Rabbi Eli J. Mansour 

Reflecting on the shock and horror into which we were all thrust upon hearing the news of the barbaric atrocities perpetrated against our brothers and sisters in Israel, a verse from the Book of Beresheet – which we started reading that week – came to mind. 

Yosef told his brothers that he dreamt that “anahnu me’alemim alumim betoch hasadeh – we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field” (37:7).  The root of the words “me’alemim” and “alumim” is a.l.m., which can also mean “mute.”  In addition to the primary reading of the text, which refers to Yosef’s vision of himself and his brothers collecting sheaves of grain, Yosef was also foreseeing a time when their descendants would be “mute” – and not just mute, but doubly mute.  A mute person is capable of nonverbal communication, expressing himself through various gestures and motions.  Yosef described a reality of “me’alemim alumim,” where people are not only mute in the sense of being unable to speak, but also in the inability to express themselves at all.   

This is what happened to all of us, and to people around the world, in the wake of the horrific attack on Israel this past Simhat Torah.  Even professional news reporters with years of experience relaying information, and reporting on horrible tragedies, broke down while reporting on what happened in Israel.  All of us felt “mute,” not knowing what to say, not knowing how to react, in the face of such an unspeakable atrocity. 

However, Yosef’s prediction does not end there.  He continues, “vehineh kama alumati vegam nitzavah – and behold, my sheaf rose, and also stood upright.”  Yosef foresaw that although we will experience horrors that will make us “mute,” that will paralyze us, we will rise again, to even greater heights.  We will not remain paralyzed.  We will rise from the sorrow, pain and trauma of the tragedy, and stand tall and proud yet again. 

The question that we must all ask ourselves, then, is how we do this.  How do we rise from the depths of despair after what our nation just suffered? 

I would like to humbly present one insight which shows us at least what we must not be doing at this time, if we want to recover and stand tall once again. 

What the Rabbis of the Talmud Wished Not to See 

The Gemara in Masechet Sanhedrin (98b) tells that a number of the greatest Amoraim (Talmudic sages) expressed a wish regarding the time of Mashiah’s arrival.  They prayed, “Yeteh velo ihmineh – Let it come, but I wish not to see it.”  They of course prayed that Mashiah should arrive, but they also prayed not to “see” the events unfold. 

The conventional understanding of this prayer, which is how I had always read it, is that the period preceding Mashiah’s arrival will be fraught with hardships and will be characterized by the moral deterioration of society.  The Mishnah at the end of Masechet Sotah describes that in the final generation before Mashiah, the young will not respect the old, and societal norms will break down.  The Amoraim thus prayed not to witness this moral collapse. 

In light of the recent events, however, I would propose an additional reading.  Perhaps, these Amoraim foresaw that in the generation before Mashiah, it will be possible to “see” everything.  Events will be photographed and filmed, and will instantly be made available – or even shown live – to everyone in the world.  And these rabbis implored us not to see everything, not to spend our time looking upon the terrible atrocities that will occur. 

The Gemara tells the story of Elisha ben Avuyah, who was among the greatest sages of his time.  He was the teacher of the great Rabbi Meir, one of the most important Tannaim (rabbis of the Mishnah).  Unfortunately, however, Elisha ben Avuyah ended up becoming an apostate, rejecting Torah observance.  He deviated so far from Torah belief and practice that the rabbis derisively referred to him as “Aher” (“the other”), not willing to even mention his name.  The Gemara (Hullin 142a) relates that Elisha was led to apostasy because of a gruesome and tragic site which he beheld during the period of the Romans’ persecution of the Jews.  There was a great rabbi named Rabbi Hutzpit Ha’meturgeman, who worked as the “voice” of the rabbis, loudly projecting the rabbis’ words to large crowds during lectures.  The Romans cruelly removed the Rabbi Hutzpit’s tongue from his mouth, and threw it into the trash.  Elisha ben Avuyah could not fathom how this tongue, which was used to communicate the sacred words of the Torah, disseminating Torah knowledge to thousands of students, could end up in a garbage heap.  This sight shook Elisha to his core, and, unfortunately, he never recovered.  The disturbing thoughts and questions led him along a downward spiral, to the depths of apostasy. 

