Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “World Jewry Will Be with Us When We Are with Us”

Last week, Tzedek Chicago Synagogue officially designated itself “anti-Zionist.” In its statement, the synagogue decried the establishment of Israel as an “injustice against the Palestinian people.” The synagogue also posted on its twitter account that “Members of Tzedek Chicago voted to affirm anti-Zionism as a core value of our congregation.” Several major Israeli newspapers in English reported on the statement, which seems to have made an impact. As I see it, the synagogue’s position is a direct result of our own behavior in Israel. As long as we are disunited and cater to our enemies, Jews abroad will disassociate themselves from us and cater to our enemies, as well.

Over the years, I have seen Jewish groups from many denominations—from Orthodox to Reform—opposing the State of Israel, and to be honest, I do not see much of a difference between them. Indeed, Tzedek Chicago, too, states that “Since the founding of the Zionist movement in the 19th century, there has always been active Jewish opposition to Zionism.”

It would be convenient to blame anti-Zionists for their antagonism to the State of Israel, but we would be wrong to do so. People’s feelings toward the Jewish state are not determined by them, but by the Jewish state itself. When Jews in Israel are united and understand what Zionism means, the resistance to Israel subsides and even turns to sympathy. But when the Jews in Israel object to their own country, when they denigrate and vilify each other and glorify Jew-haters, the world hates the Jews, and the Jews hate the Jewish state.

Unless the Jewish public in Israel strives for unity instead of division, American Jewry, and the whole world with it, will demand the cancelation and eradication of the State of Israel. It is already what the world, and much of world Jewry wants, but they are still not acting on their wish. If Israel continues to exhibit internal disintegration, the world will become more vociferous in its demands and more assertive in its actions to revoke the Jewish state.

We perceive anti-Zionists as being against the State of Israel, and this is also how they feel. In truth, however, Zionism is a spiritual movement, an aspiration to restore the core value of Judaism: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If we do not focus on our core values and pay attention only to our physical presence in the Land of Israel, we have no right to complain that no one supports our presence here. If we did focus on it, everyone would support our work here and wish for our success.

Therefore, if we want to unite and live in mutual responsibility, follow King Solomon’s motto, “Hate stirs strife, and love will cover all crimes” (Prov. 10:12), and strive to love our neighbors as ourselves, the whole world will be happy we are here, including Tzedek Chicago. If, alternatively, we find any excuse to disparage and slander one another, the entire world will turn against us.
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Medium published my new article “Humor, a Serious Matter”

What makes humor so necessary in our lives? What should be a source of laughter? Everything has been created for our development, including a sense of humor. It gives us the strength and the ability to develop.

Anyone who is close to people who are professionally involved in the field of humor knows that these are often unhappy types of people by nature, very serious, and sometimes even depressive. Out of the urge to get themselves out of the gray cloud in which they are immersed, they develop a sense of humor.

In general, the more a person develops, the more capable he or she is of appreciating fine humor. I refer to humor that has brilliance — an unexpected connection between distinctive things which in our normal way of thinking are completely unrelated.

Refined humor requires us to be able to observe our nature from the side, to be able to make fun of ourselves. Such humor is based on the ability to identify within ourselves several different identities: the original form we received from nature, the form in which we were educated, and the forms we have adopted throughout various stages in our lives, and these are the forms we have absorbed from others. Out of all these comparisons of identity come all sorts of important inquiries.

Humor can convey criticism, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it should be given in a spirit of love, pleasantly. We should never make fun of others and provoke hatred. We should laugh only about the general frailties that exist in humanity to clarify the weaknesses of our selfish nature as human beings, to help us develop awareness and cognition of our foibles. Because, if we are aware of our negative qualities then we can work on rising above them.

After all, this is the way that nature created us, imperfect. Nature gave us a sense of humor in order to help us to criticize ourselves and transcend our nature. Humor allows us to view ourselves from a higher perspective, and thus it can also help to elevate us outside of our current degree to a higher one. Viewing and laughing at ourselves from the side can spark inner scrutiny into who we truly are. If we know how to laugh at ourselves, then it is as it is written, “God has brought me laughter,” (Genesis 21:6) — a situation from which we can grow.

Good humor should always be gentle, bring about development, and evoke affection for what we are referring to. It is supposed to turn our heads upside down, to soften a rigid atmosphere.

