The research team analyzed more than 300 asymmetrical ridges within a geological corridor that crosses a submarine ridge – once the barrier between the Mediterranean's western and eastern basins. The scientists discovered a distinctive "W-shaped channel" in the continental shelf east of the ridge. This channel's unique shape and position indicate it functioned as a massive funnel, directing water toward the submarine Noto Canyon during the mega-flood event.

When the team sampled these ridges, they found a covering layer of rock fragments dating to the crucial transition period between the Mediterranean's dry phase and its refilling. This layer contained eroded materials from nearby areas, suggesting rapid deposition under tremendous force.

"The Zanclean megaflood was an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon, with discharge rates and flow velocities dwarfing any other known floods in Earth's history," Dr. Aaron Micallef, the study's lead author and researcher at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California, said.

"The morphology of these ridges is compatible with erosion by large-scale, turbulent water flow with a predominantly north easterly direction," Paul Carling, professor emeritus at the University of Southampton and study co-author, said. "They reveal the immense power of the Zanclean Megaflood and how it reshaped the landscape, leaving lasting imprints on the geological record," he added.

This discovery challenges the previous scientific consensus, which held that the Mediterranean's dry period ended gradually over 10,000 years.

To better understand the flood's dynamics, the research team developed sophisticated computer models simulating water behavior during the event. Their models indicate that the flood's direction shifted and its intensity increased over time, ultimately reaching velocities of up to 32 meters (105 feet) per second.

The scale of the Zanclean mega-flood was staggering – calculations suggest it discharged water equivalent to 40,000 Olympic swimming pools into the Mediterranean Sea every second, or 68 billion liters (18 billion gallons) per second.

The study provides crucial context about the period between 5.97 and 5.33 million years ago, when the Mediterranean Sea was cut off from the Atlantic Ocean and largely evaporated, resulting in massive salt deposits that transformed the regional landscape.

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1.

I assume that those who have written before and after me in this supplement have elaborated extensively on the agreement in Lebanon and its implications. I would like to take a step back and turn to the eternal sources of our people and to examine the present through their lens. This is what our people have done through the generations, whether confronting existential challenges or navigating the struggles of daily life.

The repetition of the weekly Torah portions for thousands of years stems not only from the obligation to do so but also from a profound need tied to our personal and national identity. Each reading raises questions, and the answers shift with the generation, the times, and the deeds. The rule bequeathed by ancient tradition is: "Prophecy that was needed for future generations was written down" (Megila 14a). This is not merely the foretelling of the future, but a historical formula imbued with the eternal spirit of our people.

2.

Isaac, our second patriarch, contends with the Philistines (Genesis 26). From a historical perspective, the name "Philistines" serves as a generic term for all who have contested our hold on the land. The Vilna Gaon wrote that the Philistines in the Bible sought to prevent us from establishing sovereignty in the land. Employing a historical dialectic, one might say that the Philistines awaken our dormant national strength – strength that, when it erupts, deepens our grip on the Land. From this, we derive a timeless lesson: rather than resent the challenges we face, we should embrace them and take the opportunity to deepen our roots here.

"Isaac sowed in that land and reaped a hundredfold the same year" (Genesis 26:12). Isaac grew wealthy, "until he grew very wealthy," and his possessions multiplied, "so that the Philistines envied him." Here lies the historical formula: the Jew contributes to the nation's economy, prospers along the way, and then becomes the target of envy and hatred. The accusation is invariably that this wealth was gained at the expense of the non-Jewish citizens, obtained through exploitation or theft. The result, in most cases, is pogroms or expulsion.

3.

Abimelech said to Isaac: "Go away from us, for you have become mightier than us." This is an order given many times in history by the variable ruler the constant Jew destined for expulsion or extermination. "For you have become mightier than us" implies not only that Isaac had grown wealthier but that his wealth has been derived at our expense (in Hebrew, the other meaning is: "For you have become mightier because of us"). Midrash Rabbah (64:16) interprets Abimelech's words as follows: "All the might you have gained—was it not from us? Once, you had but a single flock, and now you have many." Isaac labored, sowed, harvested, and traded through his own toil, yet, from the perspective of the people within which he lived, his wealth was taken from them.

In the following generation, Jacob, too, would hear similar accusations from Laban's sons after twenty years of being deceived and having his ability to make a living restricted: "Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from that which was our father's he has built up all this wealth" (Genesis 31:1). In their eyes, it was not legitimate for a Jew to become wealthy. The cruel irony of history is that even after we were expelled in blood and fire, we were never left in peace. Just last week, the head of the Catholic Church publicly called for an inquiry into whether the Jews, fighting for their lives in their own land, are committing "genocide." His predecessors once called for inquiries into whether Jews were mixing the blood of children into their matzot. We remember the results.

"And the Philistines stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with earth" (Genesis 26:15). Fresh, living water in the desert brings blessings to all but our neighbors believe that if the wells belong to the Jews, it is better to block them and fill them with earth to erase every trace of their existence. They prefer to leave the land desolate rather than let Isaac benefit from the water. Look around us at the situation today: our neighbors often prefer ruin and death as long as the Jews suffer. This behavior resembles that of one who pretends to be the true mother in King Solomon's judgment but, when the moment of truth arrives, declares: "It shall be neither yours nor mine; cut it in two!" Thus, she reveals herself as the false mother.

4.

Isaac moves to another place, just as Jews have done throughout history. In Italy, for example, there are over a thousand locations with traces of a Jewish presence. The Natziv, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, who lived in Volozhin during the second half of the 19th century, interpreted these verses as reflecting the restrictions imposed by the Russian czarist authorities on Jewish settlement and movement in his time – the "Pale of Settlement." He writes: "And the Torah recounts, for so it shall be in exile, that barriers will be placed upon us, preventing us from dwelling freely throughout the land."

Dispersed across the four corners of the earth, we have contributed to the prosperity of the world. Even as we were persecuted and treated cruelly, we continued to believe in humanity and strive for the betterment of the world (Tikun Olam). During the Holocaust, when her persecutors were hunting her, Rita Levi-Montalcini, a Jewish-Italian scientist, carried on her experiments from her hiding place. She would later win the Nobel Prize in Medicine for her discovery of nerve growth factor.

Isaac, too, did not despair and persisted in his efforts for the benefit of humanity: "Isaac dug anew the wells which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and which the Philistines had stopped up." They blocked the wells, and he dug them anew; They destroyed, and he rebuilt. Our sages in the Midrash derived an enduring lesson from this: "The righteous are great, for they dedicate themselves to building the world."

5.