If this is what happened to Elisha ben Avuyah, an outstanding Torah sage, then we are certainly at risk of endangering our souls by seeing the gruesome sights that our barbaric enemies spread through all the various media channels.  A crucial part of their strategy is to demoralize us, to shake our faith, to make us feel scared and vulnerable.  The gruesome photographs and footage which they purposefully and revoltingly broadcast are intended to do just that.  We must not fall into the trap.   

This might be the meaning of the Amoraim’s prayer, “Let it come, but I wish not to see it.”  They were not only praying, but also warning us not to look, not to see what our enemies want us to see.  If viewing such images could ruin Elisha ben Avuyah, then it can certainly ruin us, Heaven forbid. 

In order to transition from “me’alemim alumim” to “kama alumati vegam nitzavah,” from the shock and paralysis we experienced at the beginning of this war, to regaining our strength and confidence, we must avoid the awful sights that will only paralyze us further. 

More generally, we must resist the temptation to be glued to our devices, following the developments.  Certainly, it is important to stay informed.  It is important for us to know what is happening.  But we do not need to be checking the news every ten minutes, or even hourly.  This is not productive, and, even worse, it can be destructive.  It can paralyze us and crush our spirits. 

Imagine one of our beloved IDF soldiers is in the middle of an intense battle, and he decides to pause every ten minutes to check his phone to get the latest news.  This would obviously be terribly irresponsible, and perhaps grounds for being court-martialed.  We, too, are in the battlefield.  We of course aren’t doing the actual fighting on the ground, but we all have a role to play.  We are helping Am Yisrael during this crisis through our mitzvot, our Torah learning, our Tehillim, our prayers, our hesed, our charity, and our efforts to grow.  Watching the news accomplishes none of these goals.  It diverts our attention away from what we need to be doing, and also saps us of the emotional energy we need to get things done.  We need to curb this urge and direct our minds toward the important, valuable activities that we ought to spend our time involved in.  We, too, are “soldiers” in this war.   

“I Know Their Pain” 

Instead of focusing our attention on the scope of the horror and the atrocities perpetrated against our people, let us focus instead on the reasons for hope for the future. 

When Gd spoke to Moshe for the first time, at the burning bush, He informed Moshe that He would soon be redeeming Beneh Yisrael from Egypt.  He began by saying, “I have seen the torment of My nation that is in Egypt, and I have heard their cries…and I have indeed known their pain” (Shemot 3:7).  We might wonder what is added by the final clause in this verse – “ki yadati et mach’ovav – I have indeed known their pain.”  If Gd has “seen the torment” and “heard their cries,” then He certainly “knows their pain.”  What, then, did He mean when spoke of “knowing” the pain they were enduring? 

The answer emerges from an analogy to a father who brings his ailing son to the doctor for a critically important but exceedingly painful procedure.  During the procedure, the boy cries out in pain.  The father finds it very difficult to see his beloved child’s pain, but he realizes that the procedure must be done.  But after hearing the boy cry frantically for an extended period of time, the father can no longer take it.  He tells the doctor to stop.  He just can’t bear to see his precious child suffer so terribly. 

Gd had informed Avraham Avinu that his descendants would be oppressed for 400 years (Beresheet 15:13).  However, after just 210 years, He said, as it were, “I can’t take it anymore!”  For reasons we cannot understand, Gd determined that Beneh Yisrael needed to endure a 400-year period of oppression, to prepare them for the mission that they were assigned to fulfill.  But after 210 years, He “knew their pain.”  It was too much for Him to bear, so-to-speak.  We are Hashem’s beloved children, and He feels our pain.  Our suffering is His suffering, and so at a certain pain, He is compelled, as it were, to end it. 

Now, too, Gd has brought us onto the “operating table,” having determined that we need to undergo a difficult “procedure.”  But we can draw comfort from our firm belief that Gd feels every bit of pain that has been suffered.  The grief is incalculable – grief over every precious life that was so cruelly taken, for every family that has been destroyed, for every community that has been burned to the ground – but we know that our Father is grieving along with us.  We are confident that He cannot handle this intolerable pain any more than we can, that He cannot bear to see His cherished children suffer.  And so we can rest assured that He will soon take us off the “operating table,” and alleviate our pain and suffering. 

The tragedies and crisis which have befallen us had the effect of “me’alemim alumim,” of paralyzing us, but let us ensure not to get stuck in our paralysis.  We have the power to rise from the depths of sorrow and despair.  And this process begins with firm, steadfast emunah in Hashem’s boundless love for His people, and the realization that He cannot bear to see us writhing in pain.  Just as He stepped in to redeem our ancestors from Egypt, may He soon step in to redeem us from our current troubles, and bring us Mashiah speedily and in our times, amen.  

