Time of Favor 2000

Menachem is offered command of a new unit

Menachem is selected to lead a small unit composed of fellow students from Rabbi Meltzer's West Bank Yeshiva. The Rabbi promises Michal's hand in marriage to Pini as part of the arrangement, tying personal loyalties to the military assignment. The offer sets up Menachem's dual obligations to his friends and to the Zionist mission they are asked to pursue.

Michal confesses she cannot stand living in the settlement

Michal reveals to Menachem that life in her father's settlement feels constraining. She laments that the land must be bought with pain and chafes at her father's single-minded focus on the Israeli cause. Her longing to live elsewhere foreshadows a rift between personal happiness and the communal mission.

Michal asks Menachem to run away together

Michal resolves to leave with Menachem and escape the pressures of her father's world. She pleads for him to come with her, appealing to shared affection rather than the Rabbi's plan. Menachem hesitates, torn between personal loyalty and his new commitment to the unit.

Menachem returns to his military base

Guilt over Michal's plea and his friendship with Pini drives Menachem to return to his military duties. He remains loyal to the Rabbi and the unit, despite his private conflict. The base becomes the starting point for the unfolding mission that will test their loyalties.

The unit is mobilized to retake the Dome of the Rock

Rabbi Meltzer mobilizes Menachem's unit with the intention of returning Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock to Israeli control. The plan is presented as symbolic rather than purely militant, but it alarms many authorities. The mission heightens tensions between religious zeal and professional military caution.

Military authorities doubt the plan's intent

While the Rabbi envisions the action as symbolic, other military leaders worry that the soldiers could become a fanatical force if misinterpreted. Menachem himself tries to balance conviction with caution, reaffirming his loyalty to the Rabbi while not fully embracing the violent option. The atmosphere is thick with suspicion and the potential for radicalization.

Pini plots to destroy the Dome with Itamar

Pini resumes his pursuit of Michal and secretly plots to bomb the Dome of the Rock from below, enlisting Itamar's help. He tricks Itamar into thinking Menachem approves of the plan, even though Menachem is unaware of the plot. The scheme exposes a dangerous rift between personal ambition and collective faith.

Pini and Itamar depart to carry out their plan; the rest are interrogated

Pini and Itamar depart to execute the bombing plot while the other members of Menachem's unit are detained for questioning by Israeli authorities. The interrogation reveals the fragility of loyalties and the speed with which radical plans can arise. Menachem begins to suspect betrayal, even as events spiral toward crisis.

Menachem learns of Pini's betrayal

During the checkpoints and interrogations, Menachem realizes that Pini has betrayed him and the group. He understands that the threat to Dome security comes from within their circle, not from outside enemies alone. The weight of duty presses harder as time runs short.

The chase through the tunnels begins

Menachem, Michal, Mookie, and others pursue Pini and Itamar through a secret tunnel system beneath Jerusalem. The tunnels become a claustrophobic battleground as they race to stop the bombing. The group's solidarity is tested as the distance between them and their mission closes in on a potential disaster.

Itamar's body is found

The search reveals Itamar's body in the tunnels, suggesting he was killed on the way or by Pini. The loss compounds the emotional toll and shifts the dynamic of the pursuit into a more urgent, somber mission. The tunnels become a grave reminder of the cost of violence.

Confrontation with Pini in a cave

Menachem and Michal reach Pini in a cave where he is preparing to detonate the bomb. They plead for him to stop, appealing to his humanity and their shared past. Pini remains steadfast, listening but unmoved, and the outcome hangs on a razor's edge.

Mookie's gun ends the threat

As Pini reaches for the detonation switch, Menachem tackles him to prevent the blast, and Mookie shoots Pini dead. The immediate danger is neutralized, but the outcome comes at a steep personal and moral cost. The team exits the tunnels with the weight of what nearly happened.