Iron Dome, David’s Sling, IDF strategy and this week’s Torah portion

How can this week’s Torah portion Chukat possibly teach the generals in the IDF better military strategy?

We read that towards the end of the Israelites’ sojourn in the Sinai desert, Miriam passes away and the people thirst for water.

From the juxtaposition of Miriam’s death and the water shortage, our sages learn that for the previous 40 years, the people had a ready water source. This is referred to in the Talmud as Miriam’s Well, for it was in her merit that the miraculous water source traveled along with the Israelites.

Additionally, the high priest Aaron, Moses and Miriam’s brother, dies and is succeeded in the high priesthood by his son Elazar. We read that the Clouds of Glory, supernatural clouds which provided physical and spiritual protection for the Israelite Camp in the desert, departed after Aaron’s death.

Despite the sadness and hardships of losing two out of three holy leaders and two out of three miraculous gifts (the third being the manna) critical for survival in the desert, these events were actually beneficial for the Israelites. Their desert sojourn, in which G-d’s people provided all their material and spiritual needs, was coming to an end, and the people needed to get ready to live independently as they entered into the land of Israel.

Today, the modern state of Israel is at a similar crossroads. Up until recently, Israel has been blessed to have wonderful friends such as the US, the EU and others, who provide it with foreign aid that funds its defense systems. These have been crucial for Israel’s survival over the past 75 years, and we should not take it for granted. However, as many have pointed out, Israel may have become too heavily reliant on systems of defense, such as Iron Dome, and David’s sling that build a sense of complacency and a lack of strategy in actively pursuing safer and more daring alternatives to Israel’s survival.

While foreign aid is helpful and has been tremendously beneficial, what this war has taught us is that the time has come for Israel to stand on its own two feet militarily. We should be able to make our own weapons, provide for our own defense, and not become overly complacent and reliant on systems provided by the US military and other economic aid.

No one wanted Miriam and Aaron to die, or for the Clouds of Glory and Miriam’s Well to disappear, but ultimately these were necessary character-building events that prepared us to settle the land of Israel. Similarly, while foreign aid is a good thing that got Israel to where it is today, we can learn a valuable lesson on how to become independent, from our ancestors in the desert.

The Rebbe, whose 30th Yahrzeit was observed on July 9, emphasized that G-d gave the Jewish people a mission — to make the world a holy place which G-d can call his home. We were entrusted with the task to uplift and elevate the mundane world through Mitzvahs and acts of kindness, despite the hardships we face in our day to day lives. Similarly, Israel has a divine mission and a purpose, despite the hardships it faces in a very dangerous neighborhood.

With G-d’s help, Israel can recognize its true potential to rely on itself for its defense in the years ahead. When a child grows more independent, new challenges are indeed taxing and could seem dauntingly impossible but they are so very necessary for its complete development.