As a slogan, Am Yisrael Chai affirms that despite the systematic attempts to exterminate and annihilate the Jewish people, thanks to God’s guiding hand and the tenacity and resilience of the Jewish People, we stubbornly persevere. God has made an eternal covenant with the Jewish People; He has their back.
Am Yisrael Chai is also a tefilla, a longing for a united Jewish people living together in safety, security and with unity and harmony.
Called to serve in this war, our courageous and brave heroes on the front lines but also Jews and decent people everywhere in the world. Daven, learn, send funds and supplies, text, call and check in on family and friends in Israel. Rally, advocate, write letters in gratitude to elected officials and media who are getting it right, and stand up to and protest those who are grossly wrong.
As we recite in the beracha of יוצר אור each morning, עושה שלום ובורא את הכל (“Maker of peace and Creator of everything”) – once there is shalom, then there is “everything.” If we are embroiled in conflict and strife, we will remain in darkness. It is only when we transcend our differences and join together in mutual love and harmony that we can emerge from ערב to בוקר, from the darkness of exile to the light of redemption.
It must be clarified that unity does not mean uniformity. We do not need to be the same, act the same, think the same, or hold the same opinions, in order to achieve the “light” of יום אחד. We need simply to focus on all that we share in common – which far exceeds that about which we disagree – and build and strengthen our bonds of friendship despite our relatively few differences.
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, standing in Auschwitz-Birkenau at the March of the Living several years ago said, “We always knew how to die together. The time has come for us to know also how to live together.”
During this most difficult time, may the people of Israel learn to live with one another in harmony and unity. Am Yisrael Chai!
