Keep the Future in Focus

There’s no question about it: The whole Jewish People is under attack. Practically overnight, a tsunami of anti-Semitism has inundated the entire globe. It couldn’t be clearer that this sudden pandemic of anti-Semitism was orchestrated by HaKadosh Baruch Hu. He wants something from us, and we’d better try to figure out what it is.

The anti-Semitism all around us is a wake-up call from Hashem. He caused the entire world to point an accusing finger at the Jewish People. Anti-Semites hate us not for what we do, but for who we are. They can’t tolerate the Jewish character that makes us Jews.

It stands to reason, then, that Hashem wants more from us than fine-tuning our halachic performance. We have many mitzvos that need improvement, and character traits to refine. But this surge of anti-Semitism calls for an avodah that’s more fundamental than our actions or even our middos. The Jewish character is under attack; and Hashem is showing us we need to mend the cracks in our Jewish character.

What is the essence of the Jewish character? We need to answer that question before we can identify the points that need repair.