Rabbi Joey Haber 

On Shabbat, October 7, which in Israel was celebrated as Simhat Torah (in Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah are combined into a single day), Israelis who were still in the synagogue – and were not in bomb shelters or called for emergency military duty – read the first chapter of the Torah.  Each year, on Simhat Torah, we complete the annual Torah reading cycle with the reading of the final portion, Parashat Vezot Haberachah, and we then immediately proceed to the beginning of the Torah, which tells of Gd’s creation of the world.   

Rashi, in his comments to the opening verse of the Torah, draws our attention to the fact that in the story of creation, Gd is referred to as “Elokim,” a Name which refers to midat hadin – Gd’s attribute of strict justice, His meting out punishment to those who act wrongly.  Later (2:4), however, the Torah says that the world was created by “Hashem Elokim” – using both the name “Elokim” and the Name of “Havayah,” which expresses Gd’s compassion, kindness and forgiveness.  Rashi explains that initially, Gd planned to govern the world with strict justice, giving people precisely they deserve.  But He then saw that the world could not survive if it is governed according to this unyielding standard, so He introduced the midat harahamim, the element of compassion. 

Rashi here is teaching us that Gd’s governance of the world is characterized by a combination of din and rahamim – justice and compassion.  We of course hope, wish and pray that He always shower us with blessing, with joy and prosperity.  But this is not how the world works.  For reasons which we can never and will never understand, pain and sorrow are part of our world.  There is so much goodness in the world, so much to celebrate and be grateful for, but there is also a great deal of pain.  There is both din and rahamim. 

Anybody who thinks they know why Gd brought the unfathomable catastrophe that struck the Jewish world on Simhat Torah is terribly mistaken.  I object very strongly to those who pointed to the two Shabbat-observant towns near the Gaza border that were spared because their gates were locked, as proof that the other communities were massacred because they did not observe Shabbat.  Anyone who makes such a claim must ask themselves how they would explain the deaths of 45 of the most righteous, Torah-committed Jews anywhere, on Lag Ba’omer two years ago.  We have no idea why Gd does what He does.  All we know is that the world is run by “Hashem Elokim.”  He bestows upon us an abundance of grace and kindness, and also, for reasons we’ll never know, He brings pain.  We must humbly accept that there are things we do not and will not understand, and accept that pain is part of the human experience. 

King David’s Song 

One of the many crises which King David faced during his life was the armed revolt mounted by his own son, Avshalom.  Unimaginably, Avshalom set out to kill David so he could become king, forcing David to flee from Jerusalem.  David composed one of the chapters of Tehillim (3) as he fled, pleading to Gd for help.  He introduced this prayer with the words “Mizmor leDavid” – “A song by David.”  The word “mizmor” refers to a joyous, upbeat song.  The Gemara (Berachot 7b) thus wonders why David would use this term to describe the impassioned prayer he prayed at such a painful moment.  The Gemara answers that David knew that he would be pursued (as Gd had warned of punishment for the sin he had committed), and he feared he would be pursued by some lowly slave.  He found a small degree of comfort in the fact that the revolt was led by his son. 

The commentators ask, didn’t this make the ordeal even more painful for David?  Would it not have been less devastating if somebody else, and not his own son, rose against him? 

The answer given is that David was saying that he clearly saw this crisis as Gd’s doing.  The fact that what happened makes no sense at all – in that a son rose against his father and tried to kill him – reinforced his emunah (faith).  Something like this could happen only because Hashem decided it could happen.  Events as tragic and senseless as this cannot be explained in any other way than as the hand of Hashem.  David thus found a modicum of solace in his firm belief that Gd, in His infinite wisdom, decided that this should be done. 

We can apply this concept to the unspeakable horrors of October 7th.  I am certain that I speak for all of us when I say that the reports at first seemed to defy belief.  It was all but impossible to accept that Israel’s state-of-the-art technology, world-leading military intelligence, and powerful army could not stop something like this from happening.  Terrorists freely walking through Israeli towns and kibbutzim for hours, killing, torturing and abducting – it just makes no sense that this could happen.  A tragedy – and military intelligence failure – of this magnitude is simply beyond comprehension.  It seems impossible.  And this should reaffirm our belief that Gd decided, for reasons which we will never understand and should never attempt to understand, that this should happen. 

