אִם־אֵלֵךְ בְּקֶרֶב צָרָה תְּחַיֵּנִי עַל אַף אֹיְבַי
Though I walk among enemies, You preserve me in the face of my foes…
Psalm 138:7
For too long, Israel has been forced to endure the menace of the maniacal fundamentalist Islamic regime in Iran. For decades, Iran has called for Israel’s destruction, and has used all it could muster to wreak death and destruction on the State of Israel.
Iran has the blood of thousands on its hands.
Iran has promulgated war against Israel through its proxies from all sides – from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and others around the region and the world. It has sponsored murderous acts of terrorism the world-over: attacking the AMIA Jewish Community Center attack in Argentina in 1994, the Khobar Towers in 1996, and innumerable foiled terror plots against Jewish and American targets.
But most alarming has been Iran’s inexorable pursuit of nuclear arms. Despite diplomatic efforts and broad international sanctions, Iran has never wavered in its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. And most recently, it was revealed that Iran’s enrichment activities had achieved the capacity for Iran to build multiple nuclear bombs.
Maimonides taught centuries ago that defending the people of Israel from attack by an aggressive neighbor is a מלחמת מצוה – Milchemet Mitzvah – a war we are obligated to fight.
And history has taught us that when an enemy swears itself to our destruction: believe them.
Efforts to negotiate and placate Iran did nothing to deter Iran from its fanatic obsession to seek Israel’s destruction. Iran’s moves toward imminent nuclear capacity created an existential threat Israel could no longer tolerate.
We pray for the extraordinary men and women of the Israel Defense Forces tasked with undertaking these operations. May they be blessed with the skill and dexterity to perform their missions and achieve success. May they return in safety and security to their homes and their worried and waiting families. And may all who call the land of Israel their home be kept safe in the hours and days to come.
It is time to end the tyranny of radical extremists. We can no longer allow religious fundamentalists to pursue their murderous ambitions, or messianic fanatics to wreak havoc on the world, and death and destruction on our people.
Tomorrow and the days to come will be among the most challenging for our people and the State of Israel. As always, Temple Beth El is constantly attentive and careful to ensure the safety of everyone who visits our two campuses, and we will remain vigilant as events unfold.
We invite everyone to join us at 7:30 p.m. for Shabbat evening worship – let us draw strength from one another and send our collective prayers for safety and security for the State of Israel, strength and resilience for all who dwell there.
In the words of Psalm 29: יְֽי עֹז לְעַמֹּו יִתֵּ֑ן, יְי יְבָרֵךְ אֶת־עַמֹּו בַשָּׁלֹום – May God grant strength to the people of Israel, and may God bless our people with peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Dan Levin
Temple Beth El of Boca Raton
