To Get Up and Keep Going
Eden Dawi is the older sister of Ro’i Dawi, who was killed last year together with ten other soldiers when their armored personnel carrier was struck by an anti-tank missile.
Ro’i fell during the weeks in which we read about the trials of Avraham Avinu: his self-sacrifice, travels and Akeidat Yitzchak. In this week’s parasha, Chayei Sarah, we read about the first funeral in the Torah when Avraham Avinu buries Sarah Imeinu in Me’arat Hamachpela.
The verse says: “…Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to bewail her.” This is followed by the words: “Then Avraham rose from beside his dead”—in other words, after the funeral, the eulogies, and the weeping, Avraham gets up and returns to his active life: He purchases Me’arat Hamachpela and arranges for a wife for Yitzchak.
Eden writes: “This story reminds me of the last words that Ro’i left us. His last letter to us ended, ‘You should only gain strength from everything’. We posted this message on a huge sign at the entrance to Jerusalem, and during these very difficult days, we would like to pass it along to the public: May we only get stronger from everything that we experience.”
Rediscovering the Family
Sometimes, you can witness a historical process unfold right before your eyes. Last week, more than 2,000 students gathered for the annual "Chabad on Campus" Shabbat. This is a record number, following an extremely challenging year for Jewish students on campuses.
It was thrilling to meet these students, many of whom shared with me that they had rediscovered their identity after October 7th. The ensuing events had forced them to choose a side, to clarify who they are. Does that mean that all the assimilated, unaffiliated Jews will now find a connection to Judaism and Israel? I hope so.
I came to give lectures, but I think that the most important part of the Shabbat was the embrace. People flew for hours just to receive a Jewish hug — during the Shabbat meals, at Kiddush, during Havdalah, and in the prayers.
After enduring a year marked by antisemitism, clashes with opponents and academic hypocrisy, the students gathered here, formed circles with strangers, placed their hands on each other's shoulders, and danced together in unity.
"What was the most emotional moment of the Shabbat?" they were asked at its conclusion.
Rachel from Los Angeles replied, "The moment we lit Shabbat candles together, a thousand young women, and recited the blessing together. It wasn’t just the most emotional moment of the Shabbat; it was the most emotional moment of my life."
"Judaism is something I thought had died with my great-grandfather," said Eli from Toronto. "I never imagined that you could sing and dance with your Judaism."
And Jessica, from a small campus in Alabama, who recently started wearing a Star of David necklace, said this was her first time attending such a Shabbat. For her, it was a safe space to talk about the soldiers, the hostages, everything. Over the course of Shabbat, she came up with an idea to do something else for the first time in her life — visit Israel. It's worth noting: most American Jews have never visited the Land of Israel.
When I was asked to summarize the event, my observation was that we may be the smallest nation, but we are the largest family.
(See photo: Havdalah with two thousand members of the family...)
A Ray of Light from Amsterdam
Here’s a story from Amsterdam that was sent to me by Taiby Camissar, a Chabad emissary in that city:
“It’s impossible to describe how much caring and loving-kindness we have witnessed here since the pogrom against the Jewish soccer fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv. But the following story stands out among the rest.
“One of the women in the Jewish community here had an important job interview scheduled for Friday morning. Like all of us, she awoke on Friday morning to a flood of shocking announcements about what had happened the previous night. Wanting to help, she got in her car and drove to the center of Amsterdam to bring an Israeli family that she had never met back to her home. They would stay there until they could find another flight back to Israel.
“The time for her interview arrived and she was still in the middle of her mission. When they called her from the office where she was to be interviewed, she explained that she was busy extending care to those who urgently needed her help. When they asked her if she had considered that she could lose this highly sought job for missing the interview, she replied that what she was doing took priority since this was an emergency, as her brothers and sisters were in danger.
“Several hours later, this woman received another call from the same office. The boss of the company, a Jew without much connection to the local community, told her that she was hired — without any meeting or interview. If she was so devoted to her people, he said, she absolutely had to work for him.”
Connecting Our Hearts – and Kidneys
I just received the following letter from Leah Chester:
“I’ve always wanted to donate a kidney, and October 7 made me realize that there’s no reason to wait, so I reached out to the Matnat Chaim organization and started the process going.”
Leah explained her reasons for making donation. “First, doing good leads to more good. If we increase the good in the world through small acts, we’ll ultimately see greater good. And also, because during a time of such tremendous grief and loss, I wanted to save a life. I wanted my kidney to go to a young parent so that there wouldn’t be more orphans. Indeed, I had the privilege of donating my kidney to a young mother of children.
“And one more reason. Seeing the division within the nation, I feel that we all need to do something, to step outside ourselves and connect our hearts — and even our kidneys — to show how deeply connected we really are. I thank Hashem for this privilege!”
Havdalah with 2,000 'members of the family' at Chabad on Campus
Leah Chester at the hospital where she donated her kidney
Ro'i Dawi
