My new article on Linkedin “Yom Kippur in an Interdependent World”

For the first time in history, the world today shows us how much it is one complete whole—that all human beings are inextricably bound together and thus have no choice but to take care of each other. We increasingly discover day to day how interdependent we are. This is the reason why this Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, is a reckoning period like no other.

Through world events such as wars, climate change, and the pandemic, we now see with perfect clarity that all we do, whether good or bad, will affect everyone, so we need to carefully examine our thoughts and deeds.

We are used to evaluating our actions, but we should also evaluate our intentions toward others: Are my intentions for my own sake or for the sake of others? Where do I stand in relation to the Upper Force whose nature is total love and bestowal?

During the Ten Days of Repentance in which Yom Kippur is the climax, when we fast, pray and ask for forgiveness, we arrive at the point where we review all our memories and measure them against the rules that we are obliged to keep to see where we have failed. Of all these precepts, the most important one is “love thy neighbor as thyself,” the great rule of the Torah.

A key part of the customs of the Day of Atonement, the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar, is reading the book of Jonah the Prophet. In the story, God orders Jonah to tell the people of Nineveh, who had become very hardhearted toward one another, to correct their relationships if they wanted to survive. However, Jonah fled his mission and took to the sea in an effort to escape God’s command.

Like Jonah, we avoid our mandate and refuse to unite. It is our divisions, frictions, quarrels that trigger humanity’s imbalances and destabilization. Therefore, our stubborn refusal to draw closer to one another is the sin we need to repent for.

Each person should hold himself accountable for what he or she does from day to day. But on Yom Kippur we sign off on the year, we close the balance of what we did for the whole year so we can start a new year with the clean feeling like a newborn. The measure of our individual success or failure is not the most important thing. What matters more is the process of soul-searching that we apologize for our missed opportunities and start again from scratch.

Yom Kippur is also called the Day of Judgment. Who exactly is judging us and what is being judged? First of all we need to examine and judge ourselves. However, instead of waiting the whole year to go through this process, we should make this assessment daily. Before we go to sleep, we should also close the account for that day and ask the Creator to forgive us for all we did and did not do.

Our intention for a clean new beginning should be to conduct ourselves carefully in order to avoid hurting anyone, and to make every effort toward good connection with all human beings. And if we truly and wholeheartedly ask for forgiveness for the harm we have caused to others, then we are ready to turn to the Creator and ask Him for total forgiveness. Mending our human relations is the precondition for mending our relationship with the Upper Force.

On the one hand, during Yom Kippur we are supposed to feel sorry for our shortcomings. But in this sorrow we are also happy because we then open the opportunity to apologize and finish the year in a beautiful and clean way, a way in which all our debts are covered.

We live in a special time called the “Last Generation,” the period of the emergence of a new world. This period is characterized by the spiritual search for the correction of our egoistic attributes of self-benefit to transform them into attributes of care, cooperation, and giving to others.

Hopefully, the whole world will swiftly come to understand the change we need and make the decision to bury all weapons and only focus on the development of connection and love between us. Surely then we will reach the state of general love and the revelation of the Creator to all creatures. However, first the people of Israel must lead the way. As Rav Yehuda Ashlag, author of the Sulam (Ladder) commentary on The Zohar, wrote in his essay entitled “The Arvut” (Mutual Guarantee): “It is incumbent upon the Israeli nation to qualify itself and the rest of the people in the world to evolve into assuming this sublime work of love of others.”
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My new article on Linkedin “Digging Under Our Own Feet”

Regrettably, I don’t think that the series of debacles that enabled the escape of six terrorists with blood on their hands from imprisonment will teach us any significant lessons. For years, the Israeli society has been on a decline. For years, we have been growing alienated from each other and indifferent to the country that was established for a very meaningful purpose. The Arabs already know they don’t have to fight us; they can wait and let us disintegrate from within until there is nothing left.

The corrosion does not begin with the Israel Prison Service, and it certainly does not end there. Therefore, I am not at all impressed by the celebrations of the media at the capture of four of the six terrorists. They need to fuss over something; it is how they make their money, but in the end, it is meaningless.

