1. New count. Many names for the war. For myself, the "Genesis War" is preferable, not only because it broke out when we finished the Torah and started from scratch, but because the terrible events forced us to abandon much of our old perceptions and views and start from scratch. In this context, a wise man told me that on October 7 a new count began, and everything that was before deserves to be included in the title "BCE," even in relation to people who have not yet understood that we are in a completely different reality from the one we knew.
2. Ghosts of 15. Day after day we are exposed to chilling stories of heroism. The heroism of Aner Shapira, a fighter without weapons, who with his own hands defended the residents of the shield and repelled seven grenades until on the eighth he was severely wounded and killed. The heroism of citizen Oz Davidian, who heard the calls, left his family and risked his life more than 120 times back and forth on rough roads to look for survivors, saving the lives of more than <> young people. The heroism of the policemen striving for contact, the heroism of the helicopter pilots who were hit, the heroism of the soldiers who throw their lives on the other side to the last bullet in order to protect the residents of the communities.
"Parking night. The face of its blacksmiths and character/ and the wagon of a company before a roof/ ... The faces of the men who patch me knees/ Shirt and shoe. Penny Heltz. The face of the massacre." This is how I will Alterman about the fighters of 1978, from whom we will be resurrected. The spirit of 1978 has once again risen from the abyss of collective memory and restores in us a spirit of national, social and spiritual renewal, whose waves spreading in time will feed us for many years to come.
Tens of thousands march against anti-Semitism in Paris // Photo: Reuters
Then there is the heroism of mothers and fathers burying their sons and daughters. At the most difficult moment in their lives, they find it necessary to ask all of us to unite, to love each other, to hold back and not give in to the instinct for disagreement that pushes us to blame mainly the other, whatever it may be. This is the order of the day. There will be plenty of time to investigate and argue and fight after the war. Now we must focus on the goal: the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages. Harsh talk within us will not help now, but will hurt the spirit of the fighters. This is therefore an issue of paramount security importance. "And the emerging soldier leaps / And in his voice the cry of his mother" (Alterman, "Praise of Darkness"). And may we be worthy of their sacrifice.
3. At the gates of besieged Jerusalem. A male will die forever between him for generations... (Deuteronomy 7:366). Just before parting, Moses commands us to learn from history and understand lessons from it. In his History of the War of the Jews against the Romans (Book IV, 66), Josephus tells how Vespasian, the commander of the Roman army who came to suppress the Great Revolt that broke out in <> CE, analyzed the campaign and the benefits his army could derive from the civil war in Jerusalem. Here is a glimpse of the staff meeting of Roman army officers in view of besieged Jerusalem:
"All the Roman commanders regarded the quarrel in the enemy's camp (i.e., among the Jews) as a godsend, and in their eagerness to attack the city (Jerusalem) urged Aspasinus, as the supreme authority, to embark on a campaign... But he replied that they were gravely wrong about what had to be done... If he hurries and attacks the city now, he will bring about the enemies reconciling themselves and turning their full might against him with united forces. But if he waits, the number of enemies will decrease, since many will be killed in the civil war."
"'God is a greater general than me,' said Vespasian, 'He will hand over the Jews to the Romans without effort on our part, and grant us victory without danger to our army. While our enemies kill each other's brothers with their own hands, and when the worst of disasters comes upon them, civil war, you must sit quietly as spectators... And not to provoke war against people who seek death, and in their madness reach out to each other's brothers... Moreover, while the number of enemies (i.e., the Jews) is decreasing, the military will recover from the ongoing effort, and [then] I will have at my disposal a stronger army.'
"...'After all, the Jews are not now engaged in the manufacture of weapons, the construction of fortifications, or the recruitment of auxiliary troops... Rather, they are tormented by civil war and disagreement, and every day some of them suffer horrific hardships, which surpass even the evils we would have inflicted on them had we attacked and defeated them... You must let the Jews consume each other's brothers" (translation: Liza Ullmann). Josephus relates that "the commanders of the army accepted Vespasian's opinion, and soon the correctness of his military assessment became clear."
The slogan sung by protesters in the West – "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be liberated" – means a call for genocide. This is also how it should be treated legally vis-à-vis the various governments. It proves that the struggle was never over the borders of '67 but over '48, for the very existence of a Jewish state here
4. War and time. It is no coincidence that people talk about the winds of <>. As in the War of Independence, we are now fighting for our very existence. The (almost) all-embracing understanding after the new AD is that it is impossible to live at zero distance from Nazi entities that do not consider moral and governmental orders, and even despise the lives of their inhabitants. In the south and north, with a growing understanding of the Palestinian Authority, which is like a barrage from the heart of the country. This is not a war for security alone, but for eradicating evil from the world.
Therefore, it is important to know that the war will last a relatively long time, which requires all of us to maintain as much routine as possible, as a nation and as individuals. Such a routine will also strengthen the spirit of the warriors. The long duration is required because this war is more fundamental, house after house, neighborhood after neighborhood. Time is also meant to safeguard the lives of our soldiers with the utmost care. Remember: the big underground city still exists. The Sodom of Meta must be destroyed with all its tunnels and burrows, weapons and command pits that contain evil. Until then, the war will continue in one way or another to lose the new Nazis from the world. What we could not do in World War II because we lacked a national home, we are now called upon to complete it. "War to God in Amalek Madar Dar".
5. From the sea to the river. The catchy slogan sung by masses of protesters in the West – "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be liberated" – means one: a call for genocide. This is also how it should be treated legally vis-à-vis the various governments, wherever the anti-Semitic call is heard. The slogan also proves the longstanding claim that the struggle between us and the Arabs of the country was never over the 1967 borders but over the 1948 borders, that is, over the very existence of a Jewish state in our ancient homeland. In this sense, this slogan also awakens the spirits of <>.
6. Do not fear. In great times, which rise above our present lives, the tendency is to find anchor, interpretation and comfort in the words of our ancestors. The prophet Isaiah, a man of Jerusalem in the eighth century B.C., comforts us from the distance of generations and promises us in an eternal prophecy: "There will be no more Hams in your land, a demon and a fracture in your borders. And you have called salvation - your walls, and your gates - glory." Even before that, we hear a similar divine promise to the three fathers of the nation, whose words were etched into the foundation of our historical existence and illuminated our darkest days. Abraham was told: "Do not fear Abram, I protect you..." Isaac is told in the portion that we will read tomorrow: "Do not fear, for with you I am and your blessing..." And Jacob – he is Israel – is told: Do not fear... For a great Gentile I will blame you..." Memorize and say this to your children and everyone: Don't be fearful! The people of Israel live!
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