“Now your
boys are out of Gaza you must be sleeping better at night.”
That was
what someone said to me Friday. How I wish I could have answered her in the
affirmative, but I couldn’t. The war is far from over.
My neighbor
down the hill is counting 120 days since her son was taken captive. 120 days!!!
That means 2800 hours, 172,800 minutes to wonder if he is able to eat or sleep,
if he is well or injured, if he knows she is longing, praying, and doing all
she can to bring him home. Multiply that by all the other parents, siblings, and
children who have loved ones held hostage.
Yesterday was the ninth Shabbat when I heard another neighbor
of mine reciting Kaddish for his son who fell in Gaza. It tears at my heart
every time I hear him. My boys may be out but there are so many soldiers still
there. Just yesterday Shimon Yehoshua Asulin, aged 24, was killed
in Gaza, making him the 225th soldier to fall. Even though I did not
know him, I feel sorrow.
Hotels are full of evacuees who cannot go home. Everyone
seems to think the war will start on the northern front soon. Many reservists have
already received call-up orders for the near future. Someone told me I should
stock up on long underwear for my boys. It’s cold in the north.
I know I’m not a warrior. I’m not even a demonstrator. However,
I need to do my part to win this war. My weapons are my prayers, mitzvot, acts of kindness,
and trying to bring peace with apologies and forgiveness.
My hope is that the Almighty will take notice of my efforts,
and those of all my compatriots. I pray that He will judge them favorably and,
in their merit, give our precious soldiers the ability to totally defeat the
evil of Hamas. Once that occurs, then I should be able to sleep well. May it
happen quickly!
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