Europe destroyed and expelled its Jews, even though their faith and culture were not so foreign to its own. Today, the old continent is struggling – without much success – with migrants whose faith and culture are far removed from its own. The words of Hillel the Elder (1st century BCE) are fulfilled: "… because you drowned others, they drowned you" (Tractate Avot 2:6) – a punishment fitting the crime, measure for measure. And yet, even now, when we are distant from Europe, it continues to offer us advice on how (not) to fight our enemies and those who seek our destruction. Worse, it presumes to place us on the defendant's bench (witness the outrageous antisemitism of the prosecutor in The Hague). Europe believes that we are assigned a specific role in history: to be eternal victims.

In his new abode, Isaac finds water and continues to accumulate wealth. His enemies watch from afar, astonished by his success, and realize they made a mistake by driving him away. They desired to form a treaty with him, but Isaac confronts them with the timeless accusation that Jews have directed at the nations of the world throughout history: "Why have you come to me, seeing that you have been hostile to me and have driven me away from you" (Genesis 26:27).

It is remarkable: the world is rife with conflicts and bloodshed far greater than the conflict between us and our neighbors. Yet global attention is focused disproportionately on Israel, or more precisely, on the world's desire to curb us even in our own land. Over the past decade, the United Nations General Assembly has passed resolutions against various countries as follows: 8 against Iran, nine against North Korea, 11 against Syria, and 24 against Russia; the nations of the world, however, have voted 156 times against Israel! Meanwhile, the UN has not passed a single resolution in that time against countries like China, Qatar, Cuba, Turkey, and Venezuela.

6.

The Philistines' response to Isaac was: "We have indeed seen that the Lord has been with you." In the same fashion, we, too, will one day witness our enemies coming to seek our forgiveness, admitting that their forebears bequeathed them lies. Isaac continued to dig wells, providing life-giving water for humanity, while the Philistines (Palestinians…) of his day quarreled with him over water and the land's rightful ownership. He names the wells Esek ("Contention") and Sitnah ("Accusation"), yet he does not give up. He persists in his efforts to improve the world right up until the final well: "He moved from there and dug yet another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he called it Rehoboth, saying, now at last the Lord has granted us ample space to increase in the land" (Genesis 26:22).

The solution does not lie in treaties or agreements with our neighbors but in our actions, our faith in ourselves, and our understanding of our historical role: "We have now seen plainly that the Lord has been with you." This holds true today.

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Regardless of background or denomination, most Jews recognize the Star of David as a symbol of Judaism. Today, the symbol is practically ubiquitous in the Jewish world. The most iconic use of the star might be on the Israeli flag. But the Star of David wasn't always a universal symbol for Judaism. How did two overlapping triangles come to be the most universally recognizable symbol associated with Judaism?

In ancient times, the Star of David – or the Magen David – wasn't an exclusively Jewish symbol. It was a common geometric symbol, just like the five-point star and even the swastika.

The oldest record of the six-point star as a Jewish symbol was around the second or third century. Archeologists found Stars of David on the walls of the Synagogue of Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. However, most experts think that these stars were used for decorative purposes and didn't hold any significant Jewish meaning.

Nearly a century later, the star appeared on the now famous Leningrad Codex, the oldest known manuscript of the Hebrew Bible dating from 1008 CE. However, it's unclear if it was used merely for decoration or had a deeper religious purpose.

Experts like German-Israeli academic and philosopher Gershom Scholem theorize that the star gained more meaning in Judaism in the mysterious teachings of the Kabbalah. The 13th and 14th centuries saw a growing movement of Jewish sages in Spain, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East writing kabbalistic texts that explored the foundations of Jewish mysticism.

These texts were the first sources to ascribe meaning to the six-point star. The Book of Boundary, written in Spain in the early 14th century, contains several depictions of the six-point star, which is identified as being on the Shield of David. According to the legend, King David's protective shield had magical powers and could ward off spirits and demons. Other works of the time make similar references to the king's magical amulet with a six-point star emblazoned on it.

But the earliest known particularly Jewish usage of the Star of David wasn't tied to a kabbalah scholar. In the mid-14th century, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV gave Prague's Jews the right to bear a flag. Under the red flag, with a yellow Star of David on it, Prague was the world's first Jewish community to use the star as its official emblem.

The Star of David was on flags and books in Prague at the time and in surrounding Jewish communities, but it didn't go viral until the 18th century. It started in Europe, where everywhere Jews looked, they saw the symbol of Christianity: the cross. Seeking their own distinctly Jewish symbol, communities turned to the Star of David. This struck a chord with Diaspora Jews and spread to synagogues across the world.

The star was cemented as the Jewish symbol in 1897 at the first Zionist Congress in Basel, which was chaired by Theodor Herzl. There, the Star of David was chosen over icons like the menorah as the official Zionist symbol for two reasons. First, Jews everywhere already knew it, thanks to the widespread use of the star during the 19th century, when it became splashed on synagogues, prayer books, tombstones, and more. Second, it didn't carry the religious significance that other symbols did.

By the mid-20th century, no symbol was more tied to Judaism. Zionist leaders embraced the six-point star, arguing that it didn't evoke memories of the past and could represent a brighter future. But in Nazi Germany, hopes of a brighter future dimmed. To pervert the symbol of the Jewish people, Hitler decreed that all Jews under the Third Reich wear a yellow six-point star as a badge of shame. The yellow Star of David is one of the most enduring images of the Holocaust. But the Jews who survived would not let Hitler decide their symbol's legacy. On the heels of World War Two, they reclaimed their star with the establishment of the State of Israel.

In the debate over what emblem would be featured on the young nation's flag, the flag of the Zionist movement already had strong support, but Israeli politicians like Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett had reservations. He and others feared that Jewish communities in the diaspora could face dual loyalty charges if the flags of the Zionist movement and the Israeli flag were the same.

Therefore, in June 1948, the Israeli government's designated committee announced a public competition calling for flag designs. Though it wasn't a requirement, entries were encouraged to include a menorah and seven gold stars – a design dreamed up by Herzl and sketched in his diary in the late 19th century. During the two-week-long competition, 164 people participated, submitting a total of 450 designs.

While deciding on the final design, Sharett wanted input from the diaspora. So, he reached out to Zionist leaders abroad. The response was clear. They and their constituents overwhelmingly preferred to have the Zionist flag become Israel's national flag. On October 28, 1948, the Provisional Council voted unanimously to adopt the Zionist flag as that of the State of Israel.

But the star can also be controversial. Is it a symbol for a people or a country? The Jewish people predate the modern State of Israel, and so does the symbol. The legacy of the star lives on almost everywhere in Jewish communities throughout the world.

