the revelation of this conflict: man, mankind\u2014with regard to the rest of nature, our oppositeness to it. Herein our mission is revealed\u2014to correct ourselves and become an integral element of all of nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Several times now you\u2019ve mentioned the notion of \u201cnature.\u201d But I\u2019m not certain whether by that word you mean the same notion as I do. By \u201cnature,\u201d you don\u2019t mean rain, forest or bunny-rabbits?<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Nature is one Law, one great Law, which governs matter in all its manifestations: still, vegetative, animate, human, and spiritual. All of the above, all that we can possibly imagine, including the Creator\u2014in other words, everything in existence\u2014is what we call \u201cNature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nE. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Got it. That’s a big topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\nM. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>Should we return to the topic of men and women?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two types of creatures: Man and Woman<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Greetings! Today we\u2019re in the studio with a famous Kabbalist, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD. By \u201cwe\u201d I mean Michael Sanilevich and myself, Eugene Litvar, instructors with the World Academy for Kabbalah Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently we\u2019ve received a multitude of questions from people that have acquainted themselves with the materials of our site. Also, a massive survey has been conducted on the streets of major cities around the world. People were asked the question: \u201cIf you had a chance to ask a genuine Kabbalist three questions, what would they be?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have thus chosen several topics, and today we want to discuss one of them with you. The topic is expressed rather simply\u2014\u201cman and woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>And yet, explaining it from the standpoint of Kabbalah is no simple task, particularly because it lies at the foundation of the entire world. I realize how significant this topic is. It has always been significant, but today even more so\u2014it worries everyone, considering the problems that have been recently emerging in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>Why is it that there are men and then there are women, us and them? Does this division have a spiritual root?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>There are men and then there are women, because there is the Creator and then there’s the creature, created by Him\u2014two of them, two partners in this tango. There is the prototype of the Creator\u2014the giving, dominant leader\u2014that’s the male root. And then there’s the creature\u2014receiving, drawing closer to the Creator, bringing them together\u2014the female root. The same applies to our life in this world. If we were to act correctly, clearly understanding how these two roots are implanted in nature and interconnected, then we would do quite well\u2014both men and women. After all, it is not just us, but all of the nature before us is divided from above downwards into clear-cut male and female roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, the difference between men and women is that man corresponds to the Creator\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>His root stems from the Creator\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>\u2026and woman\u2014to the creature?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>\u2026and woman from the creature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Then man isn’t a creature?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Man is a creature as well. We’re talking about two types of creature; it’s just that their roots stem from different sources: the root of one is in the Creator, and the root of the other is in the created creature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Does that mean that the Creator created woman, but did not create man?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No. The Creator created a single being\u2014he created Adam, just as it is written. Then, out of Adam (allegorically speaking) he further created a female part. The Creator created a desire to receive, to become fulfilled. Then this desire split into two different parts: the desire to become fulfilled for the sake of others and the desire to become fulfilled for one’s own sake. The desire to become fulfilled for the sake of others is the male constituent. The desire to become fulfilled for one\u2019s own sake is the female constituent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In our world, this is not at all obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes. In our world, none of this is obvious! Our world is opposite to the spiritual world, and thus everything in it is also opposite. Moreover, not only is it opposite (if only it were that simple!), it is also completely mixed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Then all of us sitting here, who consider ourselves men, cannot yet brag about the fact that we have something in us from the Creator?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Of course not. With regard to our connection\u2014nothing, except for a seed, a root, a certain tiny spiritual gene, and nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Does that mean that I don\u2019t yet have any grounds to show off before my wife?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No. Spiritually you are no different from your wife in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>That\u2019s a pity. I liked the beginning better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>That\u2019s something you need to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>But who\u2019s better\u2014men or women?