The Spiritual Awakening

When a major event affects the Nation of Israel, it causes great spiritual changes for better or for worse. Such events include the Holocaust, the founding of the State of Israel, and the victory during the Six-Day War which resulted in the reclaiming of the Old City.

The grand change, that took place in the aftermath of the Pogrom on Shemini Atzeret [5784], is the drastic interest in people doing Teshuvah. The level of awareness, that Jews have, of their Jewishness, has been profoundly influenced by what happened on Shemini Atzeret even if you only found out the next day.

Stabbings, shootings, and bombings in Israel did not cause the biggest Yeshivah in America to then call for Prayer for Israel. Prior to 5784, would have been considered too Tzionistic. But Tzionism has nothing to do with the actual Akhdut of Klal Yisrael nor does it have to do with the collective interest in getting rid of Hamas and like-minded enemies (PIJ, Hezbollah, Houthis, etc.), but now, it’s understood that there’s nothing wrong with praying for the nation of Israel in such times.

Also, Satmar has made more open statements against the Neturei Karta – an Anti-Tzionist group that lacks a Rabbi and masquerades as being Religious while giving kavod (honor) to Amalekim who pretend to be Kanaanim. The NK does not represent a positive growth in spiritual awareness because they aren’t normative in their Hashkafot.

There are a plethora of secular Israelis, in the IDF, who now want to put on Tzitzit and Tefillin. How much Hatzlachah did Chabad have before Shemini Atzeret of 5784? There’s also many Observant Jewish people cooking for the troops. There’s many Jews going to the funeral of other Jews. How good is it to be part of Aam Yisrael? Who is like us?

There is something special about the spiritual DNA of Yisrael. The Jewish soul becomes awoken by such grand events that it causes us to desire change. That same Jewish soul is very driven by its ideals. That’s why, behind the face every major idea, in the civilized world, there’s a Jew. The 18th century CE involved the Jews who influenced the founders of the United States of America. The major political movements of the 19th Century CE were founded by Jewish people. The campaigns for the Civil Rights of Native Americans and African Americans were [both] spearheaded by Jews. You can’t even have the multiplicity of musical genres of American, British, or Soviet music had it not been for the creative motivational efforts of the Jewish people all of which is thanks to Hashem – the G-d of Israel.