Two Sides of the River
Many years ago, a timeless incident occurred. As the nation of Israel stood on the east bank of the Jordan river, two tribes approached Moshe Rabbeinu with a unique request. The tribes of Reuven and Gad had a lot of sheep, and the east bank was home to fertile grazing land. They asked to remain on the east bank rather than cross into the Promised Land with the rest of the nation.
Moshe's initial reaction was one of anger. He compared them to the spies who had demoralized the nation a generation earlier. But then Reuven and Gad made a counter-proposal: they would cross the Jordan with their brothers and fight at the front of the army. Only after the Land was conquered and settled would they return to their families on the east bank.
Moshe accepted this proposal with one condition: they must keep their word. "If you do this," he told them, "you will be clean before God and before Israel." The phrase "before God and before Israel" established a principle: our obligations are not only to God but to our fellow Jews. We must be accountable to both.
This story resonates deeply in our current moment. Since October 7th, the Jewish world has been divided—not by the Jordan River, but by oceans. Soldiers in Israel are fighting at the front. Jews in the Diaspora are fighting behind the front. Both fronts are real. Both are necessary.
The soldiers risk their lives daily to protect the Jewish homeland. The Diaspora fights antisemitism, supports Israel politically, raises funds, and provides moral support. Neither can succeed without the other.
But like the tribes of Reuven and Gad, those of us behind the front have a special obligation: to show up. Not just with money and words, but with presence. To visit Israel. To meet the soldiers. To comfort the bereaved families. To show that we are not just sending support from a distance—we are part of the same nation, fighting the same fight, on different sides of the river.
The Talmud teaches that those who support Torah scholars receive reward as if they themselves had studied. By extension, those who support soldiers—through prayer, through chesed, through visits—share in the merit of their sacrifice.
We are living through a defining moment in Jewish history. The question each of us must ask is: which side of the river am I on? And what am I doing to show that I am part of the same nation?