The crux of the problem lies in our unwillingness to be what we are supposed to be. Instead of assuming our responsibility for ourselves and for the world, and unapologetically asserting our position, we cater to the interests of enemies who want our destruction, who bribe us with phony smiles of affection. But they feel no affection for us, only contempt.

Indeed, how can anyone respect a nation that does not respect itself? When Jewish Israelis pride themselves in being activists against the existence of the Jewish state, and believe that they are morally superior because of it, can we blame anyone for holding similar views? We are digging under our own feet, and then we are alarmed by our falling.

The Jewish nation has a unique legacy, unique values, and a unique way of life. If we follow them, just as every nation follows its own values, we will be what we are meant to be—a nation whose members love each other as themselves, and set an example of unity in a world torn by division and hatred. This is what we are supposed to do in the Jewish state, the State of Israel, and setting this example is the meaning of being “a light unto nations.”

When Israelis declare that the brutal terrorists who escaped are their “men of the year,” it does not testify to their moral superiority; it testifies to the depth of their hatred for their own people. If anyone can glorify a murderer of women and children for the sole reason that those women and children were members of his own nation, it testifies to that person’s hatred for his people. When the world sees that the Jewish nation has such people within it, can it view Jews in any positive light? Can anyone appreciate a nation that hates itself that much?

In his paper, The Nation, the great 20th century kabbalist and thinker Baal HaSulam explained what it means to be an equitable nation: “The only hope is to thoroughly establish for ourselves a new national education, to reveal and ignite once more the natural national love that has been dimmed within us … for two millennia… Then we will know that we have a natural, reliable foundation to be rebuilt and to continue our existence as a nation, qualified to carry itself as all the nations of the world. … [However] Here I must stress concerning the above-mentioned national education: Although I aim to plant great love among the individuals in the nation in particular and for the entire nation in general, in the fullest possible measure [due to our vow to set an example of unity], this is not at all similar to … fascism. I loathe it, and my conscience is completely clear of it. …To easily perceive the difference [between national love and fascism] … we should compare it to the attributes of egoism and altruism in a person. … Clearly, the measure of egoism … is a necessary condition in the actual existence of the creature. Without it, it would not be a separate and distinct being in itself. Yet, this should not at all deny the measure of altruism in a person. The only thing required is to set distinct boundaries between them: The law of egoism must be kept in all its might, to the extent that it concerns the minimum existence. And with any surplus of that measure, permission is granted to waive it for the well-being of one’s fellow person.”

Regrettably, we are not doing the minimum to establish national love in order to secure our existence. In order to do that, we must know how we were created, what for, and how we can achieve our goal. If we realize our legacy, that people will appreciate us only when we set an example of solidarity and cohesion, and that under any other circumstances they will hate us, perhaps we will be more attentive to our duty. If we do this, it will make us Israel. Even more importantly, it will make us an example, the only example that the world needs in order to overcome its countless, deepening rifts, which are the only reason for humanity’s afflictions.
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My new article on Linkedin “Thirty Years Ago Today, My Teacher Passed Away”

On a cold and rainy evening in February 1979, as I and Chaim Malka, my study partner of several years back then, were about to start studying our usual ancient Kabbalah books, I suddenly got tired of the endless and seemingly futile search for the truth. “Let’s go look for a teacher,” I said to Chaim. “Where would we go?” he asked. “Let’s drive to Bnei Brak,” I replied, “we’ve never looked there.” Chaim wasn’t keen on driving in this weather, much less to a Jewish Orthodox crowded city with narrow, semi-paved roads, and where kabbalists were unlikely to be found. I urged him nonetheless and he, reluctantly, agreed.

When we got to Bnei Brak, late that evening, there was no one on the streets. They were empty, wet, and cold. At a crossroads, I suddenly spotted a man about to cross the street. Hurriedly, I lowered the window pane and hollered toward him: “Where do they study Kabbalah around here?”

