By Sivan Rahav-Meir
Wow. Organizing my thoughts:
1. Even good can surprise us! On October 7th, we learned just how much evil can strike with such force, cruelty, and beyond all imagination. But now, something happened that is beyond all imagination, but in a positive direction: a dramatic hit on thousands of terrorists in one second through a mysterious explosion of their beepers, from afar, without a ground invasion.
This is a bold and thrilling operation, which will go down in the history of intelligence and warfare. It’s also news that can give us strength to move forward. With Hashem’s help, much more good will unfold and surprise us with its power.
2. This is an important reminder: most significant things happen beneath the surface. Who knows how many people worked on this operation, who knows how and for how long. We will likely never know.
We should not only express gratitude to all these anonymous individuals, who do their work discreetly and faithfully while the country is focused on entirely different matters. We also need to understand that even now — we don’t know. A bit of humility. Who among us knows what is quietly, slowly advancing right now?
3. Lt. Col. (Res.) Udi Ben Hamo wrote tonight: How could someone who carried out such a sophisticated operation in the north, fail to see a tangible, simple threat just across the border in the south? We are the most sophisticated and professional when we want to be. The issue is not the hardware (capabilities), but the software (mindset, outlook, values). It’s the spirit that moves the ship. That’s what needs to be repaired and strengthened.
4. Gratitude. The air of the world is cleaner today. Many evildoers have been neutralized and harmed. These days we pray a lot, with cries and pleas, for the soldiers, the captives, the wounded, and more. But our sages teach us to also know how to pray from a place of joy and gratitude.
There is one chapter in Tehillim that is customary to recite for a good event that occurred: “A Psalm of thanksgiving. Shout unto the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is G-d; it is He that made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the flock of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; give thanks to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy endures forever, and His faithfulness unto all generations.”
Good news.
VIDEO:
What happened
How did it happen
Don’t we as Yidden also need to be mindful to not rejoice in our enemies downfall? But it’s sure hard not to…
That applies only to Jewish enemies, as Mordechai said to Haman.
There were many instances, in the past decades,
where our enemies were fighting each other. So, instead
of wishing their downfall (according to Pirke Avos, that is frowned upon),
therefore, we wish each side the best of success.
Refers to a Jewish enemy.
The explosive was inserted in the devices as they were manufactered in europe under license from taiwan . 5 months ago the devices came to hezbollah. It was put in 5000 devices and exploded on 3000 of them also in syria. The device beeped a few seconds so was put up to the face to read the message before exploding.
Israel was afraid the devices were about to be exposed so exploded them now instead of at the start of a war with hezbolla
1st if only the Knesset was as smart as the Mossad.
2nd Mossad can take around 20yrs before they explain how things are done, we didn’t fully understand entebee until recently
Although we can celebrate a successful attack, I do not celebrate that innocent people were killed, including an 8 year old child.
BTW, in February a Hezbollah leader allegedly warned this wretched group to get rid of their devices, bury them, stop using them.
All so pathetically disgusting.
Obviously we are not targetting children. This is the definition of “collateral casualties.” It happens all the time in war. I too, thought for a moment about that, however it was a targeted operation. As successful in that regard as it gets.
Lt. Col. (Res.) Udi Ben Hamo is on point in saying it’s the software, the mindset, that needs repairing and strengthening. The Rebbe said to rise early with a show of readiness to pre-emptively strike when enemies are on their way to harm the Jewish People – when they see this, and today actually experience it, they will lay down their arms, saving Jewish lives and their own. Of course, Jewish hearts do not want truly innocent Lebanese get hurt or suffer but let them then rise up and throw out Hezbollah! Let us not lose site of the facts… Read more »