The Flood

The Flood  

Usually water refers to purifying the environment, the light of Hassadim 

(mercy). However here the strong streams of water surrounding man became 

inundating and deadly. What are these forces that outwardly resemble waters, 

but in reality bring along death? When external and all sorts of conflicting 

thoughts and desires overwhelm a person, this becomes like the Flood. 

Although the Flood comes as a very harsh force that can destroy everything, 

this very force purifies with its harshness.  

However, it only purifies us if we, as Noah did, erect the ark around ourselves. 

Noah represents a person who falls into a state in which the heavy waters of 

the Flood try to distract him from the path. If a person continuously consorts 

with foreign forces and intentions, they will turn into the Flood. He will not be 

able to escape them. He will be constantly bombarded by the deadly desires 

of the surrounding people, dictating to him what he has to do.  

Some crave money; others want power or fame, etc…Everything around us is 

impregnated with somebody else's desires. Only one thing can save one's 

soul: an even deeper connection with the purpose of creation. We have to 

build a surrounding layer, a screen, around ourselves. This screen will protect 

us from outside obstacles that attempt to distract, seduce or frighten a person. 

If we cannot construct the protective shield that will shelter us from all the 

useless folly of this world, we will not able to progress spiritually. The ark 

represents a make-shift screen, this is a shielding force that one builds for 

themselves. One who holds the purpose of creation cannot be exposed to any 

other influences. The ark is only one of many actions that we need to perform 

if we want to advance spiritually.  

Man Becomes Slightly Better – Slightly Better Becomes the World  

Noah is the next man after Adam. He starts the entire journey on Earth. In 

Hebrew, earth is "Eretz"; it is our internal desire "Ratzon". One cannot embark 

on their journey on Earth (transform something inside) without first securing 

this power, support, and internal system which will free man from any external 

obstacles. The ark is the means that Noah (that is, the soul that reached this 

spiritual degree) chose in order to progress towards the goal.  

The entire world exists inside of our soul. Representatives of the entire 

existence and the root of the world are inside of it. We exist at the highest 

level of our world, meaning that our soul includes all the animate, vegetative, 

and inanimate souls.  

The entire world changes in accordance with us: we become slightly better – 

slightly better becomes the world. By ascending, that is correcting ourselves 

by overcoming obstacles we elevate the rest of nature along with ourselves. 

In this Chapter, the example of Noah shows us how we should behave when 

we find ourselves in a peculiar environment or face obstacles. In such a state, 

we have to take the already corrected parts of our soul (i.e. animated, 

vegetative, and inanimate, what is called “male and female of all flesh”) and 

build around ourselves an ark. That is, a surrounding shield that will protect us 

from all external obstacles. This shield has to be absolutely altruistic. If we 

need nothing, if we are completely indifferent to all but the purpose of 

creation, then nothing around can harm us. If we are connected with the 

purpose of creation we simply raise above all the obstacles so much that we 

stop feeling them. They cannot affect us or alter our path.  

The Creator instructs us how to build our protective shield from above. It is 

said that Noah enters this shield and the Creator "closes the door behind 

him". Enormous impure and infringing forces separate Noah from the Creator. 

Noah had to work against them all the time so that he could correct all these 

infringing forces during the next stage – the Flood. This is the essence of our 

advancement.  

It is necessary to try isolating oneself, to limit oneself from external influences. 

This is what is called making the ark. We need to examine ourselves a little; to 

brake away from all infringing forces of this world and try not to interact with 

the cruel environment. We need to do it in order to bear something inside of 

ourselves that will subsequently trigger the development of humankind. 

"Humankind" refers to the forces that help one to attain the Creator. Then all 

the forces that are about to drown us are gradually corrected, their correction 

allows us to reach the purpose of creation. However, under no circumstances 

should any influence be interpreted as a negative one. On the contrary, one 

should relate to everything as necessary, and as the desired means for the 

attainment of the goal.  

This is why the powers that emerge as obstacles are not really harmful. On 

the contrary, one should feel in them the Creator's call to use them for the 

next spiritual correction. Afterwards, we will be able to step on the new land. 

This land will be purified for us, and we will look at it differently. Then, truly, we 

will be able to continue our spiritual ascent and our spiritual growth.  

When Noah Goes Forth From The Ark, The Creator Offers A Covenant 

With Him  

Noah resides in his ark until the land, that is, all the desires ("Eretz" – land, 

from the word "Ratzon" – desire) are completely immersed in the waters and 

drawn in it, meaning in the light of Hassadim (in Kabbalah, water refers to the 

purifying light of Hassadim). Until the rest of the desires are sufficiently 

purified, Noah remains in the ark so as to utilize them correctly, that being 

only for the sake of his inner personal desire. How did this happen? First, 

Noah managed to separate his desires from the desires of other people, 

developing his yearning for the spiritual as the sole driving force. He then 

turned back to the remaining desires, the actions of this world, and began 

using them for spiritual progress.  

