I have already written in this space about the need for peak sensitivity during this period, about the need for a safe, non-toxic space. So many people are on edge, struggling emotionally and otherwise. There is such a great need for small human gestures: a hug, some attention. Here is one of the many responses I received. Tali Versano-Eisman, a Home Front Command instructor for children, wrote the following big-little story:
"I visited the kibbutzim in the Gaza vicinity and witnessed the burnt, broken homes. I entered the home of the Bachar family from Kibbutz Be’eri. On October 7, terrorists broke in and set it on fire. They were trapped in their safe room for 22 hours — without water, without toilets. Only one phone connected them to the outside world. Surrounding them were only the sounds of horror, fire, and paralyzing dread.
“When the IDF forces finally arrived, they discovered that the door to the safe room could not be opened. The exhausted family had to be rescued through the small window. When the mother, Inbal Zecharia Bachar, approached the window, her son Maayan said to her simply: 'Wait, Ima, I'll bring you a chair.' It is at this point in the story that Inbal’s voice breaks. Not when describing the terrorists, not the fire that consumed their home, not the endless hours of terror. But at her son’s simple comment.
“In the midst of hell, when everything was burned and shattered, that chair symbolizes something that the fire could not consume – love, humanity, and care for one another. The simplest and smallest gestures, especially in moments of trauma and mortal danger, reveal the deepest humanity in us. After 22 hours of existential fear, thirst, absolute uncertainty, and terror—the son’s simple concern for his mother’s comfort represents a moment of kindness and love.
“That chair is still there, next to the safe room in Be'eri — a symbol of the resilience of the human spirit and the hope that can sprout even within the darkest moments. Look around and bring a chair."
Message from Eli Sharabi
Someone told me that this Friday night he plans to make Kiddush and recite the words of “Eishet Chayil.” Why? Because he saw a video of freed hostage Eli Sharabi. With all the “noise” we’re hearing these days, it’s worthwhile to hearken to Eli’s weak but clear voice. After 491 days in Hamas captivity, he traveled to New York to deliver a speech in the U.N. and then went to pray at the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
After visiting the grave Eli said: “I’m not a religious person. I was in the darkest place, 50 meters underground. What gave me strength every day was to recite Shema Yisrael in the morning, to sing Eishet Chayil every Friday night and to make Kiddush — over water because we didn’t have any wine. It gave me and the other hostages so much strength— we felt the power of our faith and it helped us survive nearly 500 terrible days of captivity.”
Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director at Chabad World Headquarters, asked Eli to convey a message to the Jewish people. Eli, whose wife Lianne and two daughters were murdered by Hamas, said: “With the power of faith it is possible to conquer everything. The power of faith. And unity, our unity, is the most important.”
Leaping Forward
As our pre-Pesach (Passover) cleaning is now in full swing, here are a few words from Rabbi Menachem Brod to energize us:
“The word ‘Pesach’ means skipping, jumping, or passing over. Among all the technical preparations for this holiday, let’s not forget the secret message of Pesach — that we have the power to leap over every obstacle, to save ourselves and be redeemed. That was the situation at the time of our redemption from Egypt. A moment before our deliverance, we were slaves with no idea how our situation could ever change, and then we suddenly left slavery for freedom.
There are times when history moves forward ever so slowly. At other times, as happened on Pesach, there is a sudden rush that leaves the old reality behind as we leap ahead. We break through and step forward into a completely new reality.
The month of Nissan and the holiday of Pesach give us the strength to make this leap. God helps every individual, both on the personal and national level, to rise to the loftiest spiritual heights, to truly change, to merit an abundance of good things. To paraphrase a statement from the Talmud: Just as we were redeemed in the past, so may we be redeemed in the days immediately ahead.”
Translated by Yehoshua Siskin, Janine Muller Sherr
Want to read more by Sivan Rahav Meir? Google The Daily Thought or visit sivanrahavmeir.com
