The Vayimaen Army | Rabbi Yechiel Spero

In Chodesh Av 1929, Klal Yisroel suffered a devastating loss. The Chevron massacre took the lives of 69 men, women and children, who were butchered to death. This set in motion 100 years of attacks, where so many have lost their lives, so many Korbonos. And on October 7th, two years ago, on Simchas Torah day, Klal Yisroel was shaken to its very core, when over 1,200 lives were lost. Hamas. And then there were threats from Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and, of course, the head of the snake, Iran. And yet, over the last number of months, we have witnessed such an unbelievable feeling of love and protection from HaKadosh Baruch Hu. We've dismantled Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis are a non-factor, and yes, now even Iran. How? Perhaps the following story will shed more light. In 1948, R’ Yehoshua Leib Cheshin, along with other Chevre, would venture out to the Kosel, they wanted to daven. And they risked being attacked by the Arabs, who would pummel them and attack them with rocks. Often they would get terribly hurt. But one person was never attacked. R’ Yitzchok Dovid Gutfarb never had a rock thrown at him. And R’ Yehoshua Leib was curious as to why. And he asked one of the more approachable Arabs, who explained in Arabic, This one guards his eyes. This one we have no power over. A few weeks ago, R’ Dov Landau said, What are we doing? After the attacks on Iran, we hear the sirens and we go out to look? What are we looking at? Of course, it looks spectacular and it's alluring, but it's dangerous. Get back to where you belong. The shelter is a place where you're protected. We've been saying for the last few years, אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל הֶהָרִים, מֵאַיִן יָבֹא עֶזְרִי. I heard so beautifully, We lift our eyes to the mountains, מֵעַיִן, it will be from our eyes, sometimes the Alef and the Ayin can be switched, מֵעַיִן יָבֹא עֶזְרִי from our eyes and protecting them, that is where the help will come from. Ever since I was a little kid, we heard about the beast, Iran. We feared it. We dreaded it. What will happen when it happens? And yet, here we are. And suddenly, Iran has been taken down. How? It's because there is an army of Vayimaen followers, who are willing to take on the snake and cut its neck off. We don't fear the Yetzer Hara. We are willing to overcome and persevere and fight back. And that gives us the strength. Yes, Fordow looms large, but we're not afraid of you, Iran. We're not afraid of you, Yetzer Hara. We will be able to overcome and defend ourselves from whatever you throw our way. Now we're an army. We're an army of Vayimaen. And we will have the Siyata D’Shmaya to persevere, to overcome, and to be victorious.