Now What? 

Elie Wiesel, perhaps the most famous Holocaust survivor, who wrote extensively about the atrocities he witnessed and experienced, described also his thoughts and reflections after the Holocaust.  He writes that for several years; he spent every waking hour trying to figure out why Gd would do this to His people.  He could not free his mind from the vexing question of how such an atrocity – the murder of thousands of Jews each day for several years – could take place.  Finally, he writes, he came to the realization that this was the wrong question to ask.  The question that he should be asking was not “why,” but “what.”  Rather than wondering why Gd could let this happen – a question which has no answer that the limited human mind could comprehend – he should be asking, “What do I do now?  What do I do about it?” 

There is no sense in asking why Gd allowed our enemies to perpetrate such a gruesome atrocity on October 7th.  We will never have an answer.  Instead, we need to ask ourselves how we should respond, what we must do now in the aftermath of that unspeakable horror. 

Countless wonderful people across the world – including here in our community – have shown that they know the answer.  Over 150,000 Israelis dropped everything and flew to Israel to join the reserves and fight.  An Orthodox Jewish man went to the El-Al counter at JFK and stood with his credit card, paying for 250 tickets of reservists hurrying home to defend their country.  A non-kosher restaurant in Tel-Aviv koshered its kitchen so that it could prepare free meals for soldiers, so that even the religiously observant soldiers could enjoy them.  Pictures circulated of soldiers in their tanks with their rifle, their equipment – and a Gemara.  An enormous facility in Tel-Aviv was filled to capacity with people preparing boxes of food and supplies for soldiers.  A command center was set up to help locate the missing.  Israelis waited for hours on line to donate blood to the wounded.  Shuls and study halls all over the world were filled to capacity with all kinds of Jews united in prayer on behalf of our imperiled brothers and sisters.   

Everybody can do something.  Some people can fight in the war, others can donate time, some can donate money, some can offer counseling and encouragement.  But there’s also something else that each and every one of us can do – change.  We can all become better.  We can all grow.  This is also part of our obligation at this time – to work on ourselves, to strive to be better. 

Before Gd created Adam and Havah, He announced, “Na’aseh adam – Let us make man” (1:26).  Many commentators noted that Gd appeared to be speaking to someone when He decided to create the first human being.  Rashi famously explains that Gd “consulted,” as it were, with the angels, in order to teach us about humility.  But the Imreh Emet offers a different interpretation, explaining that Gd here addressed the human being that He was about to create.  He was telling him, “We’re going to make you together.  I’ll create the physical form, and grant you great capabilities and potential, and then you will work to harness all this potential and become great.”  We are here in this world to grow, to work to be better, to continue the process of our own creation.   

When we ask ourselves, “What now,” what we should be doing in response to the dreadful tragedy that has befallen our people, we need to look into ourselves and see where we need to improve.  We must hear the call of “Na’aseh adam,” and commit to continue “creating” ourselves, making ourselves better.   

Grabbing Hold of the Torah 

The horrors of October 7th would be unthinkably tragic on any date, but the fact that it occurred on Simhat Torah, one of the most joyous and festive days of the year, added to the pain and shock that we all experienced.  Might there be something we can take from the date of this unspeakable atrocity?  Was there perhaps some message that Gd was sending us by bringing this calamity upon us specifically on Simhat Torah? 

We celebrate Simhat Torah by joyously dancing with the Sefer Torah, celebrating our connection to the Torah.  This day teaches us that we need to hold onto the Torah tightly, and with steadfast devotion.  If Gd decided that this tragedy should befall us specifically on Simhat Torah, He perhaps was sending the message that when we confront challenges, we need to tighten our grip on the Torah.  In order to respond properly to this tragedy, and to the ongoing threats and dangers to our people, we must grab hold of the Torah, and redouble our efforts to study and observe it. 

Baruch Hashem, our community has grown in its Torah observance over the years in leaps and bounds.  Nevertheless, there is still plenty of work to do.  Too many families, congregations, and institutions are plagued by strife and petty infighting.  We tolerate far too much hatred and friction.  Additionally, we tolerate far too much immorality, and inappropriate behavior.  If one would have been in our synagogues early on weekday mornings during the first part of Elul, in August, he would have been moved and inspired by the large turnout for the special Selihot prayers and learning.  But if that same person would have walked around on Shabbat and Sunday afternoon during those weeks, and see how people were spending their time, he would have no idea that it was Elul, a time for introspection and growth.  We need to do better. 

