Rabbi Hagai Lundin, head of Yeshivat Holon, says criticism in religious circles after the campaign against Iran is misguided if it turns into a call to rely only on miracles. He argues that “divine blessing appears in the world through human effort,” and that Israel’s diplomatic and military achievements should be recognized alongside trust in God.
Lundin says some people are now regretting that Israel relied on human partners, especially the United States and President Donald Trump. He rejects the idea that faith means depending only on God and avoiding practical action, and also pushes back against claims that recent events should be read as punishment for national pride. In his view, that message only leads to depression and unfairly blames those who worked in the political and practical arenas.
He says the current era shows providence operating through nature. “Whether we like it or not, we depend in many ways on the US,” he says, adding that the IDF’s victories came through natural effort and at “a terrible cost in blood,” that the national pride sparked by those victories is “wonderful,” and that the Israeli government did the maximum possible within its limits. He links this to the weekly Torah portion, Chukat, citing Moses’ instruction to speak to the rock rather than strike it as a model for gradual, sustained action within reality.
Lundin also invokes Rabbi Akiva’s lesson from water wearing down stone to argue that spiritual growth is not quick or miraculous but built through persistent effort with ups and downs. He says the needed message now is hope and patience, because “everything is certainly dependent on God and not on Trump,” but mature faith understands that blessing comes through human effort. He says Israel is “far better” now than it was three years ago, urges appreciation for everyone involved, including diplomacy with the US, and says the next struggle will be fought more strongly, with wars not yet gone from the world.
