Employees at a Beersheba mobile phone customer service center were warned by Israel’s Home Front Command on Sunday to leave the office before dark. Defense officials, who wanted people to be prepared for another wave of Palestinian rocket attacks, turned out to be correct: For the fourth day in a row, mortar shells, rockets and missiles sent people scurrying to bomb shelters and wondering when the violence would end.

Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Avrohom Cohen, who throughout the day made the rounds of area hospitals to comfort victims from Friday’s terror attacks and those injured by rocket fire on Saturday, said that he had seen several miracles take place throughout the weekend. He was on a mission of encouragement, reminding people that the Holy Land is afforded a special measure of Divine protection and that prayer and good deeds can affect both the physical and spiritual realms.

In one of the earliest attacks Sunday morning, the gymnasium in a Beersheba public high school sustained a direct hit by a long-range Grad rocket, noted Cohen. But the building was empty due to summer vacation, and no physical injuries were reported.

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The rabbi also pointed to a personal miracle that occurred over the Jewish Sabbath: A Grad rocket landed barely 200 meters from his home, but he and his family emerged from that attack unscathed.

“Like everyone everywhere, after something like this, we were afraid,” said Cohen. “This is natural, a normal part of life. But one has to ask, what can you do in this situation?”

The rabbi answered with the teachings of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, who advised affixing mezuzahs to doorposts and charity boxes to the walls of kitchens and offices. In addition to keeping one focused on performing good deeds and thereby bringing G‑dliness into this physical world, such actions have a beneficial spiritual effect.

“It’s a good morning smile each day,” explained Cohen, “a way to connect and begin the day with a positive action.”

The rabbi also said he encourages people to recite Psalms and focus on treating each other with love.

“If a rocket is launched, no one knows where it will land,” he said. “That is up to G‑d. So you pray. But it is also good to do something physical as well.”

Attacks continued to rain down on Beersheba, Ashkelon, the Eshkol Regional Council district and elsewhere in the south, although the frequency slowed towards afternoon.

After nightfall, however, the rate of attacks picked up just as defense officials had predicted. As late as 9:30 p.m., the Red Alert air raid siren blared through the coastal city of Ashkelon, the port city of Ashdod, the community of Kiryat Malachi and the Be’er Tuvia and Hof Ashkelon Regional Council districts. Three medium-range Grad rockets and three mortar shells exploded in open areas within the Eshkol and Hof Ashkelon Regional Council districts.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system was kept especially busy intercepting rockets aimed at Ashkelon. No physical injuries were reported, although numerous people suffered trauma and anxiety symptoms.

The weekend attacks claimed one life, that of 38-year-old Yossi Shushan, who was killed while trying to reach the house in which his pregnant wife was staying. The couple had two young daughters and was awaiting the birth of their first son. Eight other people suffered serious to critical injuries as a result of a Saturday night barrage aimed at Beersheba. A similar spate of attacks struck Ofakim as well, damaging a commercial building in one of the attacks.

By night’s end, nearly 40 people had been admitted just for severe anxiety alone to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, in addition to those who were undergoing surgery for their wounds.

The Raanana city council meanwhile extended an offer to residents from southern Israel to seek shelter with local hosts as a means of providing a break from the “war zone.” Ra’anana is located in a more central region of Israel.

By Monday, news reports indicated tentative cease fires on the Palestinian side might bring the latest attacks to an end, although government sources were skeptical.

“We do not sign agreements with Hamas, not directly and not indirectly,” The Jerusalem Post quoted a Prime Minister’s Office official as telling Army Radio. “Israel is monitoring the implementation of the cease-fire. If they continue the shooting, we’ll respond accordingly.”