As a nation we have know many difficult times. Any yet throughout Jewish history the main strength that has always held us together was our unity. Unfortunately we have known pain and suffering since the beginning of time. Hashem is His infinite wisdom does not want to destroy the world or to destroy His people therefore from time to time He sends us some very difficult situation, trials and tests, that are so far from our understanding that the only thing we can think of is to hold on blindly and not think at all.
Since the holiday of Simchat Torah just a week ago or so our lives here in Israel and for Jews all over the world has been changed. From extreme happiness and rejoicing with our holy Torah, prayers and dancing throughout the night, we all woke up to a big black hole. Devastation, horror and destruction. How can we go on? How should we go on? Everyone’s thoughts ran back to the Holocaust to programs throughout Jewish history, the horrible thoughts of the atrocities that the Jewish people have seen throughout their lives and generations. How could this be? We’re in our own homeland under Jewish sovereign. We have our own army, police force, defense intelligence. It says in Psalm 127 that;”If G-d does not guard a city, it is in vain that guards watch over it.”
On the one hand we see how true this verse really is the strongest army in the world, the best technology, the best soldiers, and yet so many slaughtered and sent to their death so brutally.
What saves us through these horrific times are two things as far as I see them. One is the extreme unity that we see throughout the country and throughout the world ever since last week. The love, the support, the prayers, that I recited almost 24 hours a day for the health of all the wounded, for the strength and well being of all the families that lost loved ones, and for the prayers of those lost and kidnapped. This unity is felt worldwide especially in Israel. We however cannot go on after such terrible events if we do not have faith in the One above.
In one second so to speak, Hashem closed His eyes so that this terrible thing would occur. And yet all we have is Hashem. All we have is our faith and connection to the One and only Almighty. These horrible times we must believe that G-d is running the show and that He knows exactly why this happened. That there was a reason beyond our comprehension. That there is a reason for everything that happens under the sun. Yes we grieve, we mourn, we sit in pain. However we know that we are not alone, we know that Hashem is sitting in pain with us, that despite that Hashem let this happen for reasons that we do not know and cannot know, we also are comforted with the fact that Hashem is with us and He is taking care of all of us. The wounded, the lost, the kidnapped, the sick, and the rest of us whose pain in our hearts is so great.
It’s hard to think that we started off the year with such a big bang. Usually the holidays bring with them so much joy, so much light, so much strength to go into the year with. The air after all the holidays of the month of Tishrei always give us energy to grow and to do good and follow the ways of the Torah throughout the entire year. However when we start off, so to speak, with a tremendous low and a blow, it’s hard to keep positive and think ahead how this year is going to look like. We started off so bad. What will be next?
This is where our faith and the Torah help guide us in the best way possible. So many people have questions – children, young people, old people, everybody doesn’t understand how this could have happened. Jews believe in Hashem. We must not ask that question, we must feel the pain of others, we must share our love with others, we must try to think of creative and positive ways of how to help every single person that’s hurting out there, and we must think how to strengthen our faith in the One above. G-d is taking care of us He loves us, and He let all this happen in order to bring us to a better place that we do not see. For over 2,000 years we are waiting for Hashem to return and reign over His children, the people of Israel, over His country in Jerusalem in the Third Temple. We’re all waiting for the true full Redemption. Every time something happens, or someone gets hurt, or killed, we believe that’s it, this is the last one, our last pain, now we’re all going to be redeemed. When this does not happen we must believe that everything has a process and the right time. When a person sews a new dress or makes a cake, works on a project, all these things have a process and each point is crucial for the final product to be perfect.
Unfortunately we suffered such casualties, so much pain, we cannot endure any more suffering. We are in a generation that cannot handle any more pain. We cannot handle the pain of the programs and Holocaust of past years, we are all like babies today, like small children of Hashem and we can only endure so much.
Hashem, you only test people with tests that they can pass and you do not test them beyond their capacity. G-d in eaven we love You, we believe in You, we know You are with us, and yet Hashem we cannot handle any more pain.
Please Hashem redeem us today. Hold us, pick us up, and bring us to the full Redemption with mercy and love today.
