1.
On Saturday night, relatively early, when Iran's missiles were still on the outskirts of Iraq, a kind-hearted friend left a voicemail in a shared group: "Friends, I am not a political, security, or military commentator, but I tell you that this night is a capable night. Anyone who needs salvation, anyone who needs something that has been stuck for many years, or a few years, this is the time capable of prayers. Children's education, livelihood, health, matchmaking... Think of how many reflections of repentance there are this night in the people of Israel, in the land, in the world, how many Jews are awakening... and we know the power of reflection of repentance.
""Chazal say that with one contemplation of repentance, one can turn from a complete wicked person to a complete righteous person. With one contemplation. So tonight we are in a generation that is entirely righteous. An insane amount of contemplation of repentance now... If we had spiritual eyes, we would see millions of drones of repentance in the air. On a night like this, where there is so much awakening, there is also a special heavenly help, the prayer is accepted - so anyone who needs something to ask for, come on, this is the time.".
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I listened to the announcement with excitement mixed with skepticism. True, naturally, in times of distress and helplessness - from a missile attack on Israel to a desperate search for parking in Tel Aviv - there are some people, even those who don't pray three times a day, who seek to cling to some higher power. This is of course a blessed thing, but isn't it a bit far-fetched, my friend? Aren't you exaggerating the dimensions of the phenomenon? Millions of drones of faith in the air?
2.
The next afternoon, after I had made up for the hours of sleep from the dramatic night, I went online to catch up on the news and realized that there was a chance that the friend knew how he felt: "Psalms against missiles" was written in the headlines. And I'm not talking about the Hidabrot website. Quite the opposite. It turns out that with the news of the drone launch from Iran, there was a sharp increase in searches for the word "Psalms" on Google, and as the Iranian aircraft and missiles got closer to Israel, the number of searches for the word soared - until it peaked, when alarms began to sound in various locations in the country.
But even after reading these incredible figures (which probably don't include the religious and traditional public who pray even on normal days, and simply open the Book of Psalms instead of searching on Google), I took them in proportion.
Don't get me wrong: It's exciting to see this Google search graph with your own eyes, which shows such a large mass of Israelis who put their trust in God. But again, this is a time of distress. It's a well-known fact that there are no atheists in the trenches. And on Saturday night, the entire State of Israel was deep in the trenches for a few frightening hours.
When did I realize that this was truly a deep emotion that had arisen, and probably encompassed very wide circles? Only when I saw with what fervor the media people mocked the phenomenon. Trying to prove with signs and wonders, and especially with contempt, how primitive those who saw the hand of God that night were, and not just the hand of the pilots and the military industrialists (and a big thank you to them, of course).
Whoops, if the media is mocking it like this, it's probably a real phenomenon.
3.
Then I received the following message that shook off the remnants of skepticism. It may represent only one writer, but I feel it signals a great awakening here, even a thirst, that will no longer be so easy to silence without providing a real response. No, this is not a passing trend of 16 minutes, between 1:42 and 1:57, the time of the attack, but a deep need that erupted on the morning of Simchat Torah:
""Hello friends. I grew up in a completely secular home. With your permission, I would like to share my feelings. After this night, in which there were 99 percent interceptions of more than 300 launches, I could not help but be amazed: if this is not providence, then what is? A miracle, period. Evidence of the Old Covenant.".
The writer is a senior physician from the central region (the full name and address of the successful clinic are withheld by the editors). In a week when anyone who believes in miracles or even just in divine help has been portrayed as ignorant - because there are no religious and ultra-Orthodox scientists, and there are no people who converted precisely because of their connection to the world of science - I see it appropriate to mention her profession.
We will continue: "There is no military or other system, certainly not in a war situation with so much uncertainty and chaos, that ends with such a hermetic defense. So how can we praise interceptions by the United States, Jordan, and the Air Force on radio and news programs without understanding that it is a greater power that made all of this possible in our hands? Since, unfortunately, I do not have the background, I did not know what to say to thank our Father in Heaven. I turned to a Haredi colleague who sent me to chapter 10 of Psalms ('Psalter for Thanksgiving'). I repeated it several times in tears.".
Do you notice the sentiment? It's no longer just lifting your eyes to the sky from the terrible distress, but also the deep need to give thanks, after the fact. And then looking for exactly how to do that, using the appropriate chapter. It's not trivial at all to me. I almost stopped saying "a hymn of thanks" just for that paragraph.
4.
""Although I grew up for many years within the secular-liberal-progressive seven-center," the doctor continued, "I am convinced that the strength of the people of Israel comes from the shared story. From the power of generations upon generations of faith, wisdom, loyalty, goodness and devotion. I believe that if we reconnect with all of these, as individuals and as a society, we will know ourselves and be loyal to who we are, loyal to all the precious generations before us, who we did not even know, but thanks to their suffering, strength and loyalty we have come this far. And if we are loyal to all of these, we too will find the way.".
Wow. I wonder how the writer will feel when her Haredi colleague introduces her to ancient prayers that formulate exactly what she feels, instinctively, from the depths of her soul, about that loyalty to previous generations. For example, the prayer we say every morning before reciting the Shema: "For our fathers who trusted in you and taught them the laws of life...". Not to mention what is said after reciting the Shema: "Strengthen Jacob, the shield of our salvation, from generation to generation he exists and his name exists... and his faith endures forever.... For our fathers, upon us, upon our children, upon our generations, and upon all generations of the seed of Israel, your servants... Our Redeemer, the Redeemer of our fathers, our Creator, the Rock of our salvation, our Redeemer and our Savior from all time is your name.".
And speaking of colleagues: Do we live enough in the consciousness of a "faithful colleague"? Are we attentive to the feelings of the heart and soul of those around us? Would a friend of our workplace feel comfortable addressing us like this? Or maybe they already tried and we didn't notice?
5.
And she continues and writes: "I have a huge longing for something that was mine and someone decided to give it up for me without asking me. And I'm even sadder because I don't have the ability to pass this treasure on to my children. I don't know anything about mitzvot, except for lighting Shabbat candles and maybe doing charity when possible. I feel so alone. I want to study Jewish books, just to know a little, to understand a little. It's a huge mountain to climb. I don't know how many secular people there are like me, who feel their Judaism in their bones and miss it, even if they don't know how to pray and don't read Tehillim.
""But since the events of October 7, I feel that many like me among the secularists feel that we owe ourselves better answers. Why here? For what? In the name of what? For whom? True, this voice is not yet being made heard. They are afraid. But they are already expressing it with a look. With a nod. In the Star of David that they decide to wear around their necks, that is how it is declared. Even if it is in a small way, even if it is underground. I see them, and that strengthens me greatly.".
Well, here I couldn't hold back any longer. I couldn't leave all the responsibility on my ultra-Orthodox colleague. I switched to progressive religion and wrote to her that if she would go to the synagogue near her home on Shabbat, she would hear how the prophet Malachi, in the haftara of Shabbat HaGadol, predicted thousands of years ago what she and her kind are going through these days: "Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. And you said, 'Where shall we return?... Then those who fear the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for those who fear the Lord and who think on his name.".
Yes, even if you still don't dare to speak it out loud, even if you are only "thinking of His name" in the secret of your heart – God hears. You are not alone. It is all written in a book of remembrance.
And the prophet Malachi concludes: "And the sun of righteousness shall arise for you, O ye that fear the LORD, with healing in its wings... Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.".
