Avraham Yurovitch, who died in 2002, was a rabbi of some prominence in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community. He was also a mystic who taught meditative techniques to his followers. His son recently published a book based on his ideas, which draw heavily on the works of the 13th-century Spanish kabbalist Abraham Abulafia, recent academic findings about the history of kabbalah, and Buddhist techniques for meditative breathing. Alan Brill dissents:

Almost any contemporary natural-health book in the last decades has [instructions on] basic meditation for health. Yurovitch probably obtained his knowledge from those works. . . .

[First, Yurovitch’s] directions of how to sit [while meditating] are nowhere to be found in Jewish literature. Second, in no place in Jewish literature do we find directions on how to breathe, [such as] “empty your lungs,” lesson number one in any yoga or [Buddhist] teaching on breathing. Third, [Yurovitch elevates] breathing as an end itself, its own form of meditation. . . .

In 50 years, Yurovitch’s instructions will be seen as the true Jewish tradition of breathing and meditating. A new ancient tradition . . . is being constructed. In the meantime, a younger generation is being raised on these practices.

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.