Faith in the Future

 בס"ד

Thank God today was a peaceful day here in Beit Shemesh. I took a walk, talked to friends, and did some errands. I spend an increasing amount of time in contemplation, and this seems to be the most important thing that I do. 

I didn’t see any apparent hostile military action. Many, but not all, businesses are closed. The concern is that crowds may be a target for a terrorist attack. I was in the supermarket and the shelves were not nearly as full as they normally are, and there are longer lines at the checkout  because of increased shopping. I haven't seen any Arabs in the city since the start of the war. Normally there are many Arab workers. 

There has been a major military mobilization of about 300,000 soldiers. The politicians are saying that there will be major punitive action against Gaza. Already there has been extensive bombing. So far there have counted 800 Israeli fatalities, both military and civilian and the number is expected to increase as the situation clarifies. There are predictions for a long bloody war.

Most of the areas taken by the Palestinians have been recovered. The concern is that the conflict will expand into a larger conflict with the Arab / Moslem world. Presently at the maximum there have only been small indications.

From my standpoint there are extensive social problems in Israeli and Jewish society that show little sign of being remedied, consequently it seems like we are headed for a major shake up. My thinking is cloudy about this. In spite of having friends, I often feel alienated and persecuted, but the situation is not so bad that I’d risk my life or sacrifice a friend to change it. War involves suffering and if it's a long one, being over 70, it's uncertain how much I will be able to enjoy the benefits of better times. On the other hand people do live to be over 100 in good health, as a result there is room for optimistic fantasies. I may even enjoy seeing the destruction of the wicked. My faith in the goodness and wisdom of God remains strong, therefore while there is some gloom about the short term, I remain cheerful about the future.