13 Feb 2025 Yisro 5785: Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, Toras Yisrael

In Parshas Yisro, seven weeks after leaving Egypt, as the nation stands around the foothills of Har Sinai, the greatest Revelation known to mankind occurs, as Hashem gives the Bnei Yisrael the Torah. Matan Torah infused the spiritual life-blood into our nation as a whole, and into each individual, and it is this gift of Torah that continues to sustain us, from then, to today.

The purpose of Yetzias Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) was two-fold, and the dual purpose was revealed to Moshe even before he became leader, when Hashem first appeared to him at the Burning Bush. The Revelation to one (Moshe) at Chorev (Shemos 3:1 [Chorev is another name for Har Sinai]) would become the template for the Revelation to an entire nation. After Hashem called out to Moshe at the Sneh and introduced Himself (keviyachol), stating that He had heard the outcry of the Children of Israel, Hashem said to Moshe:

וָאֵרֵד לְהַצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם, וּלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ מִן–הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא, אֶל–אֶרֶץ טוֹבָה וּרְחָבָה, אֶל–אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ – And I have come down to save them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land, to a good and broad land, to a land flowing with milk and honey (Shemos 3:8)… From the first moments of Moshe’s mission, it was revealed to him that the nation was going to be going to the land that, with the conquer and conquest under Yehoshua, would become Eretz Yisrael.

Furthermore, Hashem declared: בְּהוֹצִיאֲךָ אֶת–הָעָם מִמִּצְרַיִם, תַּעַבְדוּן אֶת–הָאֱלֹקֹים, עַל הָהָר הַזֶּה – When you take the nation out of Egypt, you will serve G-d on this mountain (ibid., v.12). Toras Yisrael betroths us to Hashem, ennobles us as individuals, elevates our nation to be mesugal and kadosh (precious and holy, cf.Shemos 19:5-6), connects us to each other, and gives instruction, purpose and meaning to our lives.

Am Yisrael. Eretz Yisrael. Toras Yisrael.

I pen these words in Yerushalayim on Monday evening, ohr la’yom 13 Shevat 5785. It seems that everywhere you walk in J’lem (and beyond), there are (bumper-type) stickers in memory of the fallen in this war. Operation Swords of Iron was launched by Israel in response to the Simchas Torah 5784/Oct. 7, 2023 invasion and massacre. The stickers can be found plastered on the walls of bus stops, the gate of Sha’ar Yafo, light poles around the city, benches, check-points, and so on and so forth. Every turn brings you face to face with the pictures of the fallen, their smiling faces, names, and a message, slogan or pasuk on the sticker.

Quoting statistics and numbers after a while, R”L, becomes far less meaningful than seeing countless smiling faces of young, brave, committed, dedicated fallen soldiers all over the city. I try to take time to look at their names, read the message on the stickers, take pictures of them, and fulfill the Biblical dictum of: כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר, וְשִׂים בְּאָזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, and Hashem said to Moshe, write this chronicle (the war against Amalek) as a zikaron – a remembrance – in the book, and place it in the ears of Yehoshua (ibid.,17:14, Parshas Beshalach), so that Yehoshua shall transmit this remembrance throughout the generations.

זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר–עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק… you shall remember what Amalek did to you… לֹא תִּשְׁכָּח, you shall not forget (Devarim 25:19).

On motzei Shabbos we visited (for lack of a better word) the Gevurah Forum tent, where there was a memorial ceremony being held for Capt. (res.) Ariel Mordechai Wollfstal, 28, from Elazar HY”D, on the occasion of his first yarzheit. Ariel Mordechai fell in Gaza on 12 Shevat 5784, in the incident that claimed the lives of 21 soldiers. Amongst others, his father and sister spoke, and there were songs of emunah, hope, prayer and longing being played in his memory.

When we left the tent, we passed by another plastering-of-stickers-turned-memorial location, with a sticker in memory of Yisrael Sokol HYD. The warm, smiling face of the soldier, with glasses, a trim beard, and a white kipa seruga, looks out at us. The caption reads:

“אני – ראשי אלין בחיק הריך, את – בדמי לעד תחיי” – As if he is speaking to the Land of Israel and the nation of Israel, Yisrael says: “And I – my head shall lay in the embrace of your mountains; and you – in my blood you shall live forever.”

And then, it says: עם ישראל, ארץ ישראל, תורת ישראל (Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, Torat Yisrael), ישראל סוקול הי״ד -Yisrael Sokol HY”D.

Sergeant First Class (res.) Yisrael Sokol, 24, from Karnei Shomron, fell in the same disaster in Gaza that claimed the life of Ariel Mordechai Wollfstal. Monday, 12 Shevat, was the yarzheit of both of them. Some months after Yisrael fell, there was a tree planting ceremony in Karnei Shomron, where seventy trees were planted in his memory.

Yisrael was 24; Ariel was 28. With their whole lives ahead of them, they fell in defense of Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Toras Yisrael.

The pasuk in Parshas Yisro tells us that before Matan Torah, Moshe was to warn the nation that no one was to break through the perimeter of the mountain, lest they break through to see the glory of G-d, וְנָפַל מִמֶּנּוּ רָב, and many of them shall fall (Shemos 19:21). Suppose only one person would break through the perimeter, and only one shall fall? Rashi (ibid) says: כָּל מַה שֶּׁיִּפֹּל מֵהֶם, וַאֲפִלּוּ הוּא יְחִידִי, חָשׁוּב לְפָנַי רָב, however many shall fall from them, even if it is only one, it is considered before Me as many.

Even if it is one… it is considered before Me as many.

בברכת בשורות טובות לעמינו ולארצנו, עד עולם

Michal