It is our connection to the Divine, our adherence to the Torah, and our commitment to fulfilling our mission as the chosen people. Despite all odds, we have survived and thrived because of our faith and dedication to our heritage. Our history is a testament to the miraculous nature of our existence, and it is a reminder of the eternal promise that was made to our forefathers. As we continue to face obstacles and challenges, let us remember the words of King Louis XIV and Blaise Pascal, and take pride in the fact that we are the living proof of the supernatural presence in our midst.
Regenerate
On the Seder Night, we exclaim that âBâchol dor vaâdor omdin aleinu lâchaloteinu, vâHakadosh Baruch Hu matzileinu miâyadam â In every generation, our enemies try to annihilate us; it is Hashem who saves us from their hands.â There is no other rational way to explain how we manage to survive the perennial attacks of vicious genocidal enemies.
Many non-Jews have also attributed our survival to Hashem. Thomas Newton, the eighteenth-century Bishop of Bristol, is one example. He asserted that âthe preservation of the Jews is really one of the most signal and illustrious acts of divine Providence⦠and what but a supernatural power could have preserved them in such a manner as none other nation upon earth hath been preserved. Nor is the providence of G-d less remarkable in the destruction of their enemies than in their preservationâ¦
We see that the great empires, which in their turn subdued and oppressed the people of G-d, are all come to ruin.â
VâHaKadosh Baruch Hu matzileinu miâyadamâ¦
Our peopleâs miraculous survival should strengthen our faith in the One truly responsible for it. Rav Yaakov Emden wonders how heretics who deny Hashemâs control of the world are not embarrassed by the reality of the Jewish peopleâs survival (Siddur Rav Emden, Introduction). âWe are a sheep scattered [amongst wolves]. No nation is pursued like us; many enemies have done everything to destroy us but have failed. All the ancient nations have been forgotten while we and our Torah continue existing. How can the philosopher explain all this? Can it all be by chance? The miracles [of our survival] are greater than those Hashem performed in Egypt, the desert, and Eretz Yisrael. The longer the exile continues, the more this becomes clear.â
May the story of our survival strengthen our faith in Hashem and our future.