Dear friend,
First and foremost, our hearts, souls and prayers go out to all the holy souls that were so brutally ripped away from us, and to their shattered families and loved ones; to all those injured and taken hostage. May they be freed quickly and without harm. Our hearts, souls and prayers go out to all the holy soldiers sacrificing their lives to protect and defend the innocent Jewish lives in the Holy Land.
We are all one. One organism. one body, one soul. When one of us is hurt we are all hurt. When one of us is strong, it adds strength to everyone else. At a time like this, when we’re being tested in ways we could never have previously imagined, it is more important than ever to know how deeply connected we really are. The enemy may have murdered some of our bodies but they can never murder our souls. Our hearts are broken, but our resolve is stronger than ever.
While our brave heroes – the soldiers and citizens of Israel – continue to wage the physical war on the front lines, what can the rest of us do? In times like this we need to become soldiers ourselves — spiritual soldiers, mobilized to fulfill our life mission. Every war that we have ever waged — and indeed, the very survival of the Jewish people — has always been dependent on fighting on the spiritual front side by side with the physical one. The physical protection of each one of us — and our very collective destiny — is intrinsically connected to our spiritual activism.
When we pray or dedicate a good deed to our brothers and sisters in Israel, we create a spiritual defense shield for them that will help them through difficult and dangerous times.
In simple terms the spiritual war means — digging deeper and deploying our spiritual “weapons”: Finding emotional, psychological and spiritual resources that provide us with clarity, confidence and moral conviction. It offers us strength and courage and to forge ahead knowing with absolute certainty that we are fighting for higher values, for freedom, for the rights of innocent people to live in peace. Without this conviction the strongest armies will fail.
In these times, we need to each recognize our mission and enlist in the battle of truth over lies, good over evil, light over darkness. Yes, we will be challenged whether to stand passively on the sidelines, or worse, cower in fear and retreat. Or whether we rise to the occasion, and stand up to our enemies and let our souls shine forth in the best and most beautiful way they can.
I am confident that both you and I will choose correctly.
So while we are reeling from atrocities never before seen in our lifetime, we must become more soulful than ever. We must build up our inner and intimate lives – our love and connection with our families and loved ones, our inner fortitude and values system. As abominable as war may be, it reminds and compels us to crystallize what we stand for and are ready to fight for. Despite the darkness around us, now more than ever, we embrace being agents of light. We must stand together. To connect and unite, bringing us closer together than ever before, until we merit to see the personal and global redemption of the entire world.
In this spirit of camaraderie I share with you that we are here for you and with you. We will neither slow down nor curtail any of our activities. On the contrary, we have chosen to accelerate them like never before – by launching a spiritual offensive, focusing and unleashing our resources toward providing everyone we can reach with empowering, life-affirming messages and tools, offering clarity, strength, hope and inspiration in these challenging times.
I encourage you to do the same. Do your part! Become a spiritual soldier. Speak up for Israel. Educate yourself about the facts. Stand in solidarity. Donate to causes that support Israel. Say a prayer and increase in acts of kindness. Do an extra good deed, a mitzvah. Bring light to this dark world. Illuminate everyone you can reach!
The current attack on Israel may be the defining event of our lives: how we respond today will be etched into the annals of history for eternity. Together let us declare for now and for generations to come, that we were not silent in the face of such atrocities. When this story is told by our children and grandchildren, let us ensure that we will be remembered as having done everything humanly possible to defend and protect innocent lives, emerging a much stronger people in the process, and demonstrating a shining example to the world at large what it means to be human – how to vanquish darkness with light, evil with good and lies with truth.
We will prevail.
We shall see the sun rise and our land celebrate its greatest glory.
With blessings and prayers for peace in Israel and peace in the entire world.
With love and warmth,
Simon Jacobson
As a devote Catholic, I stand with Israel and find the perspective in this article very important and helpful.
While my 25-year-old son claims to believe in G-d, he equates doing mitzvahs as basically a sort of a talisman. How can I help him understand the difference between something that is defined as having the power to bring good luck from say putting on Tefillin, an act performed with a religious object that, as you write, “creates a spiritual defense shield?”