Hi from Canada!
I would like to share one powerful moment:
On Shabbat morning, I was sitting in the women’s section at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation in Toronto, when I overheard a woman whisper to the woman next to her, “What’s happening with the hostages?”
“I don’t know,” the woman replied, “but I prayed for them all night – I almost finished reciting the entire Book of Tehillim.”
“I’m so worried about them. If only they will come back alive…” said the first woman in a trembling voice.
Here were two women living 9,000 kilometers away from Israel and had never even met the hostages, who can’t sleep at night because they’re worried about them and want to do everything in their power to help them.
But why is this the case?
Think about the answer for a moment because it touches at the very core of what it means to be a member of the Jewish people: The bonds that bind us are invisible but unbreakable.
Only a few minutes after this conversation took place, the following verses were read from this week’s Torah portion: “And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your G-d, and you shall know that I am the L-rd, your G-d.”
We are one people, and after all the confusion and worry, the pride and humiliation, the excitement and trepidation, our deep connection to each other is a source of strength.
How can we apply this tremendous feeling of unity to our day-to-day lives?
Here is a suggestion that I have shared in this space before that has helped people to shift their attitude towards those around them: Let us transfer this tremendous love that we feel for every one of the hostages, all the worry and caring, to those who have not, thank G-d, been kidnapped.
Think about the people we meet over the course of our day. We know that if they were kidnapped, G-d forbid, we would be so worried about them that we would almost feel physical pain. So, take a good look at the people around you and appreciate that they too are part of the amazing phenomenon known as the Jewish people and worthy of our love.
From Toronto to Jerusalem – Some Thoughts
Here are some statements I heard this week in Toronto:
“Since the attack on October 7, we’ve been reciting the Kiddush blessings every Shabbat.”
“After Simchat Torah, I visited Israel for the first time in my life, and I’m 30. I came to volunteer. I’m coming back in the summer, and bringing friends.”
“After October 7, I started learning Hebrew online, and also coming every week to a Torah class at the synagogue.”
“For the first time on campus, I’m wearing a Star of David necklace, despite hostile reactions. I’ve never been so moved by something.”
On the surface, what does the first part of each sentence have to do with the second? If Hamas slaughtered, burned, and kidnapped Israelis in the Gaza periphery, does someone in Toronto start learning Hebrew and making Kiddush?
The answer is yes. This global phenomenon is called “October 8 Jews,” the Jews who woke up the day after. Their hearts were opened and they suddenly understood that they are part of a bigger story – a battle over consciousness and faith, over identity.
And the spiritual affects the material: Canadian Jews have already donated more than 150 million dollars to settlements in the north and south, to first-responder units and to resilience projects. Thank you.
The young student who took me to the airport is contemplating making aliyah for the first time in her life. She can’t explain why, but suddenly she sees her future in Israel.
I returned with many thoughts and ideas, but in the first stage, it’s crucial that Israelis recognize this phenomenon, and act on it. This is a historic opportunity for millions of Jews in the diaspora who might be lost, but who could also return home. “Together we will win” – that includes them, too.
The main headline in the local newspapers when I landed in Canada was “Trump: We don’t need Canada.” Well, without getting into US-Canada politics, we definitely need Canada, especially Canadian Jews.
I’d like to extend a big thank you to the Shaarei Shomayim community headed by Rabbi Sam Taylor and the Weinberger family, to Mizrachi Canada and Rabbi Elan Mazer, Rabbi Dr. Seth Grauer, Israeli emissaries Rabbi Aviad and Hodaya Pituchey-Chotam (and the children!), as well as to Rabbi Yisrael Landa and Rabbi Shimon Binstock from Chabad of Toronto. Thanks to you, I met more than a thousand brothers and sisters, who gave me tremendous strength.
Where Is Our Will?
A small child can walk around all day with a mud-stained shirt and not care at all. He doesn’t even notice it. But an adult? Even a small stain would bother him. He is mature.
At the beginning of the parasha, G-d tells Moshe about the first and necessary step of the exodus to freedom: “And I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt.”
In the book “Sfat Emet” it says that the intention is that the Children of Israel should no longer be able to tolerate this exile; that they will no longer have the patience for even one more day of slavery.
For 210 years, they labored in Egypt under extremely harsh conditions. But like a small child with a dirty shirt, they didn’t even realize how inappropriate it was for them to be slaves.
The first step on their path to becoming free was to develop a revulsion for slavery, to say from the depths of their souls, “Enough, we cannot tolerate this anymore!”
Perhaps what delays us most from making positive changes in our lives is the fact that we don’t even feel that our situation requires correction. We’re used to it; we don’t even imagine anything better, or maybe we are afraid to change – so we accept reality as it is.
The initial condition for progress is the clear distinction between good and evil, the understanding that we deserve something better, that we need to grow. From there, the door opens to great change – to the exodus from Egypt.
May our personal and collective awareness grow, so that, together, we can emerge to true freedom!
Translated by Janine Muller Sherr.
