The media in Israel can’t understand this phenomenon. There are tons of articles about young people "strengthening" [in observance] who go to Selichot and wear tzitzit, endless social-media discussions among parents about their teenagers adopting customs and traditions, lots of surveys and data on the phenomenon.
But the attempt is to frame the phenomenon as being a mix. There's nothing to be alarmed about, the older experts explain. The enthusiastic young people aren't becoming fully religious ("chozrim b'teshuva"), it's not a full commitment to halacha. They're simply adding a bit of tradition to their secular lifestyle.
In my view, that's a mistake. Something bigger than us has begun here, and it won't end in some halfway middle path of half-and-half, but will rise upward. Higher than us.
They are returning to the tradition of their grandparents' home, and upgrading it.
Here's a small example of the innovations and language of this generation. The singer and internet star Yagel Oshri told his followers this week: "Until not long ago, I didn't put on tefillin every morning. After October 7th I decided I would put on tefillin, but in practice, I'd wake up in the morning and go straight to Instagram, TikTok, phone calls, work, meetings. Suddenly it's already six or seven in the evening and I hadn't done it. So I made myself an app called: 'Tefillin First, Then the Rest.’ It locks all the [other] apps, and when I try to open them, a message pops up: 'Did you put on tefillin, tzaddik?'"
Naturally, his enthusiastic followers rushed to adopt the idea for themselves. You could take this into other areas too: where else do we want to say, this first?
There's a young generation here, full of energy and vigor and joy. I was at Selichot at the Kotel this week and saw them, and they are great. They are demanding more, not less.
Shabbat Shalom.
