The heartbeat of the Jewish nation is beating wildly. Ran Gvili “the first one in — the last one out” is on his way home.
The last hostage from the terrible October 7th catastrophe finally found.
My emotions swing wildly across the full spectrum of emotions.
Ron, isn’t alive. This isn’t a surprise. It’s his body that has put the entire Jewish nation on pause. Healing, moving on impossible, as long as the last hostage is yet in captivity. Today ends a 843 day ordeal.
I feel a deep sense of connection with the whole Am Yisrael today. A personal sense of relief with Ron’s family. A deeper connection with Ran himself although it’s only his body that returns home.
Bittersweet.
The Israeli PM start the Knesset session with a blessing of thanks as he dons his Kippa and recites the Shehecheyanu.
A blessing of thanks. That too I need process. It’s a powerful moment. My mind wanders back 843 days. That brutal day. The worst massacre by far since the Holocaust.
Yet then there’s the abundance of miracles that has ensued. A broad embrace from on high. Gd loves his people that’s clear. “Gd chooses HIs people Israel with love”.
So why let it all happen?
The unanswerable question. They’ve asked this question for millennia. Every answer more inadequate than the next…. Yet today isn’t a day for questions. What good are questions —they just leave me in a semi dazed state.
No. Ram Gvili deserves better …
I scroll further to read more about Ran, the efforts to locate his body — the reaction of his family.
It’s here that I find my direction. The unit that finds Ran, sing the Ani Maamim. The ultimate prayer of faith. Tears flow freely. Kaddish is recited. It’s now the soul pounding.
The unit carrying the body of Ran chant Psalm 121 — “he neither sleeps nor does he slumber” - no he doesn’t and he also doesn’t divulge the reason for so much pain and suffering…
Ani Maamin— I believe. It’s one of the 13 fundamental principles of faith. No matter how bad or hopeless it seems.
And then the penny drops. It’s the faith and the courage to believe ,that brought Ran home. It’s the sanctity of life that is the cornerstone of Judaism that ensured that Ran is coming home. It’s the blessings of thanks that we direct heavenward that ensured the Ron is coming home.
First in last out — the Jewish ethos. Welcome home Ran, I for one will draw from your inspiration and double down on my commitment to ensure that Am Yisrael Chai!!
P.S. An extra mitzvah today in Ran’s honor will ensure that his life continues into perpetuity!