Something extraordinary is unfolding in Jewish history — something deeper than politics, deeper than headlines, deeper even than war. In this morning's class, “The Lion Awoke Again — From Refuge to Power to Purpose,” we explore a powerful idea articulated by Nir Menussi and shared by Rabbi Yoseph Geisinsky: that the return of the Jewish people to their land is unfolding in three historic
stages. First came refuge — a wounded people seeking safety after centuries of
exile, persecution, and the unspeakable trauma of the Holocaust. Then came
power — the realization that survival alone is not enough, and that Israel now
stands as a central force reshaping the Middle East. But even that is not the
final stage. 

Through the lens of Torah, Hazal, and Jewish history, this morning’s class asks the
deeper question: What is Israel ultimately meant to become? Drawing on sources
from Bil‘am’s prophecy of the rising lion, the midnight harp of David HaMelekh,
the silence of Ḥizkiyahu after his miraculous salvation, and the timeless
vision of the prophets, we explore the possibility that the Jewish people are
being pushed toward their true mission — not merely to survive or to wield
power, but to become a beacon of Torah, faith, and blessing for the entire
world. The lion has awakened again — but the real question of our generation is
what kind of lion it will become.