Springtime Morning Interrupted
- Leon Mazin
- May 1
- 3 min read
Shavei Tzyon | Return to Zion Congregation
Haifa, Israel
Every Tuesday I drive my daughter to her cello lessons half an hour away. In our Haifa music school, “Keshet Tslilim,” we teach almost every instrument—except the cello. So, I take her there myself.
The music school sits on the outskirts of a small town, and I wait for my daughter on a covered balcony overlooking the forest. It is springtime. Rains have made Israel bloom lush and green. Behind me, music drifts from the classrooms, while before me are the forest and the birds. This hour is a rare chance for me to be alone with a cup of coffee! My eyes, ears and tastebuds harmonize beautifully.
Then suddenly thundering IDF fighter jets pierce the air and interrupt the harmony – reminding me yet again: we are still at war.
For some reason, in this war, the thought has taken root in my mind – how the Apostle Paul once said that he “desired to depart and be with the Lord.” Perhaps he wrote those words because he visited the “third heaven” and saw how wonderful it was. People who have had clinical death experiences say similar things. The Word of God speaks of Paradise – which attracts our souls to an unimaginably blessed future. But modern life, with its creature comforts and constant entertainment, has changed our perception, diluting our desire to be there with the Lord.
Here I am so weary of this war.
However, not fighting Iran was not an option. If Iran were to develop a nuclear bomb, life for Israel – and all neighboring nations – would become a nightmare. A radical Shiite Muslim approach to life and a “love for death” would be a horror for everyone, near and far. One would think that in the 21st century humanity would have outgrown the capacity to march to death en masse for the sake of insane religious ideas, but no. The rhetoric from Tehran is exactly that: “We don’t care about the cost.”
I was born in the USSR, where we heard such words constantly. Sacrificing countless soldiers for minimal illusory success is a true ideology of hell – the exaltation of death. “Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement… we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter...’” (Isaiah 28:15).
Some religious movements believe they have a “covenant with death” – thinking they are either bulletproof or that death is their desire. They anticipate the rewards, like the “72 virgins.” As a believer in the God of Israel, the values of the Torah, and the New Testament - I can say: that’s ridiculous. Yet we see this mindset nearly everywhere. Manipulators push people toward evil, from the outbursts of Greta Thunberg to wars where leaders don’t care how many die. We are at war with such a regime.
Are we afraid of rockets? Yes and no. Sometimes we hear the hum of drones as well, and once again seek shelter. All this will eventually end. Meanwhile for a brief season the Galilee is overflowing with springtime greenery and wildflowers just outside the window.
May the Lord help us.
Prayer Requests:
For the congregations and the psychological well-being of the people
For families carrying trauma and loss
For protection over IDF soldiers
For the youth and children, many of whom are studying through Zoom and longing for fellowship and normal life together
For peace, strength, and the ending of this war
