The Inner Power of Every Woman - Rabbi Zamir Cohen in English (AI)

Good evening and blessings. In the world there are people who hold key positions, possess great power and can influence like rulers, government officials and company managers. They have power in their hands. On the other hand, there are people who don't have much power or influence. King Solomon teaches us that the woman has powers and the ability to influence far beyond the man. This is something we also see in Judaism in general. The guidance that Solomon gives here is for the man to know what kind of woman to choose as a partner in life. Understanding that she has great power, influence, and strength over him, the children, and the entire environment. It's also guidance for the woman herself. A woman who truly wants to reach spiritual completeness, have a good marriage, influence the family, and impact the education of children and the environment must know how to behave correctly. King Solomon says in Proverbs 12:4, "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband." We will first look at the meaning of the words and then understand the deeper message. What does a woman of valor mean? At the end of the book of Proverbs, there is the famous verse, a woman of valor, who can find. And here in the book of Proverbs by King Solomon, we see the concept of valor or strength. There's another verse, the righteous will go from strength to strength. What does this strength mean? When a person acts with power, speed and succeeds, they are called a man of valor. If it happens occasionally, they are called he made valor. But a man of valor means that this is consistent. He is constantly active with great strength and consistently successful. A woman of valor has the same meaning, quick, active, and successful. She is balanced and is called a woman of valor. King Solomon teaches that her merit is not only for herself but she is also the crown of her husband. Just like a crown placed on the head of a king, she elevates him. The crown is external, not part of the body. But when the crown is placed on the head, it signifies royalty. She elevates him to the level of royalty. He feels important, respected and that life is good. Also in the eyes of the community, he becomes a respected person thanks to his wife. As in the verse from a woman of valor, it says, "Her husband trusts in her and he will lack no gain. She is a woman of valor not only when things are good, but even when sitting among the elders and respected people of the land, he is considered respected because of her." What's the connection? If he has a good wife who behaves well in her private life, how does it relate to the husband's personality? The answer is that the woman has a tremendous influence on the behavior of her husband, how he conducts himself, and what kind of person he becomes. At first, it might seem unrelated. He has his own private life, but the sages teach us that the woman is like the engine that drives everything. The sages say, "The wise woman of whom it is written, the wise woman builds her house is the wife of Onben Pellet, and the foolish one is the wife of Korak." The famous story from the desert period, appears in the Torah. Korak, the son of the son of Kohhat, the son of Levi, gathered a rebellion against Moses. Everyone had witnessed the revelation at Mount Si when God showed his trust in Moses. But Korak organized a rebellion. They were relatives, cousins. Korak was upset that Moses appointed his brother Aaron as the high priest. Moses, who was like the king, the ruler of Israel, led the people out of Egypt. But when it came time to appoint the high priest for the tabernacle, Korak was not happy. He led a rebellion. No matter how much Moses tried to explain that it was God's decision to appoint Aaron, Korak continued his rebellion. Why did Aaron from the tribe of Levi become the high priest? Why not any of the other Levites? The Torah says that Moses didn't want to be the leader at first because he didn't want to overshadow his older brother, Aaron. Moses was reluctant to take the position of leadership and instead asked God to send Aaron. God told him, "Go meet him, and you will see him coming to meet you with joy in his heart." There's a lesson in this. It's easy to say we're happy for someone else. But in our hearts, we might be jealous or feel disappointed. But God assured Moses that Aaron would truly rejoice in Moses' success, and he wouldn't feel any bitterness. Because of this genuine joy, Aaron merited to become the high priest. His ability to rejoice with his brother Moses without jealousy earned him the priesthood. By the way, the more we sincerely support and cheer for others, the more we gain. One doesn't lose by rejoicing in the success of others. Then God will give him from other places. Anyway, Moses says to Korak, "Why are you angry at me? I am doing what God says." So Korak said, "Take your brother. That's what I did. It's all about favoritism and family connections. And he sparked a rebellion. One of the leaders of the rebellion, as it says, Korak, the son of Isar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan, and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and on Ben Pellet, the son of Reuben, was from the tribe of Reuben. He was one of the leaders of the rebellion. What happened in the end? The earth opened up and swallowed them creating a pit. Korak and his followers were swallowed by the earth. On Ben Pelle was saved. What saved him? His wife saved him. And