I can't stop a missile

 “Rabbi, no matter how strong and courageous a person feels, no matter how much faith, when you hear that explosion in the sky, and the entire building shakes, your heart leaps out of your chest.”  This is a direct quote from a friend in Israel, during our conversation yesterday.  He was smiling when he said this, and also when he told me that they grab the kids and run into the bomb shelter on a regular basis.  There is cognitive dissonance when we see the press stories and headlines, and when we talk to real people, peace-loving ordinary Jews trying to go about their day.  I stay away from discussions of politics and global hot-button issues, but it’s hard to swallow the clear, open anti-Semitism that we are facing every day.  I have many friends and relatives in Israel, and I hear the stories first hand.  The Rebbe warned us that we are in a double exile, and he explained that this means that not only is it dark, but people think the darkness is light.  When a population is targeted for annihilation in clear view of the world, and the world (at least what we read in most of the press stories and social media) claims that they are being violent aggressors by protecting themselves, that is a double exile.

 

On the other side are the incredible miracles that are happening every day.  By natural means, thousands of people, perhaps hundreds of thousands, would have been killed by the constant raining down of thousands of missiles, and that, of course, is Amalek’s intent.  And yes, every innocent life is precious, and some have died.  At the same time, we hear of open miracles every day.  Missiles that are blown up by the iron Dome, missiles that land in open fields, and even missiles that land between two buildings and do not injure anyone.  Talk to people living in the path of those murderous weapons of destruction, and they will tell you that they literally see open miracles.

 

But that is a small consolation for a nation that is in fear every moment of every day, who knows that their neighbor spends every available dollar and moment trying to wipe them out, and seeing the shameful reaction of the world.  As we say at the Seder: “in every generation they rise up to annihilate us,” and this generation is no exception.  But the end of that statement is: “But Hashem redeems us from their hands.”  As always, we know that we will survive, Israel will survive, and those with murderous intent will be taken care of by Him.

 

The overwhelming emotion that I feel now, besides the pain of what our brothers and sisters (as well as innocent Arabs who also want no part of the violence and respect Israel) have to endure, is that we have had enough.  We know, and it is a foundational principle of our faith, that the world is moving toward redemption.  Certainly this is a final step toward that, even though we cannot fathom how, but we have had enough exile and we are ready for actual redemption.  When I wrote last week that we need to strengthen our observance of Mitzvot and study of Torah, someone asked: “Study the Torah will be helpful?”  It is a great question, and here is why I think it will be.  I can’t stop the missiles.  I can’t get our murderous enemies to change their minds.  I can’t change the press and get the anti-Semitic writers to change their perspectives.   What I can do is invoke Hashem’s blessings, and I can do something to bring redemption that much closer.  Yes. Whenever a Jew sits down with a Torah book and connects to Hashem’s wisdom, he or she is bringing Hashem’s presence into the world.  Whenever a person does a Mitzvah, he or she is adding Divine light in the world.  And that is how the world will reach redemption, when the concealment of Hashem will be removed by our Mitzvot and Torah. 

 

We are here miraculously, and it is Hashem’s protection that has kept us here and will continue to do so.  Our Mitzvot enhance the protection and strengthen the miracles.  There is a Mitzvah that has a special quality of providing protection against our enemies, and that is the Mitzvah of Tefillin.  The Talmud says that when our enemies see the Tefillin on our heads, it causes them to fear us.  As one nation, intertwined and responsible for each other, when one Jew puts on Tefillin, it enhances the protection of all Jews.  I encourage all men to take a moment today and put on Tefillin, and if you can do it every day, that would be great.  May Hashem bless us all with peace and security, and may moshiach be revealed and then there will be no more violence ort hatred.  The time has come.