I wanted to wait until this morning to write the daily email, as things have been changing so quickly in the last 36 hours. Here is a brief update of a timeline of the last 36 hours:
- A U.S. Apache helicopter was downed by an Iranian drone yesterday.
- The U.S. responded by bombing specific Iranian defense targets in what President Donald Trump called a "proportional response."
- Iran attacked U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, launching 12 ballistic missiles, none of which landed on targets.
- Trump said that he will bomb the s*** out of Iran tonight, but it's not clear if he means tonight Iranian time (which would be this afternoon for us), or tonight American time.
- Trump continues to press for a diplomatic solution instead of military, and says that Iran could take the steel which is a very good deal for them.
- Iran has responded with their typical aggressive and threatening rhetoric, including that it will attack anything American all over the world.
- Hezbollah continues to attack periodically, consistently not succeeding in landing anything on any Israeli target.
- The Houthis are now aggressively threatening as well.
- Trump started talking about taking over Kharg Island, which would theoretically destroy Iran's economy, but he also said that he is reluctant to do this as it would require American boots on the ground as well as keeping an American military presence on the island. Reuters report3d that he also said he prefers not to hit bridges and power stations because "people won't be able to drink water, I don't want to do that."
- Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey decided to participate in meetings to assess mediation efforts in the immediate future.
- At 11 a.m. our time today, Iran completed and presented a revised draft of an agreement with the U.S. The New York Post reported that "Doha is in contact with Iran and the U.S. to advance the agreement. If final approval is given, the implementation process of the understandings will get underway."
- Five minutes later, Trump posted on his Truth Social account that "based on the fact that discussions with Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have canceled, as President of the United States, the strikes and bombings planned against Iran tonight." He also wrote that "the discussions and final points have been approved, both conceptually and in full detail, by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others. The naval blockade will remain in full effect until the completion of this deal — the time and place of signing will be announced shortly."
Much may change over the next few hours, as the deal still needs to be finalized, and the details of it are not known at this time. Will a deal be finalized, and will Iran even honor it? Or is this another stalling technique for the Iranians so they can keep building up weapons? Will the U.S. ultimately attack Iran, and if so, what will Iran's response be to that? Will they attack more American bases in the Middle East? Will they attack Israel? Will they attack Americans anywhere in the world? Will they just yell and scream and not do anything? There is no real way of knowing what will happen or their reaction, and there is no way to even know what this deal actually is.
Here is what we do know, and it is based on this week's Torah portion.
This week we study the 12 scouts. The Hebrews were on the border of going into Israel, and 12 Scouts were sent to survey the situation on the ground. They came back, and 10 of those scouts were terrified. Despite all the miracles they had seen in the months prior, those 10 Scouts were terrified to go into Israel even though God had promised them the land. They said that the people living there were too big and like giants, and that the ancient Hebrews would all be killed if they went into Israel. Two of the scouts, Joshua and Caleb, said that yes, there were large people who would be enemies there. But they also said that there was nothing to fear, for God always kept his promises. As a result of the 10 scouts' reports, the Hebrews, who had seen so many miracles during their generation, all increased each other's fear and were too scared to go into the promised land. As a result of all of this, our ancestors were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years, until the generation that was ensconced in fear was gone and a new generation that had grown up and lived in the wilderness under God's protection was ready to go into Israel.
It is natural to be scared given all that is going on in the world. It is normal to be concerned about the antisemitism in America and the world, and to be fearful of Israel's future. But we must all choose to be like Joshua and Caleb and know that God will always keep His covenant and that Israel and all Jews around the world will be safe, survive, and thrive.
Faith and fear cannot exist in the same place at the same time. The more of one, the less of the other, and vice versa. The answer to fear cannot be found in the mind or in any justifications. Fear is only conquered through faith. As we approach this crucial time in American, Jewish, Israeli, and world history, we must choose to have more faith. It is not blind faith, for we have over 3,000 years of history to demonstrate that God has always kept his promises to us. We need to choose to have faith that history is only a preface for what we are experiencing now and in the future, and God will always be there for and with us. As we increase our faith, the fears will dissipate.
Simply put, we need to be like Israelis, who, under the shroud of potential war, continue to live life passionately and fully every day. Despite the threat of missiles and bombs, the people in Israel are partying at the beaches, hiking in the many national parks and reserves, and filling the cafes and restaurants with joy. This is the lesson we can all take from our family in Israel, and choose to live with passion and joy here in the diaspora, knowing with perfect faith that God has and always will keep His covenant.
May we all always choose faith over fear, and in so doing celebrate and worship life.
Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
June 11, 2026
26th of Sivan, 5786
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