This morning we awake to a new world.
Israel has struck Iran, has attempted to decapitate their military leadership, take out their nuclear scientists, and cripple their ever-looming nuclear program. We await the results of the ongoing war, what the impact of an Iranian retaliation will look like, and pray for our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. We must all remain vigilant, as we know who our enemy is and what they are capable of. We pray for success.
Heartbeats
Over the last 616 days, I have come to realize that my heart beats blue. Jewish hearts, beating in Toronto, New York, London, or Sydney, carry within them a secret rhythm. Though we live far from Jerusalem's ancient stones or Tel Aviv's vibrant shores, from Tzfat’s mystical charm or Eilat’s gorgeous sunsets, our pulse as a Diaspora echoes a singular place, a singular land: Israel. The Diaspora's heartbeat synchronizes instinctively with Israel's, and when events in the homeland shift, so does the pace and intensity of our collective pulse.
On calm days, when Israeli skies are blue and clear, when children laugh freely on beaches and in playgrounds, our hearts beat slowly, steadily, comforted by the tranquility we sense from afar. We revel quietly in Israel’s daily joys, in the comforting normalcy of a bustling shuk, vibrant cafes, Tamara ice-cream, HaKosem falafels, Marzipan rugelach, and streets alive with the melody of Hebrew banter. Even from thousands of kilometres away, we feel connected to the rhythm of ordinary Israeli life, secure in the knowledge that the ancestral homeland we hold dear is at peace (well not at peace peace but you know what I mean).
Yet when the winds change, and when rockets streak across Ashkelon’s sky, when sirens pierce the quiet of Petach Tikva or Jerusalem, when border tensions rise, and when a notification on X tells us that our cousins have been sent running to their shelters, our hearts race and pound. Urgently.
Each news alert, each flash update, tightens the cadence of our heartbeat, deepening our concern. What will come next? What of our hostages? Our hearts then, quite literally, beat blue and white. They beat for Israel, resonating with worry, pride, fear, and hope all at once.
What comes next
Today, as we stand on the precipice of an unprecedented and long-anticipated confrontation with Iran, the Diaspora’s heartbeat quickens significantly. This is a moment we've discussed around Shabbat tables, anticipated in policy discussions, feared and prepared for. It was inevitable, was it not? Israel has been planning this for decades. Operation Rising Lion has been greenlit. Now, as Israel prepares itself for this defining chapter, our own pulses quicken in tandem, beating faster and louder, carrying a prayer within each beat.
We wake up feeling a familiar yet uncomfortable cadence in our chests. That feeling you’re feeling is a combination of anxiety, nerves, fear, trepidation, and peoplehood. It is a sense of belonging, of community, of love.
God bless my poor billable hours, as in the coming days I will be watching the news closely, our phones becoming lifelines connecting us to the homeland we cherish. Each headline and broadcast will no doubt send a surge through our veins. Is this breaking news update good news or bad news? We hold our breath as Israel mobilizes, gathering strength for a conflict it may have hoped to avoid but cannot ignore. As soldiers, teenagers and fathers, ready themselves at dawn, as pilots climb resolutely into cockpits, as reservists leave families and head bravely into the unknown, our hearts echo their courage and resolve.
We know that for Israel, war is never sought: it is entered into as a last resort, faced with dignity, seriousness, and a sense of duty. Today, Israel does not enter this next chapter lightly, and nor does the Diaspora. For decades, the shadow of Iran’s threats loomed large, a relentless backdrop to Israel’s modern story. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the IRGC. The mullahs in Tehran, the barracks in Lebanon, the Embassy in Buenos Aires, the Iranian octopus has left its mark on our lives and hearts all over the world. Now, as the inevitable confrontation becomes reality, our collective heartbeat underscores the gravity of this moment.
Today however, our hearts do more than just beat with anxiety. They beat also with a profound pride and fierce determination. We trust in the resilience and strength of Israel, the Mossad, the IDF, in its ingenuity, its courage, and the unwavering dedication of its people. Just as past generations stood united against existential threats, this generation too rises, determined and unbowed. We are the October 8 Generation. We have seen evil, and will confront it.
Together in spirit
In 1981, Menachem Begin launched Operation Opera, an attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor then under construction. It was the beginning of the Begin Doctrine: no country in the Middle East will ever have the capacity to develop nuclear weapons that can be used to strike Israel. In 1981, Iraq’s program was successfully neutralized. In 2007, Israel destroyed Syria’s nuclear reactor too. God willing, in 2025, Israel will destroy Iran’s as well.
After the strike in Iraq deprived Saddam Hussein of nuclear weapons, making the world without a doubt a safer place, the world, naturally, came out criticizing Israel for attacking another country. When Begin was told of this criticism, he responded:
I’ll share a personal secret with you. Whenever I have to choose between saving the lives of our children or getting the approval of the Security Council and all those other fair-weather friends, I much prefer the former. But, keep that to yourselves.
Today, the Diaspora, scattered yet unified, stands alongside Israel in spirit, in prayer, and in action.
Put on your tfillin this morning.
Say your tehillim today.
Light your shabbat candles tonight.
Give some charity.
Do a mitzvah.
We feel the collective breath of our history blowing gently yet firmly at our backs, pushing us forward. Our unity echoes through global communities, in rallies and synagogues, in passionate discussions and moments of reflection. This unity bolsters Israel, reminding our brothers and sisters in the homeland that they are never alone.
Today, and in the days ahead, our hearts will continue to beat in rhythm with Israel. This heartbeat is our inheritance. It is both a bond and a promise. So as Israel faces the challenges ahead, our hearts pound together, steadfast and strong. With each beat, we affirm our unity, our support, and our belief in Israel’s future. Together, we face this storm, hearts racing with love, resolve, and hope for a swift victory and brighter tomorrow.
Am Yisrael Chai and Shabbat Shalom.
עם ישראל חי 🇮🇱
שבת שלום