Wednesday, September 23, 2020

“Covid19, Jewish Divisions: Somber Prospects For 5781” (San Diego Jewish World)

 My new article on San Diego Jewish World “Covid19, Jewish divisions: somber prospects for 5781

PETACH TIKVAH, Israel — We are about to celebrate the Jewish New Year, a Rosh Hashanah like no other. Synagogues across America and the world are adjusting their services to the Covid-19 restrictions limiting physical gatherings. Besides the loss of lives, individual members and entire congregations have been deeply affected by the pandemic’s economic blows, wreaking havoc in rippling waves, which have fueled anti-Semites to blame Jews for the creation and spread of the virus. A somber future looks like the most realistic scenario, but this can definitely be changed if only we will see our fate as a single, seamlessly-shared project.

The opposite is happening now. Within American Jewry, division, self-hatred, and bickering signal an internal fragmentation which puts in jeopardy the continuity of a vibrant Jewish life now and for generations to come. In Israel, politics, who is considered Jewish, these topics and more are igniting burning clashes within our community.

Interestingly, Covid-19 arrived without paying attention to who is religious and who is secular, left-wing or right-wing. Meanwhile, we fail to look at the big picture which is the threatening crisis caused by a virus that disregards no one. Covid-19 appeared and halted regular life with the clear purpose of making us reflect on ourselves and our egoistic perspectives toward others and our surroundings.

How can we grasp a global view when we are so busy with quarrels and fights? Sadly, we enter the holiday season with blinders on, preoccupied with getting back to the routine and to our usual power struggles, caring only about our personal interests.

It’s high time for us to stop in our tracks and take a firm hold on the new year as a unique opportunity for introspection and change. Rosh Hashanah, from the Hebrew “Rosh Hashinui,” marks not only the beginning of the Hebrew calendar, but also symbolizes renewal—a time for inner evaluation of our thoughts toward others and the intention behind our actions.

We are currently ruled by our intellect that immediately makes calculations about how to best pursue egoistic relationships for self-benefit, stirring up separation and conflict. The time has come to be inspired by a higher, more comprehensive and steady mindset, one that will help us to open our eyes and recognize our exhausting and fruitless struggles in life and choose change instead.

How is such a meaningful transformation possible? Through the power of nature—a force that works consistently to unite all the details of reality, that embraces and connects us all as one, that transcends our limited and selfish views—profound change is assured.

Our problem is that we are currently in a state opposite to nature where everything works in balance. Due to our lack of integration with the larger system in which we live through our broken relations with each other, nature will continue amplifying the impact of the pandemic until we react and unite.
Our lives are already ruled by closures, restrictions, uncertainty, and every successive blow will be even more painful than the last until we make efforts to improve the connection in our human relations.

However, there is no need to wait for the situation to get worse. Things can get better if we will begin to ask what the root cause of the coronavirus is, learn from life what is essential for us to exist, and approach one another in a healthy and considerate way. Like the round and connected natural world around us, nature is trying to teach us to live in harmony and peace out of a desire to do good to others, implementing the ultimate Jewish tenet, “love thy neighbor as yourself” and transforming our hearts.

We awaken the force that propels a positive change when we take a step toward connection, when we get closer and reduce the huge gaps between us. We may do it either against our own will or proactively with open hearts. We do not even need to erase the negative feelings and disagreements between us, but only to rise above them in the spirit of, “love will cover all crimes.” (Proverbs 10:12)

In a nutshell, the power of love we activate through the connection of our hearts, above everything tearing us apart, is precisely what will sweeten our fate as Jewish people and as individuals, keeping us strong and healthy. Happy Rosh Hashanah!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Readers' Comments

