It is certainly forbidden for an individual to place himself in danger, and he should not rely on miracles. Yet, all this applies when there is no danger of Chilul Hashem. Where there is, however, even an individual must be ready to sacrifice himself for Kiddush Hashem. When the issue is open, blatant and deliberate Chilul Hashem by the nations, in which their whole intent is to profane and revile G-d's name, and there is no government and no army and no governmental body - these being obligated by the Torah to go out and protest the profanation - or that such bodies do exist, but are unwilling to fulfill the obligation, then it is certainly the individual's duty to assume the government's role and put himself in danger so as to blot out, devotedly and with protest, the Chilul Hashem...

Here then, to our great chagrin, is the cause of the tragedy and trouble that beset the Jewish People, despite the proliferation of Torah study and yeshivot: G-d demands complete bitachon - bitachon that expresses itself not just in lectures on moral refinement, but in deeds of self-sacrifice to sanctify G-d�s name, so as to prove our faith and trust in Him. Woe to our orphaned generation, in which even Torah scholars have learned how to evade sacrificing their lives for Kiddush Hashem, with the pathetic claim of �pikuach nefesh�, that they are avoiding �danger to life�. With this, they have already planted firmly in our hearts the fear of the goy and the fear of danger, in effect nullifying the need and duty to endanger ourselves and sacrifice our lives for G-d�s name...

The essence of Torah is to learn, to know, to become familiar with Divine attributes, concepts and ideas and to walk in G-d's ways - to cling to Him. Ritual observance is only the external expression of the internal idea. It is the conceptual framework which stands at the heart of Torah, determining the path one must follow. When a person does not understand a mitzvah and the idea behind it, or worse, he has internalized alien, distorted concepts and attributes; then when he fulfills the mitzvah, the external form of devotion, he is only emphasizing an idea that is fallacious...

To our sorrow, the mitzvot have become ritual. Their performance is cut off from the Divine ideas and attributes which are their theme. The practical mitzvot, both major and minor, which must certainly be kept fastidiously in fear and awe of G-d, actually serve only to symbolize G-d�s ideas and attributes and to manifest them. Without the idea, the mitzvot become empty vessels, providing no spiritual elevation. On this it is said (Isaiah 29:130): "The Lord said, 'For as much as this people draw near, and with their mouth and lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote, therefore, will I again work a wondrous deed among this people. The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the prudence of their prudent men shall be hid.'" In our day as well, Torah study has become complacent, devoid of the living spirit of self-sacrifice which expresses true trust in God...