Rabbi Rael Blumenthal

I don't know. You don't know. None of us know.

The War Cabinet of the State of Israel has just agreed to a deal which will, Be'ezras Hashem, see the return of fifty hostages. Hostages who were cruelly and brutally abducted from their homes. Hostages who witnessed the hell of October 7th first hand, and for whom that terror has not abated for even one second.

I cannot even begin to imagine the emotions of this moment for the families of the 240+ hostages. Sleepless nights hoping, praying, yearning. Will my son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, parent or grandparent be one of the “lucky ones”? And grave concern. What will the future hold for those who are not released in this deal?

We don't know.

What will be the cost of a “pause” in fighting? In Gaza? In the international arena? We are facing an enemy who celebrates death and revels in brutality, and a world of sympathizers and supporters of such evil. What will this mean for our brave Chayalim? Will this put them in even greater danger?

And what of those terrorists who will be released from Israeli prisons in this exchange? Their intentions and ideology have, no doubt, remained the same. Are they not still murderous anti-semites who desire the destruction of Jewish life and the State of Israel?

Is this price too much to pay? Is this the right thing for the State? Is this the right strategy for the war?

But what is the alternative? To allow these hostages to continue languishing in excruciating captivity? How could we?

For those who are wondering what the Halacha should be in this harrowing situation, I implore you not to attempt to “pasken” based on the shiur that you once heard, the Tosfot that you once learned, or the article that you once read. This case is far more complex than we might realize. (To learn more, Rav Asher Weiss, שליט”א addressed the Sugya here.)

We desperately want to know what is Ratzon Hashem here and we are not qualified to know.

But that's not the point. The point is that this is not our decision to make. We, in Chutz La'aretz, and even in Israel, are not members of the War Cabinet. We are not Poskim for Klal Yisrael, or generals of the IDF. We don't know the right thing to do here. But that's ok. It is not our job to know.

However we might feel about the decisions that Israel is making, I implore you to remember that there is a reason that the Master of All Worlds has not given this decision to you or me. This crucial and monumental choice is not for us to make. This choice is not ours; but there are many choices that Hashem has absolutely given to you and me. It's important to focus on our own Avoda.

Chief amongst our tasks is considering how to relate to Jews who do not share our opinion about this deal; or any other strategies and thoughts related to this war. Many more difficult questions are going to be asked. But we are not the ones who must answer. There is other work for us to do.

To be clear: Our Avoda right now is to fight, with all of our strength and power, to ensure that we do not return to the fragmentation, frustration and anger of October 6th, and to daven for the success of our nation.

Through the tears, pain and sleepless nights, each and every one of us has been uplifted by the overwhelming Ahavas Yisrael we have seen and experienced in the past six weeks. We cannot allow these feelings and perspectives to revert back to Sinas Chinam.

This is our primary battle. This is the war that we must win at all costs. Now that we have learned who the enemy is, we dare not fight each other. The world, social media and the news will try to infiltrate our hearts and minds. They will sow dissent and distrust; and we must commit to fighting the Jew Hatred in each one of us.

The methodology for success here, is first detailed by Yaakov Avinu.

The Torah this Shabbos describes how Yaakov fled his home; running from his murderous brother Esav. He arrives at some distant mountain top and prepares to sleep. Of course, we, along with Yaakov, are soon to learn that this is no ordinary mountain top. This is Har Hamoriah, the cite of the future Beis HaMikdash. But at this point, Yaakov is simply getting ready for bed.

The pasuk tells us: וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו – he took of the stones of that place, and put them by his head.

Reb Baruch of Mezhibuz asks the obvious question. Surely it would've been better to fortify his entire body? He should've built a small enclosure around his entire bed. Why only his head? Reb Baruch explains: If your thoughts are in the right place the rest of your body will be as well. But one who does not fortify their mind against the intrusions of negativity has no hope of keeping the rest of the themselves safe.

Yaakov Avinu could well have fallen prey to the invasive thoughts of wondering whether or not his father loved or understood him. Wondering if he would ever see his parents again. Wondering if Esav would eventually find him and kill him. But rather than allow the invasion, he fortifies his mind; and somehow manages to fall asleep. It is only at this point that Hashem reveals the past, present and future of Klal Yisrael; the ladder connecting Heaven and Earth and the dreams of generations to come.

Thousands of years later, we too are desperate for rest. Desperate for safety and security. Desperate for an end to our wars and wanderings. And the thoughts that are invading our minds are pervasive and corrosive. The worst of which are pushing us to point fingers at each other, at Hashem and at ourselves.

But if we want to ensure that Geulah will come to the hostages, to the Chayalim, to Klal Yisrael, we need to fend off the urge to fight each other.

Despite the challenges, we too need to live the dream that we are at the bottom of a ladder climbing up to the heavens. The only ones who are truly capable of pushing us off the ladder are us. But the world of Mashiach is one in which we climb together, despite our differences.

R' Pinchas of Koretz (הקדמה למדרש פנחס) explains:

Small Tzadikim have the capacity to love small Reshaim. Big Tzadikim can love even Big Reshaim. Mashiach will be able to love even completely wicked people... Anyone who can find the good in another Jew, is a little piece of Mashiach.

Of course, those making decisions for Klal Yisrael are far from Reshaim. It should be easy for us to love and daven for each and every one of our leaders and elected officials. They are making some of the most painful decisions that our nation has ever faced, and we are davening that Hashem give them the wisdom and clarity that only He can provide.

Whether you agree or disagree, we must all concede that there is still so much we don't know. So much we might never know. The only thing that we do know is that there are rungs on the ladder that we still need to climb, and the greatest danger in this deal – and any other, is that we hold ourselves back, that we stop climbing together.

Hashem should open our eyes to understand. He should bring all the hostages home safely. He should fight our wars for us, so that this Channuka, we can once again kindle the lights of Torah and Tefillah in our hearts, in our homes and in the Beis HaMikdash.