Tomorrow night we begin our observance.
It is a time of prayer and serious reflection. We are summoned to hear the shofar, and our hearts are pierced by its blasts – 100 in all.
We gather with family and friends for festive meals that include sweet dishes for a sweet new year. Our challah is dipped in honey, for the holiday is marked by hopes for a year of blessings ahead.
~~~~~~~~~~
This year, as always, we will pray and take in the shofar blasts. We will gather with loved ones and lick the honey that drips on our fingers from the challah.
Yet it will not be a normal holiday. For our nation is still at war and we are ever mindful of this.
Tens of thousands are fighting, or in training for doing battle. They are at risk but understand what must be done. Family men have been called into miluim (reserve duty), leaving behind wives and children.
And so, we pray for a speedy and victorious end to this obscene war, for the safety of our soldiers as they do battle, for the healing of those who are wounded whether in body or soul, and for possibilities to bring the hostages home.
We pray that the Almighty will look down upon us, and see our sacrifices and devotion, and bring us victory soon. We pray for a year ahead of national flowering and peace.
~~~~~~~~~~
I cite here the words of Rabbi Doron Perez, Chair of World Mizrachi. The rabbi is father of Captain Daniel Perez z”l, who was kidnapped and murdered on October 7th. He speaks with wisdom and sensitivity.
“I learned that you can live with a broken heart and a whole heart at the same time…
“In the Torah Rosh Hashanah is called ‘Yom Teruah,’ which, on the one hand, represents joy, but on the other – brokenness and crying. So it seems that it represents both – joy for all the good that is in the world, but also great pain for what is missing.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/415263
~~~~~~~~~~
To each of you I extend heartfelt wishes for a year without loss: a year of blessings for health, good works, spiritual growth and inner peace. May your lives be filled with love, joyous family connections, and purpose.
~~~~~~~~~~
I would like to recommend a site to donate to this Rosh Hashanah season. It is a campaign called “Heal the IDF,” which has just begun. Funds donated will go to a collective of organizations, each doing extraordinary work to heal the bodies and souls of our wounded soldiers, who have given their all.
“Some came home alive, but not whole. Their wounds are visible: shattered bones, missing limbs, scarred faces. Others carry invisible wounds: trauma, sleepless nights, and memories that won’t fade. For them, the war may be over, but the healing has only just begun…
“Those who fought for us deserve more than gratitude, they deserve healing, dignity, and life after war.”
https://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/HealIDF (Donations possible in a number of currencies.)
~~~~~~~~~~
I close with a brief look at a number of positive items, offering promise as we look forward.
[] And I begin by alluding to sovereignty. This is a subject far too extensive to do justice to in this brief review. But it’s huge, and there is reason to hope that it may be coming soon.
There are a number of different plans, different scenarios, being advanced – over the major portion of Judea & Samaria or all of it (including the Jordan Valley). There will be time to examine this critical issue in some detail, but the fact that it is being discussed with vigor now is encouraging. Legally and historically this land is ours.
At the same time there is a de facto claim to the land as development in Judea & Samaria grows by leaps and bounds.
~~~~~~~~~~
[] Edan Alexander, 21, is an amazing soldier who exemplifies the extraordinary spirit of our IDF. An American-Israeli, he came to Israel and served as a lone soldier in the Golani Brigade until he was taken captive by Hamas, seized from his base on October 7. He was held in captivity for 584 days before being released with the intervention of President Trump on May 12th of this year. At that time, he returned to his family in New Jersey.
~~~~~~~~~~
Now Alexander has made a public statement that includes this:
“Next month, God willing, I will return to Israel. I will once again put on the IDF uniform, and I will proudly serve alongside my brothers.
“My story does not end with survival. It continues with service.” (Emphasis added)
He then then switched to Hebrew and declared, “Until victory!” (ad ha’nitzahon) pounding the podium twice.
https://www.jns.org/freed-hamas-hostage-edan-alexander-vows-to-return-to-idf-service/ (includes a video with his statement beginning at 2:44 minutes).
~~~~~~~~~~
[] “The UN Security Council convened on Thursday to vote on a resolution initiated by Algeria regarding Gaza. The resolution demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, without condemnation of Hamas, without demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, and at the same time demanded the lifting of restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.
“The proposal received the support of 14 member states, but the United States vetoed its passage. (Emphasis added)
“Morgan Ortagus, Counsellor at the US Mission to the UN, said: ‘US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise. It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this Council…Gaza has humanitarian needs because of Hamas, because the international community turned a blind eye to the true use of billions of aid it provided.’”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/415173
~~~~~~~~~~
[] “The Trump administration is reportedly seeking congressional approval for an arms package to Israel valued at about $6 billion.
“The request was submitted to Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ahead of Israel’s Sept. 9 strike on Hamas targets in Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
“According to the report, the strike in Doha, which Washington described as counterproductive, has not altered the Trump administration’s stance on the measure. Leaders of the House and Senate panels must approve it before the full Congress is formally notified.
“The proposed sale reportedly includes $3.8 billion for 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters and $1.9 billion for 3,250 infantry fighting vehicles. An additional $750 million is requested for support parts for armored personnel carriers and power supplies.
“The equipment would be delivered over two to three years, with funding provided through the U.S. foreign military financing program.”
https://www.jns.org/trump-admin-reportedly-pushing-for-6-billion-arms-sale-to-israel/
~~~~~~~~~~
[] “Israel has developed the world’s first operational laser interceptor, having completed a series of successful trials of the Iron Beam high-power laser system in a facility in southern Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Rafael defense technology firm announced on Wednesday.
“’The system proved its effectiveness in a complete operational configuration by intercepting rockets, mortars, aircraft, and UAVs across a comprehensive range of operational scenarios,’ the two bodies said in a joint statement.
“The Iron Beam—to be renamed ‘Ohr Eitan’ (‘Eitan’s Light’) after Eitan Oster, who fell in battle in Lebanon and whose father was one of its developers—is set to be integrated into the Israel Defense Forces air defense arrays by the end of this year. (Emphasis added)
https://www.jns.org/israel-becomes-first-nation-to-deploy-historic-laser-defense-system/
~~~~~~~~~~
Please, pray with full hearts, my friends, for the courage and strength of our leaders, the safety of our brave fighting troops, and the rescue of our hostages. Pray for all of Am Yisrael.
©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
