Hostages of Our Division

Two American hostages, Judith and Natalie Raanan, a mother and her daughter originally from Illinois, who were captured by the Hamas terrorist group during its deadly attack on Israel this month were released last Friday. But still more than 200 hostages who were abducted and taken captive remain in Gaza. While we need to make all possible efforts to bring them back, we should also realize that it is ultimately the connection between us that protects us and will liberate us from peril and suffering.

I pray from the bottom of my heart for the well-being of the hostages and hope we will be able to get each and every person out safely. I send condolences to all the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to each of the wounded.

We need to make sure that such horrors will never happen again and look at this war as the last one. We cannot sit quietly and wait to be slaughtered, we need to defend ourselves. At the same time, we should not engage in an endless conflict, but aspire to reach the desirable solution in which we live in permanent peace. However, we will be unable to eradicate war until we first attain peace between ourselves.

It is enough to remember the recent protests and shouts echoing in the Israeli streets and squares right before this war to realize how hatred had filled and clogged our hearts; the demonstrations aimed to cancel the “other side” of our disputes, and this weakened us greatly. While there is no problem in expressing differing positions and getting into disputes, it is imperative to respect each other and always keep in the forefront of our minds that we are one people.

Right now our pain is so overwhelming that our resentments are restrained, but looking back in our history, it is clear that as soon as the external enemies are defeated, our hatred from within will break out once again. And once our separation becomes evident, it plays right into the hands of those wanting to exterminate us, as they perceive us as divided, weak, and vulnerable.

The Jewish people have one particular quality through which we will either rise or fall—it is the potential of becoming “as one man with one heart.” As long as we strive for mutual guarantee, for increasing unity, we evoke a positive force capable of gradually neutralizing hatred and leading us toward a future of peace.

First and foremost as Jews, we must be an example of cohesion, understanding, and mutual solidarity above differences, which will transform us into an enlightening force for the rest of the world. As expressed by Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, “The genuine movement of the Israeli soul at its grandest is expressed only by its sacred, eternal force, which flows within its spirit. It is that which has made it, is making it, and will make it still a nation that stands as a light unto nations.”

Only our thoughts and actions directed toward unity will free us from war and will lead us to a state of calm and prosperity.

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Hostages of Our Division

24 Eki 2023

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