Thinking Torah Blog

As this new war unfolds between Israel and Iran, I imagine most of us look on in fear as we watch missiles fall, lives end, and destruction ensue. We wonder what it all means. Was Israel right to launch an attack? Will the Iranian regime survive this war? Will Israel? And how might this affect diaspora Jewry?

There are far more questions than answers at this stage. Still, one thing seems clear to me. While most political issues in Israel provoke deep division, this war with Iran feels different. Of course, there are outliers, but the consensus is striking. I read a wide range of Israeli news sources and listen to various podcasts. I also text daily with friends and colleagues in Israel. Even as Israelis suffer through this conflict, there is an overwhelming sense of unity behind the war effort. For years, many Israelis have seen Iran as the greatest threat to the nation's future—its pursuit of nuclear weapons a looming danger to Israel and, therefore, to over half the world’s Jewish population. While Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political ambitions and corruption remain real concerns, it seems that, in this case, most Israelis do not see them as the primary reason behind this attack.

Of course, Israeli consensus does not automatically determine our moral position as American Jews. But I believe we have an obligation to take Israeli perspectives seriously. They should be part of the calculus as we form our own views.

Many of us may find ourselves wondering, “What does the world think of us as Jews when Israel opens a new front in this war?” We worry that Israel’s actions may impact how we are seen or treated. Here, too, our tradition offers wisdom. In this week’s Torah portion, Sh’lach, the spies return from the Promised Land with a fear-filled report. Ten of them declare that the land cannot be conquered, that it is inhabited by giants, and that they must have looked like grasshoppers in the eyes of its people. While the common interpretation is that the Israelites’ failure was their lack of faith in their ability to conquer the land and in God, some sages offer a deeper critique. They argue that the real sin was projection. The Israelites saw themselves as small and powerless, and projected that image onto others.

In life, and especially in moments of crisis, we must be careful not to diminish ourselves, neither in our own eyes nor in the eyes of the world. Our responsibility is not to appease everyone or anticipate every reaction, but to meet hard moments with integrity, openness, and hope. That’s what it means to carry Jewish values into an uncertain world.