The Prerequisite to Victory
As hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters in the IDF are on the verge of one of its greatest battles, our solidarity must be total and unequivocal.
An attack on one Jew is an attack on all of us. We are all interconnected and interdependent. In reality, we are all one.
In the digital age, we are experiencing this in real time. The impact of this war is upon us all! Men, women and children.
Hundreds of thousands of Jews around the world have united in prayer. We are confident that G-d will show his people miracles for all the world to see.
It is paramount, however, that we all have total clarity, both of our identity and purpose. We cannot afford anything less.
Our Jewish identity is shaped by our timeless values, as clearly communicated to us in our Torah. Just like a fish cannot survive without water, a Jew cannot survive without their timeless values. “For they are our lives and the length of our days”.
Our enemies know this well. Which is why they attacked us on the very day that Jewish people were rejoicing with the Torah!
It is imperative that we respond with a collective and resounding response to celebrate our Jewish identity and values like never before.
As the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, 'The prerequisite to victory is moral clarity.' The world has just witnessed the consequences of moral equivocation.
In the opening of this week's Torah portion, we read that G-d said, 'Let there be light.'
This phrase most accurately captures our mission as a Jewish people. With these words, G-d has empowered each and every one of us to spread that light.
Ultimately, this is a battle between light and darkness, good and evil, life and its opposite.
The world is desperate for that light. It is in desperate need of moral clarity. It cannot survive without it.
Each and every one of us has a responsibility to do so. Now more than ever!
“I found that Wisdom is superior to folly, As light is superior to darkness”.
(King Solomon)
Together let us spread the light to the darkest corners of the world!
Yosef Vogel