Shavuah tov, May this new week bring clarity to the world and protection and support to the people of Israel, the land of Israel, and the State of Israel.
Over this Shabbat, Hezbollah attacked Israel with at least 147 confirmed rockets, killing at least four people and injuring many. Israel responded, as any country would, and with targeted attacks went after Hezbollah infrastructure sites. President Donald Trump asked Israel to cease fire, and Israel has, and will also be very clear that each time an attack comes from Hezbollah, it will respond. Israel also released statements affirming that they are not moving out of the buffer zone area of Southern Lebanon where Hezbollah is headquartered until there has been a total cessation of attacks from Lebanon, and it is safe for Israelis.
Vance is heading to Switzerland to join Witkoff and Kushner there in negotiating a ceasefire in Lebanon (which is still such an odd concept given that it is Israel's decision, not the decision of the U.S.). The Trump administration has made it clear that they believe Netanyahu's chances of re-election in October are entirely dependent upon President Trump, and they have announced that they are having quiet dialogues with Netanyahu's opposition. Perhaps they didn't see Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's statement to Piers Morgan: "Piers, the IDF is operating in accordance with international law against Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that is hell-bent on killing Israelis. You would do the same if it were your family in danger. We’re defending ourselves in a war we didn’t start and don’t want.”
Again, the perspectives of JD Vance and Marco Rubio were evident in statements they made on Saturday. Rubio said, "The source of every major problem in the Middle East is the Islamic regime in Iran.” Vance said, "I'm very confident we can maintain the ceasefire.” Vance additionally said on Saturday morning, "The U.S. has all the cards, the strait is now open, Iranian military is now destroyed, they are committed to destroy their stockpile of enriched material, but we have a lot of economic pressure applied to Iranians that we are willing to relieve only if they do what we need them to do.”
Apparently, Iran has a very different perspective from our vice president. Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters and IRGC Navy announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citing "U.S. violations of ceasefire commitments, continued Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon, and Israel's failure to withdraw from southern Lebanon.” Iranian statements described the closure as the “first step” and warned that additional measures could follow if the alleged violations continue.
The IRGC Navy stated: “The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and vessels should not approach it. Otherwise, their security will be at risk.” CENTCOM said a few hours later that the Strait was not closed, so it could just be more Iranian rhetoric, or CENTCOM may be officially responding in a way that is less than fully honest.
Iran has also threatened not only to close Hormuz, but, according to Channel 13, among other sources, they're also threatening to start attacking Israel with missiles if Israel does not back out of Lebanon entirely. An Iranian official was quoted by Ynet as saying, "Iranian missiles may be launched at Israel tonight if aggression against Lebanon continues.' CNN is reporting that the Iranians are saying that because some of the conditions of the memorandum of understanding have not been met, these talks in Switzerland are not negotiations per se, but about Lebanon. "Ending the conflict there is the most important thing on the agenda of the Iranian delegation."
So the simple reality is that as we begin this new week, there really is no difference in the actions of Iran, as there has not been for the last two months. It continues to blackmail the world with its control of the Strait of Hormuz and its threats of missile attacks. Trump continues to say that the U.S. "holds all the cards” and that Iran will do what he wants or it will be forced to "pay a price.”
I know that it feels as if we are watching two different movies at the same time, given that the words coming out of the administration and the words coming out of Iran are entirely antithetical to each other. Which is why it is more important than ever that we all deepen our personal relationship with God and strengthen our own faith. Only in this way can we truly be prepared no matter what the circumstances: if the truth is what the president is saying, if the Iranians are being honest in both their assessment of the situation as well as their threats, or if the real truth is somewhere in the middle.
Take some time over this Father's Day weekend, and be grateful and deepen your relationship not only with your personal father, but with the Father of us all. Give up a few minutes or hours of this weekend to appreciate the beauty that God has given to you, and to all of us, through the creation of this amazing and magnificent world. Be thankful to your father and to our Father, and enjoy this beautiful weekend, knowing that everything is always in the hands of Heaven, except being in awe of Heaven.
Shavuah tov and Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
June 20, 2026
6th of Tammuz, 5786
Because things are changing so rapidly, there are so many unresolved questions, and so much rhetoric and bluster, I thought it would be simpler to send out this missive now as opposed to waiting until 2 or 3 in the morning.
Today saw delegations from Iran, the U.S., Pakistan, and Qatar meet in Switzerland. Apparently, the majority of the discussions revolved around when Iran is going to get its frozen assets as well as sanctions released. A statement was issued after all of the meetings that there will be more meetings to discuss these issues with the formation of a "High Level Committee" that includes those four countries. This committee will determine what's supposed to happen in Lebanon and Israel, despite the fact that neither Lebanon nor Israel is part of the discussions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed, "oil and petrochemical exports (from Iran) will be exempted, the embargo has been lifted, some frozen assets have been released, and a major development plan to rehabilitate Iran has been launched."
President Trump said today that if Iran didn't get their act together, he would "bomb the s*** out of them.” Iranian officials made similar statements throughout the day. At the JNS Policy Summit on Monday morning, Netanyahu said, "We established a security zone in Lebanon and shall keep it as long as necessary to protect our people.”
So, other than rhetoric, not a whole lot changed today.
But each day is a new day! Every morning we say "Modeh Ani L'fanecha.” “We are grateful to you, the King of Life.” This Jewish prayer is considered by some, such as Rabbi Larry Goldmark, to be the most important prayer in our tradition. For it reminds each of us each morning that every moment is new, and every moment is a gift from God.
May we appreciate the many divine gifts we receive and have faith that God will continue to keep His covenant with our people and the world.
Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
June 21, 2026
7th of Tammuz, 5786
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