Dear Students,
Some of you over the last 24 hours have
asked me for my thoughts about the horrible news in Israel. I have to say that
there are a number of reasons why I think that I have nothing to say. First of
all, because of my responsibilities this summer, I feel like I have not really
had a chance to process the unspeakable tragedy. I have had to break the news
to young kids and counsel older kids and yet I feel that I myself have not had
much of a chance to think.
Secondly, there are many, many
people far wiser than I am and far more articulate than I am who have shared
their thoughts. Seek them out - as I have - in person and online. I mamash do
not think I have anything to add.
Lastly, and perhaps most important:
what can anyone say? When Aharon heard of the death of two of his sons,
he had nothing to say. וידם אהרן. What could he say?
What can we say? All we know is what Yirmiyahu said……
כִּי
עָלָה מָוֶת בְּחַלּוֹנֵינוּ בָּא בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵינוּ לְהַכְרִית עוֹלָל מִחוּץ
בַּחוּרִים מֵרְחֹבוֹת
(ירמיה ט)
For death
has come into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the
children from the street, and the young men from the broad places.
…. and all we feel is what David
Hamelech felt…..
אֲפָפוּנִי חֶבְלֵי מָוֶת
וּמְצָרֵי שְׁאוֹל מְצָאוּנִי צָרָה וְיָגוֹן אֶמְצָא
(תהלים קטז)
(תהלים קטז)
The pains
of death surrounded me, and the boundaries of the grave have found me; I found
trouble and sorrow.
I told this to a few of you and
yet…… and yet……
There is perhaps one observation
that I can share, one idea that I have been thinking about. This is not
intended to make us feel better. The skies are dark now and night has
descended; no one of us has the power to “make us feel better.” (Having said
that, I should add that, as irrational as it seems, I do believe that we will,
in time, stand strongly again. נצח ישראל לא ישקר - we
are a strong nation that has not been broken by crusades nor by pogroms. Our
spirit is strong and our faith unshaken. All this, of course, in the long run.
Now we feel less strong, less optimistic, less positive.)
One observation to be accompanied,
perhaps, with some suggested actions and reactions: this tragedy, the senseless
murder of three young, innocent young men has captured the hearts of every Jew
in the world. When the terrible news came to light, people around me - young and
old - were crying on each other’s shoulders. My question - and I know it sounds
terrible to ask - is why? Why did we react like this? We Jews are no strangers
to terrible news. We all know too well the בשורות רעות of
death. Those of you who are a bit older remember the regular, heartrending news
of children and adults being killed senselessly during the second intifada. And
since then, unfortunately, many, many other Jews of all ages have been killed
through terror. And since then, unfortunately, many, many soldiers - young and
fresh, dedicated and devoted - have died על קידוש ה'. I
do not remember this sort of reaction since the death of Nachshon Wachsman.
This does not mean to sound cold, just an observation: why did the deaths of
Eyal, Naftali and Gilad touch us so deeply, so profoundly on both a personal
and national level?
I think there are a few reasons why
these deaths affected us so intensely and, I think, we can learn from these
reasons - and act on these reasons - as we look forward.
1) We knew Eyal, Naftali and
Gilad - Our community is not as large as we think. Everyone knew these boys
in this way or another. And we know their mothers. My good friend’s son was a
roommate. My neighbor’s son went to school with two of them. One of the
mother’s was my daughter’s teacher. One of their sisters was in school with my
daughter. And on and on and on. Each of you has similar - maybe even closer -
connections with Eyal, Naftali and Gilad. These boys were no strangers. They were
our children, our brothers. We all knew their pictures and their beautiful,
innocent smiles.
Similarly: everyone seems to know
someone in the army who was looking for the boys, and who now continue to look
for the cold-blooded animals who murdered them. My own son was in Chevron. A
neighbor’s son is called back to the army on the first Friday night. A friend’s
son has been going house-to-house near Chevron. And on and on and on. Each of
you has similar - maybe even closer - connections with the people putting
themselves in harm’s way for their brothers. No questions asked, no complaints
uttered, just a duty to their family.
2) We davened for them - The
outpouring of tefillot for these boys was unforgettable. We said extra
Tehillim; we added their names in Shema Koleinu; we gathered in town
squares, in front of embassies and, of course, at the Kotel. In our homes, in
our shuls, privately and publicly. Some people who have
not davened in many years were inspired to turn to Hashem. And we know
those tefillot were not G-d forbid in vain. As we say in Selichot during Aseret
Yemei Teshuva:
יהי רצון מלפניך שומע קול בכיות
שתשים דמעותינו בנאדך להיות
ותצילנו מכל גזרות אכזריות
כי לך לבד עינינו תלויות
שתשים דמעותינו בנאדך להיות
ותצילנו מכל גזרות אכזריות
כי לך לבד עינינו תלויות
May it be
Your will, the One who hears [our] cries
that You
place our tears in your bottle
and save us
from cruel decrees
because our
eyes are dependent only on You
3) We acted for them - Another
unique aspect of this tragedy - an aspect that contributes, I think, to the
intensity of our pain - is the fact that we acted for these boys. We did
things for them, for their families. We gave to them and their families
- or at least it seems that way. Letters were sent, tefillot were said (as
mentioned above in #2), tzedakah was given, pictures were sent, etc. etc. As
Rav Dessler tells us in his Kuntrus Hachessed in Michtav M’Eliyahu: when
we give to someone else, we connect with them, we love them. I think that is
undoubtedly what happened here as well.
