Bihaalothecha: follow

Today, the state of Israel launched a 'pre-emptive' attack on the Islamic  Republic of Iran. The top generals and nuclear scientists  were targeted along with facilities involved in the production of nuclear  weapons. 

I am planning a trip  to Israel  in about 2 weeks  to meet a new grandchild. Shoshana and Micha are expecting  a baby in 2 weeks. Last night, they had to leave  their home and stay with friends so that they  would  have faster and easier access to a bomb shelter. They were following a government directive  that anticipated an Iranian counterstrike. L

American  press coverage of the events quickly evolved from shock and horror, fear of the Iranian counterstrike, to admiration  for the efficacy and presumed precision  of the Israeli actions. Prime Minister  Netanyahu, in his perfect (native) American  English  explained the motivation  for the attack. Iran has threatened to annihilate Israel  for decades. Israel could not allow the development of a weapon that could actualize that (religiously  motivated, hence irrational) plan. As the child of holocaust  victim/survivors, I accept  the Prime  minister's explanation, mostly  because  I recognize  my ignorance of the true nature of the threats and motivations involved. To a degree, I must trust the politically battered government of Israel. I do what I must.

I had intended  to write about how this week’s parsha humanized Moses. That will need to wait for another  time.  This is a moment when leadership  is abstract, without  consideration of personality. 

The parsha contains a pair of verses that condoned off from the rest of the Torah.  They are the prayers Moses pronounced when the ark journeyed forward and the hope expressed  when the ark rested. These verses  are recited when the Torah is removed and replaced into the ark in Synagogue. They add to the centrality and mystery of the Torah service. The ark, especially  the open ark,  looks like a communication gateway to the Almighty.  

 The wilderness  between Egypt and Canaan was (is) a treacherous desert. Unguided crossing  is deadly. Moses  asks Hobab, his father-in-law to join  the  Israelites  and "be their eyes" as they cross  the deserts.  Moses asks Hobab, an experienced  wilderness  man, to be a guide. He refuses to join 

Once the travels begin, it is the  people who joined, the asafsof, who instigate  discord. This is the  sin of disloyalty.  These people will not tolerate hardship .  There is nostalgia for Egypt and the slave food. How can you live on manna  pancakes?

These murmurings  bring Divine punishments that are mitigated by Moses.  Moses' leadership is questioned.( It is questioned so much that he begins to doubt himself.) It is Moses's  interventions that stop the  Divine retribution.

Ultimately, the Israelites  are guided by a cloud. A supernatural  force shows them when to travel  and when to rest. This arrangement  clashes  with Moses's  prayer: 'Arise Gd and scatter your enemies'. Is this  an appropriate  request?  Does  Gd need to be asked  to scatter the enemies  and make them flee?

Prayer  always contains the question  of who is the beneficiary. We  presumed (on the basis  of little  or no evidence) that Gd does  not get anything out of it. Were the prayers of Moses  self reassurance? That may have been an element. 

But these prayers were public. ויאמר משה. The people, always on the edge of dissatisfaction  were reminded about  the silent absence  of terrible troubles; battles avoided by Divine  guidance. Moses  was  also praying that the enemy within, the enemy of dissatisfaction  and nostalgia, would disperse.

In the current situation, we will see what  happens. I pray that it will benefit from true  Divine guidance with an optimal  outcome.