As we completed a 3-day “first-days” of Passover 5786/2026 we heard the news of the US Military’s dramatic extraction and incredible rescue of a downed F-15 pilot within Iran. This was a major covert operation, involving planes and helicopters, intelligence and special forces on the ground. A disinformation campaign helped mislead Iran as to his whereabouts while the rescue commenced. There was an actual intense firefight, this was done at great risk!
This is especially meaningful on Passover! One of the biblical descriptions of the Exodus from Egypt, as described by the Torah itself (Devarim/Deut 4:34) is “to extract a people from amidst another people” – this is no simple matter, it is quite a wondrous achievement.
And one has to marvel at the dedication, sacrifice and resources devoted to rescue one person! In the course of this mission, two planes left behind were blown up, losses of millions of dollars of military hardware. All the rescue teams from air and on the ground came under enemy fire or close risk of it. This shows the priceless value of personnel over equipment, and even for one single person!
This very much aligns with Jewish values in general (lots of sources for this!), as the Talmud Sanhedrin teaches: “Saving one person is like saving a world!” and as a student pointed out to me – this is very much Chabad’s mission, the Rebbe’s vision. Throw all your resources and everything you’ve got for that one soul, one Jew, who may have fallen behind. It also reflects the IDF’s legendary commitment to each and every one of its personnel over the years.
When choosing our own life priorities, this is worth reflecting on: What is most important to us? What do we sacrifice and leave behind and what do we endeavor to save at all costs? And to what extent are we willing to go, at what degree of risk?