I’ve been thinking about the Frozen song Into the Unknown where Elsa needs to enter into uncharted territory. That reminds me of three momentous events connected to today. First is Parshat Lech Lecha. Abram and Sarai have to venture from all they have ever known into uncharted territory. All they have to go on is that God, who to the best of our knowledge they have never encountered directly before, will bless them. They need to take a leap of faith and move forward.

Today is also 5 years from a date which will live in infamy, October 28, 2018-the massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We were all in shock by that brutal atrocities not because it could happen but because it did. The Sacramento Jewish community had lived through the fire-bombing of 3 synagogues 18 years prior yet for a gunman to come into a synagogue and massacre 11 innocent souls was unimaginable. What a horrific event for which the only justice is that the murderer, Robert Bowers, was sentenced to death just under 3 months ago.

          This brings us to the present day, October 28, 2023, 3 weeks removed from the Black Sabbath of October 7 where over 1400 Israelis were murdered. This was also unthinkable: paragliding over the separation barrier, storming into peoples’ homes and kibbutzim, and a murderous rampage at the Tribe of Nova desert rave with peace-loving activists. Now Israel is facing a ground invasion. Like many of you I hope Israel will go in and eradicate Hamas. We do have to realize that it is uncharted territory. Since the Second Gaza War in 2014 numerous tunnels have been added, more homes have been booby-trapped and this time, unlike before, there are over 200 hostages deep in the crevices of the tunnels.

Thousands of years ago God promised our ancestors, the first Hebrews, that if they completely left their way of life and all they had been taught, that God would make of them a great nation. We must have the same faith today. However long it takes, we must stand with Israel as she enters into new territory and we must pray that it be for blessing. It’s an extremely difficult and uncomfortable position to be in to say the least, just as it must have been for our ancestors Abram and Sarai, yet only by entering into the unknown, especially at times which are against our will, can we accomplish what is necessary. Ken Yhi Ratzon, may it be so.