Shavua tov: How to achieve greatness.

By understanding the context.
Our week in Israel begins on Sunday, and it has started out well. 

We’ve wished each other ‘Boker Tov’ – good morning; And it certainly seems that way, at least for the western world, on its way to rid a very bad player of its destructive nuclear capability.

Often our morning prayers include a few lines of personal introspection, where we ask forgiveness and beseech ourselves to do better. Kind of like a mini-Yom Kippur, reserved for serious days and skipped on holidays. Today in particular, following the US airstrikes, our rabbis suggested omitting this prayer, for it is a day of celebration, a day on which we give thanks.

Indeed, we recognize the miracle of strong, decisive leadership and allied friendship that brings two countries together to rid the world of evil. We thank God and his chosen leaders for the past week, culminating in the US air strike last night. But as we look forward to the new week, it is imperative to understand what is going on, before we decide what to do.

This week’s Torah portion includes the twelve tribal leaders of Israel sent to check out the land of Israel. They were sent to ‘tour’ the land. “That is what tourists do. They go to the beautiful, the majestic, the inspiring”, Lord Jonathan Sacks tells us in his commentary on the Torah portion. The word ‘spy’ is not used, as this is not about searching a place’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

The secret, commentators point out for us, is in reading the room. The Israelites did not need spies at this stage. They needed the testimony of eyewitnesses, and Moshe understood this. Only Joshua and Caleb came back saying that the Land was ‘very very good’. They understood the story, and their conclusion was on target.

Let’s be sure to get the facts straight and to know the players. The US is dealing with some internal pushback. The Administration’s response is that the action was clear, targeted strikes to take out nuclear capability, not a declaration of war. Nor is its intent to topple the Iranian government. The goals are clear.

Israel’s stated goals are aligned with this reading. We have acted in the interest of removing the threat of any nuclear capability from this regime. That does not mean our actions are directed to bringing it down. That may be a by-product of the courses of action our countries have chosen to take, but it is not the story. And it is not what is going on today.

The Iranian people have a track record of enjoying personal freedoms. Their long history on the world stage is one of culture and civilized tradition. They are no stranger to our ways, and perhaps we are witnessing the beginning of a return that will change the Middle East for the better.

Simply put, we have sent our armies to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability. This is our joint interest. Get this story right, and we can achieve greatness, together.

#RisingLion