Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto said today with great pain, referring to the difficult day of the return of the holy kidnapped bodies, members of the Bibas family: “The people of Israel must fight with all their might for unconditional love. Every Jew must forgive and pardon, not hold a grudge or dispute with anyone. Only through unconditional love can we sweeten the harsh judgments over the people of Israel.”
Rabbi Pinto began his remarks with a prayer for the people of Israel: “May the Holy One, blessed be He, sweeten the harsh judgments over the people of Israel, have mercy on the family. All of Israel is one family, and may He grant mercy to the dear family, the Bibas family. May the Holy One, blessed be He, avenge their blood.”
Rabbi Pinto addressed the difficult day and said: “This is a sorrow that affects all of Israel, a pain that is very difficult for the entire people of Israel.” According to him, it is a time of “a breaking of the heart of all the families. A sorrow that cannot be comprehended or described.”
“How do you comfort a family like this? How do you console the people of Israel with such pain? This is a pain that cannot be measured or described,” said the rabbi with deep sorrow.
Rabbi Pinto emphasized the importance of unity among the people of Israel and called to end the disputes: “The people of Israel, when there is unconditional love among them – it protects the people of Israel,” explained Rabbi Pinto. “You can argue, you can disagree in opinion. The people of Israel are a wise people, a people who love debates… but they remain loving.”
He gave the example of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, who disagreed in their views in the study hall but “outside, their children married each other,” showing unconditional love among the people of Israel.
According to him, disputes bring destruction to the people of Israel: “One must stay away from all forms of disputes. Any form of dispute carries no blessing. Disputes are unhealthy, they do not benefit anyone, they only bring harm to a person. The people of Israel must fight with all their might for unconditional love.”
The rabbi emphasized the need for forgiveness and pardon: “Every Jew must forgive and pardon, not hold a grudge or dispute with anyone. A person must have a pure and whole heart with both those close to them and those far away, to forgive everyone, and when the heart is pure and good with everyone – it brings down mercy from the heavens.”
“The attribute of judgment is not good. The attribute of mercy is the greatest thing, the most important thing, and the best thing,” concluded Rabbi Pinto.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel