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I have heard from my teachers that when something major happens in the world, this is a message from Hashem. But it is a message for Israel and actually for the religious people in our nation- because (Seforno on tzoraas) they are the ones who are listening.
So with the COVID epidemic, or with the present situation with Hamas which is even so much more directed to our people specifically, we are receiving a very strong message from Hashem, with his midah of judgment.
How are we supposed to listen to such messages? I hear frequently that each individual should assess themselves and try to find things that they need to improve and ways to do it. That is surely a wonderful thing to do.
But I am wondering, isn't it more likely that the message being sent is also for the nation as a whole? It seems to be a single message, not a lot of little messages to individuals, though of course details vary from person to person.
If that is so, then our leaders would have to direct our entire nation on a major push to improve a major problem. Is that something that they are doing now?
As a middle ground, could a response depend on whole communities?
According to that Seforno I mentioned: What good is a very loud message from Hashem, even if we are listening, if none of us can understand it?
What sources discuss this? Have people heard from our gedolim about such issues?

Update: some answers here https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/137338/22152

MichoelR
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    They're not mutually exclusive. A message can be directed at a collective and also at each individual. – shmosel Oct 25 '23 at 03:08
  • @shmosel I modified the post to reflect that. – MichoelR Oct 25 '23 at 03:23
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    If it is a message for the community, then the people recognized as the leaders of the community have a responsibility to address it. To the extent it is a message to the individual (and it is probably both, as @shmosel said) the individual should do self-reflection, and talk to his/her Rav as needed. – N.T. Oct 25 '23 at 05:33
  • I'm not sure that the 2 are even functionally different. If you want to change the community, you have to work on yourself – Moses Supposes Oct 25 '23 at 08:31
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    @MosesSupposes With that I don't agree. There are ways that the community can make overall changes. Examples are the Chofetz Chaim's work on lashon hora, took a century but had a major impact, and some communities' attempt to put limits on size of weddings. See Sefer Ezra for another time that the leaders took major action. - That's what leaders do. – MichoelR Oct 25 '23 at 12:32
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    @MichoelR good points, but I was thinking of it from the perspective of someone who isn't a leader or likely to write any seforim. I was thinking of what Rabbi Yisrael Salanter said "When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself... – Moses Supposes Oct 25 '23 at 12:36
  • ..., and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world." – Moses Supposes Oct 25 '23 at 12:36
  • @MosesSupposes I enjoy the quote, but... he did change the world. Part of doing that was that he really did change himself long before. Part of it was that he was a leader that people recognized. – MichoelR Oct 25 '23 at 12:39
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    @MosesSupposes Of course, I am not a leader either. But, I'm wondering if I should go to my leaders and ask them to lead. It isn't easy. I've already heard three drashos from talmidei chachamim in Baltimore suggesting three very different responses. – MichoelR Oct 25 '23 at 12:41
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    If you are talking about the current situation in Israel, some points are addressed here - https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/137338/22152 – Dov Oct 25 '23 at 13:33
  • @MichoelR maybe they are all right? – Moses Supposes Oct 25 '23 at 18:59

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