Israel Under Attack - Here is What You Can Do
With the war in Israel beginning, there are things you can do to help.
Initially, I had not planned to write anything about the events going on in Israel. It is too soon, and I have not fully processed them. Further, I imagine we'll see this unfold in all of its grotesque graphic details in the coming days. After a conversation with some from my community, I felt there was something to understand that might be empowering on some level.
First, let's build a foundation to understand a deeper principle.
Scales of Justice
Every year, the world undergoes a review process. The Bible depicts that the deeds of mankind are weighed, and through this, the Creator acts accordingly.
Aware of this date with the Divine, the Jewish community arduously prepares; praying, purging, apologizing, repenting, and planning - making changes and building new habits from which to begin the new year at Rosh Hashanah.
These efforts are weighed on Yom Kippur and the year ahead is reflected in either blessing or judgment. Interestingly, this month on the Jewish calendar corresponds to the month of Libra, of which the symbol is scales. This seems to indicate an ancient awareness of the energy, or mazal, of justice permeates this time of year.
The focus of these efforts is both personal and global. The liturgy of Yom Kippur is centered around the idea of global redemption, and many prayers are said on behalf of the world. In short, the prayers seek to bring harmony between the upper worlds and the lower. This is the meaning of the phrase, "On earth as it is in heaven."
Just a few days after Yom Kippur, the holiday of Sukkot begins, again, featuring a theme of global unity and redemption. In the times of the Temple, 70 bulls were offered on behalf of the nations as a means of purging some of the judgment that might be accrued over the past year.
Together, these services serve to purge the impurities from the world, restoring a healthy balance to begin the new year.
Equilibrium
Also, Jewish tradition teaches that there is an ever-present struggle between the forces of good and evil - at all times. With the over-abundance of evil, the Divine presence is blocked from reaching us in its fullness.
Additionally, when evil grows in strength, it must be balanced through a number of means. This can be any form of hardship, famine, natural disasters, war, poverty, recession, and other calamities. Check the news, and you'll see most of these are present at this moment.
An increase in Din (judgment) requires Din to remedy. This happens on the individual and global levels simultaneously.
At times, we may be doing well personally, balancing ourselves through good deeds and spiritual development. However, if Din is too strong in the world, we may find ourselves still undergoing hardships along with the collective. This should naturally make us consider the quality of the whom we associate with, our community, neighborhood, and country.
If after the work of Yom Kippur, we see immediate hardships and devastation - some would say this is a strong indication that there is still much evil in the world. This is a portent to the year ahead if we don't begin to work against this tide on a collective level.
If we are passive, we can expect more chaos, war, death, and evil to increase in response.
In general, the times we live in were predicted for many centuries to play out much as they have - one event after another. Many will admit we've seen this increase over the past 5-10 years.
In short, we're being warned that there is a significant amount of judgment that needs to be right set, and it will, one way or another.
For reasons too deep for the scope of this article, part of Israel's chosenness means that they will serve as a lightning rod for this judgment. This has always been the case, and the prophets foretold of such long ago.
Here is What We Can Do Now
With all of this in mind, we recognize that there is a war for balance being fought on the spiritual level. It manifests in our world as we're seeing. This does not mean that evil does not exist - it indeed does. Yet, the way we fight it has to be on both fronts - spiritual and physical.
For those of us not facing the physical aspect, we must engage in the spiritual to help alleviate the pressure, contributing to the re-balance in a positive way.
A few examples:
Pray Often
Pray that the imbalance can be restored, and any blockages between the Creator and ourselves to be removed immediately. If this were to happen, miraculous things would be enabled.
Learn & Study
Read The Bible, particularly the Psalms. The words of Scripture have a holy power that few are aware of. Every word we study is a mitzvah and can add to the collective good. Consider finding a group of friends and learning together.
Give Charity (Tzedakah)
Donate to organizations that do good things in the world from a Torah perspective. Do your research if unsure. The amount is not so important as the intention and the thoughtfulness behind the giving. When coupled with holy thoughts, giving is a powerful way to act on the physical level.
Repentance (Tshuva)s
Do some soul-searching, look for patterns of error that you must repent of, anyone you need to make amends with.
