Tefilot have been pouring in for IDF soldier Noam Taragin after a Hezbollah drone strike sent shrapnel ripping through his chest last month.
Noam’s unit came under attack by Hezbollah on November 19 during a logistics supply mission in southern Lebanon. Following protocol, he ran from his tent to guard the perimeter after the initial drone strike. When mortars followed, the unit took shelter before Noam moved to a lookout post, where a second drone struck directly. The attack claimed the life of Sgt. First Class (res.) Omer Moshe Gaeldor, 30, and wounded another IDF soldier who remains in critical condition.
In recent days, there have been signs of improvement in Noam’s condition after surgeons successfully removed the shrapnel that perforated the young man’s lung and shattered his ribs.
In an emotionally raw open letter to the Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Taragin reveals the complex emotions of watching his son battle severe injuries while intubated and sedated.
“My entire life has been put on hold – all my plans suspended as I try to be the best parent that I can possibly be,” Rabbi Taragin writes, noting that even attending daily minyan has become a rare achievement. Beyond the logistical challenges, he grapples with deeper spiritual questions: “Why did this happen to my beautiful son? Why must he endure such profound struggle?”
Despite the weight of uncertainty, Rabbi Taragin expresses overwhelming gratitude for what he sees as divine intervention in his son’s improving condition.
“Amidst all the pain and heartache, I am wholeheartedly grateful to Hashem for the miracle that, im yirtzeh Hashem, he will make a full recovery,” he writes. However, this gratitude brings its own questions: “Why was I granted this miracle? What does Hashem now expect of me?”
Through this ordeal, Rabbi Taragin has found that uncertainty, while destabilizing, can lead to deeper spiritual connections. While grateful for the tremendous support from family, friends, and even strangers worldwide, he shares that in his darkest moments, it was his connection to Hashem that provides him the strongest comfort.
“In a world where everything can be stripped away in an instant, the only enduring foundation is faith,” he reflects.
His students at Yeshiva Har Etzion near Jerusalem and Jews worldwide continue to pray for the complete recovery of Noam (נעם אברהם בן עטרה שלומית), as his father’s powerful reflections remind us how faith in Hashem can illuminate even the darkest of times.
Talmidim at Yeshiva Har Etzion gather around to welcome Rabbi Taragin back to the Bet Medrash (Credit:Facebook)
