|
Click on the picture above to see freed hostage Alon Ohel play on the show Eretz Nehederet a song by David Broza, "Under The Sky".
We have time under the sky. In the meantime – we’re still here!
Throughout the past week, there have been several editorials written and many pundits trying to explain why the remaining dead hostages have not been returned to us. While many reasons and apologetics have been advanced, I think that our tradition provides some insight into two very basic questions: Why were these beloved hostages murdered in cold blood? And, why have their bodies not been returned home?
In murdering 1200 people and kidnapping 251 hostages, hamas and those in partnership with hamas, not only violated, but stomped on our most holy of commandments. Not only did they senselessly take the lives of innocent people in kibbutzim and surrounding communities, and murder so many who were celebrating joyously at a music festival, but they took hostages whom they subjected to cruel and unimaginable torture.
We have two principles in Jewish tradition that are ingrained in our hearts, minds and souls. We learn about Pikuach Nefesh from a very young age. The saving of a human life overrides almost every other commandment. And we know the importance of a second mitzvah, the sacred act of burying our dead.
These evil terrorists understood the centrality in our tradition of both of these commandments and sought to throw them both in our faces. We must not allow it! We must grieve for our dead AND we must continue to celebrate and value life above all else!
This is the only way to stand against a death cult who now has turned to killing their own. We are a people who have triumphed over evil and those who have tried to kill us time and time again “b’kol dor v’dor”. And – we’re still here! We will continue to prevail, because as we learn in Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5: "anyone who destroys a human life is considered as if he had destroyed an entire world, and anyone who saves a human life is considered to have saved an entire world".
Golda Meir said in London in 1969, "When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons". I don’t know if we all agree with this statement. However, I wonder if, in time, there is any possibility that we may be able to forgive them for the Nova festival, for murdering members of our beloved family, for kidnapping our children and families and for taking hostages some for more than 2 years. I'm not sure if we can ever say yes to this question.
However, I am certain that we will not be who we are—the Jewish people—if we lose our humanity, our commitment to life and our basic Jewish values. We choose not to let them do this to us! We must continue to value each and every life and most of all we must continue to hope – Hatikvah.
In spite of the pain
In spite of everything
We continue to love
We are not alone—we have each other
Click on the picture above to see freed captive Alon Ohel play "Under the Sky" by David Broza on the Israeli TV show, “Eretz Nehederet".
We have time under the sky. In the meantime – we’re still here!
| 
