Looking Up

This world, at first glance, seems scary. Hamas surprised Israel, massacred and kidnapped. Much of the world supports Hamas. Much of the world condemns Israel for harming civilians (as Israel destroys Hamas). Many left-wing Jews are shocked to see left-wing movements supporting terrorists.

However, just as a person is composed of a body and a soul, so too the physical world is created and enlivened by G-d. Knowing that G-d controls everything that happens, enables us to trust in Him.

They say that after Shimon Peres met with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, he walked out perplexed. He said that the Rebbe had the sophistication and knowledge of the greatest experts, yet he had the simple belief of a child.

“And G-d will bless you in all that you do.” (Deuteronomy 15; 18) In our physical world, we need to do, to work for a living, to eat healthy, to strategize and use the best weapons to win wars. But we need G-d’s blessing to ensure that our efforts are successful.

We don’t see G-d, just as we don’t see our soul. But we know that we have a soul, we feel its presence, its life force giving us the ability to live, think, feel emotions. And we know that G-d exists, that He created the world from nothingness, and that He is intrinsically One with everything.

So even if half the world is against Israel and hates the Jews, it doesn’t matter. Because G-d is with us. He controls everything, including the hearts of leaders. Including moving aircraft carriers to protect Israel.

When someone looks only at the physical world, it can be very scary. “Raise your eyes heavenward, and see who created all this.” (Isaiah 40; 26) And then a different picture emerges. An optimistic picture, where even the impossible is possible. Because nothing is impossible for G-d.

Interestingly, Chassidus explains that in the time of Redemption, we will realize how the soul actually derives sustenance from the body. Because when our bodies do what G-d wants us to do, it brings tremendous revelations of G-dliness and holiness into our bodies, into the hand that gives charity, lights candles for Shabbat, puts on tefillin, and so on.

It will be a time of immense happiness, when our ancestors will become alive in this physical world in physical bodies. And we unite with G-d, body and soul, world and G-dliness, in a merging that was always there, but that we can actually see and appreciate.

And then the entire world will see and know G-d’s greatness.

May it happen very soon.