Prominent Orthodox Israeli Rabbi Yitzchok Zilberstein told the mother of a hostage that if her daughter was released on Shabbat, she should not drive to see her, Kikar Hashabbat reported on Wednesday.
Rabbi Zilberstein, a rabbi of Ramat Elchanan and a member of the Lithuanian Council, met with hostage families during Israel's multifront war to encourage them through faith, beginning the day after the October 7 Hamas massacre in 2023.
Now, as the next stages of the hostage release deal are expected to take place on Shabbat, the mother of a hostage who is expected to be released asked the rabbi if she would be allowed to break the laws of Shabbat to meet her daughter upon her release.
"She asked for instructions," Rabbi Zilberstein reportedly said, "how to behave with her daughter because her soul yearns to see her. She needs to be released on Shabbat. She asked, 'How will I face her, driving to her on Shabbat?'"
The rabbi told her that she should not drive and instead send a photo and a letter, telling her they’ll meet after Shabbat.
'A thank you to the Holy One'
"Then she asked me, 'And if I can't hold myself back, what should I do?' She asked, 'What will I do if I can't stand it.'”
According to the report, Rabbi Zilberstein then responded, “If the Holy One is so good and beneficent, a miracle against nature, your daughter remained alive, then we need to say thank you to the Holy One."
Despite his instructions, Kikar Hashabbat reported that Rabbi Zilberstein did not explicitly forbid her from traveling on Shabbat to see her daughter but told her that it would be “a great blessing” if she held herself back.