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Is any reason given by religiously Jewish theologians and thinkers for why religiosity and observance amongst Jews declined after the Haskalah?

Are there any opinions rabbinic authorities have given about orthodoxy rebounding in the future.

And are there any views about what minimum statistic of Jews will remain committed to Torah during decline of spirituality? Like do any rabbanim see it as some sort of divine punishment?

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  • I think we should ask about the level of observance during the Golah until the Haskalah. Current levels are typical for long stretches of Jewish History -- the majority were worshipping Avodah Zarah throughout Bayis Rishon, the crowd that returned to Israel in Zerubavel's and Ezra's day were mostly intermarried, Anshei Keneses haGdolah brought us in, but before Chanukah we had the Misyavnim, and after, the Tzeduqim and other sects... So maybe ask whether struggling against a non-observant majority is messianic -- a return to the where we were when there were Nevi'im and Batei Miqdash.
    – Micha Berger
    Commented Feb 2 at 17:11
  • After all, returning people to the tradition is an explicit part of the messianic promise. הִנֵּ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ שֹׁלֵ֣חַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם הֹ' הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא׃ כדוְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִ֖ים עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם פֶּן־אָב֕וֹא וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ חֵֽרֶם׃ And the Rambam says such a restoration is one of the jobs of the mashiach וְחוֹזְרִין כָּל הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים בְּיָמָיו כְּשֶׁהָיוּ מִקֹּדֶם. (H' Melakhim 11:1)
    – Micha Berger
    Commented Feb 2 at 17:17
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    Isn't the answer obvious? People were influenced by the Haskalah and therefore became less observant.
    – N.T.
    Commented Feb 4 at 9:23
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    @DoubleAA The point of the Enlightenment/haskala was to dethrone religion and replace it with "reason". A good book about the topic is "The PIty of it All" by Amos Elon.
    – N.T.
    Commented Feb 4 at 17:43
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    @N.T. that's nonsense. The enlightenment didn't have "a point". It wasn't a cabal of people who did something with a particular goal. That's historically backwards.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Feb 4 at 17:49

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