Rabbi Urges Reciting Full Hallel on Simchat Torah as Thanksgiving

A "great miracle" involving a Flydubai flight carrying 174 Israelis that narrowly avoided a crash on the eve of Simchat Torah is still resonating, according to Rabbi David Pandel, Rosh Yeshiva of Sderot. Speaking to "Srugim," Rabbi Pandel referenced the incident as a reason for "giving thanks to God." He connected this near-disaster to the upcoming three-year anniversary of the October 7th massacre, which also occurred on Simchat Torah. Rabbi Pandel stated that while the memory of that "terrible day" remains, this year's Simchat Torah also brings a "huge change" in Israel's situation. He described a reversal from a state of vulnerability to one of "honor for Israel." The rabbi proposed reciting the full Hallel prayer with a blessing on Simchat Torah as an expression of gratitude for miracles. He recalled the previous Simchat Torah as a "terrible day" but also as the "beginning of resourcefulness and heroism and a tremendous, tremendous change in our situation." According to Rabbi Pandel, the "horrific attack" led to a fundamental shift in Israel's perception, moving from a state of "blindness and deafness" to recognizing existential threats from Iran, Hezbollah, Gaza, and Arab populations in Judea and Samaria and within Israel. He concluded that this newfound awareness is now "behind us," describing it as an "amazing feeling."