Get Recent Comments Widget

Label Cloud

10 Sfirot (2) 125 degrees (2) 248 positive desires (1) 613 desires (1) 7746 PEOPLES ASSOCIATED (1) A Path of Pain (1) acting mind (2) Adam (6) Adam - The Common Soul (123) Adam ha Rishon (5) adam harishon (1) Adam the collective soul (3) adhesion with the Creator (6) advancement through affliction (1) ahead of time (2) altruism (1) America (1) Ancient Babylon (97) Ancient Jerusalem (3) Answer (2) anti-semitism (163) apathy (1) Arich Anpin (1) arts (2) arvut (16) ascent (3) Assiah (1) attain (1) attitude (1) Atzilut (2) authors of The Zohar (1) awaken (3) Baal HaSulam (67) babylonians (3) be avoided (1) be happy together (1) beast (1) begginer (1) beginning (1) Beginning of Change (2) beginning of creation (1) bestowal (12) better future (6) Better Person (2) Bina (3) biological body (3) birth (1) blows (1) body and soul (385) books (21) branches (1) Briah (1) caracter (1) caring (1) Change ME (1) Change the WORLD (2) changes (1) children (444) children values (2) collective soul (73) commandments (45) Completion of The Zohar (1) Concealment (3) congress (5) connect (3) connected (1) connection (4) conscious development (2) contests (2) Conventions (543) Conversations with God (1) conversions (1) coronavirus (498) corporeality (1) correction (7) Corrections (1) creation (1) Creator (40) Creator's attitude (1) Creator’s Invitation (1) cris (2) crisis (1373) current events (1) d (1) daily advice (19) daily lesson (613) Darkness (1) Deborah (1) depression (15) descent (3) desires (6) desires that devouring (1) dissemination (531) distance (1) Do I Have To Believe In God ? (1) doc (1) dreams (1) drugs (1) Dvekut (2) ecological crisis (4) economy (253) educ (1) education (1013) efforts (1) ego (3) egoism (566) emotional states (1) end of correction (1) endless (2) enlarge your word (1) environment (3) envy (2) escape (1) Eve (1) events (102) evil (1) evolution (36) face (1) Facebook (148) Fall And Rise (1) family (37) feel the lack (2) feelings (1) feels helpless (1) feels weak (2) force (2) free action (2) free choice (5) free will (237) Fresh Blood (1) friends (8) friends for ever (1) fulfill myself (1) fulfillment (2) Galgalta ve Eynaim (1) Galut (1) generation (4) genetic code (1) gentile (1) gestures (1) getting profession (1) global (3) global suffering (9) global warming (1) globalization (1090) gmar a tikun (1) goal. light (1) God (1) Good (2) goodness (1) goy (1) Great Assembly (2) greath father (1) group (1252) group Creator (5) group work (146) guarantee (2) Guidance (1) Hafez Hesed (1) happy (2) harmony (1) hates (1) hatred (2) health (654) Heart (1) Hebrew (2) history (7) Hochma (1) Holidays (345) Holocaust (1) Holy Torah (1) honest talk (1) honor (2) Hulda (1) human (1) human level (1) human society (2) humanity (3) Humour (2) I heard (1) Ibur (conception) (1) ignoble state (1) Imagine (1) Improve Education (3) impure desires (1) inanimated (1) incarnations (1) infinite fulfilment (1) Infinity (6) influence (1) inner states (5) Inner Work (644) integral upbringing (123) intense pleasure (1) intention (8) interconnected (2) interconnection (3) internal upbringing (1) Internet (34) Interview Rav Laitman (1) Iran (1) Israel (928) Israel Today (388) Israel vs Iran (1) Jacob (1) jewish (1) Jewish Code of Law (1) Judaism (1) kabbalah (5) Kabbalah Dissemination (158) Kabbalah for the Nation (14) Kabbalah study (830) Kabbalistic Authors (1) Kabbalistic source (14) kabbalistic wisdom (2) Kabbalists (3) kabblistics (1) Katnut (smallness) (1) kelim (2) klipa (3) klipot (1) knowledge (1) lack of connection (3) language of feelings and desires (1) language of Kabbalah (1) Last Generation (1) Lech Lecha (Go Forth) (1) lectures (6) lekabel al menat lehashpia (1) less concerned (1) li chema (1) liberalism (1) Life and Death (1) Light (12) Light that Reforms (5) ligth