In the blessings that Yaakov gives his children he states "for your salvation we hope, Hashem" . When a person places his hope in Hashem he realizes that there is no person or thing in the world that can redeem him other than Hashem. A person may be in need of salvation on a personal level and of course on a national level as well. Our Sages teach us that after a person dies one of first questions that the heavenly court asks us is whether he was awaiting the redemption (the coming of Moshiach). We have an obligation to realize that we are living in an incomplete world both in terms of physicality and spirituality. As the Ramchal points out, man lives for 70-80 years and most of those years are filled with tests and tribulations. Who do we know that truly has a blissful, stress free life? A person is faced with constant ups and downs and then he dies. Is this what we are living for? Is this the reason why G-d created us? He says that any thinking person would realize that this cannot be the point. The point of our existence is above and beyond our small lives (no matter how big they may be). It is a struggle not to become complacent with our state of life, to realize there is something much bigger and better worth living for, and we must constantly hope for this salvation which should come speedily in our day.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath