The Relentless Pursuit of Honor

Without the need for honor, a person would live quietly in a corner. So, there is a kind of inner fire that constantly fuels us and compels us to succeed in the eyes of others. They should appreciate us, respect us, talk about us.

Honor is a condition that cannot be inherited, we have to work for it. Everything depends on the values that are accepted in society. It can be a society that values money and status symbols, or one that values simplicity and a modest life. A criminal society that values power and violence, or a society of artists that values sensitivity and creativity. In either case, depending on our innate characteristics, the education we received, and the society that surrounds us, each person wants to gain the attention, appreciation, and respect of those around him or her. Without it, one does not feel whole.

At any given moment, society provides us with a model against which we are measured. It makes us work, make an effort to become more and more like this model of success. Some people are willing to invest a lot to be remembered well after they die, because the feeling of dignity has no limits, neither in time, nor in place, nor in intensity.

Honor, is it good or bad? It depends on how the tendency is used. To illustrate, if I want to spur a child to invest in his studies and tell him, ‘You are better, you will be great, everyone will respect you,’ I am giving him motivation to study, which is good. On the other hand, if I keep lowering his dignity, I destroy his self-confidence and nothing comes of it.

With regard to ourselves, we must examine the direction in which respect drives us. If the desire to be above everything drives a person to act at the expense of others, to kick them on the way to the summit, to control and maneuver them, then that is destructive honor. Constructive honor, on the other hand, is that I want to be respected precisely by helping everyone, sacrificing myself for them, caring about their welfare and well-being. If society honors me for such an attitude on my part as a good and generous person, that is constructive honor. It will also be accompanied by constructive competition: which of us invests more for the benefit of society.

Because of human beings selfish nature, there is a tendency to belittle others instead of respecting them. A selfish society puts everyone under constant pressure: Is my dignity being violated? Are you giving me the respect I deserve? Is there someone more respectable than me? Overall, this pressure puts us in a cutthroat competition that destroys our relationships, our health, and our lives.

Social and personal development improves when we learn to use the wisdom of connection. On the whole, this method changes our egoistic nature to a nature of bestowal. With its help we come to a situation where we connect as one man with one heart.

Gradually you begin to feel a special power of bestowal, love and giving. A connecting and unifying force. It becomes the source of a special inspiration of mutual respect. It is a sublime, spiritual, wonderful feeling. Everyone feels whole, especially in connection with others. It is an honor for the person to be in such a relationship with everyone.

Mutual respect means that I respect the other and he or she respects me, because only together can we build a system of communication in which the same supreme power is revealed. I do not underestimate anyone because I feel dependent on others for the sake of my personal development. To be more precise, we can say that we do not respect each other, but the state of common connectedness that has been built. And that is a very special honor.

In a nutshell, those who want to be respected are recommended to learn and also teach others how to connect properly, how to rise together to the most dignified degree of existence there is.

Is Social Media Really an Innovation?

When we look at the rapid rise of social media and online networks, it may seem like a purely technological phenomenon. However, its roots lie much deeper, in human nature itself. Social networks are a natural outcome of the evolution of human desire.

From the earliest stages of human development, connection existed primarily within the family. It was a simple and natural form of connection based on survival and continuity. Families grew into small communities, villages, and eventually cities. These, in turn, developed into nations. For most of history, a person lived within a very limited social circle and rarely felt the need to go beyond it.

Only a select few—rulers, merchants, or explorers—established connections between distant places. These connections were not driven by a desire for unity, but by egoistic needs for trade, power, knowledge, and resources. As the human desire to receive pleasure grew, it pushed us to expand our connections beyond our immediate surroundings.

This is how commerce, cultural exchange, and later political ties developed. Roads were built, trade routes were established, and people began interacting across continents. Still, these connections remained external and limited.

A major shift occurred with the invention of printing. For the first time, ideas could be shared widely without direct personal contact. Knowledge became accessible to the masses, and a new form of virtual connection emerged. This was followed by newspapers, which created a shared awareness among large populations.

Then came radio, which broke the limitations of distance entirely. People could receive information instantly, without physical connection. Each technological advancement reflected the growing human desire to connect, to know, and to be involved in a broader reality.

