Vintage

First the dogs were sent to check the area -- dogs that were trained to sniff around and locate explosives. Only then, the army unit was ordered to advance. The commander had pointed out the suspicious buildings, but it was so foggy that most of the soldiers could only see the backs of those walking ahead of them. Operation Cast Lead was their first time of taking part in a real war; the first time that these soldiers went deep into enemy territory. During the Second Lebanon War, these soldiers were still in high school. Now, they were sent to locate and neutralize the sources of the daily attacks of Kassam missiles on Sderot and the surrounding towns, attacks that very frequently caused deaths, casualties and a huge amount of damage to homes and other property in the southern part of Israel. 

During the long days of their gathering and training, the soldiers understood that the mission was deadly. The media spoke again and again of the "deep swamp of Gaza" and the terrible price in human lives when the Israeli army enters Gaza strip. The infantry troops knew that when the enemy is visible, it is easier to cope with. They have to locate them first, then charge, and in no time the terrorists are won over. But what could they do about ammunition-charged areas? About bobby-trapped houses?  It is a whole different story. There is no way to tell were the ambush is, behind which wall or under which rock. The intelligence passed along the following information: The Hammas is highly equipped with all kinds of ammunition. They were well trained by the Hizbullah and the Iranians, and they know well how to place and disguise all kinds of bombs. All the soldiers could do was to open their eyes wide – at least as wide as possible after two days without sleep, and all they see around is mud, mud, and more mud. 

This is what crossed the soldiers’ minds when they were given the order to advance, heading towards a certain building. No way could they see anything in the heavy fog. But suddenly she appeared: an unclear image of a woman, wrapped in a very strange cloak. She appeared before the Sergeant, who was supposed to secure the squad from the side, popping up right under his gun, and she said: "Don't go in; this building is a trap, full of bombs". She spoke Hebrew, but had a weird accent and awkward way of pronouncing the words. "Who are you?" the soldier asked. "Rachel Imenu" (our foremother Rachel) she answered, and disappeared into the fog. The sergeant did not know whether to believe or not, but just to be on the safe side, he ordered the troops to hold on. Not long afterwards, there was a loud boom and the whole building exploded.

Mother Rachel is described by Jeremiah the prophet as the merciful mother who sheds tears on her children after the Temple's destruction. Apparently, she allegedly managed on January 2009 to leave the holy books and appear in the army folklore of Operation Cast Lead.  On several other dates and places, rumors circulated about her appearing in the middle of battlefields giving exact warnings of explosive-trapped buildings. Soldiers swore that they saw her, testimonial movies of soldiers appeared on youtube, but Rachel disappeared again into her tomb in Bethlehem. 

Dr. Elisheva Rossman, a researcher from Bar Ilan University, investigated the phenomenon. She went over all the testimonies and made a map of the locations in which Rachel was allegedly seen during Operation Cast Lead, trying to find some kind of linkage between them. Dr. Rossman also interviewed soldiers, army Rabbis, and officers. 

Her research is far from ending, but at this stage she says that the possible explanations can be:

(A)     In times of battle, faith plays a meaningful roll in the soldier's soul. It is known that when the Chief Rabbi of the Army and other Rabbis visited the soldiers in their gathering places before the operation, everyone asked for a blessing, rushed to touch and kiss the Torah scroll, and many more asked for a Tzitzit (a garment with fringes on four sides) to wear under their shirts, even the totally secular and the non Jewish soldiers stood in line. When one is in a life threatening situation, explains Dr. Rossman, he tends to rely more on faith and have religious visions, so this could be the case. 

(B)      The above does not explain the multiple occurrence of the same phenomenon, reported by troops who had no connection to each other, and every time it’s the same story: soldiers are warned by the mysterious woman; they don't enter the place in question which soon afterwards explodes. Could it be a Jewish woman married to an Arab and living in Gaza, who suddenly decided where her loyalties were and came to save her brothers?

 (C)      Could it be the real Mother Rachel, proving that miracles still happen in our day? 

Dr. Rossman's research is far from reaching a specific conclusion. As one religious officer said, "Could be that tension, anxiety, fear, and sleep deprivation caused it.  Who could tell what we saw or what we were told that we saw? And maybe one or another Rachel was there, I don't know; and how can I know?  Even if it is a mere vision, the outcome is belief – and it sure did not harm anyone. Happy is the man who believes".