Just outside the Knesset, a colossal menorah stands proudly. Featuring sculptures of key moments in Jewish history, it was presented to the fledgling state of Israel by the British Parliament. Prominently sculpted on the menorah are Zechariah’s immortal words, from this week’s haftarah: “This is the word of the Lord … not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
The 21st century has seen exponential technological development and expansion of scientific knowledge. Human beings effortlessly communicate with individuals residing many thousands of miles away. Satellites are dispatched to land on distant planets and distances that once took months to cross can now be traversed in hours.
Amid this progression, a considerable hubris took hold of mankind. We started fearing the future less. No illness seemed incurable, no feat was deemed insurmountable and no goal unattainable.
It seemed our great cities would perpetually be thronging, that planes would always be crossing our skies and that venues of mass entertainment would never shut their doors. Deadly pandemics seemed a thing of the past, akin to pre-World War II historical oddities, with no place in the new millennium.
