Dark Clouds Above, Faith Below: Volume 2 is a searing, heartfelt, and spiritually profound response to one of the darkest moments in modern Jewish history-October 7, 2023, and its painful aftermath. In this second volume of his widely read essays, Rabbi Moshe Taragin, a leading educator at Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush), helps readers grapple with the trauma of terror, the complexity of faith in crisis, and the enduring mission of Am Yisrael in a broken and confused world.
Blending Torah commentary, Jewish philosophy, Zionist identity, and reflections on current events, Rabbi Taragin offers a moving portrait of a people navigating devastation with clarity, conviction, and compassion. Drawing on Tanakh, Midrash, and contemporary experience, he addresses the spiritual, emotional, and national challenges facing the Jewish people in the wake of war and loss.
Major Themes Include:
The emotional complexity of praying for loved ones in battle
Jewish identity after atrocity: pride, pain, and moral clarity
The struggle to maintain universalist values amid a rising tide of antisemitism
Essays on faith and suffering, divine concealment, and holding onto hope in despair
Insights for the Jewish calendar from Purim to Tisha B'Av, reframed through the lens of national trauma
What it means to live a Biblical life in modern Israel
The silent heroism of mothers, soldiers, and survivors
The moral nobility of Jewish warfare and the spiritual strength of the IDF
Each section of the book is organized thematically, covering Identity, Peoplehood, Emunah, Transformations, Cultural Struggles, History and Prophecy, and Sacred Days in the shadow of war. This structure helps readers process the religious trauma of October 7, explore the depth of Jewish resilience, and reflect on the enduring values that guide the Jewish soul.
Far more than political commentary or theological theory, Dark Clouds Above, Faith Below is a deeply personal work. Rabbi Taragin shares his own struggles as a father of a wounded soldier, a spiritual mentor to students-turned-soldiers, and a teacher striving to maintain emunah (faith) amid pain, complexity, and divine concealment.
Who is this book for?
Jews seeking faith-based responses to tragedy
Readers of Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist thought
Students, educators, and rabbis addressing current events through a Torah lens
Anyone struggling with faith after October 7
Those looking to understand how Torah, history, and national destiny intersect in the present
