Parshas Eikev: G-d Keeps His Promises

One of the most fascinating things about travel is that you meet so many amazing people and if you pay attention, you will learn all sorts of incredible things from them.  Not only does travel mean you live stories, but you also hear stories.  This week, we stayed a few days with the family of one of the kids from Rabbi Ben’s Derech HaTeva trip last year.  So while the two of them were off banging on bongos, I sat with the women and listened to some of the most astounding stories this boy’s mother told.

At one point, it came up in conversation about how miracles happen in Israel all the time.  I heard once about how at one of the most famous military academies in the US, a professor was showing examples of wars and strategies and how they worked out.  Throughout the entire course, he never once mentioned Israel and the wars fought there.  When a Jewish student spoke up and asked why, the professor responded, “I teach military warfare, not miracles!” Israel’s military history simply defies logical explanation: The only way to explain Israel’s victories is that G-d is on our side.  So when our hostess shared a story of salvation with me, I wasn’t at all surprised to hear it.  It was told to her by a soldier she was friends with, who participated in this situation.

It was 1967 and Israel was under attack.  Up on a small hillside, 15 Israeli soldiers were being attacked by hundreds of  Jordanian soldiers.  As they saw the Jordanian troops approaching, the 15 soldiers made a pact.  They knew they would be killed – they were grossly outnumbered – so they would fight to the death in the defense of their country and they would not give up.  As the Jordanians came closer, as one they all laid down their weapons and surrendered.  The Israeli soldiers were stunned, so, as they marched them to the jail, one Israeli soldier asked one of the Jordanians why they surrendered when there were only 15 Israeli soldiers.  “15 of you?!” came the shocked reply, “I saw you – there were thousands of you!”

In this week’s parsha, Moses gives the Jews encouragement before they enter Israel.  He addresses their fear that other nations will be more numerous, and that without the strength that comes with numbers the Jews will surely fail.  “Do not fear them!” Moses admonishes.  Instead, the Jews are told to remember what G-d did to Pharoah in Egypt and to never fear enemies on account of something like numbers.  I hope we can all keep this very apropos message in mind, given this week’s attacks on Israel.

This is just one of the many promises G-d made to Israel… and it seems to me, from this, and many other stories I’ve heard, that He truly is keeping up His end of the bargain.  If G-d can do these miracles for us, to preserve the People He loves so well, then He can and does surely keep up with all His other promises, too.  All we have to do is to open our eyes and see the miracles that are all around us.

Shabbat shalom.