These words from our parasha (Devarim 30:1-10) present an important message before Rosh Hashana: “And it will be, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse… and you take it to heart among all the nations… and you return to Hashem… Then Hashem… will bring back your exiles and have mercy on you and gather you from all the nations… If your dispersed are at the ends of the heavens, from there Hashem… will gather you… and … bring you to the Land that your ancestors possessed… and He will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring to love Hashem… and Hashem… will place all these curses upon your enemies… and you will return and listen to the voice of Hashem… when you obey Hashem… to keep His commandments… when you return to Hashem your God with all your heart and all your soul.”

Notice the stages of return that the Torah spells out: Stage 1: “And you will return to Hashem” – How? By returning to Eretz Yisrael. Stage 2: Hashem shows mercy and assists even the most distant Jew to return to Eretz Yisrael: “… will bring back your exiles and have mercy on you, and He will gather you from all the nations.” Stage 3: “… will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring to love Hashem.” Hashem brings the nation to complete repentance. Stage 4: The Jewish people will once again live a life of Torah and mitzvot: “…return and listen to the voice of Hashem, and perform all His commandments.”

In parallel, our enemies who refuse to join this divine process will be punished, and all the curses of Ki Tavo will fall upon them: “…place all these curses upon your enemies.” Blessings will rest upon nations that join us (e.g., by the Abraham Accords) and become friends of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

Large segments of the religious public have ignored these explicit verses over the past century. They have tried to force religious observance onto the general public as a prerequisite for cooperating in building the Land. Instead, let us take a true look at what has transpired.

The Jewish people have returned en masse to Eretz Yisrael (we have more Jews here than ever before). The State of Israel, despite all its challenges, is flourishing in many ways. There is an awakening among the masses searching for a path to draw closer to Hashem. (General Noam Tibon, who courageously saved his family and others on Oct. 7, mentioned that he wore tzitzit during the fighting and felt it helped him succeed.)

We must listen to what the public is feeling and open our hearts for the sake of Heaven, bringing people closer by fostering partnership and mutual responsibility. Let us abandon attempts at coercion and add unconditional love. It is Hashem who is responsible for the subsequent stages, as the p’sukim say.

The person who suggested this approach, before Herzl founded the Zionist movement, was Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, who likely influenced Herzl’s philosophy. (Rabbi Alkalai was born in Sarajevo in 1798. At age 11, he moved to Israel, where he was mentored by the author of Pele Yoetz. He returned to Zemun, near Belgrade, where, as rabbi, he spent years encouraging the people to return to their homeland. In 1874, he returned to Israel, where he died and was buried on the Mount of Olives.)