about her, King Solomon said, "The wisdom of women builds their house." When on return from the meeting of the rebellion's leaders, he was angry and speaking to himself, "We'll show them. We won't give up. We'll act. We'll do something. His wife heard him and asked, "What are you going to do?" He told her, "Did you see?" Moses put all the people there in that meeting against Moses. And he appointed his brother as the high priest. There's justice in the world. We won't give up. The wife of who didn't want him to go knew if she told him, "I won't allow you to go." He would respond, "You don't run my life. I'm going." She didn't oppose him directly. Instead, she asked, "Tell me, my dear husband, if Aaron becomes the high priest as Moses once, what will your role be?" "Where will you be in the picture?" he answered. "But I'm used to being who I am. But if Korak becomes the high priest, what does that change?" she asked. "Nothing. I'm who I am. So if you don't gain anything from this, are you sure you want to get involved? What's the point? She spoke to him in such a way that he started to understand, though it was difficult for him to step back due to his male ego. He finally said, "Yes, but I've already promised them. There's a big demonstration soon. I'm supposed to give the main speech against Moses. All the leaders of the rebellion will come to take me. We've set the time. It's awkward. If I don't go, they'll say I'm backing down. She said to him, "That's the problem. You're worried about what they'll say. Leave it to me. I'll handle it so you come out of this without any trouble." She managed to persuade him so that he agreed, but it was uncomfortable for him. She told him, "All right, now come and have lunch." She served him several glasses of fine wine, and after he drank, his head started to spin. So he went to sleep. As soon as he fell asleep, she sat at the entrance of the tent. They were in the desert sitting in tents. She sat at the entrance, removed her head covering, and began to comb her hair. In those days, everyone wore head coverings. The distinguished men who had invited on Ben Pelle to be the main speaker at the demonstration came to take him. He was an important man and they wanted to bring him to the protest. When they arrived at the entrance of his tent, they recoiled. A woman was sitting there without a head covering combing her hair. It was like today when a woman is bathing. Who would enter in such a situation? Back then, everyone was very particular about modesty. They said, "Well, how long does it take to comb hair? 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes? Let's do a loop and come back." They made a round and came back. She was walking from right to left, then back again, forward, forgetting to finish combing her hair each time they passed. The public was waiting there. Eventually they said, "All right, we'll give up on on Benben Pelle and find someone else." When everyone was swallowed by the earth, on Ben Pelle and his family were saved. Who saved them? The wife. She directed him in the right direction. He was headed in one direction, but she steered him in the right one. On the other hand, who was the folly that destroyed the family? Kora's wife. She was the one who pushed him into rebellion against Moses. The sages say that his wife persuaded him. She said to him, "What is this? Why is he appointing his brother? You're a cousin and more important." She gave him a long speech about why he was more important than Aaron and why he should be the leader. When she persuaded him, he went out to fight against Moses. That's why the sages say that a woman has incredible power and can influence her husband's opinions, the education of their children, and the direction their lives take. Does it depend on the husband? Yes. But the woman has a lot of power in the area of peace at home. Sometimes a man feels humiliated due to the criticism from his wife. She criticizes him and points things out. When asked why all the criticism, there's a beautiful answer today. Constructive criticism. It's important to know how to give constructive criticism. But compliments are even more important. Compliments build more than criticism. This applies to both child rearing and when you need to point something out. There are rules for how to point things out, how to talk. Start with praise. Generally, when someone is criticized, they feel they are being viewed negatively. This is true for both women and men. But men find it harder to accept criticism than women. Women by nature are more flexible. The sages say that a woman is given extra understanding. Why does a girl at the age of 12 and a half already have to observe commandments? If she makes a vow, her vow is binding. A boy only at the age of 13 is obligated. A 12-year-old boy's vow does not hold because he doesn't fully understand what he's doing. The sages say that this is because a woman's understanding matures faster both in logic and wisdom because she matures quicker. God says, "I trust you at the age of 12 and a half while for a boy he says only at the age of 13." So on the one hand extra understanding is given to a woman to the point that the sages say when a person has doubts or questions they consult their wife. The Gamarra says that Rabbi Eleza was told that the position of president of Israel had become vacant and they wanted him to be the president. He said to them I will go and ask the king and my wife. Today if you told a member of Knesset we want you to be