Just as we recall twice a day and every Shabbat and Yom Tov (not to mention Pesach!), that Hashem took us out of Egypt, the educational message is that we too should be G-dly, and save our fellow Jewish hostages from Gaza. Judaism isn’t a “religion” of “ceremonies” but rather a handbook of Imitateo Dei, how to emulate G-d. He created us b’Tzelem Elokim (Breishit 1, 27), literally, in His image, to copy Him and be His emulating “shadow” (tzel). As soon as He created the world, He commanded man “Pru u’rvu”, you too have children, thus creating worlds like Him. He then tells us that on Shabbat He “rests”, not for our general knowledge, but to teach us that we should, as well. He is altruistic, loyal and as if it were, even “puts on tefillin” (Brachot 6a), and so must we!
When the IDF bezrat Hashem, carried out the surprise raid this past Shabbat, for the 3rd time to save 4 hostages, we must not only thank G-d and commend the soldiers for their super-daring mission, but also for their G-dliness, taking our brothers out of captivity!
Rav Kook explains that our One and only G-d wears 3 “hats” which constantly interplay: the Creator, the Torah-Giver and the G-d Who runs history. The Sefer haChinuch (600), writes that the way He prefers to answer prayers, is not through super-natural miracles (which he gradually stopped doing already 2500 years ago in Megillat Esther), but through having commanded us (!) in the Torah 3336 years ago to not only listen to Him, but to be like Him, and save our brothers from danger and poverty. This is the same Creator (who created us with a conscience, bringing us to want to help our brothers and sisters), and the same Torah-Giver who taught us to learn from Avraham who went to war to save the hostage Lot (Breishit 14), and Who also commanded us to join the IDF (throughout Sefer Shoftim; Sotah 44a; Rambam hil. M’lachim u’Milchamoteihem 7, 4 and 5, 1)) and the same G-d of History Who redeemed us from Egypt and brought us success in the recently celebrated Six Day War, as well as the Entebbe raid and this past Shabbat in Gaza.
When Am Yisrael was fighting the Romans, R. Akiva and his 24,000 students left the Yeshiva to lead the charge (Otzar HaGeonim Yevamot 62b, Rambam M’lachim 11, 3 and Ta’anit 5, 3), as opposed to the pacifist Jesus who (in the previous rebellion) abandoned his brothers and sisters to the barbaric Romans, to wander and contemplate his own spirituality in the Judean desert! Moshe Rabbenu (Bamidbar 32, 6), Devorah HaNeviah (Shoftim 5, 16 and 23) and the Rambam (Teshuva 3, 11; M’lachim 7, 15) come down very harshly against those who don’t come to help Israel during war! This is a major difference between the Living Torah of Israel and Christianity. They say a man “is” god, while we say all men should “be like” G-d and join the IDF, like Moshe Rabbenu, Yehoshua, Gidon… David HaMelech and the Maccabees, our role-models of Imitateo Dei.
Just last night I attended a wedding of the son of a leading Rosh Yeshiva, who left his yeshiva and fiancé’, to spend 7 months endangering his life and future, to fight Hamas face-to-face! His soldier friends who were let out to attend his wedding, were exhaustively sprawled out on the couches right after the chuppa, during “yichud”, to grab a few minutes of sleep, before dancing with the chatan, and going back to being G-dly in Gaza. “אתה אחד… ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ”, “You (the Creator, Torah-Giver and G-d of history) are One, and who is like Am Yisrael who emulates You with our oneness, unity, altruism and Imitateo Dei! Chag Same’ach, ub’Ahavat Yisrael! Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)