We cannot attain any reality as it is in itself. Rather, we attain everything according to our sensations. And reality, as it is in itself, is of no interest to us at all. Hence, we do not attain the Torah as it is in itself, but only attain our sensations. Thus, all of our impressions follow only our sensations.

Baal HaSulam, Shamati [I Heard], Article no. 66, “The Giving of the Torah”

Baal HaSulam, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy”Therefore, we must not inquire how the sages of the Kabbalah, which fill the entire wisdom with their insights, differentiate between the various Lights. That is because these observations do not refer to the Lights themselves, but to the impression of the vessel, being the above-mentioned force, which is affected by its encounter with the Light.

In addition, the form itself will change in a person according to his ups and downs, as we have said above that the Light is Simple Light and all the changes are only in the receivers.“There is no change in the Light.” Rather, all the changes are in the Kelim, meaning in our senses. We measure everything according to our imagination. From this it follows that if many people examine one spiritual thing, each will attain according to his imagination and senses, thereby seeing a different form.

Baal HaSulam, Shamati [I Heard], Article no. 3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”

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Question: I wanted to ask a question that a student from the Education Center is asking in relation to the sketch you made with the different phases, 1, 2, 3.

Dr. Michael Laitman: They are not stages, they are types of people, 1, 2, 3.

• In number 1, the spark in them is either on top, so a person discovers that he is attracted to spirituality.
• In number 2, the spark is the one we have, so we only woke up recently to the wisdom of Kabbalah, say in the last 100 years.
• There are people that we can see are not waking up. Those are number 3. They just won’t wake up, so we call them the rest of humanity. They have no questions, other than how to have a better life, better health, family, vacationing, business, all within the framework of this world, from birth to death, only wanting to satisfy those desires. Some people go beyond all that.

Question: What the student is asking is: Stage number 2, where the point in the heart is evoked, maybe it is through all the suffering…

Dr. Laitman: It’s all together.

Question: She is asking whether in number 3, they will have to undergo a catastrophe in order for that point in the heart to awaken in them?

Dr. Laitman: If we, through integral education, cannot wake them up, perhaps because we will not make sufficient efforts for it and perhaps for other reasons, then the world will undergo great suffering. Moreover, this suffering will be inflicted on the people who had to give this world the right direction to draw it to the surrounding light. If we don’t do it, the world will start suffering, and we will suffer more than the rest of the world. We are the ones who have to draw it to the light and we have enough power and means to do that.

This Q&A is based on the Special Q&A Session with Dr. Michael Laitman in Preparation for the ONE Convention, which took place on Sunday, June 16. Watch the whole video & stay up-to-date with ONE Convention preparation materials here »