Elections in Israel - Miracles in Our Days

Earlier this week, this week in which we'll be reading about the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, we witnessed a miracle take place in Israel. What miracle happened? How did you miss out on the news? You probably heard about it, you probably just didn't hear it reported right. The miracle was that Israel held elections. Now, on the one hand, it is a miracle that this did take place given the rather complicated, at least from an American perspective, the Israeli electoral process is, but that's not the only way. We are only too ready to forget but the simple fact that anything involving Jews happen in Israel is a miracle. Let alone that Jews should have a state that is free and democratic and in which Israelis from the most secular to the most religious (although more on that) can vote, that is truly a miracle. And for us, Jews in the Diaspora, there is another level of the miraculous in this election more specifically. The possibility that religious freedom and tolerance may be broadened and strengthened in the days ahead, and that all Jews in Israel may soon be required to do some sort of service to safeguard the miracle of Israel's existence, these are truly things for which we should be thankful and about which we should have hope. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Benson