president. He would say, "I'm going to consult with my wife." He went to ask his wife. "Why?" "Because she has extra understanding. She notices details that I might miss." He asks her, "What do you think?" They offered me this position. And she says, "There are two points you should check before accepting." He checks and sees everything is in order. So, he accepts the role. But she sees things that I don't notice. Extra understanding. On the other hand, the sages say that women's minds are lighter. This means that their conclusions are flexible. In today's Hebrew, there is wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Wisdom is information. You have a lot of knowledge. You become a wise person. But that doesn't mean you're discerning. A wise person has learned a lot, has experience, and has gathered details. Discerning is something else. You can use the information you have in your mind, observe things, and build a new idea. Just like building physically is construction. Understanding is mental construction. The Hebrew letter Yud symbolizes spiritual progress, and it represents mental understanding. A woman has more understanding than a man. She notices details that he might overlook. A man might be excited about a business deal that seems very successful and he tells his wife. She brings up points he hadn't thought of and suddenly he sees the whole thing collapse. He hadn't noticed those details. The sages also say that a woman is good at recognizing guests. When a guest arrives at the house, the man might be very impressed with him, but the woman with her keen eye can notice nuances. Therefore, someone who wants to start a business with a partner, a person, a partnership. It is not recommended from the beginning. Business is better without a partnership. Handle it alone. Usually, partnerships end in disagreements, divisions, fights, and anger. If there's no choice but to form a partnership, even then you should write everything down in the contract up front. Then even though you trust your friend, you should still write everything down. Make a contract, every detail as if you're about to have a dispute. Don't feel uncomfortable saying this because I want to avoid disagreements. I'm writing everything down. If you decide to enter into a partnership, tell your partner before we sign the deal, come over to my house for lunch. Before he arrives, tell your wife, "Today, the person I want to partner with is coming. When he arrives and sits down, turn on the X-ray. You have an X-ray vision in your mind. Check him out and tell me what you think about him. Is he honest, loyal? If yes, go ahead and do business with him. If not, don't. The woman has extra understanding even in relationships. A man wants to get married and a woman wants to get married. They bring him in to meet the parents. This means asking the mother, "Please host and give me feedback later about your impression of the person." They have extra understanding. They have perception. A woman is good at recognizing guests. Koratra's wife caused him great disputes. Why? Because she had flawed character traits. Her ego and pride ruined his life. A woman who knows how to uplift her husband, but with compliments in private, not to stir conflict with others, who knows how to praise him, and even when she needs to correct him, knows how to do it in a way that maintains his dignity. The sages say that out of 10 aspects of speech that came into the world, nine were taken by women. Today, studies show that the speech center in the brain is more developed in women. What a man can say in one sentence, she can turn into 10 sentences without a single unnecessary word. You are amazed by this talent. And why did she receive this talent? Because when raising children, you need to speak a lot in order to build the child. You need to know how to soften your words. A man speaks briefly. For example, the father might say, "Do this, do that." But the mother knows how to soften it, to preface her words, to end with words of encouragement, to give him motivation to change, to inspire him to do what needs to be done. So women were given the talent of speech. A woman should remember that the speech talent she was given should not only be used for children but also toward her husband. If I want to highlight something to him, I shouldn't speak right away. But I should start with kind words, begin with praise, tell him how much I appreciate him, how important he is to me. If there's only a small thing that bothers me, I shouldn't say, "You're wrong. You're bothering me." As if it's my personal struggle. It would help me a lot if you could go along with me on this. A man loves to support his wife. But if she tells him, "You're wrong." He feels hurt 1,000 times more than a woman would feel humiliated. No one likes to be humiliated or belittled. But with men there is this male ego and the hurt can be devastating. It can push him away from his wife or he might go to war to prove that he is important in the home or he may shut down completely. A woman can extinguish her husband entirely with too much criticism, too many remarks. He might feel that he is living his own life and doesn't want any connection with her. He does what is necessary at home just to avoid divorce. But if she becomes miserable and he becomes miserable, it becomes very difficult to get marriage counseling. Women when there are problems at home have no problem going for counseling. But it is very difficult to convince a man to go to counseling