When Noah goes forth from the ark, the Creator offers him a Covenant, that 

is, a connection, a union with Him. Why was this Covenant offered? Its 

purpose was to receive strength from the Creator and commence living. 

Meaning Noah has to use these newly received desires, the new bare ground 

that emerged out of the waters, and cultivate his further states on top of them. 

The correction Noah performed (that is, had kept all of his inner spiritual 

forces suppressed), resulted in his worthiness of having the ground emerge. 

The land previously cursed by the Creator now yields fruit and bears life, 

which gradually brings man towards the correction, the purpose of creation.  

The Secret Meaning of the Bible 

M. Laitman 

We are all captives of our egoistic nature

We are all captives of our egoistic nature. Freeing ourselves means to 

overstep the limits of our world and enter the Upper Reality. Since we 

are entirely in this world’s grip, we can get free only if, in spite of our 

natural egoistic environment, we artificially surround ourselves with 

people, who share our views and aspirations, and fall under the power of 

the environment ruled by the laws of the Upper World. Freeing ourselves 

from the egoistic bonds and revealing the property of bestowal is our 

realization of free will. 

Freedom of Will 

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD 

The existence in our body is very central

The existence in our body is very central and our body, with all of 

its demands, should not be disregarded. It is the correct relationship, 

the right combination of the world in which a person lives and the 

spirituality that is revealed to the person that determines the person’s 

behavior. That is why no one can judge anyone else by external 

appearance, since no one can know the other’s inner world and what is 

revealed there. 

Selected teachings of 

Rav Michael Laitman, PhD 

There are no miracles, and no one can help a person but himself

There are no miracles, and no one can help a person but himself. In the 

thousands of years that humanity has existed, no wonder-drug has been 

found that could change our situation. The reason for the pain is that we 

live in this world like blind kittens. We do not understand what it is we 

must do, what will become of us tomorrow, what impact our actions have 

and what the world around us really wants from us when it presses us 

so. 

The Open Book 

Michael Laitman, PhD 

What is described in the Bible (Torah)

When we study the Torah (Pentateuch, Bible) we must understand that all the 

words of the Torah and all other sacred books just appear to be words 

associated with our world. The words however represent spiritual objects and 

roots, which are under no circumstances connected to our world. There 

should be no confusion of these spiritual concepts and physical objects. The 

Torah contains the sacred names of the Creator, which represents the 

degrees of His attainment. This is similar to how we designate a name to an 

object in our world depending on how the object manifests itself to our 

senses. The entire Torah describes the levels of approaching and sensing the 

Creator.  

   

M.Laitman

"The Secret Meaning of the Bible "

Wisdom & the Rebel

The rebel is far closer to wisdom than the complacent child -as an ox is more powerful than a lamb. He only needs a wise person who can show him how to harness his strength and bring much good to the world.

T.Freeman

Si tu cherches la Lumière

Si tu cherches la Lumière, va chercher ton être véritable au plus profond et apprends à vivre avec lui en toute simplicité, sans mensonge, sans masque. Apprends à être vrai, authentique et fidèle au monde divin. C'est un chemin difficile. Le monde est dangereux, avare de la Lumière authentique, empli de faussaires et de voleurs. Mais le monde ne peut te prendre ce que tu portes en toi de vrai, de travaillé, vécu consciemment. Alors éveille-toi dans le vrai. Rends conscient l'authentique. Confonds ce qui est faux. N'aie pas peur de le regarder et deviens réellement ce que tu portes.

O.Manitara

Tout dans la nature nous parle d'abondance

 Tout dans la nature nous parle d'abondance. Mais lorsque l'homme pense à l'abondance, il ne prend en compte que le coté physique, visible et ne s'intéresse qu'à la richesse matérielle. Cette vision limitée l'a poussé à devenir un pillard et un destructeur de la nature.

O.Manitara

Dig Deeper

Every person you meet has a wellspring deep inside.

If you can't find it, the fault is yours. Remove the rust from your shovel, sharpen its blade, and dig harder and deeper.

T.Freeman

Helpful Knowledge

The very fact you know about someone who is in trouble means that in some way you are able to help. Otherwise, why would this knowledge have entered your world?

T.Freeman

Fear of Joy

People are afraid of joy. They are afraid they'll get out of hand and lose control.

These people haven't experienced real joy - the joy that comes from doing something Godly and beautiful with all your heart. The fact is, there is nothing that will lift you higher. Where there is that joy, the Divine Presence can enter. Where there is that joy, there are no pits to fall into, and all obstacles evaporate into thin air.

T.Freeman

Le renouveau est toujours apporté par le plus jeune.