It was a very unusual question. In those days, no one spoke about Kabbalah, and among Orthodox Jews, the topic was a taboo. Even more unusual was the man’s response: He looked at me calmly and replied straight away, as if he had been waiting for me to come and ask him just that. “Turn right, go all the way down to the end of the road where the orchard begins,” he said. “To your left, you’ll see a house. That’s where they study Kabbalah,” he concluded and went on his way.

We drove as the man instructed, and indeed, the house was there. We got out of the car, and knocked on the door but no one answered. The house was nearly all dark. We tried the door and it was unlocked. We went inside and there was no one there except for one room that was lit and voices came from in there. We walked in hesitantly and found five or six elderly men reading in The Zohar and murmuring words in a language I did not understand (it was Yiddish). The elder gestured to us to take a seat, and we sat silently next to the men, on the benches around the old, wooden table where the men were studying.

The elder among them, who invited us to join them and was clearly the teacher, turned out to be Rav Baruch Shalom Ashlag (RABASH), the firstborn son and successor of Rav Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), the greatest kabbalist in the 20th century and author of the acclaimed Sulam [Ladder] commentary on The Book of Zohar. Finally, after years of searching, I had found my teacher.

For the next twelve years, until his final breath, I stayed with RABASH, assisting him in everything I could, and learning from him all that he could give, and he had given me more than I could ever have imagined anyone could give. Thirty years ago today, he passed away in my arms, leaving me his notebook where he wrote all that he had learned from his giant father, and with a legacy: to tell the world about the true meaning of this great wisdom, and show them a path of light in a dim present and a foreboding future.

I wrote my first three books under the guidance of RABASH. Following his passing, I wrote another book, and people began to come to me in search of a teacher. I had no desire to teach. I wanted to seclude myself with the books and the wisdom I had learned from RABASH. But they insisted on coming and I realized that the times were changing and the doors to the wisdom of Kabbalah were opening.

Together with my first students, we established the first study group, and Bnei Baruch [Sons of Baruch], a group of students who strive to walk in the footsteps of my teacher, and of all the kabbalists before him, came to be.

Thirty years later, Bnei Baruch is no longer a group. Today, it is a worldwide movement that strives to help the world unite in love above all differences. Thanks to my students, the teachings of RABASH are learned and loved throughout the world. These students are fulfilling my teacher’s dream. Therefore, today I am confident that with the help of my teacher, and the dedication of my students and friends, the teachings of the man of light, whose love radiated from his every word, will spread far and wide, and illuminate our lives.

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My new article on Linkedin “Why Homeschooling Is Booming”

Homeschooling has been on the rise in the US and all over the West for several decades now, but the years 2020-2021 brought with them a leap in the number of homeschooled children. As of March 2021, nearly 5 million K-12 children were learning at home, twice as many as in 2019, and almost 9 percent of school-age children in the US. In light of the dismal state of the education system, it is not surprising. If we want children to be happy when they go to school, we must revamp the entire paradigm of education.

An essay titled “Homeschooling: The Research,” published on July 01, 2021, proves that the phenomenon is not exclusive to a particular faith, race, ethnicity, income level, or even level of schooling. According to the essay, “A demographically wide variety of people homeschool – these are atheists, Christians, and Mormons; conservatives, libertarians, and liberals; low-, middle-, and high-income families; black, Hispanic, and white; parents with Ph.D.s, GEDs, and no high-school diplomas.”

Homeschooling has been gaining popularity not because people are so keen on teaching their children by themselves. Its expansion is first and foremost a testimony to the collapse of the existing paradigm. It is not surprising. If you force an education system that was designed during the Industrial Revolution, and whose initial goal was to teach basic literacy and how to operate a lathe, it is a recipe for disaster.

What’s more, the education system does not really educate. It provides some knowledge, but it does nothing in terms of cultivating children’s social skills and human relations. School children of all ages are easy targets to bullying, drug and substance abuse, violence and sexual predation at a place where they should be protected and cared for—at school. In such an atmosphere, they are unable to learn properly, and develop survival skills rather than educational skills. Many of their emotional problems stem not from the domestic environments or from their own personalities, but from the stressful and intimidating atmosphere they are subjected to at school.

