New Years Blessings In the Midst of War
“תִּכְלֶה שָׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ, תָּחֵל שָׁנָה וּבִרְכוֹתֶיהָ“
“May the curses of the past year fade away, and may this year begin with its blesings”
Iran is often compared to an octopus. The terror and desire to destroy Israel comes from its head but is enacted through its many far-reaching tentacles. For the past few decades, and especially over the past year it has been operating through proxies – Hamas out of Gaza, Hezbollah from Lebanon, and the Houthis from Yemen. Some analysts see its tentacles reach even further as it has been reported to stoke the anti-Israel protest movements, using social media platforms popular in the U.S. to encourage protests and have provided financial support to some protest groups, according to U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.
But yesterday, the attack came directly from the head. Iran sent a barrage of 181 rockets and ballistic missiles into Israel forcing Israelis (Jews, Arabs, and everyone else) into safe rooms and shelters. Iran has aggressively inserted itself into the heart of the conflict by launching a massive, unprecedented missile attack on Israeli soil.
The attack ostensibly came as a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week in his suburban Beirut bunker. Iran, itself, was not affected by the death of Nasrallah, however many see Nasrallah as being the number 2 most important figure after the Supreme leader Ayatollah Khameini.
The gloves are off, and Israel is now embroiled in a regional war. Thankfully, due to the Israeli defense system and incredible support from the United States, the Iranian attack failed to penetrate Israeli regional air defenses effectively and little damage was caused, save for the trauma and terror felt by many across the country.
According to military reporter Amos Harel, the latest escalation puts all sides to the conflict in an entirely different situation, in which Israel’s war with Hamas and even with Hezbollah are relegated to second place after the Israeli-Iranian conflict.
Secondary risks are also growing domestically, as evidenced by the killing spree by terrorists in Jaffa that left six Israelis dead and is believed to have been intended to coincide with the attack from Iran. This is the deadliest terror attack to have occurred inside the Green Line since the October 7 Hamas massacre. Tel Aviv has not suffered a terror attack on that scale since the second intifada.
Accordingly, a fierce Israeli reprisal is expected, as IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari put simply that this Iranian attack “will have consequences.”
All this on the eve of Rosh HaShanah. On Rosh HaShanah, we expect to hear the acute awakening sound of the Shofar. The long blasts are followed by shorter staccato perforated piercings which push into our ears and souls awakening us to change.
This year however on the eve of Rosh Hashanah the country heard the piercing and frightful sound of the sirens alerting them to move quickly into shelters.
As Rabbi Galit Cohen-Kedem of Kehilat Kodesh V’Hol in Holon commented:
“Is it really the Jewish New Year coming up later today?
I am exhausted. Worried. Sad. Anxious.
This is NOT what our ancestors wanted for us as a people when we came back to this beloved land as sovereigns. But there is no other home for me. There will never be.
This home is fighting for its existence.
Maybe just like Sarah the matriarch, that moaned and cried when told that Abraham almost slaughtered Isaac, a cry that is imitated by the Shofar of Rosh Hashana, these holy days should be about us wailing towards the heavens, demanding God to show humanity the way to chose life over death, hope over fear and peace over war.
So, I let my soul moan, scream, hurt, and cry: ENOUGH.”
Let us pray that on this Rosh HaShanah, the only piercing sound will be the Shofar.
Let us pray “ וּפְרושׂ עָלֵינוּ סֻכַּת שְׁלומֶךָ – let there a shelter of peace spread over us” to protect us from all evil and harm.
Let us pray that this year we will be able to fulfill both meanings of the word “Shanah”: לְשַׁנוֹת, which means to change, to alter our reality so that this year will be different. But Shanah also means repetition: לְשַׁנֵּן. In traditional and rabbinic Hebrew, we use the word שנה/ shanah to refer to teaching through repetition. At this moment it is upon us to repeat our story, our mantra, our commitment of who we are and who we aspire to be.
On Rosh Hashanah we remember those who cry to us from the depths, who mark this moment still in captivity. We mourn for the children of Sarah and Hagar. We hope to be a free people in our Land, to love our people, and to value life over all else. May the people of Israel be safe from enemies who continue to harm them. May our hostages be returned by those who hold them captive, and let us pray that this year will be better than the last one.
I’m leaving you with this poem by Israeli poet Natan Alterman:
“תפילה לשנה החדשה”
מאת: נתן אלתרמן
תן לנו שנה אחת של שקט אמיתי
שנה של לובן הפריחות וירק הדשאים
שנה של להט אהבות וחום תנור ביתי
ושנדע רק פעם מהו טוב ומה נעים
שנה ללא קולות שנאה וזעקות השכול
ללא מראות הדם ללא הלמות תופי המלחמה
ללא הפחד המשותק של הנורא מכל
ללא צחוקו של העתיד אשר נטמן באדמה
הן לא ביקשנו לנו אוצרות של ממלכות
לא אושר עילאי ומכוניות פאר
קורטוב אחד של שקט אמיתי ולובן של פריחות
אשר נוכל בהם בלאט להתהדר
להתרגש כפעם מריחות הסתיו
לדהור אל האושר כשריקת רכבת
לבנות לנו סוכת שלום עכשיו
ולהיות בה ראויים לשבת
“A Prayer for the New Year”/ Nathan Alterman
(Translation: Yonatan Glaser)
Give us one year of true quiet
A year when the blossoms and leaves will rustle
A year of gentle breeze and warm candle light at home
And we’ll know once again what is good and pleasant.
A year without the sounds of hatred and cries of grief
Without fearful sights of blood and faces of war
Without the paralyzing fear of the terrible of all
Without the laughter of the future that was buried in the ground.
We do not ask for treasures of kingdoms
Not for wealth that elevates and brings glory
Just one quarter of true peace and a slice of bread
In which we can take pride.
To experience once more the sweetness of existence
To hurry to love as the train departs
To build for us a shelter of peace now
And to be worthy of sitting in its shade.
Shanah (Yoteir) Tovah! May this year sweetness and joy, and of course, peace.