[Warning: This post is not for the faint of heart.] I’m not going to begin this post by saying that I’m praying for the return of the missing IDF soldier, Hadar Goldin. I’m not. (But read on.) Immediately when we heard of his abduction by Hamas terrorists, calls for prayer on Facebook were louder than the Muslim calls for prayer that come through the Palestinian mosques happily annoying their Jewish neighbors. This is also what happened when Gilad, Naftali and Eyal were abducted. Everyone prayed. Everyone doled out their Hebrew names so we could say Tehillim, Psalms, in their honor. Looking back, how useless were those prayers? Not only were the boys not returned, but they were already dead when people were praying for them! People were praying for corpses, and no one knew it at the time. Prayer is a natural reaction to the helplessness we feel when tragedy strikes. Prayer makes us feel we’re doing something. It connects us with the fate of the victim, which is noble and kind. Collective prayer causes unity, which could be valuable in creating change. But prayer is usually just as useless as the “hope” enshrined in Israel’s anthem. It’s passive. It’s mystical. It’s sentimental. If you want to make an effective prayer, then don’t make just say, “God, safeguard him and bring him back.” Hamas has cut off any communication lines with the God of Israel. At best, state an intention:
