Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Israel before vs. during the war”
Protests, political conflicts, street uproar and division among the people of Israel marked the situation before the war.

We need to combat our lack of unity. The issue is not differing party affiliations, varying viewpoints or demonstrations, but that we want to negate one another, which weakens everyone. It is perfectly okay to disagree and to argue, but we need to respect others and acknowledge their right to their own opinion.

Currently, during the war, the animosity seems to have mostly vanished among the people of Israel, and people stand together to provide mutual support. The mixed emotions of war have made us largely forget our hatred of each other. But we are far from distancing ourselves from the pre-war state, and we could return to it in a matter of just a few days.

A shared sorrow bonds us for the time being, but the hatred has gone nowhere. We see several heartwarming instances of mutual aid and selflessness, but they are merely the results of the blow we suffered. As soon as the external threat wanes, the internal animosity will resurface.

In order to reach genuine unity, we need to be willing to set aside our own interests and opinions in favor of uniting with one another. We are not there yet. Instead, we are in a state that Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) describes as “brothers in misfortune.”

We see several instances of self-sacrifice, mutual support and contribution to society for the sake of defending the country. However, we must not deceive ourselves and think that we have achieved any special form of unity, as it is all happening due to the pressure of a shared tragedy. We cannot carry over such unity to a level of developing our unity in a correct, positive and genuine manner.

To achieve true unity, we need to start from scratch, free from external influences that compel us to unite. We need to initiate unity ourselves, aiming to live harmoniously, peacefully and happily, connected to one another, growing closer together and loving each other. This necessitates a shift in consciousness rather than external coercion.
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