Three-Pronged Attack

Translated by Lazer Brody
 
 
These days are days of war. All of us, the whole nation of Israel are fighting, each person in his own way. This is not the time to mince words. This is the time to get up and take action. To do simple acts that can help us all, as well as the soldiers in battle, as we’ll now explain, with Hashem’s help.
 
We must all participate in the three-pronged attack on our enemies, spiritual and physical. We fight on three levels – gratitude and prayer, Torah, and outreach, as follows:
 
Gratitude and Prayer. Baruch Hashem, we have been seeing a lot of wondrous miracles from Hashem’s kindness. It is forbidden for us receive these miracles as something to be expected, or taken for granted, and to just move along with our daily lives as though we are deserving of all of this. Rather, every time we hear wonders of rocket explosions which, through big miracles, end up with no one getting hurt, we should right away thank Hashem and request at length that He keep on guarding us. We should request too, that He bring everyone closer to Him and to wake everyone up with great mercy to thank Him and to pray to Him. We should ask from Hashem that everyone should see these miracles, and that He should truly redeem us. So too, when attacks are successfully thwarted, like we’ve been hearing, we should give thanks and pray with simplicity that always may He successfully thwart their attacks without anyone being injured on our side. And, if our gratitude for the past must never stop, our prayers for the future should never stop.

Israeli aerial attack on Hamas stronghold, Gaza: above image courtesy Chameleon's Eye/ Shutterstock.com

 
Torah. We have learned in the past that the main power that allows one to be successful in war is the power of the Torah. This is what the Gemara says in Sanhedrin (49A), “if it wasn’t for David, then Yoav would not be able to make war”. Rashi explains there that in the merit of David learning Torah, Yoav would then win in war. It is very clear that unification of our people and the power of our people only come from the power of the holy Torah. This too is what the Chatam Sofer writes on the verse, “the voice is the voice of Yaakov, and the hands are the hands of Esav”. Through the ‘voice of Yaakov’ in learning Torah, the ‘hands of Esav’ (which were really those of Yaakov), are strengthened in war. We need to believe that every word of Torah or prayer makes an important effect and literally saves the Jewish people and, in particular, the soldiers on the battlefield. Before learning, making a blessing, praying or performing a mitzvah, say that this is in the merit of helping the soldiers in Gaza.
 
Outreach. We should know that winning the war does not fundamentally help the Jewish people. Even if we wipe out all of our enemies, it wouldn’t solve our problems, because we didn’t come to this world to sit peacefully, but to reach the purpose, which is emuna. As long as there is a lack of emuna, there is no possibility of redemption, like we’ve discussed at length in the past weeks.  Therefore, the only thing thank can tip the scales to bring the Jewish people the complete redemption, is outreach.
 
Baruch Hashem, the Jewish people know deep down what is truly good for them, and in this difficult time where we are seeing on one side, wondrous miracles, whilst on the other side we’re feeling trapped, the Jewish people are raising their eyes to Hashem and the thirst for the word of Hashem and for emuna is growing and growing. My students, who every day are going to the South, and to the army encampments, are received everywhere they go with open arms. There is a huge thirst for emuna outreach, for Tzitzit and for Tefilin. Just as it is clear to everyone that we need to supply the soldiers with food and equipment, it’s no less important to supply them with spiritual food, particularly emuna outreach.
 
Holy Jewish People, open your eyes and see all the tremendous miracles and strengthen yourselves with the real weapons, the spiritual ‘bullet vests’ which are emuna, Torah and Prayer. In so doing, may we merit to witness continued wondrous miracles, and may Hashem bring his sons back home safely and unharmed.
 
Be strong and courageous!