1. A moral imperative
For the attention of those who believe that the momentum of the war ended with the release of some of the hostages and the prolonged humanitarian pause. We are patient and willing to wait to free women and children from the clutch of the savages in Gaza, but let there be no doubt: the elimination of Hamas is neither only a military matter nor only a political one; it is a moral imperative: We must eradicate evil from the world after it showed its nature in the atrocities it committed against our sons and daughters. This mission touches on the roots of our existence both as a nation and as the state of the Jewish people and transcends present-day political or diplomatic considerations. The vast majority of Israelis are determined that their leaders and soldiers complete the mission.
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2. The prudent keep silent
The leadership too understands the damage inflicted by the deal with Hamas. The arguments against it have been analyzed infinitely. On the other hand, we are not familiar with the full intelligence picture and the broad strategic considerations facing policymakers and military commanders. We are usually privy to unsubstantiated rumors, expert analyses in TV studios, and partial information. To our great shame, we also witness the wars of the Jews who blame each other in the midst of a decisive battle for our existence. We have not learned sufficiently the lesson of the civil war that broke out during the Great Revolt and led to the destruction of our people and our city in the year 70 CE. And we have already been taught by the prophet Amos, who lived in the eighth century BCE: "Therefore the prudent keep silent at such time, for it is an evil time." We will only be able to examine things in retrospect. Furthermore, we must also be careful not to cooperate unwillingly with the psychological terror being employed against us as the hostages are released. We may become addicted to watching the live broadcasts and forget our ultimate goal: to concentrate on defeating the enemy in a way that leaves no doubt in the Middle East about the fate of those who dared to do such a thing to the people of Israel.
3. Repentance
The unimaginable cruelty displayed by the Hamas terrorists, the surprise that left state institutions paralyzed for many hours and exposed civilians to abuse similar to that we experienced in our exile, the harm inflicted (often knowingly) against peace activists who dedicated their lives to the welfare of Gazans, the sense of existential danger that we all experienced for one day, the threat we face from all fronts and the inevitable connection with the High Holidays in which experienced a bleeding fraternal dispute that ended tragically on Simchat Torah – all these bring and will continue to lead to a great movement of teshuva (repentance). Perhaps greater than that we experienced after the Yom Kippur War. Public consciousness is flooded by such questions: Why us? Is this our fate? Is this really the meaning of "You chose us from all the nations"? In what way is our identity as Jews expressed?
Repentance is first and foremost a return to our ancient sources, the spring of the generations from which our people drank and with which it strived with God and with men and prevailed but paid a heavy price for staying faithful to its identity. However, repentance will not necessarily be religious, but also awakening from the belief that it is possible to make peace with our enemies, understanding that at the end of the day, the difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is only in the ability to harm us. As we heard from senior PA official Jibril Rajoub – once a sought-after star in the "right salons" as a partner for peace – the October 7 massacre was justified, and Hamas is an integral part of Palestinian society.
Repentance must also be from the self-denial we wrapped ourselves in for a generation, the belief that we could establish here a European country that speaks the language of universalism and leave behind the vast textual tower that we built throughout history. At this time, we draw strength from the springs of faith and connect to our ancient roots, extracting from the prison of double quotation marks concepts that we once despised, and which today are necessary to overcome the catastrophe and fight for our existence in the land of our ancestral delight.
4. Renewing our flame
The spirit of 1948 reverberates within us anew, a spirit that comes to us from the depth of our historical memory, from the depths of our national identity, from the wells of our ancient faith. Isaiah describes our land as "giving breath to the people upon it, and life to those who walk thereon." When we return to it after such a long separation and walk upon it, our ancient spirit is resurrected. And later it determines our historic destiny: "I God, in my grace, have summoned you and I have grasped you by the hand. I created you and appointed you a covenant people, a light of nations."
I am aware of the cynicism and the voices that still make the old perceptions heard, that accuse the other and demand achievements "now," just like in the days before the new era that began the day after Simchat Torah. If there's anything we've realized, it's that we can't manage alone, everyone to their own. We need each other. Let us not be alarmed by what seems to be a cliché; the clichés were also shattered on the rocks of reality on October 7. I ask each and every one touched by this spirit not to deny it, not to be ashamed of it, but to welcome it and become renewed by it. "He satisfies you with good things in the prime of life, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" Our sages explained this verse as being about the phoenix which in its old age is renewed and returns to its youth. There is hope for us in our later years.
5. Because you strived and prevailed
We began our new era with Genesis, with the foundational book with which we entered history, we strived with challenges that no other nation has experienced, and we were able to overcome them. This Shabbat we read the Torah portion that gives us our name: Israel. "Jacob was left alone. And a figure wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When he saw that he had not prevailed…Then he said, "Let me go, for dawn is breaking." But he answered, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." Said the other, "What is your name?" He replied, "Jacob." Said he, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and man, and have prevailed."
The story of Jacob is the story of our people: "You are alone," says to us the third of our forefathers, "just as I was alone. On your historical path, you will meet friends to the route, but at the moment of truth, you will have to struggle on your own. Twenty years earlier, when he fled from Esau, Jacob was alone on the route, accompanied only by the dream of the ladder and God's promise to guard him. Now, after returning from a long exile to the ancient motherland, Jacob once again stands alone facing the danger of death. His family and his people crossed the Jabbok River, and he remained on the other bank of the river. "Ivri" (Hebrew – the other side) notes the midrash: "The entire world was on one side, and he was on the other side."
But if then, "before the new era," the previous Jacob, an upright man who dwelled in camp, would have fled, now - after being educated in the academy of life in Laban's house and learned to strive with the dangers of the world - he no longer flees but turns around and fights the enemy who once forced him to flee from his home. And not only does Jacob defeat his enemy, but forces him to bless him, that is, to admit that his inheritance came to him justly and that the land is his land. It is only then that we received our historical name, "Israel," which contains struggle and heroism along with divine power. "For you have striven with God and man and have prevailed." Absolutely.
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