Exploding pagers

The amazing occurrence of Israel’s enemies being severely wounded  by simultaneously exploding pagers, while avoiding collateral damage to the rest of the population, is an outstanding achievement of technology and victory against murderous enemies.

It’s not the ideal. Ideally, we don’t want people to be killed, not even enemies. We want them to be deterred so that they don’t attack. This way, Arab lives are saved also. But after having witnessed the non-relenting attacks of Hamas and Hezbollah, we need to be thankful to G-d for orchestrating amazing victories.

The verse says that “Like the days that you went out of Egypt, I will show you wonders.” (Micah 7; 15) It’s explained that the miracles in the final Redemption with Moshiach will be similar, but much more wondrous, in comparison to the miracles which happened during the Exodus from Egypt.

Perhaps we can say that the exploding pagers are along these lines. When G-d smote the Egyptian first-born, it was a precise action that killed the first born, but no other Egyptians. Similarly the exploding pagers targeted, almost exclusively, Hezbollah fighters. The wondrousness herein, is that man has become a partner with G-d in that, by the grace of G-d, technology has enabled man to achieve such a precise and simultaneous surgical strike, just as it happened in Egypt. Indeed the sudden hue and cry coming from the people of Lebanon, upon witnessing the sudden carnage, was similar to the cry when the first-born Egyptians were suddenly killed.

Israel wants peace with its neighbours. By showing this kind of technological superiority, and by destroying Hamas in Gaza, and by declaring clearly that Israel is not giving away any land, this brings deterrence that ends up saving Arab lives too.

We look forward to the final Redemption, when man will live at peace with one another, when evil will be completely eliminated, and when “The whole world will come to know G-d, just just as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11; 9)

May it happen very soon.