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Michael Laitman, PhD

One Law

He who fulfills at least one law of the above world, wins himself and the world over to the virtue of goodness.
Correction of the creation is in the intention

The correction of the authentic human nature, the egoistic desires, should be carried out only for the purpose of convergence with the upper power, by means of a similarity in attributes and by acquiring the quality of unconditional giving. It is the same way that it works towards us; for the sake of giving in order to fill up our desire to receive.

This human desire to attain pleasure is created by the source, the supreme power, and it is by no means opposite to it. The opposite is the INTENTION to receive pleasure 'for the sake of one's own self''. In fact, this is the desire for pleasure for the sake of one's self that is called egoism, not the pleasure itself. The desire to receive or, as Kabbalists say, to be completed is, unchanging; it is exactly that one and only thing that has been created. There is nothing else in creation except the desire to receive, and the Creator Himself. However, according to His will, creation must reveal the special pleasure in His light, and in being near to Him.

The only change that we are able to make for creation is in the way we use our uniquely authentic, natural quality, i.e., the desire to receive- either 'for our own sake' or 'for the Creator's.'

Receiving pleasure 'for one's own sake' is restricted by the limits of our world.

Overall, it cannot be fulfilled because the pleasure, by its filling the desire, nullifies it, and, as a result, disappears itself. The enjoyment and satisfaction do not stay in our senses.

This micro-desire exists only in order to make life possible for a person, until he begins to take hold of the true intention and is able to fill himself with unlimited and infinite pleasure. This micro-desire can receive just a 'little spark' of pleasure, 'ner dakik', and every infinite and everlasting fulfillment can only be achieved via the intention 'for the Creator'.

From this, we see that the desire to receive is not intended by the Creator to be used in a direct way 'for the sake of one's own pleasure', but, quite the contrary, “for the sake of Him”. In that case, we become similar to Him. By changing the egoistic intention of 'taking pleasure for one's self' to an altruistic one of 'taking pleasure for the sake of the Creator', a person becomes wholly identical with the Being Beyond, because it is the intention that determines the action.

However, it is impossible to make an immediate transition from the egoistic intention 'for one's self' to the altruistic one 'for the Supreme Power'. Such a change in the person’s thoughts, habits, and lifestyle requires a gradual transformation. A person’s choice to take pleasure is influenced by society, public opinion, and mode, and consequently, only by changing the environment. Therefore, only by its placing priority in giving instead of receiving, can a person make the transition from the intention

'for the sake of one's self' to the intention 'for the sake of others.'

What is that swift and clear-cut method that enables a person to obtain this attribute of the Almighty? The only way to acquire the ability of 'giving' is by thinking about his own personal needs only to the extent of his primary necessities, and for the rest, about the welfare of society and its citizens. By doing this, a person becomes akin to the attribute of the Supreme Ruling Power. Such drastic change is only possible in a special society that creates for a person the right environment to undergo this improvement.

Two principles for stimulating society to the fulfillment of this law

Only then does a human being have the energy to fulfill the act of giving. The society, by praising his deeds, provides him with the altruistic ability to give, at the beginning for the sake of reward, such as honor and admiration of the society. Nevertheless, the habit of giving slowly becomes second nature, and a person starts wishing it from habit.

In addition, acts of giving will evoke the descending of the Upper Correcting Light, which changes an individual in likeness with the Creator, following the mechanism from 'for one's own sake', to 'for the sake of the Creator'.

This preparation is one of the components of the final goal, since, by accustoming himself to work for others and for their good, he gradually grows eager to fulfill the laws of the Creator, following the intended rule 'for the sake of the Creator', and not 'for the sake of one's self'. Thus, our intention is according to the plan of creation.

Part of the method, responsible for the relationship of an individual with his comrade

The method of convergence with the Upper Power has two parts:

The most effective and useful thing to do is first of all to focus on the relationship between comrades, since by doing this, man acquires the right habits, in order to apply them later in his approach towards the Creator.

Thought, dialog, action

Any effort of correction includes thought, dialog, and action.

Two types of giving pleasure to the Creator
Duty of carrying out 613 commandments

Man’s soul consists of 613 separate desires, and the correction of those from the intention 'for one's self' to the intention 'for the Creator' allows a person to feel union with the Creator through every corrected desire. The comprehension of each private manifestation of the Creator in one's self is seen as the revelation of the Creator, and is called by one of His names. In other words, the names of the Creator reflect the private comprehension of the various measures of the universal abundance of the Creator. Every person has to go through all of these measures and has to perceive the complete general revelation (name) of the Creator.

True wisdom

The Kabbalists of the past presented the method of individual comprehension. Here we offer a general way, because of its consistency and because it defines the spiritual substances without placing them in a material cover. This latest approach is the most useful for the development of the method of comprehension. In addition, this science is called the true wisdom.

The success of its presentation will grow in succeeding generations, because they will be more prepared to understand the true wisdom. The success of its understanding depends on the magnitude of the spiritual leader of that generation, or on the generation itself, or on both of these factors.

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