A few years ago, a rabbi visited a school in Alaska to speak about Judaism. At the end of his lecture, he asked if anyone in the room was Jewish.
A young girl timidly raised her hand and declared, "I am." The rabbi was deeply moved to encounter a Jewish soul in such a distant place but struggled with what he could possibly say to her in the few brief moments before he had to leave for his flight. How could he meaningfully connect her to her heritage?
Then, an idea struck him. "You probably know," he began, explaining to the girl, "that every Friday, Jewish women around the world light Shabbat candles before the sun sets. The ritual begins in Australia, moves through Israel, France, Britain, and much later reaches New York. And finally – it reaches Alaska. When the entire world already basks in the peaceful glow of Shabbat, it awaits your candle. Yours is the last Shabbat candle to be lit, completing the global tapestry of light and peace. From today onwards, you and your mother will complete this beautiful cycle."
This week's Torah portion, Parashat Tetzaveh, opens with the command to light the Menorah – 'to kindle a perpetual light.' Our sages teach that each of us is called to ignite our own flame in the world.
While we may not be that lone child in Alaska, her story reminds us that we each have a unique role and mission: to cast a light only we can shine, wherever we find ourselves.
Appreciating clothing
The parashah of Tetzaveh deals extensively with clothing. Are we supposed to make a blessing when putting on clothing?
Every morning, right at the start of our morning prayers, we say, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who clothes the naked.” Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook wrote a commentary on the Siddur and explained this blessing by saying that we are giving our thanks to God for two reasons.
Firstly, because we have clothes to wear and they are not completely worn out. Secondly, we are humans rather than animals, and we understand the need for clothing. Rabbi Kook explains that, as opposed to animals, man is blessed with a moral sensitivity and a refined soul, and he gives thanks to God for the understanding that he can live a life more honorable than that of animals. Man has to wear clothes, and animals do not.
Rabbi Kook writes that we thank God for the “refined spiritual sense that God planted in our souls that causes us to wear honorable garments.”
Seeking meaning
Man's Search for Meaning is the name of the wonderful work written by Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. He explained how the divine image within humans, their soul, and the meaning in their lives give them strength to face challenges. It seems that these days, a new book is being written: "The Jew Seeks Meaning" or perhaps "Man Seeks Judaism."
These days, we are seeing many “Viktor Frankls” returning from Gaza. They don't write books; rather, they post stories and social media updates. This week, I started collecting these modern-day legends.
One example is Eliya Cohen, who offered to swap places with another hostage, but the terrorists refused. Or Omer Shem Tov, who observed Shabbat in Gaza. And, of course, the story of Agam Berger, which has already become known worldwide (The Wall Street Journal recently published an article by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik explaining to the American public the significance of her Shabbat observance in Gaza).
Shai Graucher became known during the war for his gifts and assistance to the bereaved families, the wounded, and the hostages.
Recently, he observed an interesting phenomenon: he brought an iPad, and they asked for tefillin. He brings a cell phone - they ask for Shabbat candlesticks. This week, it happened with hostage Ohad Ben Ami from Kibbutz Be'eri.
Ohad asked for tefillin, and then on Monday, he asked to do Havdalah. Havdalah is performed on Saturday night, but Ohad explains that he became more religious in Gaza.
In the videos that were posted, he speaks powerfully about faith, about God, and also about the Havdalah that the hostages did, which gave him strength in captivity, and then he simply asks to be taught how to perform Havdalah on Monday and finishes by singing "Am Yisrael Chai."
And here's another true legend: Keith Siegel shared in a video this week that he tried to say a blessing over everything he ate in Gaza, but didn't know how to make the blessings.
He simply said "borei minei mezonot" (Who creates various kinds of food) over every food. When he returned home, his family asked what special food he wanted them to prepare for Friday night, which would be their first meal together. Keith said: "No need for special food; first of all, I want a kippah and Kiddush."
His wife Aviva, who was released in the first deal, recounts in another viral video, with tears: "The kidnappers asked me to pray with them. I said to myself: I will not pray to Allah. I pretended with my lips, but didn't actually pray with them. I am so proud of myself for that."
This is a very partial list, but we can definitely see a pattern. Everyone is invited to think about what it means.
Translated by Yehoshua Siskin, Janine Muller Sherr
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