What If Israel Lost?

What if, G-d forbid, Israel was attacked by its Arab neighbors and lost?

It’s an almost unthinkable thought, yet it is actually a complete miracle that Israel, surrounded and vastly outnumbered by its enemies, actually wins and survives in a very tough neighborhood. Further, if we just think back, for example, to 1973, we know that in fact, we certainly could’ve lost in a surprise attack that was launched against Israel by a coalition of Arab states on the holy day of Yom Kippur.

What is really frightening is that Israel can never lose. It must win each and every war, because the one time, Heaven forbid, that it would lose then unfortunately, we know with virtual certainty, there would be an utter massacre where every Jewish man, woman, and child in Israel would be finished off. With 6.3 million Jews, Israel the largest home for the Jews in the world, would experience Holocaust 2.0 and almost instantaneously become Judenrein!

In conflicts, the IDF fights with the highest moral standards called “Purity of Arms” taking after the pre-1948 paramilitary Haganah who followed Havlagah or “self-restraint” meaning that Israel does everything possible to not hurt civilians.  However, as we know, our enemies are fundamentally the complete opposite, and terror organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad take every opportunity to kill or main as many innocent civilians in Israel’s population centers as possible. Moreover, as we watch when our enemies occasionally fight each other, whether in civil wars in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Libya, or in the Iran-Iraq War for eight years, and we see the incredible slaughter and refugee crisis that results, we can only imagine if they do that brother-to-brother to each other, what would they do to the Jews if they ever got their hands on us. Then again, we really don’t have to let our imaginations go that far, when countries like Iran openly vow to “annihilate” Israel today just as Arab leaders have declared since 1948 that they would “drive the Jews into the Sea.” None of this is a surprise however, as Jews are repeatedly called the “sons of dogs and pigs” and even little children in grade school are taught to hate and murder them.

Recently, I read a book that just came out this year, called “The Siege of Tel Aviv” by Hesh Kestin about a fictional war where “Iran leads five Arab armies in a brutal victory over Israel.” Those that aren’t killed in the outset of the war are herded into a Tel Aviv death camp where they are left for starvation and illness to take their toll before the final Arab assault. It is an absolutely frightening 150 pages or so until the tables start to turn with a last-ditch daring counterattack, but this book really raises to the stark consciousness that we can never rest of our laurels thinking that we are safe and sound, and there is nothing to be concerned about. As Hashem warns us in Leviticus 18:28 that if we aren’t faithful to Him then “the land will vomit you out for having defiled it.” Remember, twice before Israel and the Temple was wholly destroyed and the Jews exiled, and we are yet to reach the fulfillment of the end of days prophecy of the War of Gog and Magog and the arrival of Mashiach and world peace.

It is so incredibly wonderful that after 2,000 year of bitter exile, complete vulnerability, and near-constant oppression that our people are finally back in the Promised Land and with our own army, navy, and air force–and truly excellent ones a that! Can you but just for a second imagine the looks on the faces of those that were martyred in the Holocaust if they could only see this? Despite these miracles that we have been blessed to witness, we can’t let down our guard militarily or spiritually. We must do good deeds, act with kindness and charity to our fellow man, and worship Hashem to continue to merit the success over our enemies and our settlement of the land of Israel. Thank G-d, we have seen the most amazing of miracles where the few with barely any armaments have defeated the many armies that have attacked us–and Baruch Hashem this has happened again and again before our very eyes. Our brave sons and daughters that serve heroically in the IDF and continue to defend the Jewish people and the State of Israel deserve much gratitude as well for their endless sacrifices. Let us continue to work hard to merit every day G-d’s mercy and blessings for Israel and our people, because we can never take victory for granted.