Meet the Press – David Rosenthal – Session 2
Highlights from an interview with op-ed columnist and radio talk show host Prof. David Rosenthal
Below is the second collection of highlights from an interview recorded on July 12, 2021, where columnist and radio talk show host Prof. David Rosenthal asked kabbalist, scientist, and global thinker Dr. Michael Laitman about Kabbalah, current affairs, and his predictions for the future.
* Elaborated bios at the bottom of the page.
DR: Dr. Laitman, will there be a time when the wisdom of Kabbalah, The Book of Zohar, and all the other books are recognized and all of humanity studies them?
ML: I really hope so. We have published them in many languages and in every way we can. We have thousands of students in every continent, with free access to all the materials. Our sources predate even The Book of Zohar, and continue from The Book of Zohar through all the writings of the kabbalists throughout the generations.
DR: So what will be the position of Kabbalah in the future?
ML: I think that Kabbalah needs to be the basis of education, meaning that the world needs to shift to a state of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and the wisdom of Kabbalah will explain about the system that we live in. We can become independent of our bodies. We can rise above it and begin to feel all of humanity and all of reality. We can attain this through the wisdom of Kabbalah, and we’re inviting everyone to come and learn it, as it is written, “My house shall be called ‘a house of prayer’ to all the nations.”
DR: Thank you. Do you think it’s important for Jews to return to Israel?
ML: The wisdom of Kabbalah does not attribute special significance to making Aliya [lit. “ascent,” but it means “immigrating to Israel”]. What is important is that people make a spiritual Aliya [spiritual ascent]. They may live in the State of Israel, but that doesn’t mean that they are truly in the land of Israel. The word Eretz [land] comes from the word Ratzon [desire], and Israel comes from the words Yashar-El [straight to the Creator]. So a person who has a desire straight to the Creator, to the quality of love and giving, is regarded as being in the “land of Israel.” But you can be in this state anywhere in the world. I don’t think that people living in the current State of Israel are more spiritual than those living in Latin America; there is absolutely no connection between the two. Therefore, if we are speaking of the future of the world, the future of the world is that everyone will awaken to connection, and through connection become one world, one higher force, as it is written, “And they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Therefore, one’s place of residence is irrelevant.
DR: On another topic, it seems as though the world is losing control over the environment, the climate, and even over governments and people as a whole. What’s going to happen?
ML: Climate is indeed one of the blows we are feeling, and will feel more and more. We need to wake up and start thinking about our future. Through the climate, the pandemic, and other natural forces and natural disasters, nature will awaken us as it did before the exodus from Egypt. In those days, it was hail, locust, and other plagues. We, too, will feel plagues; I’m certain that there will be more natural blows that will eventually pressure us to the point where we will have to seriously contemplate why this is happening to us.
DR: Will there be more fatalities in the world and in Israel than we’ve already had?
ML: Many more fatalities the world over. I hope we can correct these states, but this is possible only through connection among the hearts of the children of Israel all over the world. If we don’t do this, these blows will bring upon us antisemitism from every direction so we don’t have a choice but to do it.
DR: In light of the hatred and egoism in the world, what is the main problem that the world needs to correct today, and what is the best way to do it?
ML: There aren’t many problems in the world. Our only problem is our ego. Human nature is egoistic, as it is written, “The inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth.” We can correct it only by learning what is this ego and how we can correct it by connecting among us. When we work toward it, we will make the upper force correct our ego. I hope we come to this very soon.
DR: Thank you. What advice would you give to the world, to humanity, and to the people of Israel in these days of uncertainty?
ML: Only that they should understand that we are within nature’s system, which requires that we become more connected positively until we truly become one mechanism, positively communicating among all of us. We have a lot of material about this on our site, for beginners and veterans, and it’s all available at no cost.
DR: I see, and what does the Jewish people need? Is it more prayers, more studying of Torah, or other activities to increase balance in the spiritual world?
ML: The only thing that the Jewish people needs is to understand that only through connection within the Jewish people can they become a good example for all of humanity, and this is the meaning of being “a light unto nations.”
* Elaborated Bios:
David A. Rosenthal
Political scientist, analyst, researcher, journalist, and columnist in various national and international media outlets.
Host of “Sepharad’s Footsteps in the New World,” a radio show on Radio Sepharad about Sephardic heritage in America.
Michael Laitman
Michael Laitman is a global thinker living in Israel. Laitman has a PhD in Philosophy and Kabbalah and an MS in Medical Bio-Cybernetics. He is a prolific writer who has published over 40 books, which have been translated into dozens of languages. He is a sought-after speaker and has written for or been interviewed by The New York Times, The Jerusalem Post, Huffington Post, Corriere della Sera, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Newsmax, The Globe, RAI TV, and Bloomberg TV, FOX Radio, among others. Dr. Laitman teaches live daily lessons to an audience of some two million people worldwide, simultaneously interpreted into English, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, Russian, French, Turkish, German, Hungarian, Farsi, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, and more than 20 other languages. For more info, visit www.michaellaitman.com.