4) Achdut - Whenever Bnei
Yisrael get together, act together, something special develops. כאיש
אחד בלב אחד has the power to turn individual
people into a nation. Eyal, Naftali and Gilad brought us together and made us
even stronger. We are a powerful people, a potent nation but only when we stand
together regardless of our hashkafa, irrespective of where we come from
or how we serve Hashem.
There may be other unique
components of this tragedy but these 4 seem (to me) to be critical in
explaining why all of us have been affected so powerfully.
But we must not stop here. I think
we need to continue to act. I think we need to translate these potent aspects
of the tragedy - the 4 items listed above - into action. And I think those
actions can propel us as individuals and, more importantly, as a nation to
greater heights. And I think our actions can turn the lives of Eyal, Naftali
and Gilad who died Al Kiddush Hashem into assisting us to live Al
Kiddush Hashem:
1) We knew Eyal, Naftali and
Gilad - If we knew Eyal, Naftali and Gilad and we know the soldiers who
looked for them and who are now looking for the murderers, perhaps we can make
a greater effort to know and to look for other people who need our help. Let’s
be sure that the efforts that we put into knowing Eyal, Naftali and Gilad are now
translated into getting to know other Jews. Let’s make it our business to learn
about them, to get to know them, to hear their tale and to spread it as this
story spread. Who is that Jew in my shul? Who just moved into my neighborhood?
Who is that new girl in college?
And if, chas v’shalom chalila
v’chas any harm should befall someone in Klal Yisrael in the future, we
will not let it pass with a tsk-tsk. Let’s try to learn about them, their
families, about their lives. We feel close to Eyal, Naftali and Gilad and to
their families. Let’s continue that with all of Klal Yisrael. Think now of
small things that will make a difference. We do not need to change the world; we
just need to change ourselves!
2) We davened for them - If
our davening improved, if we added a mizmor of Tehillim, if we had this much
more כוונה in
our tefilla, if we gathered in our shul, let’s try to continue that precious work.
The כח of
tefilla is mighty and those tefillot that we so faithfully articulated these
last few weeks changed us forever. Let us build on them. Think now of small
things that will make a difference. We do not need to change the world; we just
need to change ourselves!
3) We acted for them - We
cannot go backwards. We cannot retreat from the tremendous things that we as
individuals and we as a community performed. In fact, let’s go further. You
spread the word on Facebook about Eyal, Naftali and Gilad? Now continue to spread
the word about other Jews - like Jonathan Pollard - who need our help. You contacted
your Senator about Eyal, Naftali and Gilad? Now continue to contact your
Senator about communities in Israel that need our help. You attended shiurim
for chizuk about Eyal, Naftali and Gilad? Now continue to attend more shiurim
for chizuk about other causes. You gave of your time for Eyal, Naftali
and Gilad? Now continue to give of your time for other Jews. And so on and so
on. There is no turning back! Think now of small things that will make a
difference. We do not need to change the world; we just need to change
ourselves!
4) Achdut - Lastly, the remarkable
achdut that came out of this tragedy is unforgettable. I know in Beit
Shemesh, where we have seen unfortunate examples of conflict among Jews, רחמנא
ליצלן, there were multiple expressions of achdut. Jews came together,
brothers sisters came together, neighbors came together. And this was repeated
throughout the world. You be the force, you be the influence, you be the drive
to continue that achdut. Sure we have our differences; that’s what makes
us human! But what can you do, what can I do, to continue this force of achdut?
Think now of small things that will make a difference. We do not need to change
the world; we just need to change ourselves!
Perhaps, with these actions, we will be zocheh
to see the fulfillment of a beautiful Midrash in בראשית רבה, פרשה פה:א. The Midrash
tells us what Hashem was doing after another tragedy in our history, namely the
“death” of Yosef at the hands of his brothers. In what seems now like an indescribable
event, Yaakov is informed that Yosef has been killed and he is presented with
the precious striped coat, sullied in his son’s blood. This was an unimaginably
dark period in the Torah. And yet…… what was Hashem doing at that time?
הקב"ה היה עוסק בורא אורו של מלך
המשיח
Hashem was
‘busy’ creating the light of the Mashiach
In our darkest hour, we believe that
light is being created, an אור חדש for which we are waiting with bated
breath. May it come soon Gd willing!
בלע המות לנצח ומחה א-דני יקוק
דמעה מעל כל פנים וחרפת עמו יסיר מעל כל הארץ כי ה' דבר (ישעיהו כה)
He will
swallow up death forever; and the Lord will wipe away tears from all faces and
the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for Hashem has
spoken.
