Between the Labor Room and Bachelordom:

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It has been 12 days since war erupted in Israel. Sirens, shelters, schools closed, and a nation mobilized for reserve duty. One question hovers in the air: When will it end? When can we finally return to a normal routine without fearing the next siren?
The truth is, nobody knows (not even Trump, only the true "King of the World"). But perhaps the truly important question isn’t exactly when it will finish, but rather: What should be our approach/mindset until then?
Here are three points worth pondering in the protected room during the next siren:
1. Understanding Why It’s So Hard
You see, there are two types of hardships in life. PREGNANCY, for example, can be an incredibly difficult period. Nausea, exhaustion, backaches and irregular contractions. But one thing sustains the woman: the knowledge that, in the end, comes the birth. No baby stays in the womb forever, and BH today, it's successful.
Bachelordom, on the other hand, carries a unique challenge because of the uncertainty. It also holds loneliness, disappointment, and heartache, but above it all hangs a heavy shadow: there is no deadline for its end. It could take months, it might last years, and—God forbid—it might never end...
And wars? In this sense, regarding the time element they are more like bachelordom, but regarding the outcome, at least in Israel, it's more like pregnancy. True, we know they aren't forever—but no one can say exactly how long they will last.
If there is anything that helps in such a situation, it is shifting our gaze from the "End" to the "Middle." What does that mean? It means stopping the futile preoccupation with questions like "When will I finally stand under the Chuppah?" or "When will the war end?" and focusing instead on a different question: How am I living today? How can I make this day as strong, encouraging, and meaningful as possible?
2. Remembering That Great Things Take Time
We were taught back in kindergarten: "Patience, patience", and we know, Israelis are "patience-challenged." We like things fast and sharp—"lightning operations." The Six-Day War style. Long, gradual processes? We don't like them, but we have to get used to them! That's maturity.
History is full of long struggles, and the redemption of Israel appears "Kim’a Kim’a" (step by step, bit by bit, Yerushalmi Brachot 1, 1). Remember the Blitz of London in 1940/ת"ש- the Nazis bombed the capital every night for eight months! A million bombs were dropped, 43,000 civilians were killed, and over a million homes were destroyed. Thousands lived for months in subway stations just to find shelter.
And yet, the British held on. How? Because they knew they were facing the Nazi monster. They knew that if they wanted to stop it from taking over the world, they needed stamina and patience. They knew they had no other choice but to endure, which is what the civilians must do in order for the country to win!
3. Seeing the Big Picture
Let’s not forget—the struggle happening here is bigger than Israel’s security. We live in a "crazy" world where basic concepts of good and evil are blurred. Precisely within this confusion, the Jewish people have a unique role. The whole world is looking at us right now, learning how to distinguish between light and darkness and how to eradicate barbarism—all while we harness the world’s greatest superpower to fight by our side.
It is no coincidence that the war broke out on Shabbat Zachor, when we read about the struggle against the root of global evil—Amalek. The mission we began then, we are simply continuing today.
At the same time, it’s important not to lose perspective. We are not in an existential war like in 1948/תש"ח, nor are we in the traumatic moment of October 7th/שמחת תורה of 2 years ago. The State of Israel today is BH strong, stable, and steadfast. The ones struggling for existence are Hamas, Hizballah & the brutal Iranian regime, not us! BH we also have shelters (most in their own homes!) and don't have to live in the subways! BH we have the greatest Air Force in the world, aided and supplied by the 2nd greatest (America), nowhere else has absorbed such a volume of fire with so few casualties.
So, until it’s over—we will continue to live, to believe, and to build. Similarly, this SHABBAT HACHODESH, we commemorate both the START of the Jewish Nation (Chodesh=month, comes from the word CHADASH=new, as symbolized by Pesach in Eretz Yisrael's month of spring blooming= Chodesh haAviv) and today's present RESTART of Israel. We will remember that we are living in an historic era, fulfilling a dream of generations, and writing the next chapter of the Bible, or more accurately: fulfilling the chapters of national redemption and her wars. Thank G-d, we are told (and have already seen!) what the end will be, precisely likened to the end of a pregnancy: a birth (not bachelordom!). Yishayahu (66, 9) prophesizes precisely about the labor-pains of our period of the messianic era: "האשביר ולא אוליד יאמר ה', אם אני המוליד?! ", ""Will I bring to the birth-stool and not cause to give birth?" says the Lord. "Am I not He who causes to give birth?!". Shabbat Shalom! Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat) & Rav Yoni Lavie