Whether this symbol dates back thousands of years or a few hundred, it's an emblem woven deeply into the fabric of modern Jewish history and serves as a powerful image that binds the Jewish people together today.

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1.

As I wandered through the airport, I stumbled upon a group of Hassids forming a minyan. On a nearby shelf, a Chumash Devarim (Book of Deuteronomy) with the Or HaChaim commentary caught my eye. Rabbi Chaim ben Attar, a descendant of Spanish exiles, was born in Morocco in 1696. In the summer of 1741, he arrived to the Holy Land after he made a decision to live there, stayed in the north for a while, and eventually settled in Jerusalem, where he established a yeshiva. He passed away about a year later, in July 1743, leaving us with treasures of wisdom, mysticism, and original interpretations. In the last Sabbat of the past Hebrew year, we read: "You stand this day all of you before the Lord your God... Every man of Israel... from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water… to enter into the covenant of the Lord... that He may establish you this day as His people..." (Deuteronomy 29:9-12). Moments before his death, Moses forges another covenant with the people in the plains of Moab, recreating the Sinai covenant made forty years earlier. This was not just a religious covenant but a national one: "to establish you this day as His people."

And here's Or HaChaim's interpretation: "It seems that Moses' intention with this covenant was to make them responsible for one another so that each would strive for the well-being of his fellow... And this obligates each one for his Hebrew brother according to the ability of each individual." How does Rabbi ben Attar deduce that Moses' intention was a covenant of mutual responsibility? From the unusual opening: you are "standing" (nitzavim), not just "present" or the like. He rightly proves this from "the young man who stood over the reapers" in the Book of Ruth (Ruth 2:5), meaning the one in charge of them. In other words, Moses tells his flock: I am parting from you, and from now on, each of you will be in charge of everyone, "standing" means being responsible for one another, to protect and support and care, to comfort and teach, and if necessary – even to sacrifice one's life for the salvation of the people, as we see today. You are together, Moses says, in successes and failures; no one is an isolated atom; we are all responsible for each other.

2.

On the eve of last year's Rosh Hashanah, we prayed, "May the year and its curses come to an end, may the year and its blessings begin," and the next day we trembled as we recited "Unetanneh Tokef": "Who shall live and who shall die, who in good time, and who by an untimely death. Who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by stoning. Who shall be at rest and who shall be wandering, who shall be tranquil and who shall be harassed, who shall be at ease and who shall be afflicted, who shall become poor and who shall become rich, who shall be brought low, and who shall be raised high..." Chilling. Since then, we have been beside ourselves. The war in the south and north – especially the great spirit we have experienced since then among our soldiers, in the words of bereaved parents, and among the general public – is stronger and more determined than we were used to, partly due to the desire to correct what we spoiled on that Sabbath. Hence the great joy over the victories, over the eradication of evil from the world, over the destruction of our enemies and those who seek our lives. There is added value to this joy after October 7, a value of correction. We live in a complex emotional and national reality of "an eye weeps bitterly while the heart rejoices," as Rabbi Judah ibn Abbas put it in the 12th century in his poem about the binding of Isaac, "When the gates of favor are about to open." And the fate of the binder is more terrible than that of the one bound on the altar.

3.

There is only one commandment in the Torah for Rosh Hashanah regarding our days: "It shall be a day of blowing (in Hebrew: "teruah") the horn for you" (Numbers 29:1). Since the beginning of the war, the shofar has accompanied our soldiers on many occasions, especially before going into battle. It's doubtful if there's an item that's perceived as more Jewish. October 7 brought up primordial anxieties in us alongside deep insights of identity that many don't know how to articulate in words, but the shofar's cry expresses for them the inner and national call. The understanding that those who attacked us on Simchat Torah went to war against our historical, religious, and national identity. About two weeks ago, in the lobby of a hotel in Washington, at a particularly bustling late hour with participants of the Israeli American Council (IAC) conference, I saw a shofar and without much preparation, I grabbed it and blew a tekiah, shevarim, and teruah. Electricity and anxiety filled the air.

Moses didn't leave clear recordings of what that teruah was, and thus two traditions emerged that are known today as "shevarim" and "teruah." The Talmud pointed to the Aramaic translation of teruah: "yevava" (whining). Who wailed in the Bible? Sisera's mother looked out the window, expecting her son to return with spoils from the battle against the Israelites. But her son was killed by Yael, wife of Heber the Kenite. And so it is described in the Song of Deborah: "Through the window she looked forth, and whined (" did yevava"), the mother of Sisera, through the lattice: 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?'" (Judges 5:28). Here the opinions in the Talmud diverge, whether the yevava is a cry of "genuchei ganach," meaning broken sighs, or "yalulei yalil," meaning short and continuous wails. In practice, we sound both possibilities.

4.

What caught my attention in the Talmudic discussion is the learning of the nature of the main commandment in the first holiday of the Hebrew year, from the crying of the enemy's mother, be it Sisera, Nasrallah, or Sinwar! In the past year, when we heard descriptions of the atrocities committed against us by Hamas terrorists, the speakers said they were not worthy of being called human beings but animals and even less than that. But from our sages' perspective, even the bitterest enemy, be it Amalek or Pharaoh, remains human, and therefore we could demand that he bear responsibility for his actions and his hatred towards us, and thus pays for it.

Especially on Rosh Hashanah, which is called in our sources "Judgment Day," when God judges His creatures, and as the Mishnah says, "all the world's inhabitants pass before Him like sheep," no person can escape responsibility for his actions by claiming incompetence to stand trial. The Iranians and the death organizations under their patronage will also stand trial, and their fate will be similar. And so ends the Song of Deborah: "So may all Your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they that love Him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might. And the land was tranquil forty years" (Judges 5:31). We will read the epilogue about the tranquility of the land in prayer and request, that indeed this time it will be accepted, and truly may the passing year and its curses end, may the new year and its blessings begin. Happy New Hebrew Year.

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A team of Israeli researchers has discovered a small piece of red-dyed fabric in a Judean Desert cave, offering unprecedented insights into ancient textile production and biblical references to scarlet dye. The 3,800-year-old textile, measuring less than two centimeters (0.8 inches), was found to be colored using dye extracted from oak scale insects, which experts believe corresponds to the "scarlet worm" mentioned in the Bible.

