Each week we hear of casualties in Iraq, sometimes in Jerusalem. What can we do back at home to help out on the frontlines? In the midrash there is a concept called elef lamateh, one thousand per tribe, as we read about this week in parashat Matot. When Israel went to battle the immoral midianites, we sent one thousand troops for each tribe, elef lamateh. But it doesn’t say we sent a thousand troops once, it says it three times, elef lamateh, elef lamateh and then it says again that we sent elef lamateh a thousand per tribe. Why three times? The midrash rabbah says that they sent 1,000 soldiers per tribe for active combat, a thousand for manning the home front, and a thousand for prayer. This means that for every soldier on the field of battle there was one Jew back home praying for them.

What Moshe was telling the Israelites was that staying behind can sometimes also be an act of patriotism. Sometimes there is a role to play even when it doesn’t involve actually being there. We are way behind the front lines, at least as far as we know so far, but even from behind the front lines, here in hutz laaretz, outside of Israel, we can make a difference, we can be patriotic soldiers in Israel’s battle, we can be the moral strength behind a soldier, we believe that our deeds have an impact on what happens in Israel, we can make a difference. We can stay behind and pray. Maybe our prayers will save a soldier from fire or a pedestrian in Jerusalem from a bulldozer. Maybe in this spiritual way we can be there on the front lines with every Israeli.