I was sitting and writing my article for Parshat Bereishit, and I realized that there was something more pressing for me to write about today. The Bereishit article will have to wait for another time.
20 hostages are back in Israeli hands today. I keep thinking of these tortured people, who survived two full years in captivity, finally seeing their families, and hopefully starting the long road to recovery. It is not lost on me that they have come home exactly two years after they were taken. Yes, today is October 13th, and we have been measuring the war’s start from the Gregorian date of October 7th, but we must bear in mind the date in Gd’s calendar: Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. It was a Shabbat morning, the last day of the High Holiday season in Israel, when tragedy, in the form of monsters with no conscience or sense of morality, struck. 1,200 were murdered. Men, women, and children. Many women were first violated. 251 hostages were taken. While the Jewish world stood still, in shock over the tragedy, the world began to mobilize in support of the perpetrators of the heinous massacre. Our brothers and sisters in captivity were quickly forgotten, and the lie of “genocide” began as soon as Israel took the only logical and responsible step they could: they fought back. Over the last two years, combat has ensued with terrible cost.
Today, thanks to the Rebono Shel Olam, the living hostages are home. Hamas, it would seem, has been greatly reduced, although its actions in murdering their fellow Palestinians in an attempt to regain control of Gaza make me wonder. There are 28 bodies still in Hamas’ hands that they are supposed to repatriate, but, as of this writing, only 4 are scheduled for return.
I do not believe in coincidences, and the timing of the return, exactly at the completion of two years since their abduction, seems to me to have meaning. It is almost as if Hashem Himself is sending a message like the message He sent at the end of the story of Yehuda and Tamar as Rashi recounts (Bereishit 38:26):
…וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז”ל דָּרְשׁוּ שֶׁיָּצְאָה בַת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה מִמֶּנִּי וּמֵאִתִּי יָצְאוּ הַדְּבָרִים…
…Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, explained this to mean that a Bath-kol (heavenly voice) came forth and said the word ממני — from Me and by My agency have these things happened…
I know there is a deeper message, a deeper meaning, to all of this, but, for the moment, I cannot see what it might be. But there is a message and a meaning, of that I am absolutely sure. Perhaps, in time, Hashem will make his purpose and meaning clearer.
In the meantime, we have a sacred Mitzvah to perform, and Hashem has given us fuel to supercharge it. With the advent of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, we once again observe the Mitzvah of ושמחת” בחגך”, “you shall be joyous in your festival.” With the return of the final living hostages, we have a true reason to celebrate.
Of course, the antisemites are still agitating against Israel. Right now, I do not care. I care that 20 holy souls are back with their families. Let us wish them a רפואה שלמה and a hearty welcome home. And, let us thank the רבונו של עולם for bringing them home.
There is a song called “The Man from Vilna” which is sung by the incomparable Shulem and Yanky Lemmer (The Man From Vilna – Shulem and Yanky Lemmer). At this moment, I find great meaning in the song and especially in the chorus:
We danced round and round in circles as if the world had done no wrong
from evening until morning, filling up the shul with song.
Though we had no Sifrei Torah to clutch close to our hearts
in their place we held the future of a past so torn apart.
That is what we must do. Despite the barbarity of our enemies, despite the incredible hatred we see every day in our streets, our halls of government, and throughout the world, we must joyously dance with our Sifrei Torah. Not only must we show our gratitude to the One Above for making this moment happen, we should joyously celebrate with our brothers and sisters in Israel. We cry when tragedy strikes us, let’s dance not only because we must but because now is the time to dance. King Solomon said it best in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes 3:4) which we read just this past Shabbat:
עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃
A time for weeping and a time for laughing,
A time for wailing and a time for dancing;
Chag Sameach