The groundbreaking discovery was made during excavations in the Cave of Skulls as part of a broader initiative to protect heritage finds in the Judean Desert from antiquities theft. The research team, comprising experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Bar-Ilan University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Naama Sukenik, curator of the Organic Material Collection at the Israel Antiquities Authority, explained the significance of the find, "In ancient times, the dye was produced from the female scale insect, which lives on the kermes oak tree. Collecting these kermes was done in a very short window of time – one month out of the year, in the summer, after the female laid her eggs but before they hatched –  when the amount of dye was greatest."

The rarity and difficulty of harvesting these insects contributed to the prestige associated with the scarlet color they produced. The biblical term "scarlet worm" appears 25 times in scripture, often alongside other highly prized colors like blue (tekhelet) and purple (argaman).

Professor Zohar Amar of Bar-Ilan University noted the advanced zoological knowledge demonstrated in ancient texts, "The biblical association of this color with a living creature demonstrates impressive zoological knowledge, considering that female scale insects lack legs and wings, to the extent that some Greek and Roman naturalists even mistook them for plant granules."

Using advanced analytical techniques, including High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), the researchers identified the specific species of scale insect used to create the dye. Sukenik stated, "We can determine with high probability that in ancient times, the textile was dyed using a species of Kermes vermilio, which produces kermesic acid, imparting the distinctive red hue."

Interestingly, the Kermes vermilio species is not native to Israel but is common in other Mediterranean regions. This suggests the existence of extensive trade networks during the Middle Bronze Age, as noted by Uri Davidovich from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, "Although it is difficult to know how this textile arrived in this desert cave, it is significant evidence of ancient knowledge in dyeing wool fibers using scale insects to achieve the red color as early as the Middle Bronze Age – about 3,800 years ago."

The discovery provides tangible evidence of a sophisticated textile industry in the ancient world, bridging the gap between written sources and archaeological findings. Sukenik added, "The rare textile is a testament to broad international commercial networks functioning already at this time and indicates the presence of an elite society."

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1.

"Come speak with Darya's class," Hadas, the teacher, told me. "Share some life advice as they finish elementary school." The "Bereshit" school in Rehovot insists on calling itself an "educational home." And what a year they've had; such young students whose learning and play were interspersed with existential issues.

This week, Darya told me her generation has experienced more pandemics, wars, and alarms in their young lives than other generations. She stated it as fact, not complaint. In our conversations, I've noticed a historical awareness growing within her ("In thirty years, I'll tell my children that fields once stood where we walked"). I looked at her, wondering how to respond to a child with adult insights. You know, I said, it's precisely this thought that encourages me and assures me your generation will be better than ours – more resilient, unique, and profound. You will build the next floor of our lives here in the treasured land of our forefathers.

2.

I entered the classroom. The boys arrived breathless from their games while the girls sat with inner calm. I asked them to try to retain some of my words for the coming years. Words are seeds that need time to blossom and bear fruit. Perhaps you'll remember me decades from now, just as I recall something from finishing elementary school, right before leaving my childhood neighborhood, which until then seemed a distant star, to study at the Junior High Kiryat Ya'akov Herzog, an institution I can only liken to Harry Potter's Hogwarts...

You stand before the great sea of your lives, I told the children. It will not part on its own; it awaits your entry. The sea is deep, its depths filled with treasures, challenges, and dreams. Dangers also lurk there. We adults stand on the opposite shore, seeking to guide and warn you from our experience. You will face obstacles and difficulties. You may resent and rage against your fate. But you can view hardships as challenges meant to improve and build you. The difficulty will be the same, but your interpretation will determine how you overcome it and grow from it.

I still remember a classmate who played marbles and cards with me. I was privileged to soar while he remained on life's margins. One day I heard an explosive was planted on his scooter and he was killed. Gang warfare. The news shook me. I thought of our innocent starting line and the deceptive blink of an eye in which our fates could have been reversed under different circumstances. Not everything depends on adults or society, dear children; an important part of your destiny depends on you.

3.

It's vital to stay in constant motion, not rest on your laurels but to walk, not be lazy, to gather knowledge, ideas, friends, experiences, taking something from each station for the journey ahead. This is the first commandment given to Abraham, our forefather: "Go forth..." If we keep going, we ultimately reach the good land. The second commandment is Abrahamic: "Do not make for yourself an idol..." – don't turn yourself into a statue, don't become enamored with yourself, and think you know everything with nothing to learn from others. Remember Narcissus? Yes, some answered (Darya is now also discovering Greek mythology). He fell in love with himself when he saw his reflection in the river, closing himself off and missing out on life. So be sure to stay in motion and look around you. Be curious.

An important condition for success in life is the desire for knowledge. In physics, there is a law of conservation of energy. In education, there is a law of conservation of knowledge. No information you've learned will fail to serve you someday. You sit in a classroom, so even if you're bored, make an effort and listen, use the time to add more knowledge to your repository. Read books; it's the best gift you can give yourself. Whoever turns off the phone on Shabbat will be forced to read, even if they don't want to, like in the old days. Study the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat; this way the Bible will be part of who you are.

I told them the Quran calls us "Ahl al-Kitab," People of the Book, because of the Bible. But we are the People of the Books. We received the Torah, then came the Prophets and Writings, and in the second century, Rabbi Judah the Prince wrote the Mishnah. In subsequent centuries the Talmuds were written in Israel and Babylon, then Biblical commentaries in the Middle Ages, the Zohar, legal rulings, philosophy, and countless other books, until we erected a colossal skyscraper unmatched by any other nation for its descendants. Each generation added its own floor to the multidimensional edifice, and you, dear children, have the right to visit any floor you wish. Don't miss the opportunity; after all, you already speak the language.

4.

Study history. This way you will remember throughout your long journey where we came from and where we wish to go. I told them when we adopted the word in Hebrew, some spelled it "historyah," meaning God (Yah) concealing (Hester) himself behind national and global events and directing them. Soon we will reach the 9th of Av and commemorate the first destruction (586 BCE) and the second (70 CE). The Jews in the first exile despaired; they thought it was the end of Israel and there would be no continuity in the next generation. "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we are cut off." But the prophet Ezekiel insists "our hope is not yet lost." He tells them of a tremendous historical vision God showed him: A valley full of dry bones turning into a multitude representing our people. And he promises that God will open our graves and return us home to the Land of Israel.

In the 1880s, a Hebrew poet in Romania wrote to his generation that as long as a Jewish soul stirs in our hearts, and as long as our eyes gaze eastward toward Zion, our hope to return to our ancestral homeland is not lost. I don't remember if they knew the poet's name, so I repeated it: Naftali Herz Imber. You understand, I told them, our national anthem corresponds with Ezekiel's prophecy. Indeed, our hope was not lost, and at the end of a long, painful process we came home to Zion. And from national history, we learn for our private lives: Even if you find yourselves in difficult situations later on, do not lose hope. Your redemption awaits just around the corner.

