Community Torah Corner, January 12, 2024

From the beginning of our parashah, Vaera, the divide between God's promise of redemption and the lived reality of enslavement was ever widening. Initially, the entrusted prophet Moshe had little success in persuading the people because their spirits were crushed by servitude and subjugation.  

 

Since the horrific events of October 7th, the ability to uphold that vision has been difficult. On our own shores and across the globe, antisemitism and other forms of hate have risen as a response, with incidents ranging from bias and discrimination to violence and murder. 

 

Those of us living in the Diaspora have experienced what mental health professionals call secondary trauma, where it is not our physical homes under attack. Yet, the emotional and social trauma has been real. We hear and learn from our families, friends, and loved ones, many of whom have been injured, taken hostage and killed. 

 

I have often wondered how we can see the sun when all we see and experience is darkness. And yet, in this hour of devastation and loss, Moshe enters the scene and teaches us what it means to be a people. 

 

One of the cornerstones of Judaism and the survival and resiliency of our people has been holding onto and uplifting a faith that a better day will come and that a life of freedom, safety and sovereignty is possible. 

 

These past months have been a blur, a sea of emotions. In these times of immense fear, pain, anger and loss, the most powerful thing we have done is to show up for one another as individuals, as local communities and as a Jewish people. 

 

Ditza Or, the mother of hostage Avinatan Or, who was abducted from the Supernova party, offered the following words at a solidarity event for the hostages at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art on December 10th: “It doesn’t even matter what music we dance to… we’re all part of a huge story that started 4,000 years ago. Love ties us together.”

 

Sunday, January 14th, marks 100 days of our hostage's captivity in Gaza. As our tradition dictates, we cannot remain passive in our fear of our hostages. We learn in Bava Batra 8a that the Pidyon Shvuyim - פִּדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִים - The Redemption of Captives, is a "mitzvah rabbah," a great mitzvah, a fundamental value throughout our tradition. As Ditza Or voices, it is love that binds us together as a people. 

 

In our parashah, Moshe offers a simple but striking message to Pharoah, "שַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־עַמִּ֖י" - Let My People Go!  As our hostages remain in captivity, we cannot remain silent. From a rootedness in love, may we continue to stand up time and time again and proclaim, Let My People Go! - #BringThemHomeNow