Throughout the course of the war there have been many times when I stopped in the middle of my own prayers, unable to continue. One of those times was saying the words which are part of Hashem’s praises when we say “He who frees the imprisoned” (matir asurim).
Never before the war had I even paused for one second to thing why this is included in the list that also includes “supports those who have fallen and heals the sick.” Soon after the war began, I remember thinking: How could I continue my own tefillah when over two hundred and fifty people – men, women and children – were counting on us to give them strength to continue, to give them some kind of power that goes above and beyond the words themselves. I can recall the 100th day after Simchat Torah when the teachers and the students of Efrata College gathered for a special show of unity on their behalf. And now, more than five hundred days later we are still praying, still adding our requests for an end to the suffering of those that remain alive, and the return of all those that are being held by Hamas terrorists awaiting burial in the Holy Land.
I also stop often when saying the words “He who heals the brokenhearted” (Psalms 147:3). It is incredible to think about so many broken hearts, so many widows and orphans, so many young soldiers who will never marry, and recently so many whose homes were destroyed by Iranian missiles. Indeed, there is a tremendous need to heal, to heal not only those who have suffered personal losses, but to heal a nation that countless times have had to stay in bomb shelters and safe rooms – often in the middle of the night. Sometimes I hear those sirens in my head – even when there is no real siren. And yes, there is also need to heal our hearts and souls that want to be able to wake up in the morning to the sun shining above and hope that a new dawn is beginning – a dawn that will mark a period without having to think about the next threat or siren.
King Solomon, the author of Kohelet, tells us that there is a time for everything under the heavens, including a time for war and a time for peace (Kohelet 3:8). In addition, I also think about the words of Psalms which says: “I am for peace and I speak about it, but they (my enemies) want war” (Psalms 120:7).
So who or what will bring about an end to all of the wars we have been fighting? What will bring about a time when Israel will not be condemned by the world? Anne Frank, in one of her powerful reflections while in her secret annex with the rest of her family wrote: “Sometime this terrible war will be over. Surely the time will come when we are a people again, and not just Jews. Who had inflicted this upon us? Who has made us Jews different from all other people? It is [G-d] that has made us as we are, but it will be [G-d], too, who will raise us up again. Be brave! A solution will come. [G-d]has never deserted our people.”
Yes! We have to believe that at some point this very long war will be over, and that we will all be able to breathe a sigh of relief. And yet, the world is still flooded with the venomous voices of antisemitism and hatred – a hatred without any cause or reason. Those voices have raised their ugly head on the campuses of American colleges and the streets of European capitals. Those voices have openly condemned our government and our army for defending our country from all those who seek our destruction.
And yet, despite the beautiful blue summer skies above and the warm sun that shines down on our earth, our army is still fighting in Gaza, still pursuing our enemies who refuse to end the war or come to any agreement. In this war, however, unlike in any previous war that we have been in, my own children and grandchildren have taken an active part either in reserve duty or mandatory service. They have been in Sderot, near the Lebanese border and in Gaza. And so, my prayers have also included an additional one for divine protection over them as well.
Not long ago, America celebrated its Independence Day, but July 4 also marked a special day in Israel’s history. It was on July 4, 1976 that Operation Entebbe took place. The only army casualty was Yoni Netanyahu, Bibi’s brother. He led the operation, but did not see the actual rescue of over 100 passengers from the airport in Uganda. At that time the government of Israel pretended to negotiate, but secretly planned the rescue operation.
Yoni, z”l, wrote in his letters (Self Portrait of a Hero, the Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu) something very powerful about the unity of our nation at a time of war: “And yet, how strong and how great is the nation at moments of crisis. You can’t imagine how the fingers tighten into an iron fist when the threat of violent days approaches. The entire people – young soldiers, lawyers and bakers – all turn into tankmen, infantrymen, pilot and sailors. Amazing how we established this fact, of the whole people being an army.”
Eulogizing Yoni at his funeral, Shimon Peres said, “This young man was among those who commanded an operation that was flawless. But to our deep sorrow this operation entailed a sacrifice of incomparable pain, the first among the storming party, the first to fall. And by the virtue of the few, many were saved. And of him one may say in the words of David, “They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions… O Jonathan, you were slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.”
The recent war against Iran was called “a nation like a lion shall rise.” And as we have seen so many times, we as a nation, along with a multitude of heroes and heroines who flew those dangerous flights over Iran, have emerged victorious. Now, however, we need a time for healing. A time when we see every single remaining hostage return home. A time when we can sleep through the night without waking up to warnings or sirens. A time when we send off children to their summer programs without worrying if there will be any more rockets. As we approach the beginning of the three weeks our minds and our prayers should be directed to rebuilding and reconstruction
May He who grants peace in heaven above, grant peace for us and for all of Israel!
