Posted on 11/27/23
Shavua tov! Tonight, the words of Havdalah at the close of Shabbat shined with a new light: “For the Jewish people there was light and joy and gladness and honor.”
But it’s not over yet. Hamas captured precious souls and is now trying to capture our minds. To torment and manipulate us, and to violate agreements up until the final moment. Our happiness is mixed with frustration, our excitement mixed with rage.
Yet after all the horrific videos we have seen, it’s nice to see some videos of rejoicing. Because beautiful dreams do come true, and help to dispel nightmares. We see people we do not know, yet know so well, emerging from the deepest darkness into the most radiant light.
We saw Yaffa Adar, grandmother of 8, when she was kidnapped on a motorcycle, and now we see her returning home to the warm embrace of her family. We saw 9-year-old Emily Hand whose family thought she was no longer alive returning tonight after 49 days of captivity in Gaza. And now we can imagine more, want more, and hope for more.
So, what should we pray for? Not only that everyone, with God’s help, will return in peace, and without having to pay a heavy price for that to happen, but for a new and much different reality. For a changed and better world, for a victory of light over darkness, for complete redemption.