“The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s trough: but Yisrael does not know, my people does not consider.” (Isaiah 1:3)

In this week’s Haftara we find the prophet complaining that though donkey may know his trough, Klal Yisrael doesn’t know Hashem. The Baalei Mussar ask, how is it fair to make such a comparison? People go to university, study Theology and Sciences, and still are not sure if there is a G-d. Whereas a donkey has a built-in homing device to know where his trough is. They explain that this homing device also exists in every human. Just like Avraham Avinu used this natural instinct to come to the conclusion that Hashem exists, so too anyone who is intellectually honest can reach the same conclusion. The reason that this isn’t common is because people have an agenda, which conflicts with the natural logical conclusion.

Though I believe that this message is timely any year, I believe it is even more applicable this year. We don’t have to go back in history to see potential destruction and salvation from Hashem, as we are living through such a situation right now. I mentioned this concept once and I would like to mention it again regarding this week’s haftara: Regarding the Iranian attempted strike of Motza’ei Shabbos, Nisan 6/April 13, scientists and military statisticians calculate that it was nearly impossible for all those missiles and drones to be fired towards Israel without us getting hit, and yet we came out unscathed.

Let us now examine the episode of October 7th: For there to be such a complete failure of all the multiple defense systems seems to me equally off the charts. What conclusion can we draw from this?

This phenomenon of our fragile existence in the Middle East has existed since 1948. Our existence has been one miracle after another – even until the present day. I was told that in the prestigious military academy of West Point, where they teach war skills from all the world’s wars, none of the wars involving Israel are ever studied. Though I did not confirm this, allegedly when questioned on this topic, the school’s response was that the wars with Israel did not work according to the laws and factors that other wars do. There is therefore no military strategy to learn from these wars.

As we sit this year, whether in preparation for Tisha B’Av, or on that day itself, we bemoan how could it be that the Jews of two thousand years ago became detached from Hashem? How could they not believe, when daily miracles were occurring in the Beis Hamikdash? I used to wonder about the Jews in Eretz Yisrael when shemita was observed. All of Yisrael could clearly see the Hand of G-d at work as they experienced a bumper crop in the sixth year which then lasted until the eighth year. Yet they stopped observing shemita for financial reasons! Unfortunately, in our present plight, the question is not about history, but rather after all the miracles we have seen since Simchas Torah, how we can remain detached, and not grow our emunah in Hashem to be at its highest level?

We have the same instincts as Avraham had. In addition, we have present day statistics which bring us to the compelling conclusion that Hashem runs the world. May we merit that this year we have a realization of the coming of a redeemer, who will come when we recognize that it is only Hashem who runs the world and not us nor the world leaders with their petty plans.