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Everyone wants to contribute something significant to the world; to play a meaningful part in the cosmic symphony we call life. This desire is an inherent part of being human. We yearn to expand beyond our limited sphere of existence and become a part of something meaningful, something infinitely greater than ourselves.

Last Thursday night, on Lag BaOmer, we in Eretz Yisrael experienced yet another miracle: A missile fired by the Houthis was intercepted without causing harm. Remarkably, this happened on a night when more people than usual were out celebrating at bonfires across the country. And now, once again, the army is being sent into Gaza while the world rises in defense of the so-called “poor Palestinians.” What’s going on?

In our previous article, we began exploring the depth of Sefiras HaOmer. Based on the Maharal and Ramban, we explained that we are not counting down to Matan Torah, but rather we are building up towards it, ascending one day at a time. We do not wait for Shavuos to arrive; we actively bring it ourselves through the time and effort we invest as we count the Omer.

Here in Eretz Yisrael, we are seeing many events unfold without fully understanding what we’re seeing—political messes (well, that’s not new), massive call-ups of reserves, and President Trump sending mixed messages about the war. Baruch Hashem, a hostage, Idan Alexander, was released by Hamas this week. We hope the rest will be released soon! And it happened… because President Trump waved his hand? What about the others? There is a lack of clarity in the situation; the picture is definitely unclear.

Imagine a teenager lying on a grassy field, gazing into the night sky. As he stares up at the stars, he thinks to himself, “Look at how enormous the universe is. The sky just expands endlessly... It must go on forever.” After sitting with that thought for a few moments, he becomes uncomfortable. “How can anything go on forever? Everything must stop eventually.”

Last week, Israel celebrated the 77^th anniversary of its independence. Despite the many challenges we face, there is still cause to celebrate the miracles. However, our achievements came at a price. On the day before Yom HaAtzmaut – Independence Day – we observe Yom HaZikaron – Memorial Day. In Israel, it is a solemn occasion, where we remember those who have fallen to make the return of the Jewish people to the land G-d promised us possible. It is impossible to fully grasp the magnitude of our loss, but it helps to reflect on the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the people, the Torah, and the Land of Israel.