Reciting several chapters of Tehillim each day on behalf of our courageous soldiers and the wounded is beautiful, but it’s not enough.  We need to make concrete changes in our lives.  We need to tighten our hold of the Torah.  And this includes resolving to be kinder, more understanding and less critical of other people, and to conduct ourselves in a manner that is consistent with Torah law and Torah values. 

If we succeed in making real changes, then we will emerge from this horrific situation better and stronger people, and a better and stronger community.  We can bring honor to our fallen brothers and sisters by approaching this tragedy as a wakeup call to grow and improve, to renew our commitment to one another and to Hashem.   

May Gd bring comfort to all those who are grieving, restore the health of those who are wounded, assist our beloved soldiers who are heroically fighting to defend our nation, and swiftly bring us Mashiah so that we may never know more pain or sorrow, amen. 

Israeli soldiers in the IDF are putting their lives on the line to fight against terrorism.  

Many people wonder how they can help Israel and Israeli soldiers. There are many ways – food packages, letters, fighting for Israel’s good name across the world, and more. Everyone connects to different things. Saying a prayer for soldiers in Israel is another way to help from near and far. Gd wants to hear us pray. We can ask Him to keep our soldiers safe either in our own words or in a set text. There is a special prayer known as the “Mi she’beirach” for the IDF soldiers. 

Mi she’beirach for the IDF soldiers in Hebrew  

Israeli soldiers in the IDF are putting their lives on the line to fight against terrorism.  

Many people wonder how they can help Israel and Israeli soldiers. There are many ways – food packages, letters, fighting for Israel’s good name across the world, and more. Everyone connects to different things. Saying a prayer for soldiers in Israel is another way to help from near and far. Gd wants to hear us pray. We can ask Him to keep our soldiers safe either in our own words or in a set text. There is a special prayer known as the “Mi she’beirach” for the IDF soldiers. 

Prayer for IDF Soldiers

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Forces, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our Gd, from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighters from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May He lead our enemies under our soldiers’ sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is the Lord your Gd, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you; and let us say, Amen.

Soldiers on Active Duty from the Syrian Community 

Moshe Alouf Moshe Chaim ben Ilana 

Raymond Arking Rachamim ben Freida 

Yair Atik (Barkai Family) 

Elidan Haim Cohen Elidan Haim ben Evonne  

Oded Zion Cohen Oded Zion ben Evonne 

Elliot Dweck Eliyahu ben Rachel 

Gaby Dweck Gabriella bat Rachel 

Talya Dweck Talia bat Rachel 

Rafi Ehrlich Raphael ben Batya 

Moshe Esses Moshe Yedidya ben Naomi 

Joey Faur Yosef ben Ella 

Hadassah Faur (Spouse of Joey Faur) 

Asher Friedburg Asher ben Linda 

Yaakov Grunsfeld Yaakov ben Bahia 

Adam Henderson Adam ben Jaklyn 

Joshua Hidary Yehoshua ben Sarah 

Daniel Mestel Daniel ben Rhonda 

Ronnie Novick Aharon ben Rachel 

Max Shemtob Mordechai ben David 

Akiva Strauss Shelomo Akiva ben Chaya Sarah 

Shlomo Zalta Shlomo ben Claudia 

Jesse Zeit Yom Tob ben David 

Asher Asher ben Devorah 

Ben Benyamin ben Naomi 

Yekutiel Yekutiel Kalman ben Bluma Tsirka Michal 

DAVE GORDON 

Israel was totally caught off guard, as the terrorist organization Hamas launched a highly coordinated, wide-ranging, and devastating attack on Saturday morning, October 7th. In a multi-pronged operation, terrorists infiltrated Israel from Gaza, resulting in unprecedented murder and destruction. This horrifying assault, which occurred almost exactly fifty years after the Yom Kippur War, left the nation outraged, in shock, and mourning. It was the worst terror attack in the history of modern Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war on Hamas, with the Israeli Defence Forces calling up 300,000 active-duty soldiers and reservists.  

One Journalist’s Take 

A Ramat Beit Shemesh-based journalist for an English-language publication, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that she fled to her nearby shelter six times that Saturday morning.
 

