ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם הטוב והמטיב Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam, hatov vehametiv. Praised are You, Sovereign of the Universe, the Good and the Doer of good.
Upon hearing good news one of the Jewish responses is to offer a blessing. Today we heard great news. The hostages are coming home. Or at least we hope. At this moment people the world over are holding their breath, trying to believe against all odds that this 15 month nightmare may be coming to a close. Maybe the hostages will be returned to their families and this tragedy will finally begin to transform into healing. As the national anthem of the Jewish people declares, עוד לא אבדה תקוותינו our hope will never be destroyed. Yet we worry. Yet we are still sad. Yet we are still angry. Yet we are still frustrated. In this moment we feel so many different things at once. We must hold it all. As I mentioned on Yom Kippur, this has been a year of waiting to exhale. With each passing day we have had to force ourselves to breathe. It seems as though the time has come to let the breath out. It is possible that this might fall apart. It certainly has in the past. However, I cannot give air to that pessimism. Now is the time to breathe out the hatred and blame. As each hostage is returned, may that bring some relief and a commitment to helping them and their families recover. This is not the end. This is a beginning. The first response to this glorious announcement is to offer a blessing. The next response must be to do everything in our power to act as God’s partner in healing the broken hearted.
Greenburgh Hebrew Center rabbistein@ghcny.org 515 Broadway Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 914-693-4260 office@ghcny.org www.ghcny.org