What is it about humor that can open the heart and bring down walls between people? Humor removes from us all the puffed up clothing we put on. It is as if it undresses us from all the poses and masks, making us all equal and simple. When we laugh together about weaknesses that are in all of us alike, we immediately create a softer relationship between us.

There is no stronger means than humor to eliminate boundaries, barriers, and distances. The great challenge of our time, the most serious one, is to develop humor to bring people closer to each other, to make us more connected.
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Medium published my new article “Why We Cannot Stop Fighting”

When you reflect on the history of humanity, you see that people have always been fighting one another. It seems like there is never really peace, but only a pause between battles. Man’s disposition for constant fighting seems even more perplexing when you compare it to nature, where there is fighting only in order to eat, to avoid being eaten, or for the purpose of mating, but then animals rarely hurt each other. Why do humans fight when there is no existential reason that forces them? Moreover, even when a battle is not fought with weapons, we are still at war: We argue, debate, and fight to win the public’s opinion. In short, our entire existence consists of fighting.

There is a good reason for it. It may seem like there is no existential reason that impels us to fight, but in fact there is. While animals fight for their physical survival, we fight for our spiritual survival. Our egos drive us to exceed and triumph, since without feeling superior, our bodies may exist, but we will not feel alive. Nothing is worse for the ego than humiliation; people take their own lives because of it.

In other words, we feel alive only when we dominate someone else. This is the only assertion to our existence that the ego accepts. This is why we are compelled to fight against each other even when there appears to be no reasonable cause for it. Since all our communications, on every level, are battles of some sort, we seem to be condemned to a life of endless battles until we are exhausted and pass away.

But there is a profound reason for it. The endless fighting forces us to ask about the meaning of everything — why we fight, why we hurt each other, why there is so much meanness in the world, and in the end, why we exist.

These questions eventually lead us to realize that there is not only one (evil) force in the world, but rather two forces — one positive and one negative. The positive force creates life, warmth, growth, and connection, while the negative force generates death, cold, decay, and separation. If there were only one of them, we would not exist. It takes both to create life, and it takes both to generate development and change. It turns out that, ironically, it is war that makes us feel alive.

As a result, if one country wants to dominate, there must be other countries, too, so it will have whom to dominate. Also, if one country dominates all the time, the sensation of domination wanes, the high-handed country loses its drive, weakens, and another country takes over.

The battle between the positive and negative forces enables life, so it must exist. However, it is up to us to determine whether it becomes a war or not.

In order to enable existence and development, yet keep them peaceful, we need to understand the meaning of peace. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, from the word shlemut, which means wholeness or complementation. In other words, there is life only when both sides exist and complement each other. Also, the power of one determines the power of the other, since the struggle between them continually drives them to evolve.

To end wars, we need to understand this process and embrace it. It will not stop the struggle between the forces, but it will make it constructive rather than destructive.

When athletes want to improve their achievements, for example, they train against greater and greater resistance. They understand that only if they challenge themselves will they become better.

Likewise, only if the competition among nations and people intensifies will we all improve. However, only if we remember that the purpose of the competition is not to control, defeat, or humiliate others, but to improve everyone involved, we will be able to both compete, yet welcome our challenges and challengers, for were it not for them, we would stagnate.

When we shift to a mode of mutual complementarity, there will not be anyone who is stronger than the other. Instead, there will be mutual commitment to cater to everyone’s well-being. Our understanding that we are mutually dependent and our perceived adversaries are in fact the guarantee of our development is the key to building a thriving, evolving, and sustainable society around the world and in every country, whose members live peacefully and happily.
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My new article on Linkedin “Put Leaders in Our Shoes”

I recently posted my reply to an email I received about praying. I receive many emails, and these days, a lot of them concern the war in Ukraine. Another email I received about the war came from a man named Vladimir. I do not know his nationality, but his plight is universal. He wrote, “Dear Michael Laitman, I’d like to share with you that I tried to put myself in my friend’s shoes. His son is fighting in the war. After five minutes, I went into a state of shock. I kept the phone constantly in sight, and dreaded every time it rang or vibrated that it might be someone giving me the worst news. My hands felt as heavy as lead, and life became the pauses between phone rings. Tell me, what kind of world are we living in? Why are we given this today?”

