Today I saw a powerful clip of former hostage Eli Sharabi being interviewed by Channel 12 in Israel. Eli discovered his wife and children had been murdered only once he was released and also came out looking gaunt and completely malnourished.
In the interview Eli states, that although he considered himself completely secular and someone who never prayed at all, in captivity from the first day he was taken hostage, he would say the first line of Shema Yisrael, every single day.
He describes how this line gave him hope and faith and an awareness that a higher force was looking after him and watching him even in the tunnels of Gaza.
So many of those coming back home, are coming back with terribly painful and tragic stories, but at the same time the messages and stories that they are telling us are ones of tremendous resilience, hope and faith.
Vicki Cohen, the mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, spoke earlier this week at the Chabad Shluchot Convention in NY which Shayna attended. She shared a similar message about what they and so many others are balancing and feeling right now.
She also shared a message she received from her son via another one of the returning hostages in recent weeks. He asked to relay to his parents, that he is okay and will be okay no matter what happens to him, and that he loves them dearly.
With all the suffering he is going through, he wanted to let his parents know that they should be okay.
A Happy Month in the Middle of the Pain
This evening we begin, the month of Adar, the most joyous and happy of all of the months of the year. It is a month in which we celebrate Purim and its message of overcoming the worst and most difficult challenges, even when no salvation is in sight.
At the same time, the Jewish people are carrying so much pain, as we buried the Bibas children and their mother Shiri and watch Yarden suffer, and continue to see so many families go through so much.
Yet Adar is almost here, it is a time to be joyous and celebrate what we have despite the challenges and the pain. Adar is the knowledge that come what may, our enemies will never be able to overcome us. Adar, is the joy of knowing that G-d is there behind the scenes even when we may not feel that that is the case. Adar represents the power to be happy and joyous even when it doesn't seem so obvious & Adar is the time of the year that reminds us that even the most challenging moments and cicrumstances can turn around in an instant.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, would often point out that the word Adar, is made up of the letters Aleph & Daled & Raish. Aleph represents, the oneness of G-d, Daled & Reish, spell Dar, or dwell. He explained that the power of Adar, is in realizing that the Oneness of G-d is part of our lives and when we can succeed in making that Oneness be a part or moment of our day, or life, or a part of the world around us, it can empower and strengthen us in ways that we cannot even imagine and leads to a positivity and joy, that few other things can accomplish.
As we enter Adar and seek to create more moments of connection with the Aleph, with the oneness of G-d and with the essence of our purpose in this world, we pray that each and every one of us have so much to be joyful and happy for. We hope that this months brings the miracles we have all been waiting for, so that every person who is suffering out there, sees an end to their pain and suffering so that together we can all rejoice and celebrate only moments of happiness.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel
P.S On the topic of happiness, last night I came to NY and brought an amazing group of teens from CTEEN Sudbury to the CTeen International Shabbaton with over 4,000 Jewish teens from all over the world. The energy is amazing and last night, watching and participating in scenes in which thousands of teens are dancing and celebrating being Jewish and being proud of it, was something so inspiring to watch and be a part of.
My daughter Chana and brother in law Yossi, will take over looking after our group for Shabbos, when I am back in Sudbury.