As I sit here on Friday, I find myself gripped by fear. Fear for Israel. Fear for our people. Fear for the world. And the only way I know how to live with fear, or to soften its edges, is to share it. My sense is that you may be feeling it too.
Last night, I reached out to friends and family in Israel. All were in lockdown. Everything has been canceled for the day as they prepare for a possible attack. They are in their saferooms. And from here, when I hear that, my instinct is to act. To do something. Anything.
There is a verse from this week’s Haftarah that I have always found powerful, from the prophet Zechariah: “Not by might, and not by power, but by My spirit, says Adonai Tzeva’ot.”
This is not a description of what is. It is a vision of what could be. A prayer and a hope. Today I am drawn especially to that last phrase, Adonai Tzeva’ot, the God of Armies.
There is a midrash in which Moshe asks God for a name. God responds that each name reflects a different divine action. “When I fight evildoers,” God says, “I am called Adonai Tzeva’ot.”
I hold tightly to that image today. Not a God who seeks domination, but a God who uses strength to confront evil. A God whose spirit is the force that can build a House of Peace. Not only through might. Not only through power. But through courage, righteousness, and moral clarity.
That is my prayer today. That we are guided by Adonai Tzeva’ot, the God who stands against evil. That the fight for goodness can become the foundation of peace, just as the High Priest restores the Temple in Zechariah’s vision. That we can feel connected to the spirit of God that leads us forward. That this spirit will help us imagine and build a world free of fear.
As our family in Israel enters Shabbat in shelters, whispering their worried prayers, we will step out into the world. We will go to shul. We will sing with strength. We will stand joyfully and visibly as Jews.
And I will keep trying to turn my fear into something more hopeful. Hope that we can push back even one piece of evil in the world. Hope that Israel can be safer. Hope that we can move closer to ending terror and existential threat. Hope that we can build a true and lasting House of Peace.
