Last night, many Jewish families sang the song “Ma’oz Tsur” (usually translated as “Rock of Ages”), authored by a medieval poet about whom nothing is known save his name, Mordechai. The song—of which the first stanza is the best known—describes various historical incidents where the Jews were oppressed and then triumphed, culminating with the Hasmonean victory over the Seleucid monarchy. The sixth and final stanza refers to the future, messianic redemption and the end of the exile, yet there is an ongoing debate among modern scholars about whether this was a later addition. Yitz Landes suggests a literary solution to the puzzle:

In the first stanza Mordechai writes in the second person and beseeches God to rebuild the Temple. Looking forward to that moment, the poet declaims that “it is then that he will finish with song and psalm,” the dedication of the altar. But this line can also be read as a meta-poetic comment, in which Mordechai is referring not only to the incomplete nature of the Temple’s past dedication, celebrated on Hanukkah, but also to the unfinishedness of his own poem.

In other words, Mordechai wrote a poem that is intentionally missing a final stanza. In this reading, Mordechai left out a concluding stanza, for it is only at that future time, when God ends the exile, that the poet can return to finish the poem. . . . In exile, not only is history unfinished, but so is poetry; . . . one day, the song will be complete, and we can all eat our latkes in peace.

In a statement released on social media on Monday, the president-elect declared that if the hostages held by Hamas are not released before his inauguration, “there will be all hell to pay” for those who “perpetrated these atrocities against humanity.” But will Hamas take such a threat seriously? And, even if Donald Trump decides to convert his words into actions after taking office, exactly what steps could he take? Ron Ben-Yishai writes:

While Trump lacks direct military options against Hamas—given Israel’s ongoing actions—he holds three powerful levers to pressure the group into showing some flexibility on the hostage deal or to punish it if it resists after his inauguration. The first lever targets Hamas’s finances, focusing on its ability to fund activities after the fighting ends. This extends beyond Gaza to Lebanon and other global hubs where Hamas derives strength. . . . Additionally, Trump could pressure Qatar to cut off its generous funding and donations to the Islamist organization.

The other levers are also financial rather than military: increasing sanctions on Iran to force it to pressure Hamas, and withholding aid for the reconstruction of Gaza until the hostages are released. In Ben-Yishai’s view, “Trump’s statement undoubtedly represents a positive development and could accelerate the process toward a hostage-release agreement.”