because he feels that if they tell him to go, it means that he is not successful, that he's a failure, and he's not willing to admit that. Therefore, the rule is always that when a woman wants to suggest marriage counseling to her husband, she should not say, "You have a problem. Let's go for counseling." There is no way he will agree in such a situation. She should say, "You are perfect. I have a problem. Let's go together so they can guide me on how to behave." Now, he might say, "Okay, I agree to come." Although that's not guaranteed, but there is a chance. If a man feels that his wife is criticizing him to fix him, he will rebel. If you are coming to fix me, what does that mean? Am I a broken tool? Who needs to fix a broken tool? I'm not broken. I'm not damaged. That's how he feels. Therefore, one must know how to wisely direct things, how to lead. And the woman, as we said, is like the neck that directs the head. The head may look one way, but the neck determines where it goes. And the head will see a different picture. A person standing by one window may see trash, while standing by another window, they may see a beautiful view. It depends on where they are looking. Looking from here, they see trash. But looking from there, they see a beautiful view. The woman has the power to guide and redirect. This is so powerful that the sages say that if a person pays attention, they will discover that all the Jewish holidays, all the festivals we have in the Torah, and even rabbitical decrees such as Hanuka and Purim are all thanks to women. Let's start with Hanukah and Purim. Hanuka, everyone knows the Mcabes defeated the Greeks and drove them out. How did it all begin? The story reveals evidence from those days. Matiyahu, son of Yannan, the high priest, was pained because the Jewish people were abandoning Torah and mitzvot due to the decrees of the Greeks. They decreed that Jews should not study Torah, not circumcise their children, and not keep Shabbat, and anyone who did so would be killed. Gradually, people began to stray. And without Torah, the Jewish people were falling apart. What keeps the Jewish people intact is only the study of Torah. What distinguishes a Jew from a non-Jew? Violence, Torah, and commandments. This is what makes us unique. This is what preserves the generations of the Jewish people. Antiocus decreed that this would not happen. Everyone felt a sense of weakness. What could you do? You could fight against war elephants and an army of trained soldiers, an enormous army. Greece had conquered all the nations one by one. Who could fight against the Greek Empire? It would be suicide from the start. But Yehudit, the sister of Judah Makabe and the other brothers, was the one who awakened them. She said, "How can you be indifferent? Look at what is happening to the people of Israel." And she didn't just speak. She took action. When the Greeks saw her, she said, "Take me to the commander." She risked her life. She served them food, including cheese, pretending she was defecting to their camp, and she was the daughter of the high priest, a message to the Greek commander that he should take the daughter of the high priest for himself. She risked her life, gave him wine, and when everyone dispersed, and only the two of them remained, he fell asleep. She beheaded him and brought his head to the camp of Israel. They placed it on the wall. The Greeks woke up in the morning, saw the Jews coming at them, approached the commander's tent, and saw him without a head. This marked the beginning of salvation for the people of Israel. This woman Yehudit is why many people eat dairy foods on Hanukah in memory of she fed the enemy. Purim who was responsible. Queen Esther risked her life by entering before King Aaseras. She went through the whole process with him. And in the end, Hmon, who was the king's most trusted official, was given the king's signate ring and sent to hang. She said, "I will go before the king." And told Mordeai to gather all the Jews in Shushan to fast for three days, day and night. I and my maid servants will also fast. She said, "Then I will approach the king, but first add merit for me." She was the one who stirred the Jewish people to repentance. She was the one who risked her life. And to this day, we celebrate Purim because of her. Passover, Sukkot, and Shavat, the three holidays that commemorate the Exodus from Egypt. The Jewish people left Egypt thanks to the righteous women of that generation. As the sages say, they did not say this to flatter women. If they said it, it means it is true. It is written that in the future, the redemption will come because of women. The entire fertility of the Jewish people in Egypt when the men were despondent happened thanks to the women. When Moses built the tabernacle, it is written that women brought the mirrors they used for personal grooming to give them to Moses to make the bronze labor. The mirrors of those days were not like today's glass mirrors with silver plating. They were polished copper, metal, and bronze. When they brought them to Moses, he rejected them, saying that they were vanity, external beauty, and he didn't want to take them for the tabernacle. But God told him, "Take them and make the labor out of them, for peace and reconciliation between a man and his wife. These mirrors are precious to me." In Egypt, when the Jewish men were enslaved, they were discouraged, and they had no desire to be with their wives. They only cared about their work. The women would sit under