of love (5) Live A Spiritual Life (2) live in harmony (1) lo li chema (1) love (171) love of friends (1) lust (1) MAKE REAL CHANGES (1) makhsom (1) Malchut (3) man and woman (316) marriage (36) materialization (1) me (1) Meaning Of Life (133) merciful (1) Messiah (1) method of correction (1) Michael Laitman (1) mind (2) mistakes (2) Mitzva (1) Mitzvot (3) Mitzvot Lishma (1) Mochin (maturity) (1) motion (1) movies (2) music (68) Music and Kabbalah (2) mutual agreement (13) Mutual Guarantee (196) my beloved (1) my nature (1) myself (1) mysticism (1) nation (1) nations of the world (821) nature (4) need (1) nefesh (1) neshama (1) new (2) New Life (1013) New Media (1) new publications (606) New World Order (2) news (500) Next Generation (1) none beside him (1) notices (1) Now (1) Ohr Hozer (1) Olam Ein Sof (1) oneness (3) opportunity (1) our perception (2) our purpose (1) our survival (1) our world (5) ourteen Commandments (1) pain (1) partsouf (1) past (1) Path of Torah (2) peace (3) perception (629) perception of reality (13) perfection (1) Pharaoh (1) philosophy (2) pleasure (3) point in the heart (6) politics (12) pray (1) prayer (217) prayer and intention (109) present (1) Pro-Choice (1) Pshat (1) psychic powers (1) purpose (4) pyramid (1) Q&A (671) Questions (13) Quora (267) Rabash (20) racism (1) Racism is Natural (1) raising MAN (1) Rashbi (1) Real Crisis (1) realize (1) Relations (1) relationships (1) religion (184) Religious Ideal (1) Renew (1) Reshimo (1) reshimot (1) responsability (1) responsible (1) restriction (1) revelation (2) rewarded (1) Righteous (1) roots (1) Rosh Hashanah (1) Salvation (1) Samech (1) school (1) science (223) science and kabbalah (2) science of Kabbalah (1) Secular Ideal (1) selfishness (1) separation (1) serpent (1) sex (1) Shabbat Page (9) Shamati (1) Shechina (1) similarity of form (173) sixth sense (1) smallest forces (1) society (275) society of the future (86) songs by Arkadi Duchin (1) soul (10) soulmates (1) souls (7) sources (9) space (1) spir (1) spirit (1) Spirit Of Life (1) spiritual (4) spiritual body (1) spiritual desire (1) Spiritual Embryo (1) spiritual force (1) spiritual forces (2) spiritual gene (1) spiritual goal (3) spiritual matters (1) spiritual path (4) spiritual teacher (141) spiritual work (3471) spiritual world (13) spirituality (86) states (1) states interconnected (1) strength (1) Structure of the Universe (36) study (40) subjects (1) success (1) suffering (28) Sun Shines (1) Surrounding Light (2) surrounding reality (1) system (1) Talks with Rav (1) Talmud Eser Sefirot (3) teacher (41) television (20) Temple (1) Ten Sefirot (1) Ten Sfirot (1) The Book of Zohar (3) the Creator (200) the creatures (1) The Healthcare System (2) The Language of Branches (77) The Lord (1) The messiah (1) The Place (1) the Rabash (1) the Reflected Light (1) The Tens (125) the Torah (128) The World (2) the zohar (4) The Zohar film (1) Things You Have To Do (1) This World (1) thoughts (5) thoughts on Twitter (2) Time Of Giving (1) time of preparation (2) Time Of Receiving (1) Today’s Reality (1) togheter (3) Torah (512) transplant my soul (1) Tree of life (1) true reality (2) Truth (2) TV (1) Twitter (4) Tzdokim (1) Tzfat (1) unconscious development (1) uncorrected perception (3) uniqueness (1) unity (258) universe (1) Upper Force (4) Upper Governance (1) Upper Light (10) upper unification (1) Upper World (4) upper worlds (2) US Elections (1) VAK de Gadlut (1) videos (17) Who am I ? (1) wisdom of kabbalah (3) Wise Wife (1) without suffering (2) woman (47) women's spirituality (109) workshop (50) world (81) World of Atzilut (2) World of Infinity (3) Yenika (nurturing) (1) Yetsira (1) Yitro (Jethro) (2) You (1) Youmankind (1) yourself (4) Zeir Anpin (3) Zohar (144)

ZOHAR

FREEDOM OF CHOICE

100 Questions - An Experimental Approach to Global Issue

Powered By Blogger