Abraham Twerski, a ḥasidic rabbi, has made his career as a psychiatrist specializing in treating addiction. He is also devoted reader of the popular comic strip Peanuts, which he frequently cites while working with patients and in his numerous books on Jewish topics. Eventually he developed a friendship with Charles Schulz, the comic’s creator. Aaron R. Katz writes:

During [their first] meeting, Schulz asked Twerski if he could pose a theological question, a proposal in which Twerski, of course, acquiesced. Schulz proceeded to ask Twerski for his thoughts on theodicy, the question of “why bad things happen to good people.” Twerski responded by noting that this question has its roots in the Bible, and even Moses asked and failed to receive an answer.

Remarkably, Twerski told Schulz that one response to the question of theodicy is in fact found in a Peanuts strip. When Schulz asked which strip, Twerski responded by reminding Schulz of a Peanuts strip from 1959: in it, Linus is seen laboring to build a very intricate sand castle. Suddenly, it begins to drizzle and before long, the sand castle is wiped away by the torrential rain. Linus then says to himself: “There’s a lesson to be learned here somewhere, but I don’t know what it is . . .” Twerski, despite being well versed in matters of Jewish theology, admitted that he found Linus’s statement to be a profound response to the age-old question.

Concluded in 1979, the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty ended nearly 30 years of intermittent warfare, and proved one of the most enduring and beneficial products of Middle East diplomacy. But Egypt may not have been upholding its end of the bargain, write Jonathan Schanzer and Mariam Wahba:

Article III, subsection two of the peace agreement’s preamble explicitly requires both parties “to ensure that that acts or threats of belligerency, hostility, or violence do not originate from and are not committed from within its territory.” This clause also mandates both parties to hold accountable any perpetrators of such acts.

Recent Israeli operations along the Philadelphi Corridor, the narrow strip of land bordering Egypt and Gaza, have uncovered multiple tunnels and access points used by Hamas—some in plain sight of Egyptian guard towers. While it could be argued that Egypt has lacked the capacity to tackle this problem, it is equally plausible that it lacks the will. Either way, it’s a serious problem.

Was Egypt motivated by money, amidst a steep and protracted economic decline in recent years? Did Cairo get paid off by Hamas, or its wealthy patron, Qatar? Did the Iranians play a role? Was Egypt threatened with violence and unrest by the Sinai’s Bedouin Union of Tribes, who are the primary profiteers of smuggling, if it did not allow the tunnels to operate? Or did the Sisi regime take part in this operation because of an ideological hatred of Israel?