G-d was very much present on 7 October

Where was G-d on 7 October? Rav David Stav, the founder and chairperson of Tzohar, a modern Orthodox rabbinical organisation that connects with the broader Israeli population, answers this prevalent question by saying that G-d was there all along.

Just like any other religion, Judaism believes there’s a connection between our behaviour and G-d’s reward and punishment, Stav told Limmud this past weekend. In fact, according to the Rambam, believing that terrible events like 7 October are coincidental is a “cruel” way of thinking. It’s never simply a matter of statistics, he said.

We also cannot discount the role that our own decisions play in what happens to us, in other words, we cannot blame G-d for our own stupidity, said Stav. We need to take responsibility. “If you make mistakes, you shouldn’t be asking, ‘Where was G-d?’, but rather, ‘Where were you?’ When we fight among ourselves, as was the case before 7 October, the external threat is functioning and we’re too focused on our internal fights to notice.”

Yet, who is, in fact, authorised to explain why G-d does what he does? Stav asked. No human being can know His reasoning – we may analyse it, but we’ll never understand His ways. This is a privilege afforded only to prophets.

“My argument is that G-d was actually working extra hours on 7 October,” Stav said, referring to multiple miracles that occurred on that day and those that followed. The very survival of the Jewish nation, when throughout history so many have sought to destroy us, is the biggest miracle of all, he argued.

Other miracles include the fact that our enemies’ original plan was to attack Israel simultaneously from the north and the south, but this didn’t transpire. “The more than 1 600 people that have lost their lives over the past 10 months is a terrible disaster,” said Stav. “But this would have been multiplied by at least 10 if Hezbollah had taken advantage of the fact that we weren’t prepared by attacking us at the same time.” It reportedly didn’t believe that Hamas would carry out the attacks, and therefore abandoned the plan.

Mere days before the war broke out, thousands of pilots and intelligence officers said that they wouldn’t fight a war under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Stav said. “Yet, since the war began, the percentage of soldiers drafting has reached 140%.” People from all over the world – even those that were against the government – paused their studies or jobs and understood that it was a time for unity, he said. In spite of the disputes that preceded 7 October, we have shown solidarity ever since.

Sharing a miracle that involved his own family, Stav told a story of one of the many war heroes willing to sacrifice his own life to save those of others. This hero was from Stav’s community in the city of Shoham.

“He was a captain in the elite Golani unit and was killed in one of the terror attacks. At one of my shiva visits, the boy’s father opened his phone and showed me a picture of a burned armoured vehicle. He said, ‘My son was nearby and six soldiers in the vehicle were under terrorist ambush. Their vehicle was on fire’.”

Although the young man was ordered to leave the area as it was too dangerous, he disobeyed as he couldn’t leave the soldiers to die. He threw water at the vehicle, quelled the flames, opened the door, and rescued the soldiers. He survived this ordeal but died a few days later. Yet the incident demonstrated his conviction and courage.

The father called Stav a day after the visit, to share an amazing miracle he’d just discovered. “He told me, ‘Your son-in-law was the commander of that burning vehicle. My son saved your son-in-law.’ I was shocked.” After a few days, Stav managed to contact his son-in-law who confirmed the story and said he had even taken a picture of the soldier who had saved him. “He told Stav, ‘Two days later, we crossed paths, and when I was told who he was, I hugged him. Two days after that, my unit had to risk our lives in order to save his body.’

“Thousands of people are ready to sacrifice their lives for us, for the state of Israel, and they are proud to do so,” Stav said. “The Torah teaches us that the heroic behaviour of human beings who are ready to sacrifice their lives for the values they believe in is part of the blessings G-d has gifted us. It’s a part of his presence.”