Nobody has to complete the sentence…
G-d Willing, We Will Soon Hear… בע”ה נשמע…. Bi’ezrat Hashem nishma…
It seems like every meeting, greeting, parting includes these words, this mantra of sorts. Whether between friends, family members or total strangers. It doesn’t matter where I am, what I’m doing, this is what we’re all thinking about, the three kidnapped boys and their families.
May G-d give them strength and health…
We all know who the “them/they” are. They are the people who were close to Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Frenkel before the terrible Arab terror attack, the kidnappings almost three weeks ago. Today, we all feel like we’re part of the family. The campaign to wage an international public opinion campaign is encouraging people all over the world, in all sorts of occupations to post photographs holding signs demanding the boys’ release.
So, of course the women from Shiloh and Eli who showed up yesterday to doven, pray at the site of the Ancient Biblical Tabernacle in Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, came prepared..We certainly would have preferred to have been celebrating the boys’ return, but they are still imprisoned by Arab terrorists.
In Yafiz, Sha’ar Binyamin, it was almost “business as usual,” working with and selling to Arabs. However many of us did notice that the percentage of Arab customers has dropped ever since the kidnapping, even though Ramadan, which started yesterday is usually a time when they buy lots of new clothes.
The IDF is working hard searching Arab cities and towns for the boys. People are praying, specially learning, saying T’hillim (Psalms,) giving charity and more. And there are rallies of all sizes in all sorts of locations. All of this is to find the three young teenagers and G-d willing bring them safely home.
I wouldn’t dare presume which of these methods will make the difference and end the personal and national nightmare G-d willing. I wouldn’t dare tell someone that his or her idea is wrong. We must all do something, even more than one “something.” For those who mock any of these methods, I counter by referring to how our Forefather Jacob prepared for his potentially dangerous meeting with his brother Esau who had pledged/threatened to kill him when they had last met. Bereishit, Genesis chapter 32 tells of how Jacob:
sent Esau messengers sent Esau gifts prepared for battle divided his family, so there would be survivors if attacked prayed to G-d
The one thing he didn’t do was to trust that others would save him. Our history is full of antisemitic attacks and wars, and in no case did any foreign power rescue us. We have only One G-d, and He must be the focus of our prayers.
G-d Willing, We Will Soon Hear… בע”ה נשמע…. Bi’ezrat Hashem nishma…
Visit Shiloh Musings. / Batya Medad
