It has been a very dramatic, painful, and eye-opening year for the Jewish People but, by and large, our conceptions have changed very little. Diaspora Rabbis still don’t preach Aliyah. Diaspora Op-Ed writers still send in their tough-worded advice from comfortable armchairs in New York and LA. Diaspora youth have ended their summer vacations and returned to colleges where Jews are hated.
More and more Orthodox Jews are carrying on with business as usual, generously donating to needy causes in Israel and hiding behind their checkbooks. We thank them, but we would rather have them here.
o in Israel, things haven’t changed very much. Almost a year has passed since the Simchat Torah slaughter and the country’s leadership has stayed the same. The heads of the army who so miserably failed in their duty are still at the helm of the military. The same obsessively liberal judges are still guarding their chairs doing everything in their power to prevent our country’s victory and to limit the Jewish settlement of Eretz Yisrael. The radical Left is still laboring around the clock to weaken the foundations of the Jewish State. The Leftist media is still spreading hatred among the masses. The haredim still refuse to join the battle for the country’s survival.
Rumors of new elections are in the air but the same failed politicians who brought the catastrophe about are submitting their candidacies once again instead of looking for different work. People talk about “changing failed conceptions” but very little has changed. To the Prime Minister’s credit, he is valiantly trying to prevent the beleaguered ship from capsizing, but given the fact that his capabilities are handcuffed by opponents on every side, there isn’t much he can do. Perhaps he too should also step aside for not having prevented this national disaster, but there is no one at the moment who could do any better.
The staggering loss of life on Simchat Torah and throughout the ongoing war, coupled with the family tragedies and countrywide anguish, have been so great that pinpointing this or that cause of the disaster pales in comparison. We will merely remark that the notion of Israel’s invincible defense establishment has exploded in our faces. True, Israeli soldiers, reservists, and civilian volunteers have shown a superhuman valor throughout the war, and special IDF units have demonstrated their ability to carry out extraordinary missions. But the IDF echelons running the show are not pushing for victory. With all of our military power and advanced technological methods of warfare, we still have not succeeded to utterly defeat the far less-sophisticated forces of Hamas and the Hezbollah.
Why? The answer to this question was given thousands of years ago. Day after day, year after year, we utter the answer in our prayers but the message is ignored:
“No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. The eyes of the L-rd are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope and trust in His unfailing love…” (Psalm 33).
We hear endless talk about military strategies, international pressure, coalition upheaval and new elections but only lip service is paid to Hashem.
King David, perhaps Israel’s all-time greatest warrior, taught us:
“For not by their own sword did they win the Land, nor did their own arm save them, but by Your right hand and Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You delighted in them” (Psalm 44).
“He cares not for the strength of the horse; He delights not in a warrior’s legs. The L-rd is pleased with those who revere Him…” (Psalm 147).
The Torah also teaches us that the great might of the IDF is not what grants us victory and success, but rather the blessing of Hashem. (Devarim, 8:17-18). Certainly, Tzahal is a powerful army but we must always remember that the power and technical wisdom we have is granted to us by Hashem. That understanding is lacking throughout the upper ranks of Tzahal and in our government as well. No amount of super bombs and fighter planes can defend us if Hashem doesn’t bless our efforts, as King Shlomo teaches: “Unless the L-rd watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. (Psalm 127).
Therefore, the only way we will be able to defeat all of the enemies who surround us is by returning with sincere hearts to Hashem. The State of Israel and all of its government ministers and all of its citizens must do serious heartfelt T’shuva. This is what October 7th is telling us. This is what Hashem is waiting for. Nothing else will help. The war will continue forever if we don’t return in a great National T’shuva to Hashem. October 7th came to wake us up not only from our mistaken military conceptions and from our kowtowing foreign policy but also from our spiritual slumber. In order to advance the Redemption of Israel, Hashem used a painful rod to smash our collective arrogance and to urge us along in becoming the Israelite Nation we are supposed to be - a holy Nation joyfully subservient to our Creator and devoted to a National Life of Torah.
Nothing else will help. Neither more advanced ballistic missiles, nor more sophisticated Iron-Dome defense systems, nor billions of dollars of military aid from America. To pull the wagon of Redemption out of the soon-to-be Gazan and Lebanese mud only a mass return to Hashem will insure our victory.
How do we accomplish such a staggering transformation? One way is to scream out to Hashem on Rosh HaShanah with all of our might and beg Him to transform our haughty hearts from stone to flesh. Another way is to close down the Knesset and all government offices and let Bibi and all Knesset Members and Ministers enroll in the Machon Meir Yeshiva for a year in order to learn who the Jewish People are and what our true mission is in the world. In the meantime let AI (Artificial Intelligence) run the government according to the laws of the Torah. It may do a better job.