“Since it was Shabbat/Simchat Torah, we didn’t realize the gravity of the situation, as we’re used to hearing sirens every now and then and running to a shelter. In the afternoon, security personnel warned everyone not to hang around outside,” she said.
 

“Everyone is shocked that this could happen in the State of Israel and at how Hamas managed to do this. It was a pogrom. People are sad about the hundreds of deaths and worried about the hostages, grief-stricken, but we are also confident that we’ll win this war. We are prepared, though, for a long haul.  

“We are hoping this time, we’ll destroy them rather than come out with a band-aid kind of win, where you know it will only happen again, especially with all the fatalities this time. We hope the country will be more unified after almost a year of profound division.” 

Guns and Rockets 

Hamas terrorists went home by home targeting civilians. They also surrounded an open-air Supernova music festival attended by young Israelis, murdering  approximately three hundred Israelis in cold blood. 

Reports indicate that five thousand Hamas missiles rained down on Israel throughout the day across the country. The relentless barrage caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure and claimed hundreds of lives. As of this writing, about a hundred Israelis – men, women, and children – were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, who are threatening to execute them if Israel persists in its counteroffensive. 

Hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens sought refuge in bomb shelters, living in constant fear for their safety. The attack shook the nation to its core, leading many to call it “Israel’s 9/11” due to the element of surprise, the scale of the attacks, and the unprecedented death toll. 

As of this report, over 1,200 Israelis were reported dead, and dozens of Israeli men and women in uniform lost their lives while fighting Hamas. The wounded numbered in the thousands. The death toll of Jews murdered in a single day reached a level not seen since the Holocaust.  

“Imagine if the tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid actually helped the people of Gaza. Imagine if the tens of billions spent on terror tunnels and weaponry, built hospitals and infrastructure,” said Randy Zelcer, of Ramat Beit Shemesh. “As Golda Meir once said, correctly, ‘We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.’” 

Two days later, pro-Hamas rallies took place in major cities around the world, raising concerns about the spread of radical ideologies, as well as potential local attacks against Jews. 

“Tens of thousands of people are supporting savagery, barbarism? Any reasonable person knows Israel isn’t putting up walls just for kicks. It’s precisely because they know if they don’t, an attack like this would happen writ large, every day,” said Yehudi Ben Simon, from Tel Aviv. “What you see isn’t ‘resistance.’ What this is, is genocide, motivated by Islamism.” 

An Owner of Apartments from Tel Aviv 

Also in Tel Aviv, two Hamas missiles landed two blocks away from where tourist Brad Neufeld is staying. (Gaza is 80 km from Tel Aviv – roughly the distance between Coney Island and Norwalk, Connecticut.) A local landlord near Ben Yehuda and Trumpeldor streets has offered twenty empty apartments to those who cannot return to their homes. A fundraising drive has collected furniture and toys to fill the apartments. Ten blood drives were set up simultaneously, the landlord added, while residents filled supermarket carts to donate supplies to those in need. 

“The dichotomy between the togetherness that I’m seeing today, and that animosity (of judicial reform protests) that was there a few weeks ago is astounding. It’s almost as if people are so focused on trying to help and do whatever they can,” he said. 

“I think the other piece that is also out there is that everybody knows someone that is impacted – whether they knew someone who lives down there, that went to the music festival, was called to the reserves and is fighting in the war or has friends missing. There is a true sense that everyone is in this together. That part of it is also moving.” 

A representative of Magen David Adom said that there are currently 2,576 ambulances in action across the country. During rescues, Magen David Adom has had many of its vehicles damaged, and they now need three hundred more.  

Comments from a Haifa Resident  

Jason Swirsky, a Haifa-based SEO manager, said many members of his community have been called into service. 

Swirsky’s 18-year-old daughter works at an administrative job at army headquarters in Tel Aviv. Her role has switched from a day job to working 24-hour shifts. Swirsky said his children are “really struggling emotionally with the whole thing.” 

Schools have been closed until further notice. 

“My eight-year-old has been having a really hard time processing. Saturday night he was up almost the entire night. Since then, we have put a limit of how much information we share around the younger kids,” Swirsky said. 

“My impression of the general consensus is that Israel is going to rescue the hostages and make Hamas pay the price for their cruelty and pure evil. The days of letting them off the hook of the past are over. People are also wondering how in the world did Hamas get over the most sophisticated well defended border in the world? Someone had to have dropped the ball somewhere. At the same time, seems to be a consensus that this is not the time for finger pointing.” 

