What A Week

Even beyond the usual craziness

A week ago, I learned the terrible news that my son’s friend in yeshiva/army was killed.

Sunday was the heartbreaking funeral.

Monday saw a prominent charedi radio personality discussing the idea of charedim pseudo-converting to Islam in order to avoid helping with the war.

Tuesday saw the government launch an attempt to rate charedim sitting in their local yeshiva as serving the nation in the same way as soldiers dying in Lebanon.

Wednesday saw “Religious Zionism” sell out religious Zionists, and “Jewish Strength” sell out those who want Jewish strength, by supporting this.

Thursday saw extremist charedim shut the country down as they launch a war against helping with the war.

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all this was a very quick war against Iran.

Meanwhile, today, my son was finally able to get out of Lebanon. I don’t like driving long distances, but I leapt at the opportunity to drive all the way to the tip of Israel to collect him. On the way, I listened to a Headlines podcast titled “Modern Orthodox, Dati Leumi, and Charedi: Are the Differences Halachic or Hashkafic?” which included some very valuable points, but also some fundamental and frustrating errors that I will be responding to in a post next week.

After such a week, I’m just so happy that my son was able to come home. He missed the shiva for his friend, but he will visit the family on motzai Shabbos, before going back into Lebanon, to protect our nation.

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הַהֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַנְשֵׁי כֹּחוֹת הַבִּטָּחוֹן, הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַיִם, וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַד לְבוֹא הָעֲרָבָה, בַּיַּבָּשָׁה בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם (ובכל מקום שהם).

יִתֵּן יְיָ אֶת אוֹיְבֵינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵינוּ נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָלֵינוּ מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה, וּמִכָּל נֶגַע וּמַחֲלָה, וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם, וִיעַטְּרֵם בְּכֶתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבְעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחוֹן. וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב: כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם, לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם, וְנֹאמַר: אָמֵן.

Shabbat Shalom.