We often throw up our hands, feeling powerless as we watch cultural forces develop around us and overtake the trajectory of our generation. Whether in the political sphere, where the right has normalized bullying and the left has fostered a tendency to complain about fairness; or in the moral sphere, where the focus on success has rationalized lying and a lack of inclusive behavior; or in the religious sphere, where talking in shul and sleeping in on vacation have become normalized; we commonly fail to engage with these challenges. By nature, we see only two options: succumb to the effects of those forces, or dodge them as they pass by. This Shabbat, we read with longing about the return of a great leader of the Jewish people, one who recognized that there was a third option: Eliyahu HaNavi. It is this vision that makes Eliyahu the singular figure in our history who will be brought back to guide us in the time of Mashiach.
Eliyahu models for us that we have the power to shape cultural forces, as well as a deep-seated responsibility that we must feel proud of, energized by, and committed to. Living in a time when people felt that their lives were directed by their own power and abilities, and by popular deities like the Ba'al, he did not shy away from demonstrating the hand of Hashem in our world. Eliyahu worked tirelessly to change the culture of his time, despite all the forces that were at work to sustain the status quo. Through his actions, he teaches us to shed the self-image of being merely one drop of water in a vast and powerful stream, and instead to recognize our capacity to shape it, stepping forward with the courage to engage even when doing so leaves us feeling vulnerable.
Certainly, striving to create a culture for our community that puts G-d at the center, and is founded on truth, kindness, and justice, is a much greater challenge than simply making good choices ourselves. But if we each only worry about our own paths, our community will not be able to reach the new height Hashem is waiting for us to build toward together. We cannot try to live, succeed, and thrive without attention to the environment and norms around us, because we subconsciously create our sense of what is normal and what is right based on what others around us feel and communicate to us. In a recent set of interviews of Modern Orthodox students across the United States, it emerged that culture is the biggest factor in a student's religious growth. Through the timeless lessons of the Torah and through current research, we see that we are fooling ourselves if we think we can grow religiously to our maximum as isolated individuals.
The goal becomes less daunting if we start small and take on this responsibility together. Don't push it off, and don't be afraid to try. Start today. Identify a small area that you think our community can shift their mindset on, and work with other friends to brainstorm what you can do. Keep your eye on the goal throughout. If it doesn't work, try from another angle. Click here to get some inspiration from our students, showing ways that they tried to accomplish this and the success they achieved.
As we pray for a redemption in our day, just as Hashem redeemed us from Egypt, we must work together to build the new culture we want, and not wait for that culture to come from an external source. When we reminisce about Eliyahu at our seders, let us remember what the Haftorah tells us he represents, and what he should inspire us to do - והשיב לב אבות על בנים ולב בנים על אבותם - he will return the heart of the fathers on the sons, and the heart of the sons on the fathers. We should work to bring about a true change of heart and mindset in our community. Our community is strong. Klal Yisrael already has so much going for it. Our job is to make it even stronger, and to together raise ourselves to the level Hashem is waiting for us to reach.