The stories are endless and are in all of our feeds of the heroism of the IDF. Many of them are literally little kids, 19 and 20 years old. But put them in a place of responsibility to defend their brothers and sisters in Israel and they become lions!

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The Jewish People were first called Hebrew - from the word Ivri which means to cross over. This came from Abraham's crossing over the river as he arrived in Israel.

The other name we've been called is Judah after Yehuda.

Check out this entry for Jew in Wikipedia; interesting to see which countries call us Hebrew (eg. Yevrey in Russian) and which ones call us Yehuda (eg. Jude in German).

The Arabic for Jew is "alyahudiu".

In this week's Parsha, Judah is called a lion.

"A cub [and] a grown lion is Judah. From the prey, my son, you withdrew. He crouched, rested like a lion, and like a lion, who will rouse him?"

The name Yehuda also means to acknowledge. One might say that when we acknowledge our identity as a Jew and our connection to Hashem and Torah we become a lion or we become empowered as a lion.

The IDF soldiers Neshama is exposed (watch the reels on Living L'Chaim) every time they go out to battle. With total self sacrifice they go out to defend the land and the Jewish People.

In a conversation with a Chabad IDF Commander (via whatsapp) who will be speaking for us via zoom later in January (stay tuned), himself only 21 years old, he spoke of our different Shlichus in this world.

Shlichus means mission. He a Shliach on the front lines, and with sincerity recognized my role as a Shliach in Atlanta and the Shlichus (mission) of every Jew to win this war together.

Indeed, we are humbled by the amazing self sacrifice of the IDF, but we are called to make our own sacrifice. That sacrifice is to let your "alyahudiu", let you lion out, let your Neshama out. Be strong in your identity. Pick up your weapons of Torah and Mitzvot, pick up your weapon of strong Jewish Identity and go forth to win the war.

Be a Jewish Lion and let your lion out.

Good Shabbos!