5.

"Dad," Darya whispered to me afterward, "two kids told me you could have spoken faster, and you repeated things." Honest children. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength, because of Thine adversaries; that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger (Pslams 8:3)" You're right, my daughter, because I understand the gravity of the task assigned to me and the importance of this conversation. I acted according to the eternal command "teach them to your children" (Deuteronomy 11:19 ) –  sons and daughters – hoping something of my words will be seared into the memory of one child, provisions for the road ahead, just as I remember to this day the kind eyes of my parents and teachers accompanying me, just before we entered the great sea of our lives.

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The counting of the Omer is drawing to a close and the festival of Shavuot is drawing closer. In the days when the Temple stood on the Mount, we marked the harvest. "…and the Feast of the Harvest, of the first fruits of your work, of what you sow in the field." (Exodus, 23:16) The wheat harvest on Shavuot and the barley harvest on Passover. Our sages saw this as symbolic: barley is considered animal food, while wheat is for human nourishment. On Passover, the national body was born, and on Shavuot, with the giving of the Torah, it received a soul. Nevertheless, the soul, for its part, needs the body as its dwelling, and the spirit develops on the foundation of matter.

The Bible also marked this date as the festival of the first fruits. In the Temple, we would sacrifice the first fruits of the earth, that is, we would elevate agriculture from its economic value to a spiritual value. We would plough the homeland and sow it, that is, we would fertilize it until it gave its fruits and connected us to our roots and identity. A person bringing first fruits to the Temple would read verses that contain the essence of the beginning of our people: "A fugitive Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. (Deuteronomy 26:5; Our third forefather Jacob who had fled to Aram, to his uncle, Laban, went down to Egypt in the wake of his son Joseph, when he was few in number and there he became a great people.)

"The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. The Lord freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents, bringing us to this place and giving us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, the Lord, have given me." (Deuteronomy 26, 6-10) The giving of the Torah is not mentioned in the bikkurim (the giving of the first fruits), for the purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was to enter the land in order to realize the great ideas of the Law of Moses, not in the desert or as individuals, but as a nation living in an independent state and leading a political and economic life in the light of these eternal ideas.

2.

Following is a description of how the first fruits were brought to the Second Temple as presented in the Mishnah (Tractate Bikkurim): "How do they bring up the first fruits [to Jerusalem]? All the cities in the region (ma'amad) gather together to the main city of the region and sleep overnight on the streets of the city rather than going into the houses. They rise early in the morning and the appointed supervisor says "Rise! Let us go up to Zion, to the Lord, our God.

"Those who lived near [Jerusalem] would bring fresh figs and grapes, while those who lived far away would bring dried figs and raisins. An ox would go in front of them, his horns bedecked with gold and with an olive crown on its head. The flute would play before them until they would draw close to Jerusalem.

"When they drew close to Jerusalem they would send messengers in advance, and they would adorn their bikkurim. The governors and chiefs and treasurers [of the Temple] would go out to greet them, and according to the rank of the entrants they would go forth. All the skilled artisans of Jerusalem would stand up before them and greet them saying, 'Our brothers, men of such and such a place, we welcome you in peace.'

"The flute would play before them, until they reached the Temple Mount. When they reached the Temple Mount even King Agrippa would take the basket and place it on his shoulder and walk as far as the Temple Court. When he got to the Temple Court, the Levites would sing the song: 'I will extol You, O Lord, for You have raised me up, and You have not let my enemies rejoice over me' (Psalms 30:2).

"While the basket was still on his shoulder he recites from: 'I acknowledge this day before the Lord your God that I have entered the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to assign us' (Deuteronomy 26:3) until he completes the passage. Rabbi Judah said: until [he reaches] 'My father was a fugitive Aramean.' When he reaches, 'My father was a fugitive Aramean,' he takes the basket off his shoulder and holds it by its edges, and the priest places his hand beneath it and waves it. He then recites from 'My father was a fugitive Aramean' until he completes the entire passage. He then deposits the basket by the side of the altar, bows and departs."

3.

This week, a wise and beautiful girl told me that because of the war, the Bible matriculation exam was cut in a way that did not include the Ten Commandments. How can one study the Bible without mentioning its most important section? The victory generation fighting in the Gaza war graduated from high school two or three years ago. With such heroes, we should not treat the current cohort of graduates with kid gloves. In principle, the study of the Bible in state schools should not fall short of that in state-religious schools. It is the foundational book of our nation and the basis of our just claim to our land. The stories of the Bible are fascinating and can certainly draw the soul of the young generation. Here are some notes on the commandments, a drop in the great sea that emanated from Sinai and changed the world.

"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides Me."  (Exodus 20, 2-3) The first commandment determines everything that follows. In the beginning of Rabbi Judah Halevi's 12th century philosophical work, "The Kuzari", the King of the Khazars invites a philosopher, a Christian wise man and a Muslim wise man to teach him the art of truth. All of them speak of God in the context of the creation of the world. Their ideas do not put his mind at ease, and he invites a Rabbi who to his surprise, tells him: "I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt with signs and miracles…"

That was an innovation for the King, a God who reveals himself in the history of his people, and a people who declare their special belief in him. The way history was transcribed in early 20th century Hebrew, haster-yah, could be read as a God hiding behind events and dictating them.

4.

"You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness… You shall not bow down to them or serve them." (Exodus 20, 4-5) Ancient mythologies imagined the gods as human beings with superpowers and human instincts. The Law of Moses forbids the anthropomorphism of God. Spiritual fixation is also a statue, as it stops spiritual dynamics and causes a person to worship their opinions. "Do not make yourself a statue and do not bow down before your opinions." The founder of the nation burst into the world consciousness with the statement: "Go forth from your country and from your father's house to the land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)

Abraham not only leaves his homeland, he defies the spiritual and moral conventions of his time and sets out a different path for humanity. Even today, we are the "ipcha mistabra" (it seems the opposite ) in view of the hypocrisy of the Western world and its blindness to the terrible danger it faces. That is why this is an Abrahamic commandment, because from the very beginning of our journey as a people it marks the shattering of statues (iconoclasm) and the slaughter of sacred cows as a national mission. Even a "conception," if not challenged, becomes a statue, and then those who adhere to it risk idolatry.

5.

