Spiritual Iron Dome

 Gaza: Once the ground campaign began in first round of the recent Gaza War, IDF infantry forces were faced with one of the most complicated challenges imaginable – densely urban warfare with fighting from house to house and tunnel to tunnel. Gaza City, and particularly Sejaiah, was one big labyrinth of death traps. In one dreadful firefight, an IDF “Zelda” – a 1970’s model armored personnel carrier – broke down in the middle of a narrow Gaza street. The “Zelda” became a sitting duck and was hit with a Hamas anti-tank missile. The entire crew of seven Golani fighters was killed.
 
Intense combat continued the next day, especially in the north-Gaza towns of Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya and Beit Lahia. Battles reached levels of ferocity that surpassed that of Shejaiah the day before. Yet for thirteen hours – inexplicably – there wasn’t a single Israeli casualty.
 
Miami: Rachel had waited 43 years to become a mother. Despite the tens of thousands of dollars that she and her husband spent on fertility treatments in previous years, nothing helped. The best physicians in the field shrugged their shoulders and told the couple that there was nothing more they could do. Rachel strengthened herself in emuna and put all her trust in Hashem. She was blessed with a viable pregnancy.
 

Two weeks overdue, the doctors wanted to perform a Caesarean Section on Rachel, for a number of medically logical reasons. Rachel insisted on trying to have a natural birth. No one understood her. She was warned that because of her age and her narrow, petite build, the pain would be excruciating. “Please, I must try to have this baby naturally.” For thirteen hours, she grimaced in labor pains that defied description. When the attending physician informed Rachel that the baby was beginning to show signs of distress, she agreed immediately to the operation. Within minutes, the doctors presented her with a healthy baby boy.

During the thirteen hours that Rachel was in labor, not a single Israeli soldier was killed, despite the perils of the fighting in Gaza.

* * *

Could Rachel’s suffering have created a spiritual protective shield for the IDF in Gaza? Although no one can say categorically, it could have been the case. The Gemara teaches that all of Israel – the entire Jewish People – is responsible for one another. Consequently, one person’s tribulations and suffering that he or she accepts lovingly with emuna have a cogent capability of atoning for their family, their community and even the entire Jewish People. Sometimes, we see seemingly “average” people who in truth are prodigious tzaddikim, for by accepting their tribulations, pain and suffering with love, they are the spiritual “Iron Dome” – the protective shield of an entire generation.

The Gemara in tractate Bava Metzia describes how the suffering and tribulations of two tremendous tzaddikim atoned for their entire generations:

Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, aka “Rebbe”, suffered for 13 years from excruciating toothaches. He got them as a result of a strange happening:

Rebbe was once walking to his House of Study when a calf that was being led to slaughter broke loose, ran up to Rebbe, and hid its head in Rebbe’s cloak, as if plead with Rebbe to save it from death. Rebbe said to the calf, “Go to your fate, for to this is the purpose of your being created.” At that moment, a Heavenly Voice or Bat Kol proclaimed from Heaven that, as Rebbe lacked pity on one of Hashem’s creatures, he would be punished with physical suffering. Rebbe suffered for 13 years, but just as his suffering came suddenly, it left suddenly when he took pity on a litter of newborn rats that he prevented his housemaid from killing.

During the thirteen years of Rebbe’s suffering, not a single woman in Israel miscarried nor did anyone die before his time.

Rebbe Elazar, the son of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, made a living as an officer responsible for the apprehension of thieves. His collaboration with the Roman Administration angered the sages, including his teacher Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha. Once, when Rebbe Elazar was once afraid that he unjustly turned someone in to the authorities, he prayed that he should be inflicted with suffering. Every evening he summoned the afflictions, “Come to me, my brothers and friends.” In the morning, he’d send them away so that he would be able to study Torah. Eventually, he found out that the person he had apprehended was in truth a ruthless criminal, so there was no longer need for the suffering.

During the period of Rebbe Elazar’s suffering, a storm at sea had arisen and a ship that hailed from Rebbe Elazar’s town was in grave danger. The sailors cried out in desperation. “Save us, Hashem, for the sake of Rebbe Elazar the son of Rebbe Shimon.” The storm subsided and they were saved.

On his death bed, Rebbe Elazar told his wife, “I know that the sages are angry with me and they probably won’t attend my funeral. Leave me in the attic and do not be afraid.” She followed his wishes and kept him in the attic for nearly twenty years after his death, which caused suffering to his soul. When Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai appeared to the sages in a dream and chastised them for not giving his son a proper burial, they buried him with due honors. The people of the village protested and tried to prevent the burial, for the whole time that Rebbe Elazar lay in the attic instead of in his rightful place in Gan Eden, not a single wild animal or dangerous creature ever appeared in their town.

* * *

Sometimes, even after we make teshuva and thorough self assessment, we still can’t understand why we’re suffering, why our challenges are so difficult or why our tribulations seem so unbearable. But stop and think – maybe right now, there’s a terribly harsh decree on the Jewish People. Maybe one person’s suffering is tipping the scales in our favor and atoning for an entire generation. Perhaps, by virtue of your accepting your tribulations lovingly and with emuna, 100,000 people in Tel Aviv or a whole battalion of Israeli soldiers owes you their lives. Maybe this very minute, as you’re smiling to Hashem and thanking Him for your affliction, a terrorist’s bomb is blowing up in his face. Cheer up, courageous brother or sister – you could be the Iron Dome of our generation and we all owe you our deepest gratitude. When Mashiach comes, he’ll be giving you a hero’s welcome.