For many parents, such stress on their children is unacceptable, and they are opting to relinquish part of their income and take their children’s education into their own hands. As the research shows, despite their lack of teaching experience, the results of their efforts exceed those of the system that was meant to be professional and superior to parents teaching their children.

When children feel imprisoned at school, they cannot flourish. At home, where they feel free, they can do much better even with less professional assistance.

Nevertheless, I do not believe that homeschooling is the ideal educational method. Children need to be among peers of their age group. Also, not all parents are suitable teachers, just as not all people are suitable for any expertise. People who excel in educating, and who are naturally disposed to it, should engage in it. However, the system must be one that caters to the needs of the children and not one that forces them into templates created centuries ago, and which do not fit how they think, feel, perceive the world, or match their aspirations.

In the absence of a system that provides minimal educational requisites and human relation skills, homeschooling is the lesser of two evils. However, as I said, it is not the right way to bring up children in the future.

Rearing children should be done in small groups, with boys and girls apart, as coed settings are certainly the cause of many problems. Additionally, there should be more connection between schools and parents, more discussions about what the children want, need, and where they are learning. Subsequently, children should learn according to their preferred course of learning, the one that suits them.

There is a saying in Hebrew: “Teach the child according to the child’s way.” It means that because each child has unique attributes and qualities, each child should learn according to those characteristics. In this way, children grow up feeling satisfied and fulfilled.

Last, but certainly not least, is the issue of social learning. Since we spend much of our time communicating with others, and since we learn from one another all the time, schools should dedicate much of the time and educational programs to teaching human relation skills. In order to become productive and confident adults, children must learn how to communicate positively and productively with one another. This will help them at work, at home, with their own children when they become parents, and wherever they communicate with people.
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My new article on Linkedin “Exposing 9/11 – The Case for Finding the Elusive Truth”

I’m all in favor of declassifying the documents related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Regrettably, in the absence of commitment to a timeline or to exposing any actual content, the move to declassify the documents seems more declarative than substantive. According to the DOJ’s letter, the FBI will “review its prior privilege assertions to identify additional information appropriate for disclosure. The FBI will disclose such information on a rolling basis as expeditiously as possible.” The smokescreen surrounding the 9/11 attacks is an example of an error that governments keep making. Hiding the truth, any truth, about any event in history, denies us the ability to draw correct conclusions for the future, and we all pay for it.

As in the case of the move to declassify the 9/11 documents, the motive behind seeking declassification is often monetary compensation. However, compensation of any kind does not tell us what really happened, and if we don’t know what happened, we are missing the more important lesson: What we should do in order to prevent such misfortunes from happening in the future.

Every catastrophe/disaster/debacle in history gets different interpretations from different people according to their personal perspectives. Therefore, even after we expose the “truth,” we should keep looking for a “truer” truth, for deeper reasons, and for new insights since there will always be more to find.

To me, the reason for exposing the truth is not to blame anyone. Human nature is rotten from the core, as we’ve known since Biblical times, so I do not expect people to be righteous or believe that compensation will do any good to anyone. The reason I think we should always be looking for the truth is that if we want to build a better tomorrow, can we do this if we do not know our past?

The more we know about why people do what they do, what is their nature, what moves them and why, the more we will be able to establish a stable and solid society. Transparency is key to the proper building of a society. If we hide nothing from each other, we will be able to communicate more easily, we will know what to expect from one another, what to avoid, and how to strengthen our connections. This is why I think that the truth matters. Not for revenge or compensation, but as a lesson for the future.

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My new article on Linkedin “Can We Say ‘Never Again’ to 9/11?”

I vividly remember twenty years ago when I watched the 9/11 terrorist attacks live on TV. My then teenager daughter and I were leafing through a newly released colorful book when she suddenly stirred from the pages and gazed at the TV screen and told me, “Look what is happening!” I initially said, “No, it’s a movie,” but soon realized that it was real. America was under siege and the world would enter a new era of terrorist threats on a large scale.

I immediately felt we had witnessed just the beginning of a well-oiled terrorist machine, a meticulously coordinated action perpetrated by individuals willing to die for an ideal, and nothing could stop them.

