In regard to Oct. 7, Gitty Beer, one of the United Hatzalah members who raced to the South on that date (at great and very real danger to their own lives, and who continued to work in the south in the days following Oct. 7) relates: “Near the entrance to Kfar Aza there is a gas station. Inside there is a convenience store whose shelves had been emptied by soldiers who took whatever there was on the shelves and left notes with their contact information so that they could pay the owners at a later date.
“When we pulled into the gas station on Tuesday afternoon (three days after the massacre), I saw an old man sitting near one of the outside tables and eating a yogurt. By this time, it was rare to see civilians in the area, and he was so out of place that he caught my eye. His clothing was shabby and tattered, and he had a very neglected appearance about him. He seemed to be about 80 years old.
“I approached him and asked gently, ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘I got hungry so I came to look for food,’ he replied. ‘Where did you come from?’ ‘I was in the safe room in my house in Kfar Aza.’ I was shocked. ‘But there is no one here anymore! Everyone was already taken from Kfar Aza!’ ‘I don’t know anything about that,’ he replied. ‘My wife and I came outside, and we didn’t see anyone, but I was hungry, so I went to look for food.’
“When I heard the old man’s words, my heart broke. The world had just come to an end in their village, and suddenly, these two old people just appeared out of nowhere, roaming around, with no idea of what had occurred. It was mind-boggling. I took the couple to an ambulance and gave them something to eat and drink, and we sent them to the hospital, where they would meet with a social worker who would take charge of their case” (Angels in Orange, The Shaar Press, p.116-117).
The pasuk tells us: אֹֽיְבֵיכֶֽם לִפְנֵ֖י תְּקוּמָ֔ה לָכֶם֙ וְלֹא־תִֽהְיֶ֤ה אָ֑יִן וְרֹדֵ֣ף כְּמִפְּנֵי־חֶ֖רֶב אִישׁ־בְּאָחִ֛יו וְכָשְׁל֧וּ - Each man will trip over his brother, as if fleeing from the sword, but without anyone chasing after you; you will not be able to stand up against your enemies (Vayikra 26:37). On the words: every man will trip over his brother, Rashi, quoting the Sages, teaches: Each man will stumble because of the sins of his brother, לָזֶה זֶה עֲרֵבִין יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁכָּל, for all of Israel are guarantors and are responsible for one another (ibid).
The fate of one Jew is the fate of another, and the destiny of our nation is the destiny of us all. Lest any one person think he can escape the story of Am Yisrael, the Torah tells us otherwise: you are all responsible for one another.
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zt’l, the Rav, teaches: “Our fate does not distinguish between aristocrats and common folk, between rich and poor, between a prince garbed in royal purple and a pauper begging from door to door, between a pietist and an assimilationist. Even though we speak a plethora of languages, even though we are inhabitants of different lands, even though we look different - one may be short and dark, the other tall and blond - even though we live in varying and unequal social and economic conditions - one may dwell in a magnificent palace and the other in a miserable hovel - we still share the same fate. If the Jew in the hovel is beaten, then the security of the Jew in the palace is endangered. ‘Do not imagine that you can escape to the king’s palace from the fate of all the Jews.’ (Esther 4:13). Both Queen Esther, garbed in royal apparel, and Mordechai the Jew, clad in sackcloth, were caught in the same web of historical circumstances. ‘Chaverim kol Yisrael, All Israel are knit together’ - we will all be pursued unto death or we will all be redeemed with an eternal salvation” (Megillat Esther Masoret HaRav, p.87).
In the aftermath of Oct. 7 and the terrifying and terrible events that have occurred in the eight months since, we can only daven that the verses of nechama (comfort) in our parsha shall come to fruition immediately and in our days.
אֶזְכֹּֽר וְהָאָ֥רֶץ אֶזְכֹּ֖ר אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֧י וְאַ֨ף יִצְחָ֜ק אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֨י וְאַף֩ יַעֲק֑וֹב אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֣י וְזָכַרְתִּ֖י - and I will remember the covenant of Yaakov, and also the covenant of Yitzchak, and also the covenant of Avraham I will remember, and the Land I will remember (Vayikra 26:42).
May the mercy of HKB”H be aroused (Tehillim 79:8), may our enemies fall before us and not vice versa (Vayikra 26:7-8), may the groan of the captives come before Him (Tehilim 79:11), and may HKB”H remember us while we are in the land of our enemies, never utterly rejecting us to annul the eternal covenant of Am Yisrael with our Merciful Father in heaven (Vayikra 26:44).
May we learn the lesson of collective responsibility (quoted above) and recognize finally that we have sufficient enemies without; and only our brothers are our friends within.
When we return unto each other with ahava and achva (love and brotherhood), and return unto Hashem with passion, love and desire for His Torah and mitzvos, perhaps then the geula will come and we will merit the promise of: מַחֲרִ֑יד וְאֵ֣ין וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם בָּאָ֔רֶץ שָׁלוֹם֙ וְנָתַתִּ֤י, and I will put peace in the land, and you will lay down and fear no one (Vayikra 26:6). For as Rashi comments on this verse: כְּלוּם אֵין שָׁלוֹם אֵין אִם, if there is no peace, there is nothing...מִכָּאן הַכֹּל כְּנֶגֶד שָׁקוּל שֶׁהַשָּׁלוֹם, from here we learn that the blessing of peace equals all other blessings (ibid).
קִנְאָתֶָֽ שׁאֵ֜֗כְּמוֹ־ תִּבְעַ֥ר לָנֶ֑צַח תֶּֽאֱנַ֣ף ’ה עַד־מָ֣ה - Until when, Hashem, will Your wrath burn forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? (Tehillim 79:5);
כְּקֶֽדֶם יָמֵ֖ינוּ חַדֵּ֥שׁ וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה אֵלֶ֨יָ֙ ’ה הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ - return to us, Hashem, and we will return to You, restore our days as of old (Eichah 5:21).
שלום ושבת טובות בשורות בברכת
