And those who were not saved. Rav Kalman regularly Davens Shacharis elsewhere and only came to ask a question of a Rav whom he didn’t know was not yet there.
Rav Aryeh came perhaps once or twice a month to that Minyon.
The first Chovesh(paramedic) who appeared at the scene always carries a gun — but he left it at home that morning.
One thing was clear — it appeared random — but it is only random in the eyes of the world — we have to know that it is exacting in the eyes of Hashem, and that while we cannot possibly understand the equation we know it is the Truth.
To us, it is clear that the world is run with exactitude — and that this brutal butchering of innocent souls had purpose and meaning. We must focus inward – – avoiding politics and rage.
We must focus our energy inward by asking what each of us can do better than before. That is the Jewish response.
Wednesday morning my husband Davened in his Minyon. He set out no Shtender, laid out no Siddur. R’ Chaim, fighting for his life, was not there to call out “Kohanim”. Rav Moshe was not there today to Lein. He will not ask for an Aliyah for his grandmother’s Yahrtzeit Rosh Chodesh Teves.
My husband took out his Gabbai book and added הי”ד to four names.
As Rav Rubin said at the Levaya, we must strengthen ourselves in Emuna. We must internalize the knowledge that nothing is by chance, nothing is without purpose and meaning.
We must strive in some small way to emulate the Kedoshim- so different on the surface but so very much the same — each a true lover of Torah and Talmidei Chachamim, each a true lover of his fellow Jew, each a Ba’al Chesed, each a man with true Simchas Hachaim.
Each of us must look inward; ask, “What can I rectify?”
Each one of us must make some small yet powerful change.
The family of the Kedoshim asked those who came to the Shiva to please take on something for Am Yisrael. This is Derech HaTorah. This will give Nechama to the widows, the orphans. This will be a Ze’chus for a Refuah for the injured.
And we can pray, that this will be the final chapter in the long and painful history of Golus- and this will bring the Geula Bi’mheyra Bi’yameinu.
