Rabbi Yonason Johnson is Director of the Maor Centre, Melbourne Australia
On June 12 (Sivan 16), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached the holy stones of the Kotel in prayer. Wearing a Tallit, with eyes raised to Heaven, he placed a note into the cracks between its stones. Inscribed on this note was a short prayer of 5 words; עם כלביא יקום וכארי יתנשא - “a nation that rises like a lioness (or lion cub) and lifts itself up like a lion”.
Less than 24 hours later, IDF fighter jets successfully bombed the Iranian nuclear sites in an incredibly successful mission. Within 12 days, the genocidal, nuclear ambitions which had threatened Israel for years, had been completely (some say almost completely, but ll say they are not operational) destroyed. The operation was named עם כלביא, Operation Rising Lion.
These words come from a prophesy that was delivered nearly 3,300 years ago by the non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer, Bilaam. Bilaam had been hired by the Moabite king Balak, to curse the Jewish people and bring about their downfall. G-d transformed his attempted curses into words containing the greatest blessings that our people have ever received. Many of them are prophesies about the future of the Jewish nation.
Bilaam declares הן עם כלביא יקום וכארי יתנשא לא ישכב עד יאכל טרף ודם חללים ישתה. “Behold, a people that rises like a Lavi and lifts itself up like an Ari.” A Lavi can mean either a lioness or a young lion. The Ari refers to fully-grown male lion.
In this prophesy, the metaphor of the lion symbolises the physical strength of the Jewish people and their military capability. They had just defeated the Emorite giants Sichon and Og and would go on to defeat Midian and later, the Canaanite kings in their conquest of the Holy Land.
By likening them to a young lion, the Ohr Hachaim notes that defying all logic, they achieved these military victories over well-established armies, while still in their infancy as a nation. From there they would only continue to grow stronger like the lion, never wearying or growing fatigued.
From the juxtaposition of the young and matured lion, he comments that even though they may have been young and small like the lion cub, they projected an aura of far greater might, causing the opposing nations to fear them as though they were a mighty lion.
In his commentary Haamek Davar, the Netziv explains that in addition to its physical strength, the lion, possesses an innate spirit of pride, upliftment and dignity - התנשאות הנפש. This is why our sages describe the lion as the king of the beasts. So too, the Jewish people carry themselves with purpose and with pride, holding our heads high and filled with strength of character. It is the combination of this pride and unwavering spirit together with our military strength, that brings us victory.
Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk in his commentary Meshech Chochma writes, that when the lion is lying down, their power is not recogniseable. But when they rise-up, their true strength is revealed. In a similar manner, as slaves in Egypt, the Jewish people did not show any strength, lacking the ability to protect themselves. But with Hashem’s help, they would rise like a lion, becoming a powerful military force.
Parenthetically he adds that like the lion which does not need to call others to its assistance, the Jewish people would not need to be reliant on the support of other nations.
But as G-d’s people, our strength and success is not merely physical. In the words of the Ralbag, our ability to rise like a lion and triumph over our enemies, is because of the power of G-d’s Hashgacha over us - His protection and support. And this comes when we serve Him faithfully.
Perhaps it is for this reason that Rashi explains this verse based on its Midrashic interpretation. Rashi explains the rising lion not as a symbol of physical strength but rather as description of the zeal with which we arise in the morning to “snatch” the opportunity to perform Mitzvos, like a lion pouncing on its prey. Rashi highlights the Mitzvos of Tzitzis, Shema and Tefillin. And when we lie down at night, we recite the Shema, entrusting our souls into His protection.
The Midrash describes that when we proclaim “Hashem Echad”, our enemies are consumed before us and when we say “Baruch Shem”, they will flee.
The famed hassidic master, Rabbi Aharon of Karlin in his Beis Aharon, highlights that the word הן in ancient Greek, means “one”. It refers not only to the oneness of Hashem that we proclaim in Shema, but more importantly that we must rise with Oneness with Him, by uniting ourselves with Him through the Mitzvos.
The Talmud teaches that the sages wished to include the Parsha of Balak in Kriat Shema because of the verse כרע שכב כארי וכלביא מי יקימנו “They crouch down like a lion and like a lioness, who will awaken them?”. The Maharsha suggests that the verse quoted should actually be our Pasuk, הן עם כלביא יקום וכארי יתנשא לא ישכב עד יאכל טרף. Indeed, this is the Pasuk quoted in a similar teaching in the Midrash.
Quoting his grandfather, the Sfas Emes writes that this was to ingrain into our consciousness that we were created to serve Hashem and that with this awareness, we should rise each day with a sense of purpose, with which we will “snatch” the opportunity to perform the Mitzvah of saying Shema.
Whilst he is known to be passionate about the study of Tanach, I don’t know whether the Prime Minister was versed in these commentaries or had their insights in mind when naming this operation. But we are witnessing the prophetic words of Bilaam in action on all the levels of interpretation detailed above.
From the terrible “sleep” of the Holocaust, where as a people we were lying on the ground, we have risen with incredible strength. Against the odds, as a young fledgling country and army, we faced and defeated well-established hostile forces. And from a young lion-cub, we have continued to grow, becoming a mighty lion with incredible military power and superiority.
In a similar way, from the tragedy of October 7th massacre, the lion of Israel has awoken and transformed the face of the Middle East as we decimate our enemies and regional threats.
Beyond our military strength, Jews in Israel and around the world have shown the royal spirit of the lion. In the face of global hostility and raging antisemitism, we continue to carry ourselves with pride and an unbreakable spirit.
Over the past 2 years, and particularly in Operation Rising Lion, we have seen G-d’s miraculous Hand. And we have witnessed a different type of rising lion, a spiritual awakening and resurgence of faith.
I cannot recall a time in living history where the spirit of Emunah was so palpable amongst our people. Who would have dreamed of “secular” soldiers asking for Tzitzit or imagined that the words “Hashem Yitbarach Tamid Ohev Oti” would become a second national anthem, sung proud and out loud by all segments of our people, without distinction of age and levels of observance.
With have arisen like a lion to “snatch” the opportunity to say Shema, to connect ourselves in Oneness with Hashem. And it is being led from the very top. With the declaration of Shema, Prime Minister Netanyahu opened his press conference after the Americans bombed Fordow and other Iranian nuclear sites - another open miracle. He described his strong desire to wear a Tallit - the Mitzvah of Tzitzit. Shema.
Equally important to the rising lion of military strength, is the rising lion of our faith and Mitzvot. Together, they will bring us complete victory over our enemies and the return of our hostages.
The Midrash teaches that the ultimate realisation of the prophesy of the rising lion, will be in the times of Melech HaMashiach. Then our enemies will be completely subdued and the nations of the world will recognise and pay homage to the Jewish people.
Then, we will be able to lie down like the lion with nothing to fear, in true peace and tranquility.
