I am not a military analyst nor a media pundit, so I will not use this space to describe what is currently happening in the Middle East, but clearly, we are now living through historic events. Israel’s Operation Rising Lion will go down as a defining moment in history on multiple levels, and I’d like to share with you what came to mind as I studied today’s Torah portion.
The weekly parsha is divided into seven parts, corresponding to the seven days of the week, and we are called upon to “live with” and be inspired by the portion corresponding to that day.
This week, we continue reading about the process of the Israelites' forty-year journey through the desert. There was a divine cloud hovering above the Tabernacle at all times. When it lifted, that was the sign that it was time to pack up and start traveling behind it to the next destination. The priests prepared the Holy Ark and the rest of the holy furniture for transportation, and the Levites dismantled the tabernacle and loaded its parts onto wagons. With the blast of trumpets, millions of Jews followed the lead cloud in a preordained order. An ark containing the broken shards of the first set of Two Tablets was carried in front of the procession, and together with the lead cloud, it paved the way for the journey by flattening mountains and hills and killing all dangerous desert beasts. Today’s portion opens with: Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Arise, G-d! May Your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate You flee from You.” These immortal words are recited when we open the Holy Ark during synagogue services before the reading of the Torah, and they jumped out to me today with profound relevance. As we continue journeying through the wilderness of history to the “promised land” of the Messianic era, we are led by G-d who scatters our enemies. While the mechanics of Operation Rising Lion happened through many years of meticulous and outstanding intelligence and military work, its brilliant success is an epic miracle. Let us give joyful thanks to G-d for the many miracles, and may we be strengthened in our confidence and trust in G-d that what follows will bring the entire region to an era of true peace and tranquility. As our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land continue to shelter in place, please do an extra mitzvah and add another prayer in their merit, and may this Shabbos be a restful and joyful one for us all.