Hillel Fuld Weighs In 

Israeli consultant and marketing expert Hillel Fuld, in an interview with Daily Thread, said, “This was like twenty-two 9/11s.  

“If I am to find a cup-half-full, it is: what was, will no longer be. Whether that means no more Hamas, or we take over Gaza, whether that means we have complete control over what comes in and what comes out.” 

Fuld notes that when Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005, it was “tragic, undemocratic in every conceivable way. These morons in the Knesset literally got up and said, ‘People are scared there’s going to be rockets in the South? Gimme a break.’ 

“You’d think they’d get up and say, ‘Sorry, I was wrong.’ Guess how many people said that? Zero. It’s not a question of taking it over. It’s a question of correcting a mistake of unprecedented proportions. I do hope at the end of the day, this will change the equation, globally. I do think that will be the case.” 

While many in the global community have pledged to remove funding from the Gaza Strip, Fuld said, “That’s a positive thing. They are changing their tune.” 

Colonel Grisha Yakubovich 

Col. (ret.) Grisha Yakubovich is an expert on Gaza and is a consultant to the Ministry of Intelligence. He said,  

“Fifty years after the Yom Kippur war, we failed again. I’m saying it – we failed again.” He noted the parallel in being caught off guard and the high number of casualties. 

“Hamas took three hundred Fatah, shot them in the legs, and tossed them off buildings. If they did that to their brothers, do you not think they’d do that to us?” he asked. “Hamas finally told the world who they are.” 

The Israelis provide 20 million cubic meters of water each year to Gaza free of charge, Yakubovich said, and when the counteroffensive began the taps were shut off. “It’s not to punish [ordinary] Gazans…we will do whatever is needed to crush Hamas and bring the hostages back home.” He further noted that Arab-Israeli leaders have shown their support for Israel, and during the attack, Israeli Bedouins called the police and showed them where terrorists were hiding.  

Major General Amos Yadlin  

Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin is a former fighter pilot and general in the Israeli Air Force, IDF military attaché to Washington, D.C., and head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate. He said in a press briefing that the flaw in thinking may have been that Israelis were focused and distracted by the Iranian threat and Syrian sabre-rattling, and they did not want to “waste energy and attention on this terror organization in Gaza – this was one assumption.”  Other experts believed that Hamas wanted to rescue their economy, and “not initiate a full-scale war.” 

What occurred on October 7th “was worse than Isis, which is a Nazi organization that should be destroyed the way the Nazis were destroyed in Europe by the Allies; the way Isis was destroyed in Iraq [Yadlin himself participated in the 1981 attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor], and Syria by the American led coalition. This is how we stand today, not anymore thinking about a limited operation to achieve quiet and tranquility and gaining time until the next round.” 

Dan Illouz, Knesset Member  

Canadian-born Knesset member for the Likud party, Dan Illouz, 37, provided a glimpse into the heart of Israeli mettle and resolve, amidst the recent harrowing incidents of wide-ranging Hamas violence. He shed light on the complex military challenges, while emphasizing the Jewish state’s unwavering commitment to peace and security that fuels the nation’s resilience.  

“Today the people of Israel are incredibly united – a couple of weeks ago we’d be talking about divisions. Right now, Israel is more united than it ever was,” Illouz said. 

He noted that even though many Israelis vowed to refuse being called to army service to protest the judicial reforms, all of those called into action reported for duty. Additionally, thirty percent of the reservists who were not called up reported for duty voluntarily. Others travelling abroad came home to serve, he said. 

“Israelis don’t want war. We all know the cost of war. If we don’t go to war, [the attack] will be the new normal. 

“If we don’t eliminate Hamas, we will see more of this in the future… Not that we want vengeance or violence, but we want to succeed.” The counteroffensive will be “a clear message – understood by Beirut and Teheran.” 

The Iranian regime is believed to have aided Hamas with financial and  material support, and training of the Gazan terrorists. 

“We have a duty to Israel, and the free world, to respond forcefully to these attacks. If Hamas doesn’t eventually regret what it did, we have failed in our mission.” 

Israel’s Ability to Fight on All Fronts 

Reports say the conflict escalated in the region, with missiles being fired from Southern Lebanon and Syria. Illouz is confident that the Jewish States’s military strength will overtake these and other attacks. 

