After completing our request for our nation’s physical come-back, we are now able to fully address the need for a national spiritual revival. Interestingly, the order of asking first for physical teshuvah and then for spiritual teshuvah follows the order of historical events in the state of Israel. The return of the Jewish people and the establishment of the state of Israel mirror the building of the Beit Hamikdash. The Temple was first built in a regular, non-holy way. Only after the physical building was complete could the people sanctify it by dedicating it exclusively to the service of God. So too, now that the secular state of Israel is firmly established, we must ensure that it does not just provide our nation’s physical needs but serves to fulfill God’s universal goals. The state of Israel is meant to be a state of consciousness and a wellspring of holy inspiration for the world. From the order of the Amidah we learn an important lesson about the natural order of things. First comes substance, and then comes form. We start with the secular (chol) and then create the holy (kodesh). Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook teaches that just as substance and form are not opposites but mutually inclusive, so too chol and kodesh. Imagine a box. The substance may be made of plastic or metal or cardboard; the form is the box. Now imagine that you have a hunk of metal. Without form, it is practically useless. But once you give the metal form, you will have an item of great use and value. The same goes for the relationship between chol and kodesh. The stronger the substance, the better its potential for holiness. According to Rav Kook, in the time of the Mashiach, we will be tasked with bringing the form of holiness to the material state. Today, we are thrilled to see young robust Israelis, tall skyscrapers in Tel Aviv and shopping malls in Afula. This is all part of our national redemption. The physical substance of nationhood will become complete when it receives the form of holiness and become a sanctuary for the living presence of God, actualizing Divine values and ideals.