My reply to Vladimir was simple: We are given this horrible situation so we will experience it and be able to decide how we want to live. It is we who have built our reality this way. Therefore, despite the pain, it is also our responsibility, as a collective, to make it better.

One thing that would work is if we placed the “managers” of our world in this situation. If they experienced the same fear for their family as we do, even if only for a week, their attitude would change. If they, too, dreaded the ringing of the phone the way we dread it, they would understand much better what war means for those who actually experience it.

People who feel this anxiety become more responsible. When your own children are at risk, it is a different story than when your children are safe and sound, away from the war, and you are sending other people’s children to the battlefield.

If that were the case, they would do everything within their power to avoid a war. Decision makers who have children on the front lines think differently from those who have no children out there; they are far more disposed to contemplate and act in service of the interest of the public rather than seek their own glory and prestige.

Therefore, if you asked me what I would advise, this would be my advice for a quick end to the war.

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Medium published my new article “Redefining Overconsumption”

Thousands of school kids took part in the School Strike for Climate on March 25, 2022 in New York City. The students held a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall and marched over the Brooklyn Bridge to Foley Square to bring attention to the inaction of city and state officials to face the current climate emergency. (Photo by Erik McGregor/Sipa USA)

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared that the environment is almost at the point of no return. It warns that unless we restrain our insatiable hunger for power and wealth, we will destroy ourselves. In my opinion, the problem is not that we are consuming the environment, but that we are “consuming” one another.

According to the IPCC report, “It is unequivocal that climate change has already disrupted human and natural systems.” Moreover, the report concludes that “The cumulative scientific evidence is unequivocal: Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable [sic] and sustainable future for all.” To mitigate the danger, the IPCC suggests several steps, the key one among them being “Inclusive governance,” which will inhibit the “shop ’til you drop” attitude, which drove economies forward until now, and make it more equitable and just.

In my opinion, the heart of the problem is the fact that we are “consuming” one another, insatiably exploiting and abusing other people, nations, and countries. “Inclusive governance” will not change our attitude, but rather a thorough, willful process of self-education that will lift us from the “Me! Me! Me!” culture to a more considerate, and therefore sustainable attitude to one another. If we can achieve this, everything else will follow.

Consumerism, or overconsumption in order to drive the economy forward, is only one aspect of our abusive attitude toward everything that is not us. In other words, our problem is not that we are buying too much or eating too much or doing anything too much. Rather, our problem is that we have no concern for nature, for the environment, and first and foremost, for each other. This attitude allows us to conceive such exploitative approaches that manifest not only in overconsumption, but in exploitation in all its facets.

Think of the power struggles that countries conduct among each other, the wars they are fighting and their decimation of their perceived enemies. Think of how people are trafficked for slavery and abuse of every conceivable kind, including children. Think of how freely we deplete nature’s resources for the sake of growing richer than the richest people.

We do it all not in order to provide for ourselves, to maintain a sustainable and reasonable way of life. We do it in order to become richer, stronger, and more powerful than others. We do it in order to defeat other people regardless of the cost. In a sense, our aspiration to “consume” one another — to annihilate the competition, which is anyone who is not me — is our problem.

If we uproot it from among us, we will solve all our problems. We will not over consume because we already produce twice as much as the world needs. We will be able to cut production by half and leave the whole world satisfied. We will not need to work so hard; we will not need slave labor, and we will have no inflation since we will not seek to make excessive profits.

Subsequently, we will not need such extensive military forces since we will not be engaged in overpowering others or protecting ourselves from the attempts of others to overpower us. The resources that will be freed once we are able to virtually eliminate defense budgets will allow us to raise our standard of living even higher, cut expenses tremendously, and free resources for improving people’s living conditions.

Additionally, the stressless lifestyle and the rejuvenated environment will improve our health tremendously. This will not only improve our lives on the physical level, but health expenses, too, will not need to be so prohibitive.

In conclusion, if the ICPP wants to prevent climate catastrophes, then the international community must initiate a worldwide educational process that will free us from the abusive narcissism that is destroying our psyches, our societies, and our planet. Anything less ambitious than such an inclusive (they like that word) process will not achieve its goals.
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Medium published my new article “World Health Day’s Assessment: The Planet Is Sick”

There is not much to celebrate on World Health Day designated as April 7th by the United Nations. Old diseases once thought eradicated like polio are making a comeback in different continents, and after two years since the Covid-19 outbreak, we are still in the throes of the pandemic.

