If you walked the streets of Tel Aviv this afternoon, you would come across a table set for 199, pristinely set for Shabbat yet searingly empty. The highchairs at a handful of seats, the children’s cups in other settings and the white roses alongside some of the plates make the symbolism painfully clear: This table is for the 199 hostages that Hamas dragged to Gaza during their barbaric assault.
Tonight as the sun sets, we will all sit at our own Shabbat dinner tables. Each of our tables looks different. Some of our tables are in our own homes, others are out at a restaurant. Some will eat alone and others with family and friends. Some of us will indulge in matzah ball soup and others a pizza. Some will have challah, others will not.
However you choose to make your shabbat dinner, take comfort in knowing that you are connected with people all over the world taking solace in Shabbat and making extra space for the hostages at their tables.
And as we light Shabbat candles tonight we do so not only for ourselves, but also for those in captivity who are unable to light themselves. And in doing so, we recognize that the greatest response to darkness is by adding light.
I have been inspired by the stories in Israel of everyday people responding to the darkness through light. Like the more than 100 restaurants in Tel Aviv that combined forces to cook nourishing food for soldiers, hospitalized patients and evacuees from south. They recognized that in order to fully meet the need, they kashered their kitchens.
Or the Druze shih Latif Gadban who opened his house to host hundreds of southern Israeli residents with the message: "We are all brothers! Come with love!"
And here at home, I have been in awe of how our community has mobilized to come together to raise funds, to lean on one another and to stand in solidarity.
Our small, but mighty Virginia Peninsula Jewish community has already sent over $400,000 from our Israel Crisis Relief Fund to meet immediate and urgent needs, such as medical care, emergency services, evacuation, supporting victims of terror and trauma relief.
You should take immense pride in knowing the impact our community is making together.
In our Torah reading this Shabbat, we retell the famous story of Noah and the great flood. According to the text, what led to the societal decay that required divine intervention?
וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס
“And the earth became corrupt before God and was full of hamas”
-Genesis 6:11
In Hebrew, what does the word “hamas” mean? Our ancient rabbinic Midrash describes hamas as meaning violence, murder and complete moral destruction. Hamas, the terrorist organization in Gaza, is living up to its despicable name – at least according to its Hebrew meaning.
In the face of wanton displays of violence, hatred and moral depravity, it has become ever clearer the obligation and moral responsibility we have to respond when the world is overcome by hamas. But absent of a great flood, how do we expunge it?
First and foremost Israel has a responsibility to take justified and divisive action to protect its citizens and uproot Hamas. And we will continue to stand with Israel today, tomorrow and everyday - as long as it takes.
But eradicating hamas doesn't only happen on the battlefields. By adding light and hope into the world we tip the scale in immeasurable ways. We do this by taking on an extra mitzvah, standing up to disinformation and lies, making financial contributions, sharing prayers and putting our Jewish values to action.
In the words of Rav Kook: “The pure righteous do not complain of the dark, but increase the light; they do not complain of evil, but increase justice; they do not complain of heresy, but increase faith; they do not complain of ignorance, but increase wisdom”
Shabbat Shalom,
Am Yisrael Chai, and
#BringThemHomeNow
Eric Maurer
Executive Director
emaurer@ujcvp.or