Everything's In a Name

Ramat Gan

By Justine Hemmestad

In Judaism, nothing is ever on the surface, but rather meaning is always in the intricacies. Take the name of Operation Rising Lion. This isn’t simply a name chosen for a military mission, but a prayer.

When the Nameless One shows people the damage done by an Iranian ballistic missile in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan approximately two weeks ago, he does so with the caveat that, “Ramat Gan is strong as a lioness,” just as the banners hung in the town proclaim.

Further, he explains that his in-laws lived in Ramat Gan for a period of time, as he did also, and he knows the heart of the city.

The meaning at the heart of Ramat Gan’s banners, as well as the name of Operation Rising Lion, resides in the verses of  Numbers 23.

Like a blueprint of a people, what transpires in Numbers 23 reaches into Israel’s resilience and fortitude, for though Balaam was sent to curse Israel, he instead found himself blessing the people.

In verse 8, Balaam says,  

How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?

Balaam further says in verse 9 how he sees the people Israel living apart, not considering themselves “one of the nations.”

This speaks volumes as to why Israel’s neighbors are consumed with hatred. Israel did not, and literally does not, assimilate to the dominance of the Middle East. Bully countries seek to destroy Israel because it doesn't assimilate. 

Not assimilating is Israel’s blessing. To have the courage to adhere to their very foundations, the hearts of the people Israel, whose spark of Jacob is deepened with each generation, rise when their neighbors try to destroy them.

Members of a body, or “the dust of Jacob” stretch from all directions, welcoming those without pride like they themselves don’t have pride. Pride essentially strives to make others just like them because it thinks it’s the best way to be. Israel doesn’t seek to impress its will on its neighbors, but it will reject them from endeavoring to impose their will on Israel.

Verse 24 says, 

The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till it devours its prey and drinks the blood of its victims.

In 1948, 1956, 1967, possibly 1967-1970, and 1973 Israel faced Egypt in much the same way as Iran now - and yet Egypt was quelled and a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed in 1979.

If we look to this history and determine Egypt’s fate, we may in fact understand Iran better.

The outcome of the Arab-Israeli war in 1948 was marked by an expansion of Israeli territory beyond the UN Partition Plan, and though Egypt invaded southern Israel, it was pushed back and defeated both militarily and politically.

The Suez Crisis in 1956 saw Israel, Britain, and France launch a coordinated attack when Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula, defeating Egyptian forces.

And though it was a major Israeli success over Egypt, Israel faced pressure from both the U.S. and USSR to withdraw.

In the Six-Day War of 1967, Egypt suffered a catastrophic defeat. Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula as well as the Gaza Strip. In the war, Egypt’s air force was destroyed on the ground, as was its army in a mere six days.

In the 1967-1970 War of Attrition, Israel maintained its positioning along the Suez Canal despite heavy fighting. Egypt’s casualties were significant and it failed to regain any lost territory.

I’ve actually met someone who was on a U.S. ship in the Mediterranean Sea in support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Egypt initially crossed the Suez Canal and broke through Israeli lines.

However, Israel’s counterattacks encircled the Egyptian Third Army on the west bank of the canal. Israel’s forces infiltrated deep inside Egypt. 

Eventually, these defeats led to Egypt’s peaceful overtures.

And like Egypt, it may be a while before Iran stops its aggression against Israel. In the meantime, covert actions, cyberattacks, and proxy wars will very likely be ongoing.

New war for a new world.