It seems unreal because it is

This year seems unreal.

We witnessed terror straight out of horror films, moral confusion that felt like dystopian fiction, and warfare that appears to be lifted from a sci-fi adventure.

If it feels like the events of this year are unreal, it’s because they are indeed not real.

Are they painful? Absolutely. Confusing? Very much so. Are they real? No.

The Talmud associates truth and reality with eternity and longevity. In the classic example (Parah 8:9), a river that dries up once in seven years is referred to as “false waters.” For while what we see presents itself as a river, if it cannot withstand the test of time, in reality it is simply a “gush” of water.

The campus protests that have overrun this country’s colleges may present themselves as a “vibrant movement,” yet we know they will shortly run their course, and the river will dry until they find their next trend.

The unceasing condemnation of Israel may seem to have taken hold of the UN and many in the media and social influencers. It’s not real. The truth will win. It always does.

The pain and suffering of the hostages and their families, those who have fallen in the struggle against evil, and those who mourn over them feel the most real of all. One cannot imagine what these grieving families are going through.

Our Judaism teaches us that this too will give way to a time when “He will destroy death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the insult of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it.” (Isaiah 25:8)

There are four things whose creation G‑d regrets every day*. The first is galut (the exile), states the Talmud (Sukkah 52b). Thus the Psalmist tells us that there will be a time when we will wake up from this painful reality, as one who wakes up from a dream: “When the L-rd will return the exiles of Zion, we will have been like dreamers.”

Right now, it’s absolutely painful and very confusing, but it is not reality. Let’s do our part to show the world what is real.

*To understand what it means G-d’s regret and for more on this topic click here.