So much has happened since last week's Clothes Encounters of the Jewish Kind message, it's hard to wrap your head around it.
(In case you don't follow my podcasts, here's one on the theme of the war and Purim: What Can YOU + I Learn From ʞǝlɐɯ∀?)
The language of numbers is a useful tool for helping think about big things.
Try asking this at your table: How much money would you guess that the nation of Iran has invested over forty years in the singular effort to destroy Israel? How many people would you guess have been involved - full time - in this "Project" ???
I put these two questions into an AI-bot to crunch the numbers. Here are some results:
| Category | Estimated Direct Cost (1982–2026) |
| Proxy & Regional Militias | $45 billion – $55 billion |
| Missile & Drone Programs | $25 billion – $35 billion |
| Nuclear Infrastructure (Direct) | $30 billion – $45 billion |
| TOTAL DIRECT SPENDING | $100 billion – $135 billion |
For comparison, that "investment" represents the sum of three years' wages for every Iranian family. It could have fed every Iranian for six years.
How many people have been working on this "Project'?
| Category | Avg. Full-Time Personnel | Total Man-Years (Estimated) |
| Quds Force / IRGC Leadership | 8,000 | 352,000 |
| Hezbollah (Core Regulars) | 12,000 | 528,000 |
| Hamas / PIJ (Militant Wings) | 15,000 | 660,000 |
| Strategic Weapons (R&D/Mfg) | 25,000 | 1,100,000 |
| Regional "Axis" Militias | 10,000 | 440,000 |
| TOTAL | ~70,000 | ~3,080,000 |
The effort spent on the Project is roughly equivalent to running the entire Iranian healthcare system for nearly a decade, or providing a full year of education for every child in the country for several cycles. The human capital diverted into clandestine warfare has created a reality where there is one full-time "proxy/agent" for every two nurses in the country.
Here's another comparison chart:
| Category | Cost Per Family | What it could have bought instead |
| Proxy Funding | ~$1,800 | High-speed internet and a modern laptop for every student. |
| Nuclear Program | ~$1,400 | A state-of-the-art regional hospital in every major district. |
| Missile/Drone Dev | ~$1,587 | A 10-year supply of drought-resistant irrigation for every farm. |
The economy has reverted to "pillow" wealth - Iranian households hold around 250 tons of gold coins and jewelry - more than the official gold reserves held by the Central Bank. Rumors of nationalization of private gold has triggered chaos in the streets. This week there has been a surge bartering gold directly for essentials like medicine, satellite internet terminals, and fuel. The gold sections of the major Bazaars in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz have effectively shut down. Merchants are refusing to open their shops, fearing that the "Interim Council" will send security forces to seize their inventory.
So their 40-year national "Project" has now reached its final irony: the state is asking the people to hand over their gold to pay for the very drones and missiles that triggered the Israeli/American strikes now destroying the country’s infrastructure.
According to traditional Jewish sources, when a country - like Nazi Germany or Shia-Iran - becomes singularly focused on killing Jews, it is by definition "Amalek."
Seeing that being dismantled before our eyes is joyous. The job isn't yet complete, but there is every reason to be happy and grateful to have lived to see this moment in history.
The Jewish People have made many mistakes in the past 3,300 years, not least of which was (in this week's Torah Portion) building the Golden Calf. We are far from perfect. Our greatness comes out when we (a) admit and fix our mistakes and (b) unite under the banner of "love your neighbor."
May we continue to hear and share good news.
Shabbat Shalom
PS - You can now get our free Passover download at TorahHealth.org.
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