Inspiration is found in all sort of places — challenging places included.
The past 16 month is a perfect example. The pain we all well know and have strongly felt — yet the rays of light, nestled between details of pain and heartbreak have been nothing short of incredible.
Last week I was reading about the release of hostage Eli Sharabi who was in captivity for 490+ days — an eternity. Details of his treatment and poor conditions slowly emerging yet right there in the story was the name Kobi Levi.
Kobi actually didn’t know Eli personally but that was of no consequence when he saw a post from Eli’s sister on Facebook looking for a volunteer to put on Eli’s tefillin daily praying for his release. Kobi wasn’t a daily tefillin wearer — yet that too was of no consequence when he committed to laying the tefillin daily. Not an insignificant commitment to say the least.
Upon Eli’s release, Kobi wrote Levi a letter of love and hope that ended with “you’ve touched my heart and I look forward to meeting you again — better days are ahead I’m sure”.
Kobi moved by Eli’s plight and Eli no doubt moved by Kobi’s gesture. Connecting over the timeless mitzvah of Tefillin— transcending the limitation of time and space. One in captivity one in freedom over the performance of a mitzvah that has been at the forefront of Jewish life for over 3300 years.
I think of the myriads of good deeds, gestures and mitzvas that were done since October 7th and recognize that behind the ugly face of evil which pervades the news and too often our consciousness —there is a way greater force of goodness, love, hope, connection & faith at play. It is this that should be pervading our conciousness with way greater attention.
Good news and deeds— may not sell newspapers, but it has, kept us alive and flourishing, for millennia.
Inspiration “is” found in all sorts of places and as a course of action for Am Yisrael it’s up to each of us to fortify each other with acts of goodness, kindness and Mitzvah!!