Israel has no option but to destroy Iran's capability to attack it again.
The first missile attack, in April (which I was in Israel to experience), crossed a new threshold. Israel's defenses, miraculously, held up, but the Biden administration restrained Israel from a full-scale response. Also, Israel may have worried about potential retaliation from Hezbollah, which could have launched tend of thousands of rockets and missiles at Israeli cities, overwhelming the Iron Dome.
Israel did respond, but in a limited way that simply demonstrated the limits of the Iranian air defense system. Evidently, that was not enough to deter Iran from firing again -- probably because Iran believes Biden will rein Israel in again.
But the rules of the game have changed. Israel has acted independently of the U.S. -- in Rafah, and in Lebanon -- and it has taken out Hezbollah's ability to fire in coordinated fashion. There is no Iranian deterrent anymore.
Iran has provided Israel with the perfect provocation to act. But also, it has provided Israel with a threat that it cannot allow again. This second attack was more frightening than the first, because Israel is already at war on 4 fronts.
Israel cannot take the risk that an Iranian missile might be tipped with a chemical or even nuclear warhead. Plus, the war is damaging the Israeli economy, which suffered a major investment downgrade a few days ago.
Therefore I believe today's missile attack will be the last. Israel will attack: Iran's missile launchers; its oil and gas industry; its ports; its nuclear sites; its government; or all of the above. Israel could use airstrikes, or internal sabotage.
There is a reason Netanyahu delivered a speech this week -- not to the Lebanese people, whom he addressed last week, but to the Iranian people. He intends to create the conditions for the regime to be overthrown. Watch.
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
