Miracles amid the madness
Despite the stress of yesterday’s unprecedented missile attack on Israel by Iran, 181 ballistic missiles fired in what could have been a massacre, as we go into Rosh Hashana in Israel, we are also counting the miracles.
Like several million Israelis, my family all took shelter for about 30 minutes. It's haunting, scary, unnerving, angering, surreal. It was certainly hardest for my daughter with four boys ranging from almost 6 to four weeks. We heard sirens all around us, and the explosions of the missiles being intercepted overhead.
It was nothing short of a miracle that no Israelis were killed, and damage was minimal. Having seen one of these missiles up close (they're huge, 11 meters without the engine and warhead), the damage that could be inflicted is daunting. The only person known to have been killed was a Palestinian Arab from Gaza, who was somehow in Jericho. This video is graphic but shows how massive these are, and how one can die from the impact and shrapnel alone, not the explosion of a several hundred-ton warhead.
Enabling this is the miracle of Israel’s air defense systems working in synch, seemingly faultlessly. Israel’s three-tiered air defense system is a technical miracle in and of itself. The Iron Dome shoots down short-range rockets. David’s Sling intercepts larger mid-range missiles with greater range and larger warheads. The Arrow exits the atmosphere, with a range of about 1500 miles, taking down the huge ballistic missiles with warheads that can be up to a ton.
The miracle of these three systems working as they did is a miracle. It will be the envy of, and studied by, governments and militaries globally, for decades. It’s a shame that we have to even have these systems, and that there are people who would rather see us acting defensively, accepting the risk and burden of all this, rather than destroying the terrorists and their threats at the source. Especially in an election year.
It's a miracle that the US and other countries stepped in again to be part of shooting down the missiles. I don’t know all the details, but that’s not to be taken for granted. The problem is that the Iranians had this missile capability specifically because of US (and others) funding Iran to the tune of billions of dollars, and the failed JCPOA, the Iran Deal, that shockingly allowed Iran to build these weapons to begin with. Proponents of the Iran Deal enabled and funded the missiles. They approached Iran, begging to make a deal in a way. It would even embarrass Monte Hall. This appeasement has kept the mullahs and ayatollahs laughing all the way to the bank, and their bunkers, while progressing toward nuclear weapons.
It’s a foreign policy failure of Biblical proportions, enacted by Obama and continued by Biden and Harris, that’s emboldened and even enabled the terrorists. Negotiating with them at all, much less from a perspective of where one wants them to be rather than the reality of where they are. It’s a failure based on fantasy. Simply, terrorists, from the Iranian regime on down, cannot be negotiated with. They need to be defeated. But I digress. Hopefully, God has some miracles left, and that those who embrace this failed policy can correct the course now.
When we look for miracles, we often look for things Biblically: the Exodus from Egypt, splitting the Sea, feeding two-million Jews in the desert over 40 years, and many military victories just to name a few.
Sometimes it’s hard to see miracles in our lives today. But what happened in Israel yesterday, along with the destruction of much of Hezbollah, is no less than a miracle of Biblical proportion.
God showed His authority, enabling His chosen people to come out of this latest attack shaken but largely intact. God affirmed His covenant with the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, and left it beyond a doubt that His outstretched arm did, and always will, protect us. For perspective, during each of the Biblical miracles I mentioned, there was fear, stress, doubt, even anger. God did not mitigate our humanity; he emphasized His divinity. That’s what happened yesterday.
Related to yesterday’s Iranian attack, there was another multi-tiered miracle that took place over the past two weeks, with the disemboweling of Hezbollah. It’s connected to Iran as one of their greatest investments was laid bare, blown to pieces. All of Hezbollah’s top leaders are dead, realizing that they are not martyrs, there are not 72 virgins waiting for them, and they are burning in hell. Hezbollah beepers and walkie-talkies exploded, killing and injuring thousands of terrorists. Thousands of their missiles and launchers were destroyed. The IDF has begun a ground invasion (which my son may soon be part of) to destroy their terror tunnels and other infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Nevertheless, Hezbollah is not destroyed, not by far. As I write, dozens of air raid sirens are sounding all over northern Israel as a result of rockets and drones that are being fired at Israel. But the Iranian threat to unleash Hezbollah’s massive arsenal if they were to be attacked directly has been gravely damaged. We still need more miracles.
But their ability to do the damage that they were planning, and as a first line of offense to protect Iran has been decimated.
Another miracle we have experienced is the tremendous outpouring of love and support from Christian friends, all over the world, writing and even calling while we were in the bomb shelter, and over the hours that ensued. We don’t take that for granted.
As we choke back tears nearing the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, despite all the death, inhuman violence, and suffering that’s persisted and been magnified over the past year, there were miracles on that day as well. I’d never have the hubris to tell someone who lost a loved one, who has a family member still hostage in Gaza, whose son, spouse, sibling or parent was killed in the ensuing war that their suffering, and ours nationally, is not real. But we have to see God’s hand even when the worst is happening.
Anyway, it won’t be a boring new year. I’m praying it will end a lot more peacefully and quieter than it’s beginning. And a lot more miracles.
Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has become a respected bridge between Jews and Christians and serves as president of the Genesis 123 Foundation. He writes regularly on major Christian websites about Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He is host of the popular Inspiration from Zion podcast. He can be reached at [email protected].