The series of flights hijacked as weapons against the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. Unfortunately, I do not see that after two decades of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil the world has truly changed.

The world does not feel this blow as a sign of the need for connection. On the contrary, each nation acts in a selfishly private way. Countries spend billions trying to negotiate with or erase terrorist organizations, but achieve nothing because they do not do it as a coordinated effort. Conversely, the terrorists are actually in touch with each other, have substantial power, money, and weapons, efficient intelligence and very good knowledge of what to do, how to operate and when. That is why our efforts to erase terrorism have proved unsuccessful.

Islamic fundamentalists have a radical and deeply rooted ideology so nothing breaks them. Nowadays, terrorism is a profession. A terrorist can sit in power, lead a country, and be accepted and respected in international organizations such as the United Nations as we have seen in previous General Assemblies with the late Yasser Arafat and others.

Since humanity has not learned anything, we can expect more and larger attacks anywhere in the world. We are like children who refuse to admit our flaws to form a united force to face a common enemy.

For now the terrorists are dormant, waiting for an opportunity to cause harm, and they reinforce themselves while governments from both ends of the political spectrum deliberate on how to counter the threats. The next event could easily unfold as an atomic explosion in a sensitive place in the world. The Suez Canal in Egypt and other emblematic places could be potential targets. Today the world is round and if a place is blown up it ripples strongly across the globe.

Terrorist organizations have a foundation, their doctrine believes in a supreme power that should rule the world; that is a strong driving force to perform radical acts against those who think differently. On the other hand, the business of terrorism is a lucrative one. Do suicide terrorists in Gaza need to work? Of course not. Together with their families they receive generous financial assistance from wealthy regimes.

The 9/11 twentieth anniversary also coincides with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. As a result of such a lengthy and expensive operation and even after Osama Bin Laden has gone, the world is still not a safer place. On the contrary. Borders and security measures were strengthened; inquiries about each and every person have intensified, but no more than that. Besides the actions to prove the U.S., Russia and allies’ pride to combat terrorism in the world, I do not see anything seriously done to eliminate this plague.

The purpose of Islamic fundamentalism is simple. They want to raise the flag of Islam above the whole earth. For the time being there are conflicts between their different factions which have existed for hundreds or thousand years, but I think these divisions will cease in the future. They will eventually reach agreement and we will see all these organizations coalesce under one umbrella as one organization with the intention for all other countries to bend to its will.

That is their Torah, their religion, the ideal they want to live by and die for. They are fundamentalists, not terrorists, to those who look at their unshakable goal in life. Thus, it is a lost case for the West to start explaining to them what is needed and their version of the principles the world needs to be built upon. No one in the world can change their beliefs. So, under such circumstances, the U.S. and the West will end before extremist groups such as the Taliban and others with a strong, ancient and solid foundation, who are willing to die for their cause will vanish, whereas America is tangled up in the name of democracy.

Like it or not, a military solution will be only a palliative action to combat terror. A more comprehensive approach should include a solution at a higher level than our earthly passing calculations.

Unity is the one ingredient that the world needs, but it has no idea how to achieve it. The role of the people of Israel is to become an example of connection to pave the way for the rest of the world. If we want peace and coexistence this is the way to go.

An even more ancient, strong, solid foundation must be tapped into, the foundation of the Israeli nation, Abraham the Patriarch’s method of connection.

As foremost Kabbalist Rav Yehuda Ashlag wrote, the Israeli nation was constructed as a gateway [for] the whole of humanity the world over, until they develop to such an extent that they can grasp the pleasantness and tranquility in love of others. Then the picture of reality will be pleasant and safe.

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My new article on Linkedin “Look Beyond the Screens”

The necessity to switch to virtual learning turned out to be a formidable challenge. The majority of teachers feel that teaching virtually is inefficient and harms both children and educators due to difficulties in communication and lack of physical contact. But is it really all that bad? When children are with each other, they’re in the screens. When they are alone, they’re still in the screens. Instead of speaking on the phone, they speak and chat at the same time through apps on their mobile phones and laptops. Are they really disconnected or do we simply not understand their connections?

