By entering Israel and committing the most, barbaric, cruel and sadistic acts against the citizens of Israel, Hamas not only declared war IN Israel but WITH Israel – the entire Jewish people.
What were the Hamas terrorists thinking when they sent their men into battle, knowing full well they could not win and that they themselves would probably die?
Noting from their vicious tactics and then filming each act – one worse than the other – and then posting on social media, instantaneously, it is clear, that whilst they knew that as individuals they would die, the images would cause continuous victories. What victories can be achieved by posting such cowardly and dastardly acts, especially once you are dead?
They knew that such sadism and brutality would sow the seeds of panic and inculcate a dreadful fear amongst Jews. They suspected that these acts would demoralise and make Jews feel helpless and hopeless. They would make us feel vulnerable and cause us to despair. And this would – Heaven Forbid – destroy the heart and the soul of every Jew.
The reason they made such calculations is because they knew, that as “the people of the Book” we don’t behave like this and since such barbarity plays no part in the Jewish soul we would not know how to relate to this and would succumb and be cowered and then capitulate.
Have no doubt that their intention was not only to destroy – Heaven Forbid – Israel but destroy our Jewish resolve. As such we need to fight back and protect ourselves and regain that pride and self-confidence.
Whilst there is an absolute need to acknowledge the pain, suffering, fear and sadness that we all are feeling, we also can’t allow these emotions to create a numbing paralysis.
So, if they wanted to destroy our souls we need to dig deep into our deepest selves and resolve not to allow this to happen.
We need to develop our passion for each other. We need to recognise that we can have differences, but instead of being threatened by those differences, we need to respect difference.
We need to strengthen out attachment to our roots, heritage, and Torah. We need to revisit our Jewishness and rediscover its glory and most of all understand that the very existence of Israel, both the land and the people, is in itself the greatest of all miracles.
Our Jewishness is rooted in the Divine and in order to make sense of our lives and destiny it behoves us to recognise this. If this is not acknowledged, then all else seems senseless and futile.
But how is it done? The best way and the most reliable way is by doing an extra Mitzvah. When I told this to someone, he said, “Rabbi I knew you would say that, but is it really true?
What actually is a Mitzvah?
The simple meaning of the word mitzvah is command. It appears in various forms with that meaning about 300 times in the Torah and generally refers to the Divine commandments given to the Jewish people; things He wants us to do or not do. Chassidic teachings find a deeper meaning in the word. Mitzvah comes from the root word tzavta, which means connection. There are 613 mitzvot, and therefore, 613 ways to connect to G‑d.
It’s almost as if each mitzvah is a phone number with a direct dial to G‑d and since G-d is infinite, when we fulfil the Will of the Infinite G-d, we connect with infinity, and surely if we become connected to the Divine, we can overcome every challenge and rise above the immediate pain and suffering and ensure that we regain our stature and self-confidence.
When this happens the victory and triumph becomes ours. It really is quite easy. And it works. Shabbat candles on time. A kosher Mezuzah on our doorposts. Eating kosher. Putting on Teffilin. Giving Tzedaka.
Next time a mitzvah comes your way, make the connection, and become uplifted. And at this terrible and frightening time, when we all are looking for ways to help our brothers and sisters in Israel, adding another Mitzvah to our lives, will not only help them, but will certainly elevate and strengthen us.
AM YISROEL CHAI
