The Paradox of Jewish Power

Those who rely excessively on the IDF's strength, ironically, call into question the miracle of the Six Day War.

The following article is not meant to be pessimistic; it is meant to honestly confront what we don’t know. I find it comforting to acknowledge this, but others may find it triggering.

Two weeks ago, Jews celebrated Yom Yerushalayim, the anniversary of the day when Israel conquered Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967.

This commemoration resonates with religious significance, as the Six Day War was an open miracle, an instance when the divine hand was obviously present in history.

We now know that both American and British intelligence agencies predicted that the Israeli military would win, and win quickly. In the words of Robert McNamara, who was President Lyndon Johnson’s Defense Secretary at the time:

In late May 1967, we received CIA reports of an imminent Egyptian invasion of Israel. Very likely, Egypt would be supported by other Arab states, such as Jordan and Syria. And, we feared, if it were necessary to achieve its objective - destruction of the Jewish State - Egypt would receive support from the Soviet Union as well. Israel, of course, had similar information… [On June 2, President Johnson and British Prime Minister Harold Wilson] compared our intelligence estimates and our conclusions about the conflict’s outcome. We agreed on all points, including who would win: Israel - beyond a shadow of a doubt. One side, I recall, anticipated an Israeli victory within ten days; the other expected it within seven. But we also agreed the consequences of such a war would be difficult to predict and to control, and therefore we should do everything possible to prevent it.¹

While historical reality may undermine the common narrative of masarta giborim b’yad chalashim, that God gave the mighty into the hand of the weak - after all, the CIA was sure that Israel was far stronger than its adversaries - the miraculous nature of the Six Day War is every bit as obvious as before. The very fact that a country that had been founded under extremely difficult circumstances only nineteen years earlier - a country that was surrounded by enemies on all sides, was composed primarily of refugees from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, and had already fought two wars in its brief history - could somehow manage to develop a military that would win a war against far more populous countries “beyond a shadow of a doubt,” is itself unimpeachable evidence that God was smiling upon the Jewish people in 1967. 

The Six Day War, that is, may have been a different kind of miracle from what we initially believed; but it was miraculous nonetheless.

Those who most adamantly insist upon the miraculous nature of the war in 1967 are the members of the Religious Zionist camp… which creates a strange, often unnoticed paradox in the thinking of many Religious Zionist leaders.

In Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, the two factions most insistent that Israel go to war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and permanently settle the Gaza Strip, are Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism, the two main Religious Zionist parties. Otzma head Itamar Ben Gvir dramatically called for “War!” in Israel’s north, while Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich insisted that Israel must create a buffer zone in Lebanon, and advocated the resettlement of the evacuated Gush Katif settlements in Gaza.

Let me be clear: I do not know the best course of action for Israel as it looks toward an uncertain future. While Israel must ensure that its citizens are safe from Hamas and Hezbollah, I dare not pretend that I have the knowledge, wisdom, and military experience to figure out how to make that happen. However, I am concerned that the political leaders of Israel’s Religious Zionist parties forget that Israel’s victory in 1967 was miraculous. Instead, they emphasize the might and omnipotence of the Israeli Defense Forces, as if the military only needs to give the order, and defeating Hamas and Hezbollah would be attainable.

What if these goals are not attainable?

What if Israel has not attacked Hezbollah because it knows that despite the IDF’s strength, the costs to the Jewish State would be too high to bear? What if the better course of action is a type of deterrence rather than all-out war with an enemy which has capabilities that dwarf those of Hamas?

What if Israel needs to learn to live, at least for now, with a threat on its northern border, as the United States did for decades when thousands of Soviet missiles were pointed at the continental United States?

What if the destruction of Hamas is unattainable, as IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said earlier today before, under pressure from the Prime Minister’s office, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit issued a clarification?

Again: I do not know if this is accurate. I hope and pray that Israel’s military might is far greater than that of our foes, and that a properly executed war with Hezbollah and Hamas would conclude with a definitive Israeli victory without thousands of Israeli deaths (God forbid). But while I hope that Israel is as strong as we assume, I know that having excessive faith in Jewish power is a violation of a Torah norm:

Be careful lest you forget Hashem your God, not keeping his mitzvot, laws, and statutes that I command you today. Lest you eat, and be satisfied, building nice homes in which you dwell. Your cattle and sheep will increase, and you will have much silver and gold; everything you have will increase. And you will grow haughty, and forget Hashem your God who took you out of the Land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who brought you through the great and awesome desert, with poisonous snakes, scorpions, and thirst; when there was no water, He brought water out for you from the rock; who fed you manna in the desert which your ancestors did not know, to afflict you and test you, so that He would give you goodness afterwards. And you will say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand acquired all this prosperity for me. You must remember Hashem your God, for He gives you the power to become prosperous, so that He can, on this day, keep His covenant which He swore to your ancestors.

(Devarim 8:11-18)

The politicians most enamored with Jewish power are the politicians who, because of their belief in the Torah, should acknowledge that Israeli military might is a gift, not a guarantee. Yet they seem to ignore that Yom Yerushalayim celebrates a miracle; they assume that the IDF’s strength is contingent upon us, rather than on the divine will. While I certainly acknowledge that relying upon God alone without working to strengthen ourselves is both absurd and a massive violation of Torah law, I also recognize that if God hides His face from us, the IDF will struggle no matter how hard we try. “Had Hashem not been with us when men rose up against us, they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger burned hot against us; then the water would have overtaken us, the current passing over our lives.” (Tehillim 124:2-3) “If Hashem does not build a house, the builders work in vain; if Hashem does not guard the city, the watchman’s vigilance is worthless.” (Tehillim 127:1)

We must do everything we can to make the Israeli Defense Forces as strong as possible. We must also remember that no matter how much we wish it were true, the IDF will never be omnipotent. Its success will always be a result of both hard work and divine grace.²

Was not October 7th an instance when God hid His face? If we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim as a day of divine favor, should we not commemorate October 7th and its aftermath as a time of divine displeasure? Are we so sure of ourselves and our relationship with Him that we are willing to gamble that the Israeli army can win even when God’s face is at least somewhat hidden?

Please do not misunderstand me: I pray that my fears are unfounded, that the IDF continues to be blessed by God, that any ongoing or future conflict with our enemies will conclude with a decisive Israeli victory, that Israel has not begun to show the extent of its military muscle.

But I don’t know that this is true - and the fact that the people who make military decisions use more measured language than the warmongers outside of that inner circle, gives me serious pause.

The fact that these same bellicose politicians claim to represent Religious Zionist values makes me wonder, yet again, whether Religious Zionism needs to be radically recalibrated so that it can stop making a mockery of the Torah.

1. Robert S. McNamara, In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, pp. 277-278.

2. Divine grace, of course, can be manifest in different ways. Iran retaliated against Israel on April 13th and 14th by sending 300 missiles and drones towards the Jewish State; Israel successfully avoided disaster with the assistance of countries like the US, the UK, France, and Jordan. Is the fact that these allies chose to help Israel not an obvious instance of divine favor?