Thank you again so much for the incredible waves upon waves of support, far and wide. That includes everyone who's calling my mom to check in. It means so much to me and my family.
My wife mentioned yesterday that an Israeli Rabbi had suggested including the Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father, Our King) prayer during this war. Anyone who's been to services for the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashana - the new year, and Yom Kippur - the day of atonement), knows - and feels - the famous, melancholy minor melody.
At Rosh HaShana the year I made aliyah (emigrated) to Israel, hosted by my friend Mordechai McKenney at his Jerusalem yeshiva (Jewish academy of learning), I adopted my first-ever favorite verse:
אבינו מלכנו, הרם קרן ישראל עמך - Our Father, Our King, raise high the pride of Israel, Your people.
As I met the love of my life, the most incredible person I've ever met, and we subsequently created our beautiful family with the addition of our native Israeli kids, I changed that to:
אבינו מלכנו, מלא ידינו מברכותיך - Our Father, Our King, fill our hands from Your blessings.
Reading these prayers yesterday, I totally lost it. Especially this one:
אבינו מלכנו, קבל ברחמים וברצון את תפילתנו - Our Father, Our King, accept - with compassion and favor - our prayer.
I lift my head to Hashem, G-d, please, accept these prayers with compassion and favor.
--
Thank G-d we're doing fine.
The soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces need your prayers.
I know many of these guys quite closely. I know of no one in the world who I would rather have to fight this war, to defeat this evil incarnate, rearing its ugly head - again - in 2023.
Hamas won the first day, one of the most mind-boggling series of failures any government and military command have ever made. There were inspirational stories of heroism among the endless stories of horrors of horrors.
But as one man who successfully defended his small town said - in the Middle East, you can't rely on good defense. This ain't the San Antonio Spurs with a "defense wins championship" motto. So we will come after you now and win this war.
In every prior conflict with Hamas in Gaza, we have been too surgical. We let this cancer fester for too long.
--
Back to that failure of our leadership.
In early 2021, the Economist ran a special podcast dubbed The Jab, about the COVID-19 vaccine release. Every week, I took so much pride when their musical chart sounding out who had most swiftly vaccinated their populations had my little Israel at #1, every week. We protected our older adults, our women and then our children, like no other country in the world.
2 and a half years later, this happened to our women, our children, and our older adults.
But again back to those IDF soldiers. That's where my trust is when the leaders failed us.
But now Bibi, and Yoav Gallant must redeem themselves and win this war. Thank G-d they brought on another experienced voice of reason from the opposition in Benny Gantz.
--
Allow me to frame this war for you.
This is the continuation of the War of Independence from 75+ years ago. We came here to create the reborn state for the Jewish people in our eternal homeland. And we're still fighting to keep it.
Hamas truly believes that they are on the cusp of killing us all, or if that fails, of driving whoever's left out of our homeland crying and screaming. They are dead wrong.
As for the perfectly blessed distraction of my remarkable Texas Rangers, dominating their way into their third ever ALCS (semifinals for the non-baseball types),
I have been waiting four and a half decades to see my favorite team bring home their first ever title.
Hamas thinks I won't make it that long. (Don't have any illusions though, anywhere I would be in the world, they'd want me dead there too. Let's all put up another prayer to keep my people safe worldwide).
Now go put up your prayers and we'll all prove this pure evil wrong together. (And no, I have no illusions - as amazing as Texas has been, this still may not be their year).
But they're giving me a dang good ride! Adolis kept providing my kids with great material in Game 3 - the Rolling Stones tongue and the finger shimmy!!!
And back to reality... since the last post, my friend's brother-in-law fell in battle, valiantly defending Sderot.
--
Now, a word for anyone who's confused, doesn't know who to believe, etc.
This is a battle between good and evil incarnate (big surprise - those are the ones who lie). There's nothing to equivocate about. You wanna equivocate? Go do that in your own little Equivocating about Israel club and please get out of my way.
I am nauseated to even have to waste my energy typing this, but, well, the world hates Jews, so here goes:
We have a friend who's a nurse in the pediatric ER of a hospital in the south. She saw the most unthinkable, unimaginable horrors there since Saturday.
We're telling the truth, they're lying murderers. Simple as that.
--
So now we brace for what's not gonna be a short war. We pray for miracles of a swift defeat. But today is already the symbolic-around-here day 6 (ala the miraculous victory in 1967), and this war hasn't started yet.
Please keep writing! If I don't respond, know that I feel your love and appreciate it so much.
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