This year “Our Planet, Our Health” is the UN’s event theme. It focuses on the interdependence between all levels of nature and our health. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 13 million deaths worldwide each year are caused by environmental issues. In fact, climate change is linked to diseases such as cancer, asthma, heart problems, plagues, and others.

We can continue counting the deaths and complaining about the state of the world, but nothing will change until we admit that the health systems globally have failed. Our main concern should be questioning how humanity has reached such a low point despite all the scientific advances that were supposed to ensure a good life for everyone.

Humanity gave birth to health systems based on its own egoistic and ill-intentioned characteristics. So we cannot expect good to come out of evil. The evil referred to here is the selfish, egoistic attributes entrenched in humankind. The health systems, like all of society’s systems depend on how money is handled and on people’s willingness to make them function properly.

Many international organizations that are supposed to guarantee a better state of the environment and global health, instead of promoting those goals, are only concerned with amassing financial support and jet setting from conference to conference with no real results and actions to improve the situation.

So no wonder we are not only unable to tackle pandemics effectively, but even old diseases thought to have been virtually eradicated are re-emerging. There may be a period of incubation of hundreds of years in which a disease returns and we are just not aware of this process, but we will never be able to exterminate them for good if we continue creating the conditions for them to proliferate.

All diseases, particularly those discovered in the last few decades, are the result of a mental, physiological and biological imbalance between a person and the environment and between human beings. Until we fix it we will not be able to eliminate the cause of the illnesses.

As humans we need to comprehend that the state of nature depends on the relationships between us. We see visible evidence of our negative impact on nature, but the interconnection runs deeper. We need to face this, change our attitudes, and be willing to adapt to the integrality of nature. This means that we need to take only what is necessary for survival and care for the good functioning of the entire system, instead of considering only selfish calculations and grasping all that we can without any regard for the consequences.

One may ask how human relationships and what happens in nature are related. There are four levels in nature: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human. All but man exists in accordance with nature’s laws of reciprocity and balance. The other levels have no free choice in anything; they act instinctively taking only what is needed for their survival. Conversely, the human level is the only one that commits atrocities on Earth and against others intentionally, consciously, for the sake of causing harm. All the negative reactions we receive from nature are just a consequence of our actions. Simply put, we bring these blows upon ourselves.

If we try to build a harmonious system of human relations, all of nature will be balanced, including humanity. When we feel how dependent we are on everyone and each acts with concern for the others individually and collectively, like with a common mind and as one body, the ancient proverb “Healthy mind in a healthy body” will become a reality.
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “What If Iran Has the A Bomb?”

The looming nuclear agreement between Iran and the US (and other partners to the deal) poses major challenges for Israel. The deal will funnel many billions of dollars to a regime that has vowed to destroy Israel and has repeatedly stated its intention to blow up the country. Now it is about to get a hold of nuclear weapons whose stated purpose is to destroy the “little devil,” as it refers to Israel.

It is not my task to analyze why the US should allow such a thing to happen, but I would like to ask why we, Israelis, are so afraid of it. It is hardly a secret that we, too, have nuclear weapons, so I see no reason why we should be more afraid than they are.‎

Also, and this is important, I have a lot of respect for the Persian people. It is an ancient and wise nation, which knows how to conduct its business. I do not think that they would do ‎something reckless.‎

Regardless, we should do whatever we can to protect ourselves and not rely on the judgment of others. Accordingly, if there is any way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear ‎arms, we should pursue it. This does not mean, however, that should both countries have nuclear weapons, it will necessarily become a problem for Israel, since in that case both countries will understand that using it will mean their own annihilation.‎

Either way, Iran should know that we know everything about it: what it has, how much of it, what it intends to do with it, and when. In other words, Iran should know that if it has any ‎intention to act against us, we will know about it in advance and prepare ourselves accordingly. It should know that no one and nothing will stop us from doing what we must do to protect ourselves.‎

At the same time, we must realize that no weapon or military capability promises absolute security. We, ourselves, are the only shield we have.

Our shield must consist of two levels: the physical, which is our military, and the spiritual, which is our unity. Solidarity is our ultimate weapon. If we hone it and polish it, no enemy will even consider messing with us. It is our ultimate “non-conventional” weapon.

