Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzatto teaches that “God’s supreme unity is the foundation of faith and the root of wisdom.” This means that the whole universe is completely one—whole in its oneness—so every particle is interconnected with every other particle, which creates one whole harmonious universe.

When we see challenges in our lives, it means that we are not quite in harmony with the oneness of everything. It’s not about judgment, but about assessment. We have to find out what was missing in us that disconnected us from the whole. Then we can rectify it and come back into the flow of all life.

Since Yom Kippur we’re seeing a tragic misstep on the part of the United States. Many thousands of people have been forced to flee for their lives. How can we correct this? Is there any way to correct this? My heart aches to see such suffering. People have had to leave all their possessions behind and run away from their homes, without knowing whether they will survive, where they will find a safe haven, even for a short period of time. If ever there was a time for prayer from the heart, it is now.

Kabbalah teaches that we can heal any problems through the love that awakens in the heart. When we reach into the very depths of our loving heart, and call out to God, yearning from our inner truth, we can lift ourselves above the basic, harsh physical reality of pain and suffering that we see right now, and connect everything into the higher level of oneness that exists for us all. Only when we are united, with loving hearts, will our world become more filled with loving kindness.

In this week’s parshah, Ha’azinu, Moses exhorts the Children of Israel to come into the light of God’s wisdom, and then be that light to the rest of the world. It’s only when we dare to step into this light of God that we will change the pain and suffering that exists up to this very day.