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>That\u2019s not even an issue. If the creature attains its root, its destiny, it becomes good; if it doesn\u2019t\u2014it\u2019s bad. If it aspires to attaining its root, then to the extent of its effort, regardless of its level, we can talk about who is better and who is worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In our world, as a rule, men are stronger than women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>How so?<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Physically\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Ah! In that case, why don\u2019t you take an elephant or something along those lines?<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>:<\/strong> Do spiritual roots have something to do with the fact that a man is physically stronger than a woman?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes, of course. Because the physical form of a man as compared to a woman is as though a reflection of the Creator\u2014on the surface, he is less dependant on others and on nature than a woman. Among other ways, this is manifested in his strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, he is less dependent in terms of the spiritual, but not in terms of our world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No. What you\u2019re asking is this: \u201cHow is the fact that the Creator is above the creature manifested in our material world; is it reflected in the properties of men and women?\u201d Man is as though (as though!) less dependent on others, on the world, even on women, on his family, but that\u2019s just on the surface. In reality, if we take inner relationships and examine how they function in nature, we will see that it\u2019s actually the other way around\u2014that it\u2019s the woman who leads all development and nature\u2019s course, and not the man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>We have a question on this topic from one of our female students. She says that in the modern world many women hold dominant positions\u2014leaders of corporations, heads of families, they feed and support their families. And the modern man gladly and readily accepts the woman\u2019s dominant role. This worries women, and they’re asking how Kabbalah relates to this issue: a) Why did women begin emerging into leading roles? and b) Should it be so?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>I’ll explain briefly. So long as our world remains uncorrected, so long as we exist in a state opposite to the spiritual\u2014the more our world is ruled by women, the better off and the safer it is. Should the world begin to correct itself, turn to its true goal, instilled by nature, and move toward it, the situation and the roles of men and women would need to be immediately changed. Man will need to be the leader; essentially, this will be revealed instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is precisely the fact that today woman is ahead and out at the forefront, that she asserts herself as dominant and a leader, as the stronger and more energetic constituent, whether she wants to or not, all this testifies to the fact that our world is uncorrected, wrecked and in a state of crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as we begin to emerge out of this crisis and utilize Kabbalah to do so, the natural contacts and interrelationships between our world and the Upper World will be established. Optimal relationships will begin to form within our world between all of its parts\u2014man will instantly rise and become the leader in this life, and woman will gladly accept this. Man will become more dependable, not like he is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Would it be correct to say that the increasing activity of women with regard to certain weakness of men is caused by the fact that men are subconsciously afraid to take any steps toward spirituality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>To a certain degree, that is correct. Aside from that, this is manifested in everything else\u2014in education, in the division of family duties. Look at families in Sweden\u2014after a divorce, the children generally stay with the father, and not with the mother. Man is the one receiving alimony. In most cases he sits home and cooks, and the woman goes out and makes money; in other words\u2014everything is not how it was in the stone age\u2026 There was no such thing as a woman hunting (except for Amazons, but that\u2019s mythology) and a man sitting in a cave\u2026 How is he going to feed the children? With his breast? In other words, absolutely everything is unnatural. All of this testifies only to the revelation of a genuine, severe and enormous crisis in all things and on all levels.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>I have the following question: why is it that a woman is always dissatisfied with her man, but, conversely, always praises someone else\u2019s?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>I think that it’s simply her fantasy\u2014to her it seems that someone else’s man is exactly how an ideal man should be. Essentially, the woman herself doesn\u2019t really know what she wants from her man. This isn\u2019t some flaw of hers; I’m simply referring to nature\u2019s manifestation. She\u2019s being pushed forward by a harsh law of nature, which is closely related to her and manifests in her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Woman searches for the correct structure of the world. She is closer to nature and feels within that the present world structure is incorrect. This includes any and all interrelationships: with the children, within the family, between families, and, naturally, between nations. It includes even those relationships that she essentially has nothing to do with. But they all press on her and worry her, because the current global, international and ecological state affects the family, the children and their future; in one word\u2014everything. Thus she suddenly becomes tied to such an enormous space, which was previously limited to just four walls of four rooms: kitchen, bedroom, living room and nursery, as this was her entire world. After all, it was only recently that women were even allowed to go outside! And now it\u2019s the opposite, it\u2019s as though she\u2019s being kicked out: \u201cGo and work, bring home the other half of the earnings.