Reserve Brigade 12 has already gone through seven rounds of reserve duty since the war began, and its rabbi, Maj. Rabbi Avichai Epstein, says the main challenge is not the fighting itself. In an interview with Srugim, he described months of separation from home and the strain on soldiers and commanders, saying, "The biggest challenge is burnout." He said the real test is human: "People keep leaving home, work and family again and again. Going out on an operation is the small challenge, the big challenge is the human challenge."
Epstein said brigade commanders repeatedly ask him to go down to the field and meet the troops. His approach, he said, is to listen first. "The rabbinate loves to talk, but it is time to listen first," he said. Conversations can last from two minutes to 40 minutes, and often open the way to deeper discussions. He recounted one encounter with a secular soldier who told him, "I need a rabbi too." For Epstein, that captures his role: "I am not the rabbi of religious people, I am the rabbi of the brigade. People are not looking for the kippah or the tzitzit. They are looking for someone who will listen."
He said many reservists now wrestle with questions they had not faced before, such as "Why did this happen to us?" and "Where is all this going?" According to Epstein, those questions often begin with something small and then turn into very deep conversations. He also described efforts to make Shabbat in the army feel meaningful, not like another long shift. The rabbis begin preparing early in the week, raising donations and organizing cholent, cakes, drinks, synagogue equipment and special activities, because, he said, there is nothing more frustrating than spending Shabbat in the army without family. His goal is for Shabbat to become "the highlight of the week."
Epstein also spoke about the hardest moments, especially supporting bereaved families, sitting shiva and attending memorials after deadly incidents. Ahead of one of the brigade's first entries into Gaza, he organized what he called "Operation Hug for the Soldier," standing at the point where the entire brigade passed before boarding buses and hugging about 800 soldiers over two days. He closed by stressing the families behind the reserve effort, saying reservists, their wives, children and extended families are "an example of responsibility and giving" and show what Israel can do when needed.
