Praying to God and self-introspection as Israel is engulfed in war - opinion

No words. No breath. Our hearts are dizzied with shock and trauma, and burning tears stream down our cheeks.

On October 7, 2023, our people and our land suffered their worst day in the 75-year history of our state. More Jews were killed on this one day than on any single day since the Holocaust. The pain and suffering are indescribable, the fear is palpable, and the mourning is overwhelming.

I feel uncomfortable writing anything.

There is absolutely nothing to say while so many are still suffering, while so many are being buried, while so many are fighting for their lives, and while so many are in the line of fire. This is not the time for “ideas” or the time to draw larger conclusions or to search for meaning. It is a time to cry and cry. For our people and for our land. For the name of God, which was so horribly desecrated.

I only write to offer basic guidance and to recommend a few responses, not that there is any protocol for a catastrophe like this. Most of the responses to this disaster are self-evident; but on the slim chance that they aren’t, it is worth repeating them.

Larger conversations about the ramifications of this tragedy will have to wait until a more appropriate time.

ALTHOUGH TEFILA (prayer) is always central to our relationship with God, there is also a specific mitzvah to pray during a time of crisis, or an eit tzarah. The Torah describes the prototypical eit tzarah as a situation of war that invades our country. It has been 50 years since we last experienced war in our own country during the Yom Kippur War. This is far worse.

During the Yom Kippur War, the battles were waged along borders in sparsely populated areas, limiting the number of civilian casualties. Sadly, we have currently suffered a massive pogrom directed at our own people. There is no other word to describe this vicious premeditated attack designed solely for the purpose of killing and kidnapping as many innocent people as possible, including the elderly and babies. If there ever were an eit tzarah, this is it.

The special mitzvah to daven (pray) during an eit tzarah can be accomplished by adding tefilot (prayers). Some have added Avinu Malkeinu, which is normally reserved for fast days. Reciting chapters of Psalms, especially those that plead for salvation from heartless enemies, is also meaningful.

While every chapter of Psalms is effective, the chapters which most directly petition God for salvation from heartless enemies include: 2, 7, 9, 13, 20, 22, 23, 27, 44, 55, 59, 60, 70, 74, 79, 80, 83, 121, and 130.

Even without adding extra tefilot, the mandate of eit tzarah demands that we invest more deeply in our routine prayers.

Mindful awareness that our tefilot possess an added dimension can deepen the experience.

There are lives hanging in the balance, and a Jew’s first response is to pray to the Redeemer of our people to send us redemption. 

THE SCENES of mourning are already apocalyptic and will only get worse. Thousands of lives have been shattered by senseless hatred of our people. Hundreds of funerals in the span of a few days is unfathomable.

Even those who haven’t been directly impacted by the tragedy feel connected to the suffering of the victims and their families.

Obviously, with few exceptions, any celebratory events or even enjoyable social events should be canceled. Additionally, until the intensity of mourning subsides, non-essential leisure such as excess media consumption unrelated to the tragedy should be curbed as we are burying hundreds of korbanot (sacrifices). While it is important to identify healthy outlets to preserve mental and emotional health, escapism, or completely “tuning out” should be avoided wherever possible. Part of living Jewish history is the responsibility to identify with tragedy.

Whenever a tragedy occurs, moral introspection is mandated, and certainly a catastrophe of this magnitude requires self-examination.

Why does God cause tragedy?

It is impossible to play God and to know what causes such tragedy. But the shadow of this tragedy is a chance for real introspection, for each person to look at themselves and identify areas for improvement. God is sending us each a message; and although we don’t exactly know the specifics, it is crucial to personalize the experience and look for individual paths for improvement, and not just harp upon collective issues.

God expects us to respond to a crisis by improving our behavior.

The ways of God elude human comprehension, and we certainly can’t wrap our minds around this catastrophe. Yet, our faith assures us that there is a divine purpose for allowing this to occur. Faith tells us to have confidence that in the long run, God cares for, and redeems His people. We cannot be afraid to ask genuine questions, but we also cannot be dispirited when we are thwarted in attempts to uncover answers.

These horrific events cannot shatter our deep belief that our return to our ancient homeland is part of a larger historical redemption. Our country has seen very dark days before, and though the trauma of this day far surpasses anything we have endured in the past, the wheels of redemption continue to turn.

Over the past few days, witnessing the grotesque and nauseating images, I kept thinking about the pogroms that battered our people in 1905. According to some reports, we suffered over 600 pogroms in one year. There is a great difference, though, between 1905 and 2023. We have our land and we have our army; and despite whatever shortcomings were temporarily exposed, our army, with Hashem’s help, will punish the murderers and continue to protect us.

In the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, my rebbe, Harav Yehuda Amital, cited a midrash that would become a staple of his as he wrestled with demoralizing national events. Commenting on the fact that in Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs) God is compared to a gazelle, the midrash elaborates:

A deer is so swift and furtive, that almost immediately after it appears, it disappears from view. Its disappearance doesn’t mean that it has entirely left the scene. Redemption can have lags and lulls, and even terrible setbacks; but once the process begins, it unfolds with inevitability.

This tragedy tests us to maintain our resolve and our vision that we are part of a larger historical trajectory. Our faith survived the Holocaust, and we hope and pray that with His help, our faith will survive this incalculable tragedy. It takes great faith to participate in the final chapters of history. We pray to Him to give us strength and faith to navigate the sorrow and pain of this process.

There is a fabled song with ancient roots, which was sung by many European Ashkenazi communities on Simchat Torah.

This song describes God observing us celebrate Simchat Torah and remarking that our love for Him is so impressive “that we even ignore our own suffering and celebrate His Torah.”

We ask God to allow us to celebrate His Torah without any more suffering. ■

This article was written on Sunday, October 8.

The writer is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva. He has smicha and a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University, as well as a master’s degree in English literature from the City University of New York.