THE FIRST ISRAELI ARMY
Three thousand five hundred years ago, the first Israeli army was formed in the Sinai desert. It consisted of 603,550 soldiers aged 20 to 60. These individuals were born in captivity. Their ancestors were slaves in Egypt for four generations. They did not know how to fight or defend themselves. On the contrary, they had been “domesticated” and trained to be submissive to their attackers. On the 20th of Iyar, one year and one month after leaving Egypt, by Divine command, Moses organized them into an army with a mission: to conquer the land of Canaan from seven pagan and savage nations and transform it into a Jewish state.
The military camp had four columns, with three tribes on each side. In the middle was the Tabernacle — guarded by the tribe of Levi— representing that the Divine Presence is at the heart of their military strength. This was not a “normal” army but God’s army. The Creator accompanied them in their fight against the enemy and granted them victory. Our Parasha Beha’alotekha describes the first steps of this army of God toward the Promised Land. The signal to advance was that the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of the law, was lifted by the Levites, and as it advanced, Moshe would proclaim loudly the Jewish war cry: קומה ה’ ויפוצו אויביך “Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies [=the enemies of Israel] be scattered; and let those who hate You [and consequently hate Your people] flee from before You.”
But something went wrong. Initially supposed to take just a few days, the journey to Israel turned into a 40-year odyssey in the desert. As we will see in the coming weeks, paralyzing fear and slave mentality played their part. Despite witnessing numerous miracles, such as the manna falling from heaven daily, the Jews did not recognize His evident presence. The generation that left Egypt had to wander for 40 years until a generational change occurred, and only then did they go out to fight. It was the children of the slaves, a new generation not born or raised in captivity, who took the reins of the Jewish army and, under the leadership of Joshua, conquered the Promised Land.
THE NEW ARMY
The army of the modern State of Israel in 1948 was mainly composed of Jewish refugees from Europe, many of them Holocaust survivors. Miraculously and heroically, they managed to organize and defeat their enemies. God fought with them, although some were unaware of it. Many had escaped from communist countries and had not had the opportunity to receive a Jewish education. Or were influenced by the anti-religious spirit of the time. God was with them and granted them extraordinary victories, even though His presence was not openly recognized. In its infancy, the State of Israel experienced miracles that only a few leaders, like David Ben-Gurion, could appreciate.
The miracle becomes even more significant when you understand that Israel not only survives but also prospers in all areas: God continues to send His manna to His people in the most hostile geography on the planet!
THE RETURN OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE
After the terrible one-day Shoah that Israel suffered on October 7, the Israeli army embarked on an existential war against Hamas, a MILCHEMET MITSVA in Hebrew. In the days following the brutal attack, many thought Israel would react as it had in the past: with a few isolated incursions into Gaza to try to rescue hostages or eliminate terrorist leaders. But the Israeli government made a courageous and risky decision: to invade Gaza to destroy its military infrastructure: thousands of tunnels used to hide weapons and terrorists. The strategic goal of entering Gaza was to take control of all the borders of the strip, stationing troops there to prevent terrorists from rearming.
THANK GOD, this week was very good for the Israeli army. I do not fully understand why this extraordinary victory is not widely reported in the media. I will share a small story to show the magnitude of this victory.
On the 28th of Iyar, 1967, we recovered the Western Wall and the Temple Mount area after bloody battles against the Jordanian legions at Givat HaTachmoshet, which left hundreds dead. Finally, our capital, Jerusalem, returned to our hands after 1900 years of diaspora.
An iconic phrase is pronounced at that moment, remembered by every Israeli because it sounded like a dream: “HAR HABAYIT BEYADENU, HAR HABAYIT BEYADENU,” “The Temple Mount is in our hands.
THE MOST RECENT VICTORY
A few days ago, I saw a video on the Leumanut channel with the iconic title: “TSIR FILADELFI BEYADENU,” “The Philadelphia Corridor is in our hands.” (see video below).
The phrase “is in our hands” is neither casual nor arbitrary but reflects the enormous historical magnitude of Israel’s victory this week. The Jewish army has been fighting in Gaza for eight months in an unprecedented military operation, and a few days ago, it finally conquered this critical corridor completely, from Kerem Shalom to the Mediterranean Sea. By controlling the border between Gaza and Egypt, Israel achieved its first and most challenging mission: preventing terrorists from resupplying weapons or fighters via the dozens of passages or tunnels connecting Gaza to Egypt. Israel now controls ALL the borders of the Gaza Strip, from north to south and east to west. The conquest of the city of Rafah and the Philadelphia Corridor is a fundamental victory we should celebrate and thank the Creator for achieving.
This does not mean the military operation in the Gaza Strip is over. However, according to Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari, the dynamics of the war will now change. Israel no longer faces Hamas’s army, which has been dismantled. But there are still over 10,000 terrorists hiding among civilians or in undiscovered tunnels, and they are expected to continue operating as guerrillas. Israel, B” H, is prepared to face them.
It is our duty as Jews to recognize the merit of our brave soldiers and Israel’s political leaders and also thank the Creator for being with our army as He was with Joshua, King David, and King Solomon.
THE RETURN OF THE MISHKAN
It is also important to highlight that in this war, the Divine Presence has become more recognized in the Israeli army. A friend told me that in his combat unit, made up of Jews from all backgrounds and levels of observance, there is great harmony and unity, which, THANK GOD, does not reflect the usual differences that unfortunately separate us Jews outside the army. Per our Sages, unity among Jews is the prerequisite for the Divine Presence to accompany us. He also told me that no single soldier does not put on Tefillin every morning, something that was not so popular in 1948, 1967, or the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Even Druze soldiers ask to wear Tzitzit and carry a Tehillim book in their pockets. Everyone prays.
As it happened in the Sinai desert when an army unit knows that they have to camp in a particular place for a few days, then they build a temporary “Synagogue”, a Tabernacle of sorts, where they pray, study Torah, study Daf Yomi or read Tehilim. Like the Tabernacle in the desert, every one of these temporary Gaza Synagogues has a Sefer Tora, a Torah scroll provided by the military rabbinate, representing the content of the Ark of the Covenant that was in the midst of the first Israeli camp. These beautiful Mishkan that house Tora, Tefila, Tefillin, and Tzitzit are causing the name of HaShem to be heard more and louder among the Jewish soldiers ברוך שחידש ימינו כקדם.
THE NEXT CHALLENGE
We must thank Bore Olam, the Creator, for Israel’s impressive victories so far.
The Jewish State is preparing for a seemingly inevitable and imminent war with Hezbollah in the north. Let us pray that God continues to protect our brave soldiers and inspire our political leaders with the wisdom to make the best decisions.
SHABBAT SHALOM
