“It seems that the Zionist regime has forgotten that Iran is more than capable of hitting it from anywhere,” the Tehran Times recently opened its front-page article with a map of targets against Israel covering virtually the entire territory of the country. The headline, “Just one wrong move!”.
The accuracy of the targets has been questioned by Israeli officials, but no one questions Iran’s clear intention to wipe out Israel. Therefore, the Israeli people must wake up from their slumber and bring to the forefront the hope that there will be no war, either against the Ayatollahs’ regime or against any other hostile factor. The next war could be very difficult and even involve the use of nuclear weapons.
Even though we are surrounded by the feeling that our armed forces are capable of responding quickly to any attack, from wherever it comes, the situation is nevertheless alarming and we must not remain idle for a moment. No one wants to see pictures of destroyed houses, frightened people or screaming women and children. That is why we need to think seriously about how to prevent what looks like an imminent war. We must be constantly on our guard and vigilant.
Cohesion among us should be of paramount importance. We have no stronger weapon than the power of connection between us. There is no stronger force than a close and cohesive bond between the people, of a positive spirit flowing between us as the result of mutual guarantee. If we can overcome our inner enemies: polarization, division, and rampant selfishness, we will be able to prevent any threat or war.
The people of Israel have a supreme power to protect us, but it only works if we awaken it from a heartfelt connection between us. “When there is love, unity and friendship among Israel, no disaster can come upon them,” says the Book of Maor VaShemesh (Light and Sun) and dozens of other ancient sources, and “When there is a connection between them and no separation of hearts, they have peace and tranquility … And all curses and afflictions are thereby removed.”
When I look at the behavior of government officials and read the news, I do not see unity being considered a priority for solving our problems at home and abroad. Even those who are aware of the danger lurking on our doorstep are not taking social, domestic responsibility.
Our existence, social and political, begins with the question of whether we will be able to raise our heads a little above our bickering bubble. We must realize that we have no other way to save ourselves than to begin to draw closer to one another, despite our natural sense of distance.
We are given opportunities for correction from above, for a change in our relationship, from estrangement to cohesion. The threat from outside should bring us closer to our heart, but we underestimate the message of unity and are not ready to digest it, or at least to spread it and make everyone aware of its importance.
In times of war I am sure we will unite to be saved, we will be brothers in need. But it is an outward and temporary unity out of desperation and there is no real love in it. “The eyes of the wise man are in his head” (Ecclesiastes 2:14), said King Solomon. So it all begins with our realization of the need to turn over every stone until we reach the noble goal of overcoming our differences. This is the correction we must strive for, to raise the value of the connection between us and make it happen. We, the Jewish people, have an orderly method, inherited from ancient times, waiting for us to apply it for peace and tranquility.
Posted on The Times of Israel, Facebook