the apple tree as it says in Song of Songs, and they would take their mirrors, show them to their husbands who were broken and despondent, and say, "Look at me. Who is more beautiful?" This revived them, and thus children were born, and the continuity of the Jewish people was preserved. God told Moses, "Why do you reject these mirrors? The entire future of the Jewish people is because of them. Take them and make the labor. This is the power God gave to women. King Solomon says, "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband. A woman of valor knows how to manage properly. She is diligent, quick, loyal, wise, and active. She's like a crown to her husband. She lifts him to a level of kingship. But a disgraceful woman, one who should be ashamed of her actions and her behavior, who is not acting correctly, ruins him to the bone. Just as a bone starts to decay from within until the entire body collapses. Solomon illustrates how a woman on the one hand can elevate her husband, can build up her children, who will be properly educated with the example of a wise mother, who knows how to act without insults or degradation. There are women who struggle in life and vent all their frustrations on their children. And these children grow up without self-confidence and joy in life. Even when they marry, their behavior toward their wives is poor because of what they saw at home. But a wise woman knows how to manage her children, how to compliment them even when there's criticism without humiliation and degradation and without generalizations like, "Oh, you're always like this. You are always unsuccessful. You are always breaking things you never learn." Why say this to the child? A child is not always like that. He has many virtues. A wise woman knows how to praise the child for the qualities he has and guide him in areas where he might be wrong. She knows how to direct him, telling him, "Act like this. Don't act like that. This is right. This is wrong." Encouraging him, complimenting him, lifting him up, and building him for life. So far, this is the simple explanation of the verse. A woman of valor is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottness in his bones. And with this, King Solomon intended to teach through a parable. Let's see what the parable means. The parable is true. We've spoken many times about the idea in the book of Proverbs. Rashi writes that you can learn from the parable and the parable itself teaches you guidance for life. But the true lesson is always on a spiritual level. For example, in a more physical context, the parable conveys a spiritual message. So what does King Solomon want to teach with this parable? He is telling men what kind of woman they should look for? Seek a woman of valor. A woman who is energetic, quick, loyal, and has good traits is worthy of being called a woman of valor. Let's read the words of Rabeno Yona on this verse. Rabeno Yona lived about 700 years ago. And in his commentary on the book of Mishna, he writes on this verse that Solomon wants to warn men. In other words, Solomon wants to warn men to be careful and cautious when choosing a wife. Don't be tempted by external appearances such as a rich woman or a beautiful woman with an impressive exterior. This external allure might attract you but she might be a disgraceful woman. You will only suffer from her behavior. So why enter such a relationship? Look for a woman of valor and your life will be better. This is also guidance for women. Every woman who wants to succeed in life should say to herself, I want to be a woman of valor, a woman with all the right virtues, who knows how to speak, how to approach, to be like the wife of Ben Pelle, so that people will say about me, wise women build their homes. Don't be like the foolish woman whose hands destroy her house, causing conflict for her husband. A woman has power over her husband. She can persuade him to fight with neighbors or to argue with his boss at work. But a wise woman knows how to manage money, to save when necessary, and to spend wisely. People earn money, and there are those with a good income, but they still rent because they don't know how to save. They buy everything they see. A wise woman knows how to prepare delicious, nutritious, and inexpensive meals. saving for the future so they can buy a home and accumulate the capital necessary to later add a mortgage instead of paying rent. Rent is like taking money from your pocket and throwing it on the street to the landlord. Make sure you have equity. Even if you grew up in a family where the financial situation wasn't great, save, work hard, and invest in equity. At the base, you need to pay the bank. Instead of paying rent, pay the mortgage. So, it's like you're taking money from your pocket and putting it into the other pocket. Then there is the interest of the bank and the bank's profits or at least a person is advancing in life and has his own house. A lot depends on the woman. If the woman is wasteful, doesn't know how to manage money and can't save, then you can't advance in life. Mymones in his guidance to men on how to behave with their wives writes that a man should honor his wife more than his own body and love her as his own body. He continues by saying that if he has money he should increase his kindness toward her according to his wealth. This means that the correct approach from the man is not to create a suffocating atmosphere by questioning her purchases. Why she bought this? why she wants that or if she's