7:26 PM
Gil Student
"When the army goes out against your enemies... the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy..." (Deut. 23:9,15)
An IDF rabbi writes about soldiers on their way to an operation in Gaza, who passed around a Torah scroll to embrace and then asked the rabbis to give them blessings (link):
...As the sun began to set, the long infantry columns set out towards the Strip. Meanwhile, the rabbis stood near the crossing with the Sefer Torah in their hands and called out words of encouragement and blessing to the soldiers. (“May Hashem be with you,” “may Hashem bless you,” and other phrases inspired by the Rambam’s writings on fear during a battle.) The soldiers, in turn, kissed the Sefer Torah as they marched along...(hat tip)
