He who chooses a military operation's name in the IDF, such as "Operation Cast Lead", I have no idea, but surely no one asks a rabbi. Be that as it may, the last operation's name, "Pillar of Cloud", should raise your antennae if you are among those attuned to events that disguise the unfolding Era of Redemption, appearing as if they were simply part of "Nature".Chassidus, generally speaking, recognizes two categories of miracle; One that breaks Nature's rules, such as the splitting of the Reed Sea, which is the least miraculous; And one, like that of Purim, that weaves through the fabric of Natural life, which perhaps with hindsight one might recognize as miraculous, which is of a higher sort. (Nature itself, Chassidus recognizes, is miraculous, in fact the greatest of miracles, for this involves continuous creation, continuous input of divine derivation to achieve something from nothing, but besides this highest level of miracle, there are those lesser two mentioned above.)
Operation "Pillar of Cloud" obviously recalls the events of the great Jewish exodus from Egypt, 3,325 years ago. That miraculous exodus will never go forgotten. As the opening event of the Jewish nation's history, it must forever be remembered even into the Era of Redemption.
After the Jews had already left Egypt, Pharoah regretted his decision to free the Jews. His hate for them compelled him to draft his army and give chase to capture his former slaves. On the 7th day he caught up with them at the sea shore. Pharoah now felt elated and confident, with 600 of his armed chariots and best soldiers right behind him.
Suddenly something strange happened. A thick cloud lowered itself right in the path of the fast-approaching army. Despite poor visibilty, Pharoah gave the order for a massive volley of arrows and missiles. Miraculously, however, that "Pillar of Cloud" blocked the projectiles.
Now thousands of years later we see the same miraculous phenomenon - in the "Natural" guise of Israel's "Iron Dome". Amazingly, in its inaugural performance, it scored better that an 80% hit-rate. The truth is, even before this contraption's use, we saw how years and years Hashem's protective hand saved Jews from bombs raining down upon them. Surely everybody has heard individual stories of miracles.
Do you recall the Persian Gulf war? No less that 39 Scud missiles landed in Israel and not one Jew died as a result of these bombs - each one the size of a bus. (See below what just ONE missile did that landed in Saudi Arabia!)
One such story happened to my mother-in-law (ע''ה) whose house was one block away from one of those Scud missiles that landed in Tel-Aviv. It smashed right into earth where beneath was a school's underground shelter. It just so happened the children on that day were taken to Eilat for a day's excursion. The missile, which never exploded, nevertheless shook the ground and all windows of her apartment shattered.
The next time Israel invades Gaza, for anyone with eyes in his head knows this has to happen, may Hashem guard every Jewish soul from harm and, if the Era of Redemption hasn't yet become blatantly manifest, may Israel wipe out its enemies entirely - this time by taking the offensive with a "Pillar of Fire" to lead them.
ברוך אתה ה' ... שעשה נסים ... בימים ההם בזמן הזה
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