The month of Elul is devoted to rethinking, to questioning the path we have been on — that is, to teshuva.
The past two years, as a result of the war and the process of social fissure, and as the truth of the dreams we had dreamed about ourselves and our country has disintegrated, demonstrate the urgent need for coming to a complete stop in order to build a new plan for our world.
So what’s new? The people Israel has plenty of experience with disasters, tragedies, and expulsions. What is happening now before our eyes, though, is something that has not taken place before — or at least not to such a great extent. Since the establishment of the State of Israel we have been through some difficult times: social crises, wars, and boycotts. However, we are now called upon to take stock of the power we wield. We are responsible, as a state and as a people, for the how the power that we have been blessed to construct for ourselves is put to use.
Along with power comes responsibility. As with the fulfillment of a mitzvah, we are not at liberty to assign that responsibility to someone else. We stand before total responsibility — to the “other” and to God.