The Sixth Commandment is usually translated as "Thou shall not kill" instead of "Thou shall not murder" as it is in the original Hebrew text. This is not accidental; there is a difference between killing and murder. This is the root of the world's hypocritical demand that we remain victims and not kill our enemies. Did we hear a global outcry when Assad massacred half a million dead among his people? And what about the conflicts in Africa that have claimed millions of lives? Those who preach to us have shed far more blood than the non-combatant casualty rate in Gaza. No nation in history has been as careful with the lives of enemy civilians as we are. Our answer to the world is to translate the original as it should be translated: "Thou shalt not murder" innocent people, but we certainly have a moral obligation to save the lives of our families and our people from an enemy whose primary teaching and mission is the murder of Jews wherever they may be.

When the ground maneuver in Gaza began, I said on Italian television that the Jewish people had given the world Torah and morality and the Ten Commandments. It seems that now we must teach a chapter in the laws of eradicating evil from the world, a chapter in the essential difference between "Thou shalt not kill" and "Thou shalt not murder." Despite the blindness in the international arena, this war is not only for us, it is a war for the entire free world.

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Prof. Israel Knohl is an Israeli biblical scholar and historian, the author of the book "From the Fountain to the Mountain" (published by Carmel and the Shalom Hartman Institute), a senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, and a visiting lecturer at Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, and Chicago universities. Emeritus professor in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Q: Prof. Israel Knohl, in your new book "From the Fountain to the Mountain - The Hidden Roots of the Story of the Giving of the Torah", you shed new light on a very significant moment in Judaism – the revelation at Mount Sinai. You claim that the giving of the commandments and the revelation of God did not occur at Mount Sinai or in a dramatic scene, as is commonly believed, but rather beside a spring, in a much quieter place. Before we get to the crux of the matter, how did you come to think of this in the first place?

A: "I grew up within the Jewish tradition, and throughout the years I heard the familiar story of the giving of the Torah that we all know. I grew up thinking that this was the only story and there was no other. Shortly before the coronavirus outbreak, I led a seminar on the Book of Hosea, and when the pandemic broke out, we could not meet physically, so I suggested, casually, that we read on Zoom the ancient poem at the end of the Torah, chapter 33 in the Book of Deuteronomy. As we began reading the poem, we reached Moses' blessing on the tribe of Levi, and for the first time, I thought - what does it actually say? What happened there at the Waters of Meribah?"

Q: This is not the first time you have read this blessing, but it seems to be the first time you realized something about it. After about 60 years of reading the same text over and over again, you suddenly deciphered it differently.

A: "We read this blessing ritually every Simchat Torah. But during COVID, I gained a new perspective on this blessing. I understood it meant something else, and from there it snowballed. So yes, only after about 60 years of reading the same text over and over again, did I suddenly understand that the commandments were given in a different location. I attribute this insight, this discovery, to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic."

Q: The discovery you are talking about is closely related to the desire of the biblical narrators to reach an audience. This is quite an interesting angle.

A: "My general claim, in terms of the development of literary genres within the Bible, is that the writing of a story is linked to the emergence of an audience. If you want to publish a book, you need an audience of readers. However, in ancient Israel, until the 8th century BCE, it seems there was no established audience of readers. We know this from archaeological evidence, which shows few archaeological inscriptions before the 8th century BCE. Another evidence for this is the prophets – We have numerous stories about the prophets Elijah, Elisha, and Samuel, but their actual prophecies were not recorded in book form until after the 8th century BCE.

"Only after that can we find prophets who wrote down their prophecies – Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah. These are the first four prophets whose prophecies were written in a book, all in the 8th century BCE. Before that, there may have been elitist writing at the royal court – a poet would sit and write, for example, about Jezebel and Ahab's marriage. But it was only for the elites."

Q: And the writing you refer to from a later period was much more widespread.

A: "It was widespread and comprehensive. For example, even the opposition had their words recorded in a book. The words of Amos, the outright opponent of the king of Israel and his official cult, are included in the book. These are sharp, oppositional prophecies that challenged the regime. By the way, it's unclear whether Amos himself could read and write, but if not – he had someone beside him who wrote down his prophecies in a book."

The beginnings of Israelite consciousness

Q: You are describing an inherent problem: if the prophet Amos, for example, did not necessarily know how to read and write, then large segments of the people probably did not either. So how were important contents disseminated when most of the people did not know how to read and write?

A: "The primary medium before the 8th century BCE was poetry. Poetry, because of its rhythms, was considered easy to memorize and transmit, and it tells us about the main events of the period. In the current book, I proposed separating what the ancient poem tells us about the foundational events from the narrative recounted later in the Torah. To my great surprise, I realized that the situation depicted in the poem is very different.

"True, Mount Sinai does appear there, but Mount Sinai is only God's starting point because it seems they worshipped him there. We know this through ancient Egyptian records, which indicate that even before the biblical period began, around 1,400 BCE, tribes in that area worshipped a god named Yahweh.

"So God sets out from Sinai, which is a volcanic mountain in Shei'r, Edom, Midian – indicating a place in southern Transjordan or northwestern Saudi Arabia. This departure shakes the mountains, but according to the poem, it is not accompanied by any speech from God. However, speaking, giving of the commandments, making of the covenant, and its violation – all take place in a completely different location, beside a spring near Egypt, in the western Sinai Peninsula. He speaks to all the people, without the mediation of Moses. So as you said at the beginning – the giving of the commandments and the revelation of God did not occur on Mount Sinai or in a dramatic scene, but rather beside a spring, in a much quieter place."

Q: Can we regard the poetry as a reliable source?

A: "Let's take, for example, the Song of Deborah, which begins with the story of 'When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured,  the clouds poured down water. And then it mentions 'the mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord' – meaning, molten lava streaming down from Mount Sinai. But the opening about Mount Sinai is not the main point. The main focus of the poem is a battle between the Canaanites, who lived in the valleys, and the Israelites, who lived in the hill country, and it seems to have occurred around 1,100 BCE.

"At that time, there was no king in Israel, no taxes were collected, and therefore it was not possible to maintain a standing army. So the soldiers were actually farmers who volunteered for war. In the Song of Deborah, there is mention of a small village – Meroz – which is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible: ''Curse ye Meroz', said the angel of the Lord...because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.' It's not 'with the Lord's help' but 'to the help of the Lord' – meaning, God needs the help of the warriors of Israel. And that village, which did not send soldiers to the war, is cursed.

"So to answer your question, I don't think a later poet would bother to mention such a minor detail. Many scholars believe that this is an extremely ancient poem, reflecting the state of consciousness of the people of Israel, in its very beginnings."

"The quiet power of water"

Q: Is it coincidental that the prominent and widespread description of the event at Mount Sinai was associated with a dramatic, volcanic phenomenon? The story about the solid spring did not resonate with the people, perhaps because it was perceived as less memorable.

