The emerging Trump-Iran deal has left many Israelis uneasy. After years of being told that Iran represents the greatest strategic threat to the region, after watching Tehran finance and arm Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other proxies dedicated to Israel’s destruction, and after living through a war that exposed the reach of Iranian influence across the Middle East, Israelis are now being asked to consider the possibility that diplomacy and accommodation may offer a path to greater stability. Perhaps it will. Perhaps it will not. The truth is that none of us knows.

That uncertainty is what makes this week’s Torah portion, Chukkat, feel surprisingly relevant.

Parshat Chukkat opens with the law of the Red Heifer, perhaps the most famous mystery in the Torah. The ritual purifies those who are impure while simultaneously rendering the one who performs it impure. Even King Solomon, whose wisdom became legendary, admitted that this commandment ultimately remained beyond his understanding. The Torah’s message is not that reason is unimportant. Judaism has always encouraged questioning, debate, and intellectual inquiry. Rather, it reminds us that there are moments when events unfold in ways that do not fit neatly into our expectations.

Since October 7, many Israelis have experienced precisely that feeling. We watched Hamas commit the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, expecting that the horror of the attack would generate lasting international solidarity. Instead, within weeks, much of the global conversation shifted away from the crimes of Hamas and toward accusations against Israel. University campuses erupted in protest. International institutions focused their attention on Israel. Antisemitism surged across much of the Western world. Whether one looks at media coverage, diplomatic forums, or public demonstrations, many Israelis have been left asking........

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