The Moon and the war

החודש הזה לכם, ראש חדשים - This [lunar] month is for you, first of the months.

These were the words that Hashem said to Moshe, giving the Jewish people its first national mitzvah. Henceforth, the Moon would represent us, having no light of its own, reflecting the light of the Sun. We, the Jewish people, also have no light of our own, we just reflect the light that Hashem shines upon us. The less we try to shine our own light, the more Hashem's light shines.

We find numerous sources linking the Moon to the Jewish people. She is our representative, and we dance with her every month as she begins to wax larger, coming into view. We encourage her with words we ourselves need to hear - soon you will be returned to your former glory. Soon your light will shine as it did on the six days of Creation. Soon the whole world will reflect the Light of Hashem, and we, the Jewish people, will also reflect His light, being returned to our rightful status, a true reflection of His Kingship.

I came across this article which tells of a unique occurrence that has not happened since 1993, and will not happen again until 2016. The full Moon of December (Kislev) and January (Teves) were significantly larger and brighter than usual - "14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser Moons." This was because the Moon was at its closest point in its elliptical orbit as it came into view at the middle of the lunar month. This also had a significant effect, raising the tides about 15 centimeters, as the tides are dependent on the Moon's gravitational pull.

As I was reading this, I was touched by the clear showing of Hashem's love for us. He guided things so that the current war we are facing would come out in this time when the Moon is largest, representing the idea that our spiritual power is greatest. We have merited great miracles in this war on many fronts, and we have merited a sense of Achdus and purpose. We have seen a display of the spiritual in places we would not have expected, and this is 'reflected' in the Moon that accompanies us, testifying to our spiritual power, which is but a reflection of Hashem's Infinite Light.