A: "The poem, along with all its beauty, is a text written in a language that is not always easy to understand. In addition, the Torah was sanctified as the founding document that is read on Shabbat and during the week. Moreover, the thundering and roaring volcanic revelation certainly has a strong visual and auditory effect. It leaves a powerful impression, instilling fear, and becomes etched in memory. But the spring has a different uniqueness. It is etched in the national memory by the demand for one God – 'There shall be no strange god in you' (Psalm 81:10). This is the core of monotheism, which demands a profound change in religious practice. So at the spring, there is a foundational event, not dramatic, but on a level of content that profoundly affects religious life."  

Q: But this commandment is quickly violated.

A: "Part of the people violate it and worship other gods because they were asked to go against their habit, against what was acceptable. Monotheism was revolutionary at the time, but ultimately – that revelation by the waters, which is based on the commandment not to worship other gods – has survived until our very days. This shows the power of it."

Q: "Still waters run deep." In the book, you also refer to the narrator. What do we know about him? 

A: "He takes the core elements from the poem and creates a volcanic motif, endowed with greater authority since everything that was said to Moses at Sinai by God carries immense weight. I believe the narrator was affiliated with prophetic circles, a fierce opponent of the official cult and the golden calves. He opposes prosperity and splendor, and encourages a simple and elementary cult with stones and ashes, without hewn stones, silver, or gold. He is against the priesthood and believes that all the people of Israel have a status of holiness – 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation', that is his motto. The narrator opposes the king, and in a socio-economic way cares for and supports the poor and weak in society through relevant commandments. He is a religious-social reformer."

Q: In the book, you also refer to the role of Moses as a national leader, and not as one whose role is to mediate religious knowledge. Does this make religion more egalitarian, and more accessible?

A: "Yes, because we are used to looking at the biblical religion as prophetic, with Moses as a founding and establishing figure. In the poem, Moses is much more of a political leader, who leads the children of Israel when they cross the Red Sea. He is not the one who mediates religious knowledge, which according to the poem is transmitted equally to everyone. We do not need a religious establishment to mediate between us and God, because we have direct access to God."

Q: How is this approach manifested?

A: "The question is whether a person needs to go to Bethel, where he will meet God and speak with Amaziah the priest of Bethel, who will mediate the word of God for him; or whether a person can go to the sons of the prophets, who sit in all kinds of tents, devoid of splendor, silver, and gold – and they are the ones who will mediate religious knowledge for him. The narrator takes a traditional approach that testifies to a more egalitarian and accessible religion, as mentioned."

"Society drives progress"

Q: What does the traditional approach you mentioned, which makes religion accessible, attest to?

A: "I think this tradition attests that the public, in general, as a whole, holds more power than the leadership.  According to the poem, it is essentially the public, not the leaders, who are important and decisive. The public is the one that leaves its mark, has direct contact with the divine, and needs to internalize the fundamental commandments.

"The tradition of the poem, written in a pre-monarchic society, in the period of the Judges, a time when there was no king in Israel, without a permanent regime – is a tradition that believes more in the people and its strength, its survival, than in the ruling figures. This tradition entrusts the people with the responsibility of preserving tradition and culture, alongside recovery and revival after severe crises."

Q: This is a message that resonates greatly with our times.

A: "Absolutely. For example, the poem describes a terrible civil war within the tribe of Levi: 'Who said of his father, and of his mother: 'I have not seen him'; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew he his own children; for they have observed Thy word, and keep Thy covenant.' An enormous crisis that tears families apart, with strife and disagreement. But the people still have the strength to overcome this internal war. I think this is a wonderful message for our times.

"I believe that even today, we must have faith in the strength of society and the public, even if the leadership fails. It is the society that drives progress. Even during a harsh civil war, there is no need to panic. The people have resilience, and I sincerely hope this is what we will see in these times as well."

Q: How are your new insights received in the world of biblical studies and academic research? Surely, some strongly disapprove of them.

A: "The book was only released three weeks ago, and so far I have received positive responses from academics, but we have to wait and see."

Q: Will the religious establishment accept your thesis? 

A: "I don't expect great things, but it's important to remember that I'm also not writing for the religious establishment, that's not my target audience. However, I'm aware my books are studied in the yeshiva world. There are yeshiva students who keep my book 'Sanctuary of Silence' under their Talmud. This book delves into the priestly literature of the Torah, and at the time it was quite innovative.It didn't receive much enthusiasm from the academic community back then, but today it has become widely accepted as the consensus."

Q: Will this also be the case with the current book?

A: "I don't rule it out, but it takes time, perhaps many years. We'll wait and see."

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Israel's Independence Day tradition – the International Bible Contest featuring contestants from all over world – will be held Tuesday at the Jerusalem Theater, with 16 youth competing: 12 from the Diaspora and 4 from Israel.

All will vie for the title of World Bible Champion. The final list of contestants was determined through a qualifying exam held during a Bible camp preceding the event. At the camp, all contestants tour the country, meet figures like Chief Rabbi David Lau, and visit Yad Vashem, the Western Wall, and other heritage and national sites.

This year, in light of Operation Iron Swords, the event will focus on the theme of war. It will also feature a performance by children from communities around the Gaza border, singing with artist Yagel Oshri.

The judges will include Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana as well Iris Haim (mother of Yotam Haim killed by Israeli fire), Rabbi Yemima Mizrahi, Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog, and World Zionist Organization Chair Yaakov Hagoel.

Gur Rosenblat, deputy director of the Education Ministry overseeing the event, described the preparations in an interview with Israel Hayom: "The quiz will focus on courage and revival this year; this will be reflected in the questions themselves and how they're asked. We've prepared videos, and some questions will be asked by Rachel Edri, known colloquially as "Rachel from Ofakim" after she fought off terrorists on Oct. 7 by baking cookies, public diplomacy activist Yoseph Haddad, a senior reserve officer who teaches at a pre-military academy, and a representative of the Druze community. Yigal Oshri will sing his song 'Leaving Depression' with children from around Gaza."

Rosenblat said all contestants arrived last week from around the world: "Their families showed extraordinary resilience, sending their children and expressing full confidence in Israel's ability to protect them."

On holding the global quiz during wartime, Rosenblat stressed: "The contest will be impactful, empowering and unifying – what the country needs now. It will be a different kind of Bible contest that preserves the connection to the Bible while reflecting what's happening in Israel. We've worked six months on this. Nothing connects the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora like this contest."

