* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
1. Good morning, with full emphasis on the meaning of “good.” The world is safer and better this morning for one reason: The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was eliminated last night in a bold Israeli action in Iran. This is after yesterday night’s elimination in Lebanon of the head of the military wing of Hezbollah. A debt of enormous gratitude is owed to all the security forces that participated in this difficult action. Perhaps one of them will be standing in line in front of you tomorrow in the grocery store, but we’ll never know. Thank you again.
2. Whoever’s pulse quickens in response to the events of the day (and whose doesn’t?) has experienced four such moments in the past week. Only last Thursday they were standing and cheering again and again in the American Congress as our prime minister told the story of Israel, while the audience showered applause on Noa Argamani, the released hostage, with tears in their eyes. But then last Shabbat Hezbollah murdered 12 children playing soccer in Majdal Shams. And then yesterday came the news from Beirut and finally, this morning, from Tehran.
3. Ever since Simchat Torah, it has become crowded in the heaven with so many precious, radiant souls having been taken from the world. At the same time, it has also become exceedingly crowded in hell.
Haniyeh is not the personal enemy of any of us, but rather the enemy of the essence of the nation of Israel. In this week’s Torah portion, Moses receives the command to take vengeance on the Midianites whose immoral behavior with the children of Israel brought a plague that killed 24,000 of our people. Moses explains that the nation must go to war “to carry out the Lord’s revenge against Midian,” One might ask the question why taking vengeance on Midian is carrying out the Lord’s vengeance, which Rashi answers, quoting a Midrash, as follows: “For anyone opposing Israel is reckoned as opposing God.” Whoever stands against Israel is actually standing against God.
So take a deep breath. The air is cleaner this morning. May we hear more good news.
