Today is the 104th day of October 7th, a day we will re-live until every hostage is home. However, today is more difficult than most days since the Black Shabbat. Today is Kfir Bibas’s birthday. A nine-month-old baby who was taken hostage marks one year of life, a quarter of which has been in captivity. A day meant for unbridled joy is as dark as the deepest night of winter. All I can think of is the mantra of these 104 days, “Bring Them Home.” I pray these words each day I utter “Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael, Our Brothers and Sisters, All the House of Israel.” This prayer is one we’ve added to our services on Friday night, and it is one I’ve prayed multiple times a day, every day since October 7th:
Our brothers and sisters, the whole house of Israel, who are in distress
and captivity who wander over the sea and land —
May God have mercy on them and bring them from distress to comfort, from darkness to light, from slavery to redemption, now, swiftly, and soon.
Recently, I saw a video of thousands of Jews gathered at the Kotel praying these words. Immediately, I thought, in our darkest hour, we have chosen to unify and raise our voices in prayer and song. While our enemies seek our destruction, we seek peace. Our future is uncertain, but I firmly believe that we will face whatever comes with the millennia-old strength of our people.
Join Jessica and me this Shabbat to bring that strength of community together.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Max
