Spiritual Morale for our Soldiers
Bo
The Zohar describes how Hashem led Moshe through the chambers of unholiness, taking him deeper and deeper, chamber within chamber inside the realms of evil.
As he approached the evil force of Pharaoh, the great serpent, Moshe became paralysed with fright and could not advance further.
Seeing Moshe’s fear, Hashem said “Behold I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great serpent that crouches in his streams…”. Only Hashem could wage war with this evil.
With this, the Zohar explains why Hashem said to Moshe בא אל פרעה - “Come to Pharaoh". Since Hashem was sending Moshe to Pharaoh, He should have said לך אל פרעה - “Go to Pharaoh".
But in reality, Hashem was not sending Moshe alone to face the great evil embodied in Pharaoh. Rather, He Himself was going to wage war against Pharaoh and was calling Moshe to “come” with Him. Moshe would not be alone and had no reason the fear.
In 1973, in the months following the Yom Kippur War in which Israel suffered tremendous losses, the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoke about the need to boost the morale of the IDF.
The morale of the soldiers is crucial. An army can be equipped with the best weapons and strong forces in a physical sense. But if they lack morale, if they are not psychologically strong, they will struggle to be victorious.
It is vital to victory, that the soldiers believe in and are passionate about what they are defending or fighting for and why.
Many armies try to uplift the spirits and morale of their troops with forms of entertainment. But these are devoid of substance and meaning. They are just temporary distractions in the moment.
Real morale strengthens and empowers the troops with pride, purpose, courage and meaning. For the army of the Jewish people, morale is bound up with the need for Ruchaniyut, spirituality.
Fundamental to spiritual morale is knowing that Hashem is always with you and protecting you. Spiritual morale stems from Emunah and Bitachon.
Whilst the political echelons at the time did not support or believe in bringing spirituality into the army, the soldiers themselves were craving and demanding it. They did not care for politics. They were the one's fighting and they were seeking strength. Their needs had to come before political views.
The Rebbe spoke about the soldiers' desire for Tefillin and Tzitzis. In addition to fortifying faith and courage, these Mitzvos elicit Divine protection and assistance.
Like in 1973, today we are seeing a thirst for spiritual morale on an unprecedented level.
Soldiers from secular backgrounds are begging for Tzitzis to wear into battle. Volunteers have been making Tzitzis to cope with the booming demand. They want to be connected.
Our social media feeds stream moving scenes of soldiers dancing before going into Gaza. The lyrics of their songs are filled with Bitachon;
They sing ה' מלך ה' מלך ה' ימלוך - “Hashem is King forever. מי שמאמין לא מפחד - “The one who believes is not afraid. וה' יתברך תמיד אוהב אותי - “Hashem always loves me and will only do good for me”.
And before entering into battle, they pray. Religious soldiers with Kippot and secular soldiers with their comrades' hands on their heads, answer Amen to the Tefillot of their commanders, and their voices crying out Shema echoes out loud.
It's not just the soldiers. The whole country is now seeking spiritual morale. In these difficult times, they are seeking and turning to Hashem. Who would have ever imagined the number one hit, the "second anthem", would be a song with lyrics about Hashem!
Like liberating the Jewish people from Egypt, returning our captives, destroying our enemies and protecting our people is G-d's war. Like Moshe, the brave and holy soldiers are His agents and partners to bring victory.
With the words בא אל פרעה, Hashem gave Moshe the greatest possible morale boost. This is the message that we need to hear now, that we are never alone. Hashem is with us. And this is the greatest morale boost for our soldiers; Wherever they go into battle, be it Gaza, Jenin, Lebanon or anywhere else, they are not "going", they are "coming". They are going there with G-d at their side.
As he approached the evil force of Pharaoh, the great serpent, Moshe became paralysed with fright and could not advance further.
Seeing Moshe’s fear, Hashem said “Behold I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great serpent that crouches in his streams…”. Only Hashem could wage war with this evil.
With this, the Zohar explains why Hashem said to Moshe בא אל פרעה - “Come to Pharaoh". Since Hashem was sending Moshe to Pharaoh, He should have said לך אל פרעה - “Go to Pharaoh".
But in reality, Hashem was not sending Moshe alone to face the great evil embodied in Pharaoh. Rather, He Himself was going to wage war against Pharaoh and was calling Moshe to “come” with Him. Moshe would not be alone and had no reason the fear.
In 1973, in the months following the Yom Kippur War in which Israel suffered tremendous losses, the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoke about the need to boost the morale of the IDF.
The morale of the soldiers is crucial. An army can be equipped with the best weapons and strong forces in a physical sense. But if they lack morale, if they are not psychologically strong, they will struggle to be victorious.
It is vital to victory, that the soldiers believe in and are passionate about what they are defending or fighting for and why.
Many armies try to uplift the spirits and morale of their troops with forms of entertainment. But these are devoid of substance and meaning. They are just temporary distractions in the moment.
Real morale strengthens and empowers the troops with pride, purpose, courage and meaning. For the army of the Jewish people, morale is bound up with the need for Ruchaniyut, spirituality.
Fundamental to spiritual morale is knowing that Hashem is always with you and protecting you. Spiritual morale stems from Emunah and Bitachon.
Whilst the political echelons at the time did not support or believe in bringing spirituality into the army, the soldiers themselves were craving and demanding it. They did not care for politics. They were the one's fighting and they were seeking strength. Their needs had to come before political views.
The Rebbe spoke about the soldiers' desire for Tefillin and Tzitzis. In addition to fortifying faith and courage, these Mitzvos elicit Divine protection and assistance.
Like in 1973, today we are seeing a thirst for spiritual morale on an unprecedented level.
Soldiers from secular backgrounds are begging for Tzitzis to wear into battle. Volunteers have been making Tzitzis to cope with the booming demand. They want to be connected.
Our social media feeds stream moving scenes of soldiers dancing before going into Gaza. The lyrics of their songs are filled with Bitachon;
They sing ה' מלך ה' מלך ה' ימלוך - “Hashem is King forever. מי שמאמין לא מפחד - “The one who believes is not afraid. וה' יתברך תמיד אוהב אותי - “Hashem always loves me and will only do good for me”.
And before entering into battle, they pray. Religious soldiers with Kippot and secular soldiers with their comrades' hands on their heads, answer Amen to the Tefillot of their commanders, and their voices crying out Shema echoes out loud.
It's not just the soldiers. The whole country is now seeking spiritual morale. In these difficult times, they are seeking and turning to Hashem. Who would have ever imagined the number one hit, the "second anthem", would be a song with lyrics about Hashem!
Like liberating the Jewish people from Egypt, returning our captives, destroying our enemies and protecting our people is G-d's war. Like Moshe, the brave and holy soldiers are His agents and partners to bring victory.
With the words בא אל פרעה, Hashem gave Moshe the greatest possible morale boost. This is the message that we need to hear now, that we are never alone. Hashem is with us. And this is the greatest morale boost for our soldiers; Wherever they go into battle, be it Gaza, Jenin, Lebanon or anywhere else, they are not "going", they are "coming". They are going there with G-d at their side.