Education Minister Yoav Kisch stated: "Especially in these complex times for Israel, we chose to hold the quiz focused on Jewish courage and to host students from the Diaspora for the 76th Independence Day. The Bible is the book of books, expressing the history and roots of the Jewish people and proving our attachment and settlement in the Land of Israel."

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1. The caveat to redemption of captives

Part of the Israeli ethos is that Pidyon Shvuyim (release of captives) is a "supreme value" in the sense that it is a value that takes precedence over other values. Indeed, it is a very important value. A moment after Passover, we should reflect on the fact that our people were captives in the Egyptian House of Slavery and that our liberation was too a kind of release from captivity. But Pidyon Shvuyim derives from a higher value: human life. The commandment to achieve the release of captives derives from the value of human life, which overrides almost all prohibitions in the Torah.  At the time of the Return to Zion in the fifth century BCE, Nehemiah chastises the Jewish elite which stood aside as its sons were sold into slavery, while he and his friends had worked to have the slaves released. "We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations" (Nehemiah 5:8). And that is what Jews have done throughout the generations.

But what does one do when the payment for captives is not just in monies but leads to further kidnappings? Moreover, what does one do when taking hostages becomes a policy and a weapon for our enemies who use the hostages as human shields after they have massacred us? It should be clear to any reasonable person that if their plot succeeds, they will carry out another massacre and take hostages knowing that this is what will protect them from our response. That is what our sages established two thousand years ago when they wrote in blood the rule that, "One does not ransom captives for more than their value because of Tikun Olam (Mishna, Gittin)." If the price paid for hostages leads to the corruption of the world, to the abandonment of other citizens to future kidnappings, then we must not accept such costs imposed on us by the terrorists. Instead, it is a mitzvah for us to fight them and to expunge them from the world so that we do not find ourselves again in such situations in the future.

In other words, the caveat that the Mishna puts on Pidyon Shvuyim is the opposition of our sages to redeeming prisoners at "any cost" and "now." It is cruel, but our leaders must take far broader considerations that take into account the safety and security of all citizens and the existence of the nation.

2. Who is Messianic?

What is the difference between security Cabinet's member Gadi Eisenkot's threat to quit the government if a deal with Hamas is not accepted, and ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir's threat to quit the coalition if a deal is accepted? Why is Eisenkot's threat "legitimate" while Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are "extremists" and "Messianic"? I have said this before and I will say it again: The epithet "Messianic" does not relate to the end of days when our enemies will beat their swords into ploughshares, rather it is an ignorant statement that sees the word messianic as a synonym for "irrational." I wonder, isn't repeating the same mistake over and over again in the hope that in the end things will turn out for the good in itself "messianic" behavior."

What will we receive if we heed the wishes of the deal's supporters: An end to the war before eliminating Hamas with most of the hostages remaining in Hamas's hands. The clear implications are defeat for Israel in which Hamas will be able to rebuild itself. Accepting this wanton deal will set in stone an equation that we will have created: kidnapping Israelis is a guarantee of safety for our enemies even after they have committed a massacre against us. A deal will be a trigger for our enemies to act in the same way in the future. Ending the war without eliminating Hamas will make October 7 a day of victory for our enemies and will serve as a prototype that inspires our enemies to sacrifice themselves in the future. And we already know that their thinking is different to ours. From their perspective, Gaza can be destroyed so long as they achieve their ideal and raison d'être: murder of Jews wherever they may be.

This is stated explicitly in the Hamas charter, while the more "moderate" Palestinian Authority pays stipends to murderers of Jews based on the number of people they have murdered. Once again, I point to the Fatah charter, an official document of the PA, where Article 20, a genocidal clause erases the Jewish People from the family of nations – and it is on the basis of this that they educate their children. It is this ("revitalized") PA that the world wants to see rule Gaza at the expense of our soldiers' sacrifice. Unbelievable! So who is messianic here? Those who want to see a change to our wanton behavior that has been constantly repeated over the years or those who want to repeat it in the hope that in the end "things will turn out well"?

3. Looking at the future picture

The enormous pressure exerted by elements within us to surrender to Hamas because of the hostages is likely to mortgage our future and make all Israeli citizens the potential victims of the next attack. During World War II, the British suffered tens of thousands of casualties on the home front but stood firm against the Nazi enemy. They understood that in war against absolute evil, there can be no compromises, even when a heavy price must be paid. The discourse about the release of dozens of hostages, while the rest remain in captivity, is an emotional one as it sees only one thing: the suffering of the hostages. Their suffering is terrible, and I say so without an ounce of cynicism. Hamas knows Israeli society and uses its knowledge to sow discord between us.

We, the citizens of Israel, remember the hostages every day, we pray for them and work for their benefit. However, a worthy leadership must make rational considerations when debating how to respond to this situation. Their discussion must take into account the full picture and the future suffering of the next generation of families of hostages and victims of terrorist attacks, whose pain will be no less than the pain of the current families. That is the supreme test of leadership.

4. The prophet's lesson for the king

We learned it from our Prophet Samuel, the father of the institution of monarchy in Israel. King Saul didn't fulfill the supreme mission of eliminating Amalek and expunging him from this world. Samuel understood the reasons for Saul's conduct; as Saul himself admitted: "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the word of God and your word, for I feared the people and yielded to their demands" (1Samuel 15:24). Instead of leading, Saul sought to score points with the people and the media, and perhaps among neighboring peoples as well – in other words in world opinion, which cannot stand a situation where the Jews fight their enemies and dispel evil from the world.

Samuel teaches Saul – and through him, the generations to come - what true leadership is: leadership that does not seek to cut corners and does not prefer short-term goals over the long-term historical view that takes into account the eternal existence of the people in a hostile environment. God, the prophet tells the king, is not impressed by ceremonies and vacant statements that score points with the public but are untruthful: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to the Lord's command?" (Ibid 15:22).

The most important thing, Samuel tells Saul, is that he must understand his role as leader of the people: "You may look small to yourself, but you are the head of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king over Israel" (Ibid 15:17). Saul's tragedy was that throughout his life he saw himself as having been made king by chance as he had gone to look for his father's asses and returned home with a promise from the prophet that he had been chosen to be our people's first king. Thus, Samuel explains to Saul that even if he sees himself as small, he cannot be modest and leave political and military decisions to the people; He has to lead as he is the head of the tribe of Israel, with an emphasis on the head that thinks rationally and not the heart that takes emotional decisions. And so, the last act in this event, derived from the concept: Samuel asks that Agag, King of the Amalekites, be brought before him and he executes Agag himself - to teach the children of Israel the laws of eradication of chametz.

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