Rise Up as a Lion

Israel is at war. Again. The truth is that this is not a new war but rather a new chapter in a decades-long campaign by the Islamic Republic of Iran to wipe Israel off the map. This new phase takes place amid the ongoing multi-front campaign that Israel is waging with Iran’s proxies all over the Middle East. It is rare for one country to fight a three-front war. Israel is fighting a seven-front war. Another unusual aspect of the nature of this conflict is that Israel is battling an enemy that desires its annihilation. If anyone had any doubts about that, October 7 clarified our understanding of the threats Israel constantly faces. While initial news reports indicate that Israel has struck a punishing blow against the Iranian regime, it’s important not to be lulled into a false sense of security. Iran possesses a great capacity to retaliate and inflict much pain and suffering. The threat to our ancestral homeland is real, and millions of our brothers and sisters are in great peril. The heroic members of the IDF are extraordinary in their dedication and mission to defend and protect the homeland. May the Guardian of Israel continue to watch over them in this most tenuous moment. I am not a military or intelligence analyst and won’t attempt to be an armchair general. I do have thoughts from a spiritual perspective. It’s interesting to note that the current military operation has been called עם כלביא or Operation Rising Lion. This phrase originates from the Torah, in which Bilam refers to the Jewish People as a Rising Lion. Rashi has the following commentary on this verse. “When they rise from their sleep in the morning, they show themselves strong as a lioness and as a lion to “snatch at” the Divine precepts (to perform them immediately) — to clothe themselves with the Tallit, to read the Shema and to lay Tefillin.” This underscores the tenacity of the Jew who has been fiercely dedicated to G-d and diligent in connecting with His word. He jumps on the opportunity to be a Lion as an engaged and connected Jew. Lions are necessary on the battlefield and physical homefront. Lions are also needed on the spiritual homefront. In the “Never Again is Now era,” it is incumbent on all of us to rise up like a Lion, one way or another. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch