MORESHET SHAUL: TWO ELEMENTS TO WORK ON – PART I | Various Rabbis | Beit Midrash

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This piece is a preface to the rabbinic periodical Barkai, which Rav Yisraeli edited in the 1980s
Introductory Source: Hashem said to Israel: My sons, I consider it as if today you came into being before Me, as if I created you today as a new creature (Vayikra Rabba 29:12).
During the month of preparation (Elul), between the end of one year and the beginning of another, between sunset and sunrise, we look to the horizon for new ideas and renewals, which is the goal of the holy days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. During Rosh Hashana’s prayers, we will declare that "this is the day of the beginning of Your creations," and with the sound of the shofar we will raise [the memory of] and give life to the great occasion when we merited [to experience when we received the Torah, as] we took our first steps in an "unsown land." We request and pray that we will once again experience Hashem’s appearance in all the splendor of His Kingdom, in a manner that "all the world’s evil will all cease like smoke." We hope that this year will bring prominently the "redemption of our souls" (the coming of Mashiach).
However, we should remember that in order to be fit for "as if I created you today as a new creature," we need to act as if "today you came into being before Me." We need to initiate inspiration in order to merit divinely provided inspiration. In order that He shall open up for us an opening like that of a great hall, we need to at least open up an opening like the eye of a needle.

There are two "burning issues" that stand before the Jewish community and rabbis wherever they may be. The rabbis are the ones who bear the communal responsibility, as the Rabbis said (Sifrei, Devarim 13) on the words "va’asimem b’rosheichem" (I will place them as heads over you – Devarim 1:13) – we read it as if it says "va’ashamam b’rosheichem" (the [people’s] faults are on your (the leaders’) heads).

Moreshet Shaul (39)

Various Rabbis

38 - Moreshet Shaul: Jewish Philosophy in Daily Life

39 - MORESHET SHAUL: TWO ELEMENTS TO WORK ON – PART I

One burning issue is [how to ensure] the continued existence of the nation, lest, Heaven forbid, there be a fulfillment of the pasuk, "And you shall be lost among the nations" (Vayikra 26:38). The second issue is the bolstering and providing for the State of Israel [a strong position], including by turning it into a preferred place for the ingathering of the exiles. Actually, the two issues are two sides of the same coin, as when one is solved, the other will also be solved.
It is clear, as those who calculate these matters have said, that when Jews distance themselves from a Jewish lifestyle, which is the heart of the process of spiritual assimilation, it naturally brings on intermarriage with the nations who allow the Jews to live in prosperity. This is the stranglehold for the remnants of the Jewish community that Hashem left for us from the horrible Holocaust. That which the hated enemy did not succeed in destroying, our nation is doing to itself.
It has been proven without a doubt that when homes lack Torah, or Shabbat, or kashrut – when there are no tzitzit and no tefillin – the home becomes exposed from its sides (i.e., vulnerable). Then, it is impossible to survive as a separate national entity within a sea of a foreign nation.

Moreshet Shaul