\u201d No one had ever seen anything like this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the natural order of things, woman constitutes the home. She raises the children, runs the household, cooks, and greets her husband. This stems from as far back as the Stone Age, and this is how it should be today as well. The fact that in our time everything is opposite tells us that we\u2019ve reached rock-bottom. So, being unhappy with one\u2019s man is perhaps a result of mass media providing her with other ideals\u2026 Although it seems to me that everywhere we look we only see man\u2019s negative image, and not a positive one, but for some reason everyone savors this fact, loves this image. We are not raising the younger generation with positive images; hence the collective discontent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, this isn\u2019t even discontent. I think that it is the general impression that women get from men that invokes in them the aspiration to give them less freedom, to be less dependent on them, to expect less, not to appease themselves with illusions. The times of old have passed. That is why women today are becoming more independent, more leading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>In view of what you said, a question arises: is there a spiritual root to feminism at all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Everything stems from the same place. Today it is already clear why women want to take everything upon themselves, why they don\u2019t want to be dependent on men, why they\u2019re organizing everything between themselves. They are naturally more dependent, but they don’t want this dependence, because they cannot stand it. It is impossible to be dependent on the part of nature that suddenly begins to malfunction and fails to provide them with what they demand and deserve. Therefore, on one hand, the manifestations of feminism are unnatural, but on the other hand, they are a natural result of today’s crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, of course, we need to take this into account. Do we have a choice?! This is the larger part of humanity, its \u201cstronger half,\u201d and right now it\u2019s coming out ahead. Today there\u2019s still the influence of religion and other remnants, which hinder this process. If, however, liberation of conventionalities takes place in religion and in all the other areas, where man traditionally held the leading role, our world will acquire an entirely different nature\u2014the one that it should acquire to the extent of its corruption and oppositeness to the spiritual world. We\u2019ve said that in the roots man prevails over woman, whereas in our case it is the opposite, as our world is truly opposite to the spiritual one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Is this phenomenon positive or negative?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Neither, it is natural\u2014in equilibrium with nature. Nature thus balances itself between the two worlds. Hence, opposites must be located one opposite the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Many say that, whether consciously or not, women sense the spiritual world or spirituality much more acutely, are much more sensitive to it than men. Perhaps women have a certain inner ideal of a real man? And that is the reason why a woman is always dissatisfied with her man\u2014because her man doesn\u2019t match this ideal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>The problem lies in the demands. Because the female spiritual root is lower than the male, its demands in our world are also lower than the level of \u201cman\u201d in an individual. In reality, man demands of a woman the following things: service, faithfulness, fidelity and looks that would satisfy him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whereas a woman, seeing as she looks upon her man as though from below upwards, in accordance with the spiritual root, demands from him a higher level\u2014not the animal one that he demands of her, but one that is spiritual, soulful, human, cultured and so forth. From this stem all the familiar differences in our world in the demands of men toward women and women toward men. This stems from the spiritual root and thus manifests in absolutely all forms and on all levels of our relationships: family, society, with our children (both girls and boys), and so forth\u2014everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, there\u2019s only one solution: to correspond to one\u2019s spiritual root. There is no other way. Half-baked solutions won\u2019t get us anywhere. They will only deform the world and delay the process of correction, to which it must eventually come to anyway. Since nature doesn\u2019t tolerate emptiness, it doesn\u2019t tolerate opposites, unless these opposites are balanced with one another harmoniously. Therefore, in spite of all of the negative forces that we call upon ourselves via our disparity with the spiritual roots, we will nonetheless need to reach equilibrium\u2014homeostasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We must study this equilibrium as the principal law of nature. Essentially, this is my profession. This is precisely what Kabbalah deals with\u2014it teaches one to be in accord with his spiritual roots. Otherwise, there\u2019s nothing we can do\u2014we have absolutely no chance of opposing nature or running away from it and hiding somewhere. Therefore, to be a real man or a real woman is to exist in full accord with our spiritual roots. And then we will simply exist in a limitless, eternal and perfect dimension of nature, in harmony with all its levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But meanwhile, we will continue to see women becoming more and more independent. And their emergence onto the level of independence and leadership accelerates the emergence of more and more men\u2019s problems. That is because the correction of the world, meaning oneself and all of humankind, rests on man, since he is the one that possesses within himself the Creator\u2019s root. In this task, a woman is only his helper, as it is written in the Bible: \u201cI have created for you help against you.