Top Israeli Rabbis Call for Hallel After Divine Blow to Iran

By: Fern Sidman

In the wake of the United States’ bold and unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear installations, including the fortified Fordow enrichment facility, two of Israel’s most prominent rabbis have issued spiritual directives that reframe the geopolitical development as not only a military event—but a divine intervention. As reported by VIN News on Sunday, the rabbinic voices have galvanized Jewish communities across Israel and beyond, calling for specific changes to daily liturgy to mark what they described as a moment of national and spiritual deliverance.

Chief Rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, and acclaimed mystic Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi have both framed the American operation as an expression of divine will, and urged Jews to respond with gratitude, joy, and renewed faith.

According to the information provided in the VIN News report, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu—widely respected as a halachic authority and spiritual leader—issued a public statement instructing that the tachanun prayer, traditionally recited as a supplication for mercy, should be suspended. In its place, Rabbi Eliyahu encouraged the daily recitation of mizmor letodah (Psalm 100), a prayer of thanksgiving, along with the special communal blessing Hatov u’Metiv—“He who is good and bestows good”—reserved in Jewish law for shared miracles and moments of communal joy.

“We are living through a time of revealed miracles,” Rabbi Eliyahu declared in remarks carried by VIN News, drawing a parallel to the Purim story. He cited the Book of Esther: “And they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordechai” (Esther 7:10), suggesting that those who plot against the Jewish people may find themselves victims of their own schemes.

His message, noted in the VIN News report, was not merely symbolic. The omission of tachanun—a prayer that beseeches forgiveness and divine compassion—is halachically significant, traditionally set aside only on days of joy, redemption, or communal celebration. Rabbi Eliyahu’s call therefore serves as both a theological declaration and a public spiritual recalibration in the wake of military success.

In parallel, VIN News reported that Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi—a prominent kabbalist known for his weekly prophetic sermons and vast national following—called on Jews to elevate their prayers further. In response to what he characterized as a “miracle,” Rabbi Ben Artzi instructed the recitation of Hallel, a series of Psalms (113–118) traditionally reserved for joyous festivals, Rosh Chodesh, and moments of divine salvation.

“The hand of God is evident,” Rabbi Ben Artzi stated, as quoted in VIN News, referring to the targeting and successful damaging of the Fordow nuclear facility—long considered impregnable by Israeli analysts. The rabbi noted that the very sites untouched by previous operations had now suffered substantial setbacks, and that such precision and timing could only be attributed to divine orchestration.

Notably, the report at VIN News recalled that earlier this year, Rabbi Ben Artzi had issued a public prophecy predicting that Israel and its allies would soon strike at the heart of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. His recent commentary suggests that the U.S. strikes—which caught much of the international community by surprise—were the fulfillment of that vision.

The U.S. strikes, confirmed by Pentagon sources and regional intelligence channels, reportedly targeted multiple Iranian nuclear facilities, including deep-underground installations such as Fordow, a site previously thought to be shielded from conventional attack. As the VIN News report notes, the operation marks a historic escalation in the ongoing standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions—an issue that has haunted Israeli security doctrine for over two decades.

In Israel, public reaction has been a mixture of relief, praise for American resolve, and cautious anticipation of potential Iranian retaliation. Yet the spiritual response, as captured by VIN News, reflects a deeper undercurrent: a belief that Israel’s national security is intimately tied to divine providence.

Synagogues across Israel have already begun to adopt the new liturgical practices recommended by Rabbis Eliyahu and Ben Artzi. In cities like Safed, Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva, VIN News observed worshippers reciting mizmor letodah and Hallel with pronounced fervor. In many yeshivot, the moment has been framed as a modern-day echo of Biblical deliverance, reinforcing the belief that the Jewish people’s destiny continues to be shaped by unseen hands.

The convergence of halachic instruction and mystical pronouncement, as detailed in the VIN News report, is not merely a religious footnote—it is a profound reflection of how Israeli society weaves faith into its national consciousness. While Western commentators often analyze Middle Eastern affairs through political, strategic, or economic lenses, the rabbinic response offers a strikingly different framework: one that views current events as manifestations of eternal truths and divine covenant.

This spiritual framing has the added effect of bolstering national unity in times of tension. As the VIN News report aptly noted, both Rabbi Eliyahu and Rabbi Ben Artzi, despite differing religious backgrounds—one a mainstream rabbinic authority, the other a kabbalistic seer—have found common ground in their call to praise and gratitude.

Whether one sees the recent events as military milestones, political maneuvers, or acts of providence, the response from Israel’s spiritual leadership is unequivocal. This is a time not for supplication, but for thanksgiving. A time not only to strategize for the future, but to acknowledge the present as a divine gift.

One truth remains constant: In Israel, the sacred and the strategic are never far apart. When the world shifts, the prayers of the people follow—and sometimes, lead.

Am Yisrael Chai.