If we establish solid unity in Israel, such social cohesion that the whole world will feel, it will deter all our enemies and even neutralize their hatred without us having to fire a single shot. In fact, the only reason our enemies feel so emboldened these days is our internal division. If we cure this social illness, we will solve all our problems. Unity was, is, and always will be our most powerful weapon, and the one factor that determines whether we succeed or fail in everything we do.
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “125 after the First Zionist Congress – Zionism Still Baffles”

This August, the World Zionist Organization will celebrate its 125th anniversary. It was founded as the Zionist Organization at the initiative of Theodor Herzl at the First Zionist Congress, which took place in August 1897 in Basel, Switzerland. This summer, the convention will seek to symbolically “reconstruct” that first congress, with a hologram of Herzl standing on the balcony where he made his famous speech. There will be many dignitaries there, and many speeches, but after 125 years, Zionism still baffles many people, who ponder its meaning and where to position themselves with regard to it.

I was asked to contribute my message concerning Zionism but declined to do so for a very simple reason: Such events have no significance. They are assemblies of politicians who do not come to listen but to show themselves. They will not absorb messages that do not serve their interest.

Nevertheless, if, theoretically, I were to present my understanding of Zionism, as I had learned it from my teacher, RABASH, I would emphasize that Zionism does not refer directly to the Jewish people, but rather to all of humanity.

The Hebrew word “Zion” comes from the word “yetzi’a,” which means exit. The people of Israel formulated their unique cohesion through repeated entries into a state of union and exits from it. Through their constant struggle to reenter the state of unity, the ancient Hebrews built a unique nation that extols the value of unity above all else. Since the ancient Hebrews came from all the nationalities that existed in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean, their union formed a miniscule “world peace,” where people of vying, and often hostile, faiths and cultures were able to unite and care for one another above their initial differences.

This is why the Israeli nation was tasked with being “a light unto nations,” to show the world that war is not the right way for nations to exist, but there is an alternative of peace and mutual concern. This is also why the most fundamental tenets of Judaism concern social rules such as “That which you hate, do not do unto others,” “Love your neighbor as yourself,” concern for the poor and weak, and mutual responsibility.

Zionism, therefore, is not a nationalistic ideology. Rather, it is the disposition of an individual to fight against one’s sense of separation from others and form a union that binds all people into one.

The great kabbalist and thinker Baal HaSulam, who was also my teacher’s father, wrote in the early 1950s, shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel: “Judaism must present something new to the nations. This is what they expect from the return of Israel to the land!” Later, he explained that that new thing is the unique unity of the Jews—unity above all differences. This, he wrote, would “unite all the nations to be as one, helping one another,” and will endow us “with tolerance to one another.” Our unity, the unity of the Jews, “would certainly prove to the nations the rightness of Israel’s return to their land, even to the Arabs.”

Since the inception of the Zionist movement, unity of all the Jews has never been its goal. This, in my view, has been its primary drawback. If the ultimate goal of Zionism is not to unite the entirety of the Jewish nation in order to serve as a model of solidarity above differences, then, as Baal HaSulam wrote, “Zionism will be canceled altogether.”

Since currently division prevails among us, the value of Zionism in the eyes of Israelis and Jews around the world is fittingly poor. And since we do not appreciate the calling of the Jewish people—to be a model of unity—the world does not appreciate Jews. “[A] return such as today’s,” wrote Baal HaSulam in those early years, “does not impress the nations whatsoever, and we must fear lest they will sell Israel’s independence for their needs.”

If this was true in the early 1950s, when Israelis were still Zionists, even if they could not agree on the meaning of the word, we can only imagine the kind of odium we are evoking in the world today, when our only “vision” is to become a rich country, a “startup nation.”

We must return from the yetzi’a, the exit, and re-enter unity. We must restore the original meaning of the word “Zion,” and live up to our vocation. It has nothing to do with land, with religion, or with faith. Just as our ancestors came from every faith and creed in the Fertile Crescent, all we need in order to understand the meaning of Zionism is to aspire for unity above all differences.