overspending. Sometimes buying is also her therapy. It heals her soul. It makes her feel good. But she should also be self-aware, know when to pull back and when to save in order to secure a future. According to Meimmonades, the man should give her the freedom to act but also maintain balance knowing that a woman can handle this if the husband's attitude is proper. Now, what is the parable? What did King Solomon want to teach us? The Maharal says that a woman of valor is a parable for the Torah. A person who is blessed with the Torah, goes to Torah classes, learns, and becomes wiser. It's like something external, like a woman of valor. But when it becomes part of you, it crowns you, like a crown on your head. When a person learns Torah, the wisdom the Torah grants him brings him to a state where wherever he goes, he walks as if wearing a crown. His friends who once spoke to him about soccer now see that he is full of content. They seek advice from him because he always shares a teaching from Pir Avot teaching them to be a hero who conquers his desires. He might give them advice on how to manage arguments with his wife, saying, "Be strong. Don't let the trivial things affect you." This learning elevates him. When a person complains or feels envious, he can share the wisdom he learned in Torah. He imparts this wisdom to others. Even his friends who might have once viewed him as average now begin to appreciate him. Many times young men share that when they were part of certain social circles, they used to talk about meaningless things. But now that they are learning Torah, they feel those conversations are shallow. They start discussing wise matters and it feels like returning to life, like a fish returning to water. They realize that the conversations they had before were of low value. Now they've leveled up. And this in essence is the crown of her husband, the woman of valor, which refers to the Torah. The Torah is the crown of her husband, as King Solomon described in his metaphor. In contrast, someone who follows their own whims, doesn't want guidance, doesn't want the Torah to tell him what is permitted and what is forbidden, how to behave properly and how not to, and just wants to do whatever comes to his mind. His situation will ultimately be like rottness in his bones, like something that starts to decay and spread. Sometimes you see a little bit of rot at the edge, but if you leave it, the decay spreads until the whole apple is rotten. So too, a person whose character traits are corrupted, even if at the beginning he has many good qualities over time, throughout his life, he will discover how much he loses. He becomes angry, doesn't work on his character, and slowly discovers that at first he had conflicts with his parents, then with his friends, later with his wife, and eventually with his children. Everything in his life falls apart like decay spreading and harming him more and more. Therefore, Solomon advises a person to be wise from the start and to make Torah study a priority. Today, there are many ways for a person to become wise in Torah, which didn't exist in previous generations. Imagine someone who, when the Benshai, a great rabbi, was alive in Baghdad, Iraq, wanted to hear a lecture from him. In the past to hear from him, you would have had to buy a ticket for a ship, then take a train or a cart with horses or camels, travel to Baghdad, wait at the synagogue until he arrived to give the lecture. But in our generation, a person who wants not only to hear but also to see Rabbi Oadia Ysef can do so using technology that wasn't available in previous generations. We don't realize how fortunate we are with the tools we have. A person can through travel easily access any Torah class they want with any Torah scholar. But one should be careful. There are those who post videos of themselves online, but they don't represent Torah. They may appear outwardly like rabbis, but their teachings contradict the Torah itself. Therefore, when in doubt, always ask a rabbi you trust. Ask if you should listen to a particular speaker or not. If you have doubts, ask a rabbi who is knowledgeable and trusted. Is this person accepted by the great Torah leaders or are they just someone making videos and spreading them without any responsibility? This week I was in Miami where one of the community rabbis there shared with me that there is someone in the area who films himself, looks impressive and quotes texts and verses from the sages. To some this might seem like Torah, but within that he suddenly introduces nonsense and incorrect teachings, including in areas like marriage advice. He asked if it was right for him to warn people about this person. I told him not to name names, but to speak about the fact that some people do not represent the Torah and that the community should use their critical thinking. If what someone is saying really aligns with the Torah's teachings, and if a person hasn't studied enough Torah, they should ask a rabbi they trust for clarification. When you see a person whose teachings are supported by the great Torah leaders, you feel that everything they say is solidly based on Torah itself. Today it is possible to learn Torah while traveling, at work, or in any other way. We can always study Torah, improving in matters of conduct, character traits, laws, and ethics in all areas of life. I end with a blessing that this lesson be dedicated to the success of the people of Israel and the protection of the IDF soldiers wherever they may