Deprived of freedom and life as we know it —for 738 days —is beyond imaginable. Yet we’ve seen it play out in front of our eyes over the past week.
Reading about some of the released captives I was beyond inspired to read that Ziv and Gali Berman instead of using their time solely for themselves, for all they had missed over the past two years— returned to the hospital to thank the injured soldiers there, for all that they have done.
Similarly, I read of released captive Omri Miran before being discharged from hospital sent flowers to all the injured soldiers in the same hospital to express immense gratitude— and there are many more stories in this vein.
Skipping a few years — I read in the Torah of Noah as he exited the Ark (yeh, it’s more than a few years back — 2105 BCE) offering up sacrifices to Gd in appreciation for being saved. Resulting in G-d’s promise not to bring such devastation upon the face of the earth again.
Simply put, the conscious act of Noah’s recognition and appreciation, the mindfulness of a loftier code to life that extends beyond one’s own skin — was that trigger for G-d’s commitment.
Using the Torah’s words of Noah’s offering — “and Hashem smelled the pleasant aroma” — an insight into how the Divine considers acts of sacrifice, selflessness, mindfulness — submission to the Higher Power —a pleasant aroma.
Indeed, although at first glance it seems difficult for us to sacrifice and go beyond what seems to be mandated of us — we have great examples throughout history, great examples in our very own families, stories galore coming out of Israel and of course the source of all strength and blessing — The Torah —that give us the strength and focus to live our lives in a more conscious and transcendent manner.