It was the summer of 2016. R’ Michael Zada was talking to members of his kibbutz. “Enough is enough,” he said, adamantly. “I can no longer live like this. My day is not a day, and my night is not a night. My kids can’t sleep, and so they’re cranky and unreasonable all the time. The bombs falling from Gaza are traumatizing them, and they can’t fall asleep peacefully. They go to bed — if and when — with their minds racing with fear, and even when they fall asleep, it’s only into a light slumber. And this reoccurs day after day! I can no longer manage.”
His friends knew exactly what he was referring to, as they were living through the same in their own houses.
Sympathizing with R’ Michael, one friend asked, “So what would you like? Are you turning to us merely for a sympathetic ear or are you requesting assistance? Though we can’t solve the problem completely, there are some things that we can do, i.e., we can set up professional help for your children. We can aid you in moving to a different location not in close proximity to Gaza. But is that what you’re looking for?”
“No. I’m reaching out to create an Iron Dome.”
“An Iron Dome?” they questioned, mesmerized. “Are you a rocket scientist who can invent one? And besides, the government has a dome lining the south coast. Merely making another one with the same qualities won’t quite solve the problem. Are you able to invent a better one? That would be quite impressive.”
“Yes. The Iron Dome that’s supported by the government is in no way a guaranteed protection. There are bombs that are not caught by the radar, and there are those that they’re unsuccessful to blow up. What I want to create is a better Iron Dome — one that will offer higher quality protection. And that is to form a community shiur. The zechus of Torah will safeguard us and our families and will provide us with serenity.”
Just hearing the idea found favor in their eyes. Who wouldn’t jump at such an opportunity during such pressing times? On the spot, Yuval, one of the kibbutz members, offered the shiur to take place in his home. Volunteering his house would serve twofold: one, to thank Hashem, and two, as a protection. The buildings on both sides of his were hit by rockets in the past, while his remained intact. Hosting the shiur would serve as a “thank you” to Hashem for saving him and his house, and hopefully as a shemirah from any further damage.
One of the seniors agreed to deliver the shiur, and already that night it took off. That would serve as the community’s Iron Dome. The relatively small group grew very quickly by leaps and bounds.
One night, as the shiur was taking place, the siren went off, and they all jumped up to relocate in the shelter. But as soon as they arrived, they realized that there was no way all the participants could fit in it, even if they squeezed. The miklat wasn’t built knowing that there would be such a sizable shiur taking place right next to it. At most, half the group would be able to get in, while the other half would have to stay behind.
But, being part of the Chosen Nation, no one agreed to go in. No one was willing to enter the shelter knowing that his friend was unprotected because of him. In turn, all the participants remained outside. So, the maggid shiur instructed that they might as well go back to their learning. “Let’s set off our Iron Dome. After all, that’s the reason why we’re here.” They went back upstairs, opened their Gemaras, and continued.
Meanwhile, they heard a big bang; no one could ignore it. The bomb had landed in their vicinity, and Baruch Hashem, none of the participants were affected by it. But when they passed the miklat after the shiur, they saw that the shelter had been affected by some fragments of the bomb. Some remains had broken through the miklat, and only because they had returned back upstairs to learn Torah were they spared untold damage. So, while the government’s Iron Dome had malfunctioned and hadn’t intercepted the missile, theirs had functioned; it protected them from harm. Torah meigin u’matzil, Torah protects in the most incredible way.
They had the best Iron Dome.
