Will Iran attack Israel? Will Israel dare to pre-emptively strike Iran? We are all wondering what will be.

We’ve been holding our breaths for over a week since Iran promised to avenge the assassination of Hamas’ thug-in-chief. Some speculate that the attack will take place on Tuesday, coinciding with Tisha B’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish Calendar.

This day marks the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE by the Babylonians and subsequently by the Romans in 69 CE. Though the dark events of this ominous day in history eerily threaten to repeat themselves, the Jewish way is to exhibit no fear.

The Torah teaches us that we should never see the bad times we experience as isolated moments in time but rather as part of a larger pattern, leading to far greater good. In a stunning narrative, the Talmud transforms our perception of evil from a moment of pain into a process of planning for subsequent prosperity:

“It happened to a Jew who was plowing in the valley of Arbel that his ox was bellowing (on the very day that the Temple was destroyed).

An Arab passed by and heard the bellowing of the ox. He said to him: ‘Jew, Jew, unharness your ox, unharness your plow because the Temple was destroyed.’ 

The ox bellowed a second time. He said: ‘Jew, Jew, harness your ox, fix your plow, because King Messiah has been born.’”

(Jerusalem Talmud, Berachos 2:4)

What the Talmud is teaching us is that the moment of the destruction of our Temple was also the very moment that sowed the seeds of our redemption, with the metaphoric birth of the Messiah. When bad things happen to us and we feel like G-d is punishing us—he’s not. He’s actually preparing us for a much greater blessing that will follow soon after.

This paradox is built into the fabric of our universe: As day follows night and the backward draw of the arrow is what propels it forward, success comes only after periods of apparent failure. When your life seems to be crashing down all around you, and you feel like you’ve been buried, you’ve actually been planted!

Just as our best ideas come to us when we turn away from our work to relax—in the shower or “sleeping on it”—when G-d seems to have abandoned us, it’s actually that He’s preparing us for the far greater blessed He will ultimately bestow upon us.

This life-changing wisdom entirely transforms our perception of evil. G-d doesn’t punish us—He prepares us. This sensational idea is so fundamental to our lives that you’ll notice it’s been embedded in the very foundation of our lives:

At a wedding, just prior to the peak of our joy, we break a glass. We do this to instill awareness into the young newlyweds that it’s not a question of if something will go wrong in their fresh new lives, it’s only a question of when. And when something does eventually break, instead of reacting with anger or fear, they should erupt with a clarion call of Mazal Tov—expressing our deep conviction that anything bad that happens to us is part of the journey to the next celebration!

I know that this idea sounds naïve. It takes courage and humility to accept. But I challenge you to reflect on your own life story to see how the bad times were always followed by good times. This sequence is not coincidental—it’s by Divine design! Connecting the dots of our lives holds the key to plotting the path forward.

Destruction of the old paradigm is a crucial preparation for the construction of the new ideal. When something breaks in your life, do you have the courage to train yourself to declare Mazal Tov?

Today we are witnessing one of the largest military mobilizations since the World War II. October 7th was the most horrific massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. This week, Israel is facing an existential threat. These dark times are the greatest assurance of amazing events just around the corner. The intensity of this darkness assures us of the power of the light that is soon to follow as we are surely going to experience the greatest light of all—the arrival of the much-awaited Messiah, ushering in an era of global peace as the population of the world rises to higher consciousness.

Hold on tight, this may just be the wildest ride of our lives!

Rabbi Dovid Vigler
Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
6100 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
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