\u201d So, man will continue to look more and more pathetic, and woman will become more and more independent, strong and complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>I\u2019m afraid that men won\u2019t be all that happy to learn this, but I\u2019ll ask anyway. Can we deduce from the aforesaid that the constant demands on the part of women to their men with regard to their obligations to their wives and families are justified (in accordance with spiritual roots)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>In accordance with spiritual roots, if man were to fulfill his foremost mission\u2014self-correction,\u2014and would do the same with regard to his wife and kids, i.e., if he were to inject a spiritual element into the relationship between them, his woman would demand of him nothing more. Her demands would be minimal, since, owing to her spiritual gene, this is the very thing that she inwardly desires to see in her man\u2014this and nothing else. Minimal household provisions, even if they live in a cave in today\u2019s modern world\u2014as long as she\u2019s happy with her man when it comes to the spiritual, to the soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, if man were to introduce into his family some spiritual advancement\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>And minimal income\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>\u2026then the woman\u2019s demands, which she constantly pressures him with from all sides\u2014\u201cgive me!\u201d\u2014would fundamentally change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Hear that, guys? There is a cure!<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>The cure is very simple: pick up a book, learn what \u201cman\u201d and \u201cwoman\u201d signify in the spiritual world, and abide by it. I guarantee absolute understanding, harmony and delight in family life to everyone, to anyone\u2014starting with presidents and ending with farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>You were talking about the notion of a real man, and I thought of the following question: what does it mean to be a real man from the standpoint of Kabbalah? We were all brought up on Hollywood movies, and whether I want to or not, I already have a certain imprint, some idea of what a real man is.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Because we nonetheless contain within us a spiritual root, the male ideal for a woman constitutes attachment to and feeding from the male spiritual root. When she attaches herself to him, she thereby makes it possible for him to develop and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Man cannot develop spiritually without a woman. In particular, when new people come to Kabbalah and start studying, they begin to clearly feel that they need a family. We\u2019re talking about a man who is already beginning to sense his spiritual root, himself, and how he should advance further. Just as the bond between the two roots of the universe\u2014male and female\u2014exists above, man needs to establish the analogy of this bond below in our world as well. He needs to construct this model here\u2014both within himself and outside in the family unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is precisely what constitutes this ideal for a woman. She feels it within herself, since she is very close to nature. She won\u2019t be enticed by all the toys that man creates for himself\u2014sports, politics, the stock market and so on. She begins to participate in it all, because today she is pressured\u2014she feels that the world is such and these are the rules that she needs to play by. But in reality, if you listen in on women talking, and look closely at what they\u2019re saying, you will see how far it is from even the modern woman. She is close to nature, and she needs that which exists in her spiritual root. This cannot be ignored. So look for the male ideal there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>And what is \u201cthe spiritual\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>The spiritual is the force that stands behind matter and drives us. It is not something imaginary or far-away. It\u2019s everything that I\u2019m doing right now, everything that guides and governs me: my thoughts and desires that arise in me from out of nowhere, my decisions, everything that happens around me at every moment with either individuals or objects. All of this is governed by a net of forces, which is created and programmed in nature beforehand, manifest in our imagination and sensations as time (past, present and future), and provide us with new substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is more, today we begin to understand that there are other dimensions, other worlds and other possibilities of existing in other sensations. So then, if we return to nature, then all that exists around us, but isn\u2019t perceived by our corporeal senses and isn\u2019t taken into account thereby (although there is much we lose because of it\u2014from not knowing where we are), is called the spiritual world. It truly exists\u2014with all its information and the forces that govern us, but we do not sense it. All of this is referred to as \u201cthe spiritual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we were to obey its laws, be in congruence with it, understand the way in which it exists and how it created and governs us, then we would be comfortable. We do not know and do not understand these laws, and we receive constant blows, and are always making some strange and terrible blunders. The science of attaining the spiritual world is called Kabbalah; in other words, this science deals with reception of Upper information. So, all of our problems\u2014both male and female\u2014exist below, but all the solutions exist above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>In other words, man is considered spiritual if he attains this net of forces?