Behold!

Behold! Those familiar with Biblical narration are accustomed to this word – הנה – which is found, not infrequently, in the Torah’s recounting of events. In fact, in the first aliyah of this week’s parsha alone, we find three separate moments when the word הנה is used to reflect something unexpected. In each of these instances, something surprising occurs, prompting the observer to declare “הנה” – “behold!”

For the past month, the Jewish nation has been united in prayer on behalf of the many of Acheinu Bnei Yisrael who are in need of our prayers. The plight of the countless soldiers, captives, victims, displaced, and so many more have ignited a storm of prayer, which has been felt reverberating everywhere across the world.

Of the many chapters of Tehillim, Perek 121 has undoubtedly been recited hundreds of thousands of times over the past month alone. In this perek, we beseech Hashem to guard and protect His people, at all times and in all circumstances. In the midst of this powerful perek, we declare הנה לא ינום ולא יישן שומר ישראל – “behold, the Guardian of Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers.” At first glance, the word הנה in this context seems out of place. After all, is there any surprise that Hashem is the שומר ישראל? Of course He is! We know that. We always knew that. Why then הנה? Why declare “behold!”?

Perhaps the answer lies in the profundity of affirmation during times of uncertainty. Yes, intellectually we are aware that Hashem protects and guards His people. But in moments of distress, our emotional state of being can, at times, shadow this knowledge. It’s one thing to hold an understanding in the mind, but another to truly feel it in the heart.

So, as the sun sets here in Yerushalyim, and I take a moment to reflect on the past four days of my visit to Israel, if you would ask me – how do I feel? After traveling from north to south, visiting with victims and mourners, soldiers and their families, evacuees and exhausted volunteers, how do I feel? I would answer, I feel exactly as THEY feel – protected! There is a palpable sense that the שומר ישראל is protecting and guiding His people. Perhaps many knew it before, but now they feel it. הנה! Behold! The Guardian of Israel protects His people. In our joint prayers, when we articulate הנה לא ינום ולא יישן שומר ישראל, we are not just reminding ourselves of a fact; we are awakening ourselves to a deeper feeling of trust and security under Hashem’s guardianship.

May we all continue to internalize this sense of protection, and may the שומר ישראל continue to watch over all of עם ישראל, bringing peace and redemption to His people.