Le renouveau est toujours apporté par le plus jeune, le plus petit, la semence qui contient en elle tout un monde. Être avec cette semence, c'est recevoir l'énergie, l'impulsion, la force qui régénèrent. Une graine est petite en apparence, mais elle contient en elle l'écriture et la structure de tout un monde. Ainsi en est-il de la pensée et de l'idée. La pensée est la terre des idées. À l'image d'une graine, une idée peut contenir un monde.
O.Manitara

Circus acts

"  Some circus acts have a lot to teach us because of the ways
they resemble the battles humans must win in their inner life:
taming tigers, lions and panthers, making bears and elephants
dance, jumping through flaming hoops, juggling, leaping into
space and catching hold again, walking on a wire, and so on.
Let’s just take the example of tightrope walkers: to stay
balanced, they move with their arms outstretched or use a long
horizontal pole. They have constantly to correct their position –
to the right, to the left, a bit higher, a bit lower… Human
beings are in the same situation, for life is a tightrope, and if
they do not want to fall they have to keep thinking of adding a
little here, taking away a little there, to stay in balance.
Our centre of balance is in the ears, and symbolically wisdom is
connected with the ears. People are wise when they know how to
stay in balance, how to rectify any situation. And clearly, the
expression ‘rectify the situation’ shows that in life things
always tend to lean too far in one direction or another and that
each time we have to redress the balance. "

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Givers & Takers

Our view of the world and its Creator's view are very different.

From our perspective, there is always a giver and a taker. Whether the merchandise be knowledge, affection, or money --somebody always comes out on top and the other on the bottom.

In the Creator's view, giver and taker are one. The taker is really giving and the giver receiving.

For without the opportunity to give, the giver would be forever imprisoned within his own self.

T.Freeman

The physical matter we know is just one aspect of matter.

"The physical matter we know is just one aspect of matter. It is

not true matter – even chemists and physicists do not know what

that is. When they start breaking matter down, they merely note

that energy is released. If their tools were more sophisticated,

they would in fact discover that this matter has given way to

another finer, subtler matter, belonging to another realm.

But humans will never succeed in breaking down ultimate matter:

only God can do that. When he breaks matter down, it will return

to his bosom; nothing will exist anymore, and there will be

absolute silence, a cosmic night. Until then, matter disappears

the way clouds disappear. You will have seen it happen: a few

white clouds begin to form out of a uniformly clear blue sky.

Where have they come from? And a few moments later, they have

faded into space and are no longer visible, although they are

there. It is really the density of matter that changes; matter

itself does not disappear, for it is the complementary pole to

spirit. Even splitting the atom does not make matter disappear."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Humble Compassion

There is compassion that feeds the ego and there is compassion that humbles it.

Compassion that feeds the ego is a sense of pity for those who stand beneath you.

Compassion that humbles is born of a deeper understanding of the order of things:

When you understand that your fellow man is suffering in order that you may be privileged to help him

--then you are truly humbled.

T.Freeman

Investing in Earth

Why are you afraid? Why do you panic?

Your soul plunged downward to live in an earthly realm, to enwrap herself in a body of flesh and blood, willingly and with purpose.

What emboldened her? What drew her to squeeze

into the straitjacket of time and space?

It was neither fear, nor dread, nor panic.

It was the knowledge that here below

is a beauty the highest of angels cannot touch

Care for yourself, for your family, for your fellow human beings and our lovely planet earth,

not out of fear, nor from distress,

but out of love and awe

for the beauty within

that we came to uncover.

T.Freeman

If you want to do something wrong

"If you want to do something wrong, you instinctively feel you
should hide, so as not to be caught and punished. And if you want
to do something good, you think it is fine to be seen! Some
people, out of vanity, even flaunt themselves, thus provoking
opposition and arousing spite and jealousy. If you are thinking
of making someone a gift, again, be careful: it might be better
if there were no witnesses. And sometimes it would even be
preferable for the person you are benefiting not to know where it
came from, for your gesture may provoke unexpected reactions from
them.
In all your dealings with others, try to take into account the
complex relationship between each person’s lower and higher
natures."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Avant de naître

Avant de naître, l'homme vit avec le but de son âme mais lorsqu'il prend un corps, il tombe sous l'influence d'un autre ciel qui l'accapare. Il est alors séparé de son âme et un autre monde l'anime, lui tissant une destinée qui n'est plus en accord avec un ciel supérieur. C'est pourquoi il est perdu, ne sait plus qui il est, ni ce qu'il doit faire. Il se contente d'obéir et de renforcer sa vie dans le cadre qui lui est proposé. Une telle attitude engendre de grands troubles car elle crée un profond déséquilibre.

O.Manitara

Whole and Half

To become one with another person,

you must first recognize that you are only half.

To become one with the Infinite, you must give Him your all,

knowing always that it is but a broken half.

T.Freeman