Rosh Hashanah: The State of Hashem in Our World

By: Rabbi Moshe Taragin

Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment. The fate of individuals is weighed, and the course of nations and empires is determined. We stand before Hashem, examining our conduct, appealing for mercy, and praying to be inscribed in the Book of Life.

Yet Rosh Hashanah carries a far wider significance. It marks the anniversary of creation, when Hashem brought the world into existence. By judging humanity, He reasserts His sovereignty over the world He created. On Rosh Hashanah, we turn beyond our own lives to the larger movement of history, asking how clearly, we can find Him here in all His essence, in every mitzvah we do, every word of divine wisdom, every heartfelt prayer.

History has both an origin and a destination. It begins with creation and moves toward redemption. At the end of that journey, Hashem’s presence will become unmistakable as humanity comes to recognize Him. Each Rosh Hashanah we consider the year that has passed. Which developments have made Hashem more visible in our world, and which have pushed His presence further into concealment?

On this day of awe and majesty, we ask: What is the state of Hashem’s presence in the world of 2026?

We cannot decode providence or confidently explain why particular events occur. Yet people of faith can still ask whether the broader movement of history has made Hashem’s presence easier or harder to discern.

Perhaps the most moving event this past year in which we sensed divine intervention was the return of the hostages. Their abduction was among the most agonizing elements of October 7, compounded by the unimaginable suffering many endured in captivity. For much of the war, the return of every hostage seemed almost beyond hope. We assumed that Hamas would retain at least a few as bargaining chips or human shields. Yet over the course of the war, 168 hostages were brought home alive, and ultimately every victim who had been murdered or died in captivity was returned for burial in Israel. Again and again, we welcomed home people whose names and faces had become seared into our consciousness, people for whom we had prayed for months and, in some cases, more than two years. Their return reminded people of faith that history is never limited by what appears possible at a particular moment.

We also continue to sense His hand guiding us through history as we return to our homeland and reclaim our place within the historical arena. Over the past year, Israel achieved remarkable military successes. Iran, our most dangerous enemy, was severely weakened, while much of the “ring of fire” it had constructed around Israel through murderous proxies was dismantled or substantially degraded.

The contrast with the days following October 7 is striking. Israel then appeared painfully vulnerable, surrounded by enemies and threatened on multiple fronts. Three years later, the strategic landscape of the Middle East has been dramatically altered. None of this should obscure the terrible cost of the war or suggest that every danger has disappeared. Yet developments that once seemed improbable became reality, and for many Israelis, the yad Hashem felt unusually close as the regional landscape was transformed.

We have also witnessed a renewed visibility of faith. Israel today is a very different country from the one founded nearly eight decades ago. Even among Israelis who are not personally observant, many speak comfortably about faith, prayer, Jewish destiny, and Hashem’s presence in our lives. This shift had been developing gradually for years, but October 7 accelerated it dramatically. Faith has been tested under harsh circumstances and has repeatedly surfaced in public life: among soldiers, bereaved families, hostage families, and ordinary Israelis confronting fear and uncertainty. Hashem has become a more explicit part of the picture through which many Israelis understand their lives and the history unfolding around them.

The renewed faith among Israelis has been mirrored by the strengthening of Jewish identity among Jews overseas. The hatred unleashed after October 7 forced many Jews to consider identities they had previously worn only lightly. Some became more conscious of their Jewishness, more attached to Israel, and more determined to display an identity they once might have kept private.

This awakening Jewish identity does not always take an explicitly religious form, yet the identity is never entirely detached from Hashem. To identify more deeply with the Jewish people is to reconnect with a people whose history and destiny were shaped by Divine covenant. Every strengthening of Jewish consciousness creates another opening through which Hashem can reenter Jewish life. Hopefully, this renewed peoplehood will mature into deeper spiritual and religious commitment.

Just as Hashem’s presence has become more visible in certain areas, other developments have obscured it. On Rosh Hashanah, we pray that these trends will be reversed.

Antisemitism is raging at levels unseen since the Holocaust. More disturbing, it has moved from the fringes toward the mainstream, voiced openly by prominent politicians, activists, and influencers. Antisemitism has social, economic, political, and cultural causes, but beneath them lies a deeper spiritual impulse. Hashem chose the Jewish people as his special, holy nation, and hostility toward Hashem’s presence often expresses itself as hostility toward the people who carry His name. The resurgence of antisemitism therefore reflects a retreat of Hashem’s presence from our world.

Unfortunately, we have not succeeded in preserving the remarkable unity that emerged immediately after October 7. Many old divisions have returned, while new tensions, especially surrounding Charedi non-enlistment, have deepened fractures within Israeli society. When the Jewish people stand together, Hashem’s presence is felt more powerfully among us.

When legitimate disagreements harden into bitterness and estrangement, that divine presence recedes. Rosh Hashanah should remind us that even deep disagreement cannot erase the covenant that binds us to each other.

Finally, we live in a world where truth itself is under attack. At the same time, the rapid development of artificial intelligence is making the distinction between fact and fabrication increasingly fragile. Photographs can be manipulated, videos fabricated, and voices reproduced with remarkable accuracy. We are entering a world in which seeing and hearing may no longer provide reliable evidence of the truth of what occurred.

It is therefore no surprise that AI-generated falsehoods have already been adopted and weaponized by those who demonize Israel and spread hatred of Jews. The Jewish people are Hashem’s special chosen nation and our return to our homeland is part of the Divine drama of Jewish destiny. Those who seek to delegitimize that return often distort not only our history but truth itself. There is something deeply troubling about this convergence. The assault on the people who carry Hashem’s name is increasingly accompanied by an assault on truth.

The year leaves us with a divided picture: Hashem’s presence has felt startlingly close throughout the course of Jewish history, even as it has grown more obscured in the world around us. We must remember that Hashem desires that His light of truth shines in this world, and through every heartfelt prayer and Divine wisdom, we should feel His presence. And that is how we find Him and make His presence known: through the eternal Torah and mitzvos that shine brightly with Divine light. 

Rabbi Moshe Taragin is a rabbi and educator at Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush). Find his latest book, Reclaiming Redemption, Vol. II: Faith, Identity, Peoplehood, and the Storms of War, at mtaraginbooks.com.