Finding faith in silence: Surviving hester panim

We are living in a time of hester panim, when Hashem’s face is hidden. In such times, there are multiple perspectives and messages.

During Operation Rising Lion, the world witnessed remarkable miracles. Scientists and military leaders were eliminated. Bunker-buster bombs were dropped. Years of planning went into this attack, with Mossad agents collecting information slowly and carefully. The success of covert intelligence and the protection of innocent lives are not accidents. These are miracles from Hashem.

And yet, how can we say Hallel? We don’t celebrate without hesitation. The war in Gaza continues. We still have 50 hostages, may they be released immediately. We hear of precious Chayalim being killed. Over 9,000 Israelis remain displaced, their homes destroyed. The international media now claims that nothing even happened in Iran, that we were not successful. It is confusing to read and hear such reports.

So what is there to think? Hallel? Avinu Malkeinu?

It is miraculous, and it is heartbreaking. It is triumph, and it is trauma. We are living through a time of mixed messages.

And in this moment, Parshas Chukat speaks to us with deep relevance.

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This parsha must be understood in light of one overwhelming reality: Hashem does not speak to Am Yisrael for 38-1/2 years. After the sin of the spies, the decree is sealed. The people will wander. But perhaps even more painful than the wandering is the silence. No communication from G-d. Not one prophecy. Not one directive.

Imagine living through such a time. You’re in the Midbar. The journey stretches endlessly. You no longer feel G-d’s presence. There is no new message. No spiritual spark.

What begins to emerge in such a vacuum? Questions. Confusion. Divergent interpretations.

And it is precisely in this descent into silence that Hashem gives them one final parsha before the long quiet: the mitzvah of the Parah Adumah. Not a prophecy. Not a promise. But a chok, a statute that defies logic.

A red cow whose ashes purify the impure and simultaneously render the pure impure. A paradox at the heart of the Torah. This is not just a ritual. It is a response.

Through the Parah Adumah, Hashem gifts Klal Yisrael a philosophy for surviving hester panim, G-d’s hiddenness. When life feels irrational, when there are no answers, when pain and loss leave us disoriented, the Torah says: don’t give up. Even when nothing makes sense. Even when it all feels backwards. Hold on. Keep walking. Trust the process.

And that message resonates even more today.

We are living in Galus, marked by clashing perceptions and spiritual confusion. We don’t feel the same euphoria we experienced after the Six-Day War, when the Kotel was reclaimed and history seemed to come alive. We’re unsure how to interpret the aftermath of the war with Iran. But we have the message of the Parah Adumah.

We may not understand how Hashem is moving the world, but we believe in Him. We hold on to our Emunah that the world is still moving in accordance with His Will, even when we cannot comprehend it.

Rabbi Benny Berlin is spiritual leader of BACH Jewish Center in Long Beach.

Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com