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes. A spiritual man or a spiritual woman\u2014in general, any object in our world (in our world!) that connects properly to its root, or at least tries to establish this connection, is considered \u201cspiritual.\u201d That is to say, he tries to discover for himself the Upper World that governs us so as to be in accord with it, and thereby unite the two worlds in harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>And this satisfies a woman completely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Of course! All of nature aspires to harmony, to interdependence and homeostasis. It is just as it is in our body: if some cell breaks the correct relationship with other cells, then the work of the entire organism suffers, and it is considered sick. We are the same way\u2014our entire human society is simply one (and only) enormous, sick creature in the entire Universe and in all the worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Would it be correct to say that the entire human society is a sick cell?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>No, it is not a cell. In reality, the entire human society is simply the entire world of today, since it includes the still, vegetative and animate elements of nature. Therefore, if we correct human society, or, in other words, if we supplement it with the correct relationship with regard to its spiritual root, we will then establish nature\u2019s balance on all levels, including the ecological (meaning the still), vegetative and animate. But that\u2019s a whole other topic altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>It\u2019s a very interesting topic\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>It deals with balance of all of nature in both worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>In your previous answer you mentioned something about a person not being able to understand where his desires come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Thoughts and desires, both in his heart and in his mind. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen to me the very next moment: what will I desire, what will I think about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>And where does this come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>I\u2019m not even mentioning the fact that in addition to the informational data (desires and thoughts) that arises within, I am also surrounded by phenomena that I cannot predict whatsoever. How can I possibly know for sure what will happen? \u201cEverything flows\u2026\u201d but it is completely concealed from me, just as it is concealed from all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This net of forces that governs us, as it fuels within us newer and newer thoughts and desires, exists according to a program that is completely removed from us, from our consciousness. Thus, we are essentially puppets that are being moved so as to compel us to start paying attention to the necessity of existing in harmony with nature\u2014whether by the good path, namely by realizing and understanding this necessity, or by the bad\u2014with the help of nature\u2019s punishing blows. Where are we being moved? Toward the goal. Which goal? Equivalence with nature.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>If we are all puppets, a thought arises about the existence of destiny or fate; that is, is everything in one’s life predestined, predetermined? Am I simply walking along a certain path, along the steps of certain states that have already been prepared for me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Just like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Of course. Not knowing which next step is the right one, we take all kinds of steps, millions of them, and they all bring us only failure. Meanwhile, whether we realize it or not, nature governs us and leads us to its goal. It follows that we are always trying to go in various directions, not knowing exactly where, and it seems to us that good things await us right around the corner, whereas in reality it only gets worse and worse. And nature is leading us to the realization that we are, in fact, in a bad state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First and foremost, we need to begin to understand the world in which we live. Everything in it is interconnected. On one hand, through understanding all of nature and its integrality, we come to realize that the entire world is no more than a small village, and all of us in it are interconnected. On the other hand, we are giant egoists, and we don\u2019t even want to live with our own families. And there it is\u2014our inner egoistic nature, which tears us apart from one another, against the boundless and integral outer altruistic nature. And today we come to the revelation of this conflict: man, mankind\u2014with regard to the rest of nature, our oppositeness to it. Herein our mission is revealed\u2014to correct ourselves and become an integral element of all of nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Several times now you\u2019ve mentioned the notion of \u201cnature.\u201d But I\u2019m not certain whether by that word you mean the same notion as I do. By \u201cnature,\u201d you don\u2019t mean rain, forest or bunny-rabbits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Laitman<\/strong>: <\/strong>Nature is one Law, one great Law, which governs matter in all its manifestations: still, vegetative, animate, human, and spiritual. All of the above, all that we can possibly imagine, including the Creator\u2014in other words, everything in existence\u2014is what we call \u201cNature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Litvar<\/strong>: <\/strong>Got it. That’s a big topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M. Sanilevich<\/strong>: <\/strong>Should we return to the topic of men and women?<\/p>\n\n\n\nShould women rule the world?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What does a woman want?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The male ideal<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Is there destiny or fate?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n