Three Years Later: The Sacrifice We Have Yet to Make

A post from Rav's Facebook page in honor of October 7th:

It was 1982, during Operation Peace for Galilee. We, the students of Rabbi Baruch Shalom Ashlag (Rabash), were gathered around our teacher in an old synagogue on Hazon Ish Street in Bnei Brak. Rabash was conducting the nightly Kabbalah lesson - as was the custom among Kabbalists - yet every hour, he would interrupt the study session and rush to the next room to listen to the news. When students asked how listening to a news broadcast could be more important to him than reading The Book of Zohar, he replied, "My children are there."

At the time, Rabash had no sons of his own at the front; however, because he perceived the entire nation as a single body, he felt a sense of responsibility toward everyone - as if all the soldiers were his own sons. I recall that when I served in the Air Force, my heart went out to my comrades with every fighter jet that took off for a mission; yet, the concern for IDF soldiers that I witnessed in my teacher was truly extraordinary.

It seems that neither the days of national mourning nor the heavy toll of casualties are bringing us any closer to an end to the fighting or to a state of peace and tranquility. On the contrary, our sense of stability and security in life in Israel is increasingly being undermined. Therefore, alongside the unfathomable pain, we must use this day to seek understanding together and find a solution, ensuring there are no further casualties.

Strengthening the bonds of friendship among us creates a field of security capable of

warding off any threat.

We must rethink what we are willing to sacrifice. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, a "sacrifice" describes a state in which each person sacrifices their own ego - letting go of pride, hatred, and indifference toward others, and drawing closer to them. Strengthening the bonds of friendship among us creates a field of security capable of warding off any threat. "When love, unity, and fellowship exist among the people of Israel, there is no room for any calamity to befall them" (from the book Maor VaShemesh).

On this day, we are united by our shared pain. Beyond that, the only factor that succeeds in uniting the fractured people of Israel is an external threat. This phenomenon is well-known: the moment the first siren sounds, a sense of Israeli solidarit y emerges; we are all ready to help, and what unites us prevails over what divides us. Yet, as soon as the threat subsides, we forget. That temporary unity once again gives way to contempt, arrogance, and division. The rift within the nation is our Achilles' heel - a target for the repeated attacks launched by the nations of the world.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, nature operates as a calculated mechanism, constantly striving for harmony and balance. Israel and the nations of the world are two opposing parts of a single system, moving within it like the pans of a scale. The part known as the "nations of the world" has always ceaselessly demanded that the part known as "Israel" fulfill its request. What is that request? That Israel serve as a "light unto the nations"—providing a positive example of unity that transcends all factions, much like a mother caring for her children.

The outcome - war or peace - depends on the efforts of the people of Israel to achieve unity. When division runs rampant within Israel, the nations of the world exert pressure, demanding that it return to its ideal state. In their own way, they are seeking the key to fostering good relations. Regrettably, Israel awakens to its role only after suffering painful blows in the form of wars, disasters, and casualties.

Everything depends on us. Why? Because the method of connection lies in our hands. Back in Babylon, Abraham - the father of the nation - gathered the scattered tribes and taught them the wisdom of Kabbalah; it was upon this foundation of unity that we became a people. Now, precisely when the world has reached a nadir, this wisdom is once again being revealed within the people of Israel as a remedy that can bring healing to humanity.

Three years after that terrible day, and with 2,347 civilians and soldiers having lost their lives since Oct 7, 2023, the time has come to seriously consider changing our approach. Let us protect ourselves - and not merely with the sword. Let us work to bring hearts closer together, since that is the only way to achieve peace and security. This is no utopia; it is a practical and incredibly simple mechanism. The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches us that the power of connection is immeasurably potent; we were born into it, and it is our duty to reveal it among ourselves - for the sake of our children and the entire world.