Understanding Galut

There is a certain reality that needs to be clarified. We often write about the Galut, the exile, but its real meaning may not be clearly understood.

There is a positive aspect of modern day Jewish History. I am referring to the fact that most of us, especially the younger generation have not lived through witnessing real persecution of Jews.

If you are in your sixties or above, the Holocaust was something very real. It was something that surrounded you. The freshness of that event with all of its horrors, was part of every day life. You probably had friends whose parents went through it, and had their tattooed numbers to prove it.

The movement to save Russian Jewry, was a struggle against religious persecution. That has not been an issue for decades. Some of us remember the struggles of the Iranian Jews to get out in time to escape their persecution.

In short, recent history has had its moments of anti-Semitism, most notably, October the seventh, but there is nowhere in the world where there is a daily struggle for survival because of being Jewish.

While this is a good thing, it doesn’t allow people to fully appreciate our struggles towards survival that has lasted nearly 2000 years. And it also doesn’t drive home the miracle of our survival under the worst conditions.

If Jewish History was studied more carefully, it would also help us appreciate how unique we are as a people. Empires have risen and fallen, but we continue to survive. This has not happened to any nation on earth in all of human history.

Despite these hardships, the Jewish people continued to contribute to society with all kinds of useful discoveries. The presence of the Jew was always felt.

Now that we have our own homeland, it has allowed us to thrive even more. The burden of exile has been lifted, which has given us even greater opportunities to make the world a better place.

It is important to take pause and recognize and appreciate these special times. And more importantly, it is important to recognize that we would not have gotten to this point without strict adherence to the Torah, and our faith in G-d.