"Why do Jewish people love life, and why do we love death", was the question that the Hamas terrorists asked Eli Sharabi while he was a hostage in the tunnels in Gaza.
Despite incredible suffering and losing so much including his wife and daughters, Eli, has become a powerful symbol of choosing life and loving life. (If you haven't yet read his book "Hostage", it is highly recommended).
Tomorrow, we will read about our ancestor Jacob who is returning to Israel along with his family, but hears the ominous news that Esau is marching towards him with hundreds of warriors to destroy him and his family.
The verse states, that Jacob was "fearful" and "afraid".
The commentaries point out that the double expression here is not simply poetic, but rather is telling us a message about who Jacob was. The Midrash explains that while Jacob was afraid for his own life and the lives of his family, he was also fearful about having to G-d forbid kill someone in battle.
The very thought of killing a life, even though it would be justified and also his moral obligation to do so as he protected his family, filled Jacob with dread.
Indeed, as Jewish people we treasure life and living, and we consider preserving life to be one of the most sacred ideals of Judaism. As Jacob felt here, he needs to live and even when left with no choice but to kill in self defense, the very thought of it, made him feel terrible.
Later, the verse tells us that Jacob went through countless challenges, being swindled, nearly killed, was badly injured, and so much more. Yet then the verse tells us that "Vayavo Yaakov Shalem", "and Jacob came complete".
What does it mean that he came complete after all these difficult challenges?
The commentaries expound and share multiple meanings, including that he recovered for his injuries, he was financially stable, his children and family were whole both physically and spiritually, and also that Jacob was able to maintain his spiritual composure and mindset, through prayer and study, throughout these long ordeals.
Jacob's love for life wasn't simply to stay alive, it was a love for living each moment, for making every day have purpose, for sharing and empowering his children to live with this mindset. Jacob was teaching his children and us how to look ahead at each day with joy and appreciation that we have another day to embrace the daily opportunities that G-d endows us with, to do a deeper act, to help another person, to do a Mitzvah, to connect with G-d and the vision for the world, and to live with purpose, direction and meaning.
When I read Eli Sharabi's book, I couldn't put it down, just like all my children who read it. It was gripping, powerful and emotional..... and then, he is finally being released.... and at the moment he finds out his wife and children are no more, I cried... from thousands of miles away, with Eli.
But Eli doesn't finish there.... after he describes the moment when he was finally ready to visit the graves of his wife and daughters, he ends his book with the new chapter he is beginning with, he is choosing to live and choosing life!
As Eli Sharabi has shown us in 2025 and as Jacob showed us thousands of years ago, our destiny and purpose, is to love and live life each and every day, so that no matter what is happening around us in the world, we continue to live each day with meaning and purpose and in a manner that betters the world and brings the world closer to being the beautiful world envisioned by G-d.
Yes we choose and love Life!
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel