Details are now clearer regarding the attempted hijacking of the FlyDubai plane.
The co-pilot, a terrorist born in Oman, brought a hidden axe onto the plane with him and, with the cockpit door closed and locked, attempted to kill the pilot, who is an Indian national. He wounded the pilot severely, but not before the pilot managed to unjam the cockpit door. The door was forced open by passengers, who subdued the co-pilot and pulled the plane out of its drop of 17,000 feet in less than two minutes. Another flight crew was on board as passengers, and they flew the plane to Saudi Arabia. Passengers were subsequently flown to Israel.
Investigations are still ongoing, but it is clear that the plan was to hijack the plane and create another 9/11 type of event. The co-pilot was looking for a target in Israel that he would be able to crash into. But God’s hand was evident in this miracle, and what could have been a recapitulation of 9/11 instead became a story of heroism and blessings. It is suspected that this was planned through the Iranian regime, and that is being investigated more thoroughly. If evidence comes to light that this really was an act by Iran, then we can’t expect swift retaliation by Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had no prior warning or intelligence indication of the attempted attack, and that Israel and the United Arab Emirates will conduct a joint investigation to clarify its circumstances. “We will know very soon if Iran had a connection to this.”
Domestically, on Wednesday, Axios reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the Iranian delegation that arrived for the UN General Assembly in New York to immediately leave the United States after contacts between Washington and Tehran reached a deadlock. At the same time, the U.S. is investigating whether Britain’s claims that Iran was behind the attack on the U.S. base in the U.K. are accurate.
Today is the sixth day of Sukkot, and it is the day of Aaron, the epitome of compassion for others. Throughout the Torah, we see Aaron expressing his compassion for others. During the high holidays, we ask that God leave His “throne of judgment” and move to His “throne of compassion.” On this day, let us all try to be a little bit more compassionate and less judgmental, and see if we can bring some smiles to the faces of those around us.
Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
October 1, 2026
20th of Tishrei, 5787
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