I think it is we, dinosaurs, who are uncommunicative because we’re stuck in our old ways and can’t adapt to using virtual communication. Youngsters, on the other hand, use mobile phones and laptops as if they are parts of their own body. If we knew how to use the platforms they use, we wouldn’t think that they are uncommunicative or disconnected, but that they do it differently from us. We would realize that it is we, dinosaurs, who are the misfits.

It is true that many youngsters suffer from depression and other emotional issues. However, it is not because they don’t want to connect or that they can’t connect. It is because we are imposing on them a system of communication that is suitable for us but not for them. When they can’t handle it, we “diagnose” them as having ADHD and other dysfunctions. But it is mostly because we can’t offer them the platforms where they are happy to communicate and do it easily and gladly.

Instead of making them do things the way we think they should, we should tap into the means they are already using and teach them where they already like to be—the virtual realm. Just as there are plenty of online games for fun, and plenty of online courses and tutorials that are fun to learn, there can be plenty of educational programs that teach K12 children everything they need to know, and in a way they like to learn.

Additionally, since they already communicate via the internet, why not keep it that way and find more engaging ways to get them involved? The fact that Zoom was available when schools were forced to shift to virtual learning doesn’t mean that this should be the platform to be used going forward. Children know how to create personal relations and how to convey true feelings through virtual connections. Now educators need to learn how to convey knowledge, support, and guidance through the same channels.

Reality won’t reverse course; it moves only forward. We will all have to adapt; the only question is at what cost to our children. The faster we grow out of our obsolete habits and look beyond the screens at the young hearts pumping behind them, the happier our kids will be.

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My new article on Linkedin “The Mother Lode of International Terrorism”

Twenty years after the September 11 attacks, the US army has pulled out of Afghanistan, which it conquered following the attack in order to prevent the making of a terror state. Twenty years, nearly 2,400 casualties, and 2.3 trillion dollars later, the United States has left Afghanistan having achieved the exact opposite of its original intention. Equipped with American weaponry, and cushioned with American and international funding, the Taliban is well on its way to create the mother lode of terror states. Through its desire to destroy it, America has bolstered the very monster it had set out to destroy.

Truth be told, I don’t think it could have turned out any other way. Even if it fought against the Taliban twenty-four hours a day the entire twenty years, America would not succeed. It was a guerilla war, and the Taliban were fighting for their faith and for their way of life. In such wars, an invading army, however strong, never wins.

From our perspective, they are terrorists. From their perspective, the Taliban are fundamentalists, and this is why it will continue. Being fundamentalists, they will do in Afghanistan whatever they need to do to achieve their goal, and no one will stop them. In the eyes of radical Islamists, humanity has three options: Join them, serve them, or die.

Now that they have their Islamic state, they can carry on with their plan: to wave the green banner of Islam the world over. For the time being, there are conflicts among radical Islamist groups. However, I think that ultimately, they will unite under one banner, one organization, and make all the countries bow before them, including today’s superpowers.

It is already clear that the dominant countries of the previous century are in various stages of disintegration. They will not last long. The only superpower that will remain is the newcomer in this arena: China.

Admittedly, China is somewhat of a riddle. It does not want to control or dominate in the old sense of the word, at least not the way America and Russia did. It is stretching its arms through purchasing economically strategic facilities, but the benefits of this strategy are still unclear. China produces most of the world’s goods, but production is not an ideology, so it is not clear what it wants. I admit that China baffles me.

Be that as it may, controlling international trade and finances does not last. It is an especially precarious venture when the world is going through such tectonic shifts. It seems to me that China’s attempt to make the world dependent on its production power is only making it dependent on the world. Now that the global economy is slowing, the world’s producers, and first and foremost China, will be the hardest hit.

But in the end, of course, it will all concentrate around Israel. When all the ideologies and power struggles leave the world disillusioned and exhausted, Israel will remain as humanity’s last hope, provided it operates as Israel should. This will be the time when Israel itself will have to unite above all its inner rifts and divisions, and set an example of unity.