“I have no doubt Israel will be much stronger when all of this is said and done,” Illouz said. “We will send a clear message to all of our enemies: if they thought we are weakened, we will show them that it is not true. We have a strong army and a strong people.” 

In an interview with Community, Illouz elaborated that part of the end goal should be to “take back control of Gaza,” and he signed a letter calling on the Israeli government to do just that. “That’s the best path until proven otherwise,” he said. 

There has been some speculation that the attacks were timed to scuttle recent peace talks with Saudi Arabia, but senior Hamas official Ali Baraka told Russian television that the invasion was in the planning for two years, with Russian and Iranian support. Illouz said that normalization discussions will continue with the Saudis. 

Allies in the Arab world have expressed their support in diplomatic circles, including a high-level UAE official, who sent Illouz a text that encouraged Israel to eliminate Hamas.  

“It’s because Hamas is a threat to the Western world, and the Arab world – because the moderate Arab world wants to see the world a better place,” Illouz said. 

A Message of Solidarity 

When asked by Community if the current crisis might dampen immigration to Israel Illouz responded that his personal decision to move to Israel was made on the day of the infamous lynching of Israeli soldiers in Ramallah, Oct. 12, 2000, at the beginning of the second Intifada. “On the day the [Palestinian boys’] bloody hands were proudly shown to the cameras.” 

“I think times of crisis actually create solidarity,” he said. “The sense of solidarity is the biggest fuel for making Aliyah, more than economic or other considerations. The will of people to be a part of the great story that is Israel – in trying times, the sense is even stronger.”  

“If anything, I predict that this will only cause more solidarity and therefore more Aliyah, and not less.”

Rabbi Max Sutton, Rosh Bet Din Aram Soba – Jerusalem, Israel 

In the recent history of our nation, we have not experienced such demoralizing pain and brutality as in the onset of this war. The atrocities and tragic events of the first few days are unfathomable and will live in the memory our people forever. The incessant anguish is unbearable as we are subject to the lowest element of barbaric inhumane behavior.  

Aside from our physical annihilation, our enemy’s intent is to create fear, panic, and despair within our nation. A bullet was viciously targeted and shot at every single Jewish person worldwide.  

Although it is imperative that we follow the updates and status of this war, we cannot be consumed with strictly gathering information.  It is currently not enough just to inquire and feel for our people. It is time to take responsible action.  

Although after the uplifting High Holiday season we are all inclined to return to our everyday personal life, this year is evidently destined to be different. Hashem is instructing us that there is much more that needs to be accomplished, much more that needs to be achieved. 

Yaakov our forefather blessed each of his twelve children before his passing with a blessing that complemented their specific strengths and talents. Every Jew has a specific mission, every Jew is presently required to contribute his or her strength to the war effort. 

We are all soldiers. We have all been called up to defend our country and our people. While not all of us can represent our people on the front line, we can each contribute. While some of our soldiers are drafted into combat units, others can serve behind the lines providing food and provisions to the battlefront.  All fields of profession need to selflessly dedicate their energies to the war effort with the same intensity as those on the battlefield. Those overseas can financially contribute, while others can use their political relationships to influence. But every Jew, regardless of his title, position, or location, is required to fervently pray and intensify his study of Torah on behalf of our people. We are all soldiers. We have all been drafted to defend our country. It is our responsibility to identify the division in which we can be most useful during this difficult time. 

Our sages teach us that at times, Hashem will allow evil forces to inflict pain and suffering on our people. We, indeed, have a very turbulent history. As Jews, we know that all our inflictions, dating back as far as our bondage in Egypt, are for a greater purpose. History has proven that after our suffering comes salvation. Our sages teach us that the greater the pain inflicted, the greater the revelation of Hashem’s kingdom will be at the time He ultimately delivers our salvation. Our upcoming salvation from this war will be of great measure and vital to the continuation of the eternal existence of the Jewish people. 

Hashem has already devised a plan to ultimately deliver a resounding salvation from this difficult time. I believe each of us must ask ourselves if we are prepared for the upcoming salvation. Did we exhaust our strengths and talents for the sake of Israel?  Are we all praying, studying, and contributing spiritually to Hashem’s master plan? This could be the time of our final redemption. Are we prepared to accept Mashiah? Are we spiritually ready? 

חזק ונתחזק בעד עמינו ובעד ערי אלוקינו (שמואל ב-י) 

Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves on behalf of our people and on behalf of the cities of Hashem… (Shemuel 2-10).