The personal belongings of festival-goers are seen at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Oct. 12, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Three thousand years ago, 300 resourceful Israelite soldiers under the leadership of Gideon defeated 100,000 Midianites. Celebrated for bravery, strategy, and integrity, the legendary victory is also a story of large-scale violence that raises questions about proportionality, accountability and the limits of even divinely guided action.

Rigid ideology can cloud judgment, and miraculous triumphs can breed overconfidence or misread moral authority. Courage alone is not enough; wisdom, restraint, and discernment are essential. Military and political leaders alike must weigh consequences carefully, balancing the survival of their people with the legitimacy of their actions.

Israel’s now nearly two-year war with Hamas is a stark reminder of these lessons.

Civilians huddle under a relentless rain of rockets, including cluster munitions aimed at Jewish communities. Homes, schools, and hospitals tremble under constant threat. Recent attacks, like the murder of six Israelis at a Jerusalem bus stop, underscore that every citizen lives in danger while national leaders confront impossible choices. These are not abstract calculations — they are matters of life and death, of protecting communities while upholding the ethical framework that gives Israel’s actions moral and legal weight.

Fighting terror while preserving legitimacy demands deliberate, disciplined action: measured responses, protection of civilians, and principled leadership. Every strike, blockade, or intervention carries consequences that ripple beyond the battlefield. Just as Israel’s political and military leaders must navigate these realities, leaders in the Diaspora must resist judgments that oversimplify the complexity on the ground.

Policy and public rhetoric must balance urgency with restraint, ensuring that responses remain ethical even in a volatile reality. Understanding this complexity is not weakness — it is the foundation of enduring strength.

History offers repeated warnings of what happens when moral clarity fades or collective punishment replaces justice. Pogroms, massacres, and decades of conflict show that indiscriminate retaliation only fuels cycles of violence and suffering. When Israel defends itself, civilians in Gaza may be harmed; yet failing to defend Israel allows terror to traumatize communities. Facing this dilemma, leaders must act decisively while resisting the impulse to scapegoat. Precision and discipline are essential to maintain legitimacy both internationally and within Israel’s own conscience.

The October 7, 2023, attack against Israel brought this tension into sharp focus. Occurring on 22 Tishrei 5784 — Simchat Torah — it killed and injured scores of civilians, leaving deep scars.

A day of exuberant celebration, Simchat Torah marks the completion and renewal of the Torah reading cycle with singing, dancing, and communal joy. A yahrzeit, by contrast, is a solemn day of remembrance, reflection, and mourning.

Judaism reconciles these realities by allowing public celebration to continue while families privately honor the victims, for example by lighting a yahrzeit candle. Rabbis emphasize that this overlap embodies resilience and ensures continuity of tradition, so that grief erases neither faith nor joy.

Even amid the chaos of war, these lessons resonate. Just as Gideon’s small army triumphed through courage, strategy, and divine guidance, national leaders today must act with vigilance and ethical judgement. Strength does not come from reckless action, but from measured responses that weigh consequences, avoid collective blame, and uphold justice.

The October 7 attack, which coincided with Simchat Torah, ensures that the victims’ yahrzeit will always fall alongside this joyful holiday. This overlap highlights the difficult realities Israel faces: even on days of celebration, the shadow of violence and loss endures. Communities must navigate mourning while maintaining the routines of daily life, and leaders must make high-pressure decisions under constant threat.

Observing the yahrzeit is not just a matter of tradition — it serves as a reminder of the importance of measured, ethical action in the face of terror, and a call for resilience and clarity in confronting the present.

Ron Katz received his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. He is president of the Tel Aviv Institute. He can be reached at ronkatz@tlvi.org.