There's an amazing parallel between the Iron Dome missile-defense system and the Three Weeks, particularly Nebuchadnezzar's three-year siege of Jerusalem that led up to the destruction of our First Holy Temple exactly 2600 years ago.
The Ahavat Shalom in Parshat Devarim tells the story of a valiant Hebrew soldier and hero, Avuka ben Gvirta.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, thought that his siege of Jerusalem would last for a few short weeks at most, before he would succeed in destroying Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. Yet, one valiant Hebrew warrior help the Babylonians at bay for three years. His name was Avuka ben Gvirta, and he was every bit as mighty as Samson. He would stand on the walls of Jerusalem and catch the "Babylonian bombs", the giant rocks that the Babylonians would catapult into Jerusalem. With his bare hands, the mighty Avuka would catch the rocks and throw them back at the Babylonian soldiers, killing and wounding many of them. In effect, Avuka ben Gvirta was the "Iron Dome" of the First Holy Temple.
Hashem was giving the Jewish People an extension so that they'd repent, return to Hashem, and save the Holy Temple from destruction. But rather than doing teshuva, the Jerusalemites put their trust in Avuka ben Gvirta. With such a fighter to protect them - an ancient "Iron Dome" - they thought they were safe and that they could continue with their life of fun-and-games as usual. But, time ran out. When three years of siege transpired and they failed to make teshuva, Hashem sent a sudden gale-force wind that knocked Avuka ben Gvirta off the wall. He fell to the ground and died. The same day, 17 Tammuz, Nebuchadnezzar's army broke through the walls of Jerusalem and in three weeks, the Holy Temple was destroyed on the 9th day of Av.
Too many people nowadays have put their trust in today's Iron Dome. But the Iron Dome didn't perform all the miracles that Hashem did with the same missiles that sneaked past the Iron Dome, like the one that hit the gas station in Ashdod, three weeks ago. The Iron Dome is nothing more than a modern-day Avuka ben Gvirta. Hashem wants us to trust Him; the Iron Dome is just another loving opportunity from Hashem's to make teshuva. Let's not miss it. Shabbat Shalom!
Image below, ancient catapult
