“As long as we do not raise our goal above the corporeal life, we will have no corporeal revival.” (Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “Exile and Redemption”)
It was a dark Sabbath in southern Israel, with 200 rockets and mortar shells fired from the Gaza strip, 173 red alert sirens and 30 iron dome interceptions.
Any other country would respond immediately and aggressively, as written “if one comes to kill you, rise early and kill him first.” But not in this case. The state of Israel is between a rock and hard place. Flaming kites are coming from just dozens of kilometers south to Israel, while the international community and global media are sending flames of hostility towards the State of Israel.
Naturally, we don’t buy the truce. It is clearly pure fiction and only a matter of time until we begin another round of war. And from one round to the next, we are pushed closer to a critical point: Either we do whatever needed to end the terror against us and live with whatever sanctions it may bring; Or we find a way to fundamentally change the world’s view of Israel.
The only way to do that is to understand the root cause for the world’s attitude to Israel. We have to see the forces working within the network of humanity, and most importantly, our role in it.
According to the Book of Zohar, which describes the core structure of the whole of nature, all the world’s nations are interconnected and interdependent, through an intricate web of connections. And Israel is a central hub.
It’s not for nothing that the nations of the world treat Israel differently. Subconsciously, they feel that the nation of Israel is obligated to fulfill a central role in the body of humanity. “Israel among the nations is like a heart among the organs,” writes the Book of Zohar, “And as the body’s organs cannot exist without the heart for even a moment, so the nations cannot live in the world without Israel.”
Israel’s role within the body of humanity is to enable the unity of all peoples and nations, as parts of a single, integrated system. And they do so by creating unity among themselves, above all conflicts and differences, thus being “a light unto nations.”
But as long as Israel lags behind in spreading the force of unity, the conflicts around it rise to new heights. Hamas activists are taking positions in international and academic organizations, promoting the de-legitimization of Israel. From year to year, our enemies become more certain that the international community will justify their actions and condemn ours. Ultimately, things will escalate to the point where Israel is pushed to the sidelines of human society, becoming like a ghetto at the center of the world.
Rather than waiting for this critical point to come, we should open our eyes now and see where things are headed. The way to reverse the trend of hostility towards us is only to fulfill our role within the network of humanity.
It’s nice to see Israelis around the country downloading apps that notify them about red alert sirens to show solidarity, and it’s heartwarming when we open our homes to southern residents. However, unity in times of trouble only holds in times of trouble, just as unity against a common enemy can only last as long as the enemy does.
The nation of Israel must be unified from within, connected “as one man with one heart.” The force of unity that we generate today will be the example for the world of tomorrow. Even a small movement towards a true unity of hearts in Israeli society, which is divided to numerous tribes and factions, will awaken a healing force that comes from the depth of nature itself. And this will begin to mend the rifts in the network of humanity.
This is what the world expects from us, and until we do it, we will increasingly find ourselves between a rock and hard place. We live here in the land of Israel, but we will only truly earn our right to be here when we begin fulfilling our spiritual role.
Featured in Breaking Israel News (BIN)