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METZORA 5784
Confronting the Enemy
Rabbi Andrew Shaw Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK
We all held our breath and prayed.
Last Motzei Shabbat as hundreds of missiles streaked across the night sky, heading towards Israel, launched by the evil regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, millions of Israelis, including my son, headed to bomb shelters
Prayer services were held in person and online across the UK and other countries where Shabbat had already nished.
I was in communication with a close friend.
He was in his safe room with his family, ‘The street Whatsapp group is petri ed’ he said to me at 2:14am Israel time.
However, as we all now know, 99% of all the missiles and drones were destroyed by a combination of Israel’s incredible air defence system, tremendous help from our allies and Hashem protecting his people.
The ability to stop the missiles was so successful that my friend posted later ‘The bin men are back collecting rubbish. I’m in awe’.
In fact, the whole of Israel went pretty much back to normal Israel had suffered the greatest attack on its soil by another country for over 50 years and yet, due to the genius of the Iron Dome and Arrow systems, apart from huge nancial cost, the country was relatively unscathed.
Later that day we saw pictures of the downed missiles, they were huge, some carrying 750kg of explosives! If they had hit Israel, the damage and loss of life could have been horrendous
This is similar to the tens of thousands of rockets red by Hamas over the last 18 years, the majority since 2012 Again, without the Iron Dome since 2011, who knows how many Israelis would have been killed and wounded.
However, Iran and Hamas’ failed attacks got me thinking, and I want to share with you an idea that has been bothering me since October 7th and has only been accentuated since the failed Iranian attack.
Just imagine if we didn’t have the Iron Dome since 2011 What would have happened if the missiles red would have God forbid not been intercepted and caused tremendous damage and loss of life? Maybe Israel would have come to their realisation of October 7th, that Hamas must be eradicated, that we cannot live with them having the ability to cause such damage, loss of life and commit horrendous terrorist activity. Israel never needed to reach that conclusion over the years, because the pain never came. Israel was able to carry on with life as normal whilst the Iron Dome protected them.
So, Hamas carried on for years, building tunnels, creating the infrastructure that allowed October 7th and subsequent war to occur, the horrendous event that nally made Israel realise the need to destroy Hamas once and for all. Yet, all those years of building has made it so dif cult to achieve victory against the terrorist entity.
Yet my message today is not about whether the outcome of the Iron Dome has had some negative policy effects That is a discussion for politicians and the military I want to focus on the idea of how avoiding the issues and minimising of pain can, in the long run, do more harm than good in our personal lives.
All lives are complicated. We have good days and bad days. Our mission in life, according to the Torah, is to strive to live lives dedicated to Torah and mitzvot and to take responsibilities for our actions.
As the wise son asks in the Seder:
What does the wise [son] say? “What are these testimonies, statutes and judgments that the Lord our God commanded you?” (Deuteronomy 6:20)
He understands the complexities and depth of Jewish living. He understands that Hashem has entrusted us with the ability, through our decisions, to deal with a myriad of challenges. He helps us navigate through a complex world with the tool of a Divine guidebook, which allows us to steer ourselves correctly through the moral mine eld that is the world around us.
However, there are also ways to avoid those dif cult decisions and escape from our ultimate responsibilities – let me explain.
I remember the incident vividly; it happened while I was a student at Leeds University
I’d had a bad day, I can’t remember what the exact issue was, family issues, university issues, social issues, I just remember that I walked into my friend’s room at Hillel feeling very upset and down.
I was greeted by about eight of my friends smiling and laughing. They were all stoned and very merry They saw my face and demeanour and one of them said “Relax, escape from your worries, join us”. By that stage in my life I’d already spent a year and a bit in Yeshiva and as a religious Jew, I already had the knowledge and the strength to reply the way I did. “Thanks, but I need to deal with my worries, not escape from them – see you later”.
I closed the door and walked away, more determined than ever to sort out the issues that were plaguing me
Our society has come up with many protections to avoid us feeling pain and actually dealing with the issues at hand. Some are harmless, yet others such as drugs, alcohol or other vices, in the short term numb the pain, but do not banish the problem. In fact, refusal to deal with the problem can cause it to grow and become a much bigger factor down the line.
Pesach allows us to come face to face with the remarkable story of our people, but it also should remind us of the covenant we forged in Egypt and solidi ed at Sinai with Hashem, that our job in life is not to escape from the issues, but to deal with them and come out the other side stronger. Using Torah as the guide to grow from the bad as well as the good. It is not easy, but that is what is expected of us.
I thank Hashem that Iran’s attack was a failure and I marvel at the technologies that allowed the attack to be thwarted.
However, just as in our personal lives, sometimes we need to realise that the short term numbing of pain can lead to longer term problems.
Regardless of past decisions, we must hope and pray that Israel can defeat its enemies, rescue and free the hostages and ultimately bring peace and security to the whole region.
We are once again living the words of V’Hi Shemda:
In each generation, they stand [against] us to destroy us, but the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues us from their hand.
And once again, Hashem is guarding His people.
In our personal lives, we must always be aware of our spiritual as well as our physical enemies and strive to ght and be victorious against those forces trying to hold us back in realising our true potential
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Kasher Vesameach
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