Fireside chat: Thoughts of missiles and miracles
JERUSALEM — The past week in Israel was anything but quiet and peaceful. Besides the painful commemoration of Yom Hazikaron, followed by the jubilant celebration of Yom Haatzmaut, we experienced enormous fires across a great portion of the country, arguably the largest fires in Israel’s history.
We continued to sustain rocket attacks, including a Houthi strike at Ben Gurion Airport. Most sadly, our young men and women continue to fight and die Gaza.
While the fires were so severe that Yom Haatzmaut celebrations had to be canceled, by the next morning, with the fire determined to be under control, what was the reaction of the country? Let’s party!
Yom Haatzmaut was back on. Barbecues that had only the day before been forbidden, were allowed, and the music blared till 5 am the next morning.
Blessedly, Shabbat came with its anticipated menucha, only to be punctured by a siren at 6:15 am. What’s the general reaction in shul that Shabbat morning? “Why couldn’t the Houtis have waited until 7:15 am? That would’ve been the perfect wake up call!”
I
reflected: the fires have been largely forgotten; the sirens greeted with a shrug. Is this resilience or complacency?
Let’s look at some some remarkable facts:
•Thousands of dunams of land, forests and agricultural land, have been burnt. Yet not a single person, firefighter or civilian has died. Not one. Injuries were described as light and relatively minor. Contrast that with the 2010 Carmel fires when 44 people died.
•As the fires raged out of control, it started to drizzle and then around 10 pm, there was an unseasonable and unexpected thunderstorm over central Israel, where most of the fires had begun. Not a severe storm, but enough to the wet the ground and assist in firefighting efforts. Contrast that with the enormous fires in California this year, which were followed by severe rains resulting in mudslides, making rescue efforts more difficult.
•Several Arabs were arrested for starting fires, while 18 were arrested for incitement to arson, which filled the Arab social media. The battle cry was “burn the Zionist occupiers’ land.”
•In the last month and a half, 26 ballistic missiles from Yemen were successfully intercepted. The 27th struck near Ben Gurion, briefly closing the airport, with incoming flights having to turn back. Yet, Baruch Hashem, no deaths occurred and only a handful of light injuries, mostly due to rushing for cover. This, despite the missiles creating a massive crater with a depth and diameter of over 30 feet.
How are we to process all these events?
• • •
Imagine for moment you are sitting in Great Neck, or Boynton Beach, and it’s July 4th. Suddenly, you are informed that wildfires are spreading across forested areas 15 to 20 miles from your home. It’s blazing out of control, overwhelming local firefighting services, with national troops called in to aid in controlling the fires, and then international assistance is requested.
Shortly thereafter Bermuda, approximately 1,250 miles from New York, starts shelling Great Neck with ballistic missiles. Or in the case of Florida, Cuba 375 miles away, starts shelling Boynton Beach. You have to take shelter immediately. Oh, and by the way, the United States is simultaneously at war with Canada and Mexico, and China threatens a nuclear attack.
But by the next morning, the fires are under control and the missiles have been thwarted. Do you feel like going out and partying and having a BBQ? Do you carry on your business normally the next day, shrug and laugh it off?
Are we Jews so resilient?
Are we Jews so complacent?
Or are we Jews just crazy? (Don’t answer all at once.)
The answer, of course, as usual, is right in front of us, and whether we are aware of history or not, or know Tanach or not, or are religiously observant or not, we seem to have internalized the message.
In sefer Devarim (11:10–12), Hashem promises Benei Yisrael, as they are about to enter the promised land, that “the land to which you come, to possess it” (11:10) is “a land that Hashem your G-d, seeks out; the eyes of Hashem, your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to years end” (11:12).
The Talmud in Rosh Hashanah 17b tells us that Hashem looks to Eretz Yisrael and its people to allot the yearly rain, for it and the rest of the world. Hashem can make the rain fall or not fall, make it rain too little or too much, depending on whether we are worthy. When the rain falls unseasonably, just at the right time to help quench a massive fire and no one dies, that’s because Hashem has His “eyes upon the Land,” and we better take notice.
In sefer Zechariah (4:6): “Lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem (Not through armies and not through might but through My spirit says Hashem).” Yes, Yehoshua had to have a well-trained and equipped army to conquer the Land. But Israel was told that it would not be like the exodus from Egypt, they couldn’t just sit back and Hashem would do it all, they had to fight. But ultimately, it was Hashem, G-d who granted them the victory.
• • •
We are all familiar with the story in Kings 1 (3:15-4:1). A young King Solomon is confronted by two women, each having given birth, but one’s child had died. Each mother claimed the live baby as her own, stating it was the other’s that had died.
Shlomo in his wisdom called for a sword and offered to divide the baby in half. The true mother of the baby, her compassion aroused, said, do not cut the baby, give it to the other woman. The other woman said, no one shall have it, not me or you, cut the baby(3:26).
Shlomo awarded the baby to the true mother, and all of Israel saw “that the wisdom of G-d was within him” (3:28).
The parallels are obvious. We, the rightful owners of this Land would rather give up our Land, our living “baby,” than have it destroyed, and regretfully have done so numerous times, with drastic results. The other “mother,” those who falsely claim the Land, the “baby,” is theirs, have said, “if I can’t have it all, let no one have it,” burn it”instead. A true owner of this remarkable Land doesn’t set fire to it and destroy it. A true mother doesn’t kill her own child.
Understand the wisdom of King Solomon. Finally accept that WE are the only true owners and caretakers of this Land, for Hashem has given it to us as a gift, one that we will cherish for eternity.
Shabbat shalom.
Dr. Alan A. Mazurek is a retired neurologist, living in Great Neck, Jerusalem and Florida. He is a former chairman of the ZOA.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
