October 7, 2024: Jewish Call to Arms

A lot has changed since the day that shook Am Yisrael to its core on October 7, 2023:  

• We conquered Gaza. 
• We decapitated Hezbollah.  
• We came together to fight a common enemy.  

On this first anniversary of the Holocaust of our time, we can take a short breath of relief in knowing that over the last year, we have seen countless miracles:  

• On October 7, a man recited Shema Israel at Kibbutz Be’eri, and suddenly, the Hamas terrorist about to kill him ran away.  

• A mother breaks off a piece of challah for the first time in her life, and that very week, her daughter is rescued from captivity. 

• An Iron Dome system intercepts enemy missile fire at a rate that far exceeds what its inventor openly states is possible. 

Since we entered Gaza, 346 precious souls have given their lives to defend ours. Over 15,000 terrorists were eliminated. For every one of our precious sons and daughters they murdered, we eliminated over 43 of them.  

The Western nations, appeasing evil for 35 years, like to put us in handcuffs when we need to go on the offensive. As of today, they have been unable to hold us back.  

October 7, 2024, also celebrates a time when Hashem is blessing His children with open miracles.   

This Year Might be Worse 

Now that we are in south Lebanon and Iran has established its precedent of firing at us from seven directions, our situation has become perilous.  

If Dr. Danny Gold is ever proven right, and his Iron Dome “reverts” to preventing “only” 90% of incoming missile fire, the consequences can be catastrophic. In one volley, Iran can murder more Jews than Hamas ever did.  

The only thing between us and another October 7 is more miracles.  

Rabbi Arush clearly states You cannot buy a car for 30 shekels. You cannot purchase a new computer system for a stick of bubble gum. You cannot buy a house with this month’s paycheck.  

Materially speaking, the bigger the item, the more it will cost.  

Spiritually speaking, the bigger the miracle, the more prayer, Torah learning, acts of kindness, and improvement of our daily conduct are needed.  

The potential for catastrophe is behind every wail of a siren. Sitting in my apartment in Afula [Editor: in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel], I saw the bombs intercepted – right on top of my head and the heads of my wife, children, and mother-in-law. They are using missiles to massacre women, children, and the elderly.  

This October 7, which falls on the fifth of Tishrei, is one of the Ten Days of Repentance.  

This is when God is reviewing His decree for His nation, Israel, and determining where He will edit.  

This is the time we can and must make every effort to beg our Father for mercy.  

More than a fresh supply of a million Iron Dome countermeasures, more than ten million liters of jet fuel, and more than a hundred million bullets, we need billions of miracles.   

From the Right Angle 

We all have flesh in this war, literally.  

From our beloved brothers and sisters braving physical assault from antisemites everywhere in the world to our dear sons and daughters braving terrorists in Gaza, Lebanon, Judea, Shomron, and the streets of Israel, to civilians hunkered down in their bomb shelters, waiting for the sky to explode — every Jewish life is in danger.   

Looking at it from a single direction, the soldiers hold the front line while the Yeshiva students hold the rear.  

That’s if you live in a one-dimensional world.  

In our world, from God’s multi-dimensional perspective, the Yeshiva bochurim hold the front while the soldiers man the rear.  

If you look at it from Above, there is no front and no rear. Everybody is manning his station. All of us are taking responsibility for one another.  

The Jewish Call to Arms  

Every moment that you aren’t in uniform holding a machine gun, volunteering for a hospital or on a farm, or defending us on social media of our just and noble cause . . . you must beseech our King for mercy.  

Do everything to rein in any hatred for a fellow Jew. As Rabbi Kook reminds us, in the Book of Exodus Hashem commands us to help our brother even if he is an enemy, if the burden of his ox is too much.  

Today, every one of us is overburdened with difficulties. All of our oxen are overloaded. By Torah law – God’s law – none of us can hate a single Jew because Hashem commands us to help him.  

We must pray to Hashem for mercy with all our hearts.  

We must learn the laws of Guarding our Tongue and Guarding against Immorality. The teshuvah of Shmirat HaLoshon and Shmirat HaBrit have the power to merit every salvation from Hashem.  

By committing to rid yourself of every magazine, movie, or website with illicit material, you are shaking the heavens and grabbing God’s attention in a way our enemies are not capable of.  

This is your David’s Sling: A miraculous protection that stops our enemies even beyond the boundaries of this world.  

This year has the potential to be tragically worse than last year.  

It also has the potential to be the greatest year in the history of the Jewish People.  

Our fate is in your hands.   

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David Ben Horin lives in Afula with his family, millions of sunflowers, and Matilda, our local camel. David‘s Israeli startup, 300 Marketing Solutions, is a lean marketing agency for startups and small businesses that creates and promotes SEO-optimized ROI-driven to the right audience on LinkedIn to make your business the star of the show.