The world, torn by hatred and violence, will look to Israel for answers, as it always does in times of crisis. At that time, if Israel rises to the challenge and unites, the world will follow suit, unity will prevail, and the world’s gratitude will be given to Israel. If, however, Israel remains as it is today—fragmented and filled with inner hate—the world will unite against Israel and unleash its wrath against it. Indeed, tectonic shifts are coming.
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My new article on Linkedin “It’s Been a Year of Learning”

According to the Hebrew calendar, Monday evening marks the end of the previous year and the beginning of a new one. If I had to describe the past year in a couple of sentences, I would say that it was a very good and productive year, that nature began to teach us in a way it never did before. It taught us that one force acts on all of humanity and we are all its subordinates. This realization is a very positive change that gives us some confidence for the future.

The past year taught us that we are all in one pot, “cooked” by nature’s blows. It is affecting everyone, and we all need to reflect on what is happening to us. What gives me the greatest hope is that we see how dependent we are on one another. It makes me hopeful that we will understand that we are all responsible for one another. This also brings us closer to understanding how we should relate to nature as a whole.

Although we have much more to learn from the upheavals we are going through, the blows have nevertheless been good lessons. There will be several more blows, but we will go through them and learn. Still, the sooner we realize that we are all threaded in a single fabric, and accept that in addition to our own wants, we must take the fabric into account in what we do, the better off we will all be.

The blows that we had suffered over the past year were not punishments, but lessons. Had we learned the lessons, they would have vanished. They are not nature’s response to our “sinful” past; they are its directions for our good future. Just as a parent’s admonition aims to direct a child toward a better future for the child, nature’s wrath diverts humanity from the wrong path to the right one. The sooner we reroute, the sooner nature’s “tone” toward us will change for the better.

We should not regret anything that happened in the past year. Nature is good, and all that it did, it did in order to help us. If we dwell on the past instead of correcting the future, we are certain to repeat the past mistakes and force nature to scold us once again.

Therefore, our gaze should always be forward looking; we should only focus on improving our connections with each other. If we establish good connections, we will become similar to the rest of nature—threaded like the fabric of reality, but of our own volition. If we become like nature, we will feel that nature is kind to us and our lives will be easy, calm, and good.
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My new article on Linkedin “Humanity’s Penitential Days”

This week begin the Ten Penitential Days. In those days, traditionally, Jews repent for their misdeeds during the past year and ask for forgiveness from both each other and the Maker of the world. Looking at the past year, however, it seems as though the whole world needs to go through a process of repentance. Instead of praying for the tragedies to stop, we must understand that we brought them on ourselves, so if we stop what we are doing wrong, the tragedies will stop, as well.

Repentance does not mean remorse. It means, first and foremost, a reflection on what we did wrong, and a commitment to change it going forward.

When I was a child, I could get away with almost anything. My parents and everyone around me forgave my naughtiness and attributed it to my age. As I grew up, people gradually changed their attitude toward me; they became stricter and harsher, and sometimes even punished me, and I didn’t understand why. When I asked my mother about it, she explained to me that I was no longer a little boy, and that since I was growing up, I had to behave accordingly. And when I didn’t, they reproved me.

We are all in that state now. We, the human race, are no longer children. We have grown up, become extremely powerful, yet we remain as mischievous as when we were children. As a result, everyone around us, the whole of reality, is telling us off. Just as grownups punished me when I did not meet the level of maturity they had expected of me, nature punishes us when our behavior is infantile compared to how we should behave.

The difference between a child and a grownup is in the relation toward others. A child sees only itself; a grownup sees the collective, and oneself as a contributing and positive part of the collective. A child enjoys getting what it wants; a grownup enjoys contributing to the collective, to the community, and finds reward and satisfaction in the joy of others.

Nature is urging us to go in this direction: to become more considerate and caring. The natural disasters of the past year (and the years before) are not nature’s punishments; they are the consequences of our previous thoughtlessness toward each other and toward nature. If we change our mindset, they will stop, as it is our self-absorbed mindset that causes them.

The Ten Penitential Days are a reminder for all of us to reflect on how we treat each other. It is a chance to acknowledge the harm that we are causing through our narcissism, and make a common effort to reform ourselves, for everyone’s benefit.

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