The Internet is the culmination of this process. It did not emerge randomly. It began as a tool for scientific collaboration, which let researchers share information efficiently. However, very quickly, it expanded into a global network used by everyone. Its rapid adoption shows that humanity was already internally prepared for such a connection.

Today, the Internet, and especially social media, has become a central part of our lives. However, we still use it in a very primitive way. We exchange information, opinions, and endless content, but we see how we fail to receive any kind of meaningful fulfillment from all this activity. We feel that something is missing.

The reason is that external connection alone is no longer sufficient. Humanity approaches a new stage of development where the connection needs to become internal.

Our desire continues to grow. It no longer seeks just information or entertainment. It seeks a deeper and more meaningful connection, which goes beyond words and images. We want to feel others directly, to understand them effortlessly, and to be part of a unified system.

This is why the current form of social networks feels limited. We are still “playing” with connection, like children experimenting with a powerful tool. We send messages, share content, and accumulate hundreds or thousands of “friends,” yet we lack a meaningful and fulfilling connection. A person is naturally capable of maintaining meaningful relationships with only a small number of people. The rest is an expression of an inner desire that has not yet found its optimal form.

This desire points to the next stage of human development, which is a spiritual form of connection. In this state, connection will not depend on external platforms or devices. Instead, it will be an inner network where thoughts and desires flow freely between people. We will feel each other as parts of a single system just as we feel the organs of our own body.

Social media is a transitional stage toward this deeper connection. It helps us approach the realization that we are interconnected, but it does not yet provide the means to fully experience it. As humanity continues to evolve, the need for a deeper and more meaningful connection will only grow stronger. We will gradually realize that external networks cannot fulfill this need.

The next step is to learn how to develop an inner connection between people, a connection based not on egoistic benefit, but on mutual understanding and unity. When this happens, we will experience a completely new level of existence, where humanity functions as a single, integrated whole. Such a form of inner connection will completely fulfill us, and we will experience a newfound harmony, peace, and happiness the likes of which we have never felt in our present lives.

Based on “Social Media & Social Networks, Part 1 of 2 – Jtimes with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.” Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

Remember, every successful person experienced days of doubt, delay, and uncertainty. What separated them was not perfect circumstances, but their ability to continue despite it all. So keep striving, keep pushing, and keep going – your resilience will turn your struggle into strength.

Inspired by the teachings of Rebbe Nachman (1772-1810)

Have you ever paused to feel the invisible threads connecting us to every being, plant, and element on this planet? This profound interconnectedness means that our thoughts, emotions, and actions ripple beyond us, influencing the collective energy of the world.

When we elevate our personal energy through positive thinking and mindful actions, we contribute to the well-being of all life. This concept, often referred to as "interbeing," highlights how deeply intertwined our existences are.

By nurturing our inner light, we not only transform ourselves but also illuminate the path for others. Let's embrace this shared journey, recognizing that by uplifting our own spirits, we play a vital role in the dance of life's universal love.

Wishing you a week filled with elevated energy and profound connections.

Moshe Gersht

What If It’s Not Falling Apart?

BS'D

Do you ever feel like things are unraveling… just not going the way you planned?

I’ve had moments where I thought, this isn’t working… only to realize later—it was redirecting.

The brain resists uncertainty—it wants control.

But Torah reminds us: Hashem is weaving something we can’t yet see.

So this is what I try:​
Instead of asking, “Why is this happening?”
I ask, “Where might this be leading?”

It changes the whole feeling.

"

Not everything that feels like breaking is actually breaking.

Some things are being re-formed.

​

Orit Esther Riter

Heaven Above, Man Below

By Tzvi Freeman

Heaven above and the soul of man below are two halves of a single form, two convex hemispheres that fit together to make a perfect whole.

Attuned in perfect consonance, they dance a pas de deux of exquisite form, each responding to every subtle nuance of the other, mirroring and magnifying the most subliminal inner thought, until it is impossible to distinguish them as two.

From within the human being, G‑d looks back upon Himself from within the world He has created.

We sit upon the vortex of Creation.