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Medium published my new article “How to Really Prepare Children for Life”

A new educational program in Israel proposes to prepare 12th graders for life. They will attend it during the final six months of their K12 years, and will teach them how to manage their finances and how to conduct themselves successfully in a changing job market. Preparing children for life is a great idea, but if you start it in the final six months of their attendance in the education system then a) you will not really prepare them for anything, and b) what have you been doing during the eleven and a half years prior to the final six months? To prepare a child for life, we must first prepare the parents for parenthood, and then prepare the children from the moment they are born.

When speaking about preparing for life, we must include all aspects of life. Financial education is only one aspect, and not the most important one. Children need knowledge in every aspect of life, but the most important aspect, and the one least taught, is human relations. We may excel in our field of expertise, we may make a lot of money and be affluent, but if we cannot communicate with other people positively and make them feel good around us, then we will not be happy.

Today, the most common medical condition is depression. Most other conditions, such as various addictions, violence, eating disorders, workaholism, and so forth, ultimately stem from depression that manifests through various symptoms. Currently, the common treatment for depression involves drugs. However, drugs do not cure depression, they only dull the pain. If, on the other hand, depressed people could form supportive and positive relationships, their depression would vanish as if it never existed, and without any medications.

Today, most adults do not know how to communicate with others positively. Hence, in order to teach children how to build positive relationships with others, grownups, too, must learn the craft.

It may sound naïve or unrealistic to think that people can relate to one another without malice in their hearts, but continuing to live as we have been living until now is not only unrealistic, it is also destroying our society and our planet, and poses a real risk that another world war will break out.

Therefore, even if we fail to make a positive connection, it does no harm to anyone if we make an effort. But if we do not make an effort and continue as we are, we will surely destroy ourselves and the planet we live on, and the future we will leave for our children will be very bleak. After the catastrophe, they will still have to learn to be on good terms with one another, so would it not be better if we learned this craft and taught it to our children while we are all still here?
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My new article on Linkedin “Taking the Fear Where It Should Go”

At such times, when people are afraid to walk out of the house, to go to work, or to take the kids to school, we should remember that there is a purpose for the fear: to bind us all together. If we direct our fear toward unity, it will vanish along with its cause.

It may not feel this way, certainly not in times of strife and terror, but humanity is one entity. Our ancestors, led by Abraham, felt it and formed a nation that accepted into its midst anyone who subscribed to the principle of unity and love above all differences and hatred. King Solomon canonized this principle in the verse (Proverbs, 10:12), “Hate stirs strife, and love will cover all crimes.”

Indeed, unity had been our primary tenet from the very beginning. We were pronounced a nation only after we agreed to unite “as one man with one heart.” Immediately thereafter, we were tasked with setting an example of unity to the rest of the world, namely with being “a light unto nations.”

Because of our unique calling, our success or failure has always depended on our unity or lack thereof. Our sages throughout the ages have repeatedly stressed this point. The book Maor VaShemesh asserts, “The prime defense against calamity is love and unity. When there are love, unity, and friendship between each other in Israel, no calamity can come over them. … [If] there is bonding among them, and no separation of hearts, they have peace and quiet … and all the curses and suffering are removed by that [unity].” The book Maor Eynaim echoes these words: “When one includes oneself with all of Israel and unity is made … at that time, no harm shall come to you,” as does the book Shem MiShmuel: “When [Israel] are as one man with one heart, they are as a fortified wall against the forces of evil.”

The book Maor VaShemesh asserts, “The prime defense against calamity is love and unity. When there are love, unity, and friendship between each other in Israel, no calamity can come over them.

Unity is not only for our defense, it is our mission to set an example of unity to the world, and the only time when the nations of the world accept us in their midst. During World War I, Rav Kook felt compelled to outline the connection between the world’s troubles and Israel’s unity. In his book, Orot (Lights), he wrote, “The construction of the world, which is currently crumbled by the dreadful storms of a blood-filled sword, requires the construction of the Israeli nation. The construction of the nation and the revealing of its spirit are one and the same, and it is one with the construction of the world, which is crumbling in anticipation for a force full of unity and sublimity, and all that is in the soul of Israel.”

Therefore, while we must do all that we can to protect ourselves and our families on the military level, we must work equally hard on our unity, as the lack of it is the root cause of our problems. When we achieve this, we will bring lasting peace to ourselves, and to the entire world, which is, as Rav Kook said, “crumbled by the dreadful storms of blood-filled swords.”

You will find more on the connection between Jewish unity and peace in my book The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism.

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