Our
hearts tremble over the fate of the three dear teenagers who were
kidnapped. The heart of the Nation is
trembling. You learn from here that we
are one Nation. In the Exile we were a
scattered and dispersed Nation among the other nations - scattered not only
geographically but also spiritually, from one another. We have now returned to being one
Nation. "And who is like Your
Nation Israel one Nation on Earth" (Shmuel 2 7:23). We no longer say that each of us is on our
own. We all feel the distress of our
kidnapped brothers.
We
feel and we pray for them. Some learn
Torah to bring about their release, and others light candles, and some do
uncomparably more. These are the
soldiers who enter deep into the cities and fields, and who risk their
lives. This is the greatest gift, since
there is nothing more precious to a person than his life.
This
is our motto: All for one and one for all!
Although this is not a Jewish saying (its source in Latin), we have
adopted it for ourselves. Truthfully,
though, it has been our motto from the moment we crossed the Jordan River and
swore that every Jew is responsible for one another. During the Second Temple Period this
unraveled, and we reached a point where each person was out for himself. To our great distress, this was the only way
for us to survive. But towards the end
of the Exile Jewish solidarity returned, "All Israel becoming
comrades" (Birkat Ha-Chodesh).
Every Jew concerned about every other Jew, everyone working for the sake
of one person. This solidarity was
preparation for returning to a state of Klal Yisrael. We returned to being one Nation. Three teenagers are kidnapped, and it is not
"their" issue in which we help out, rather it is all of our issue, a
national issue, a Klal Yisrael issue.
Some
pray, some light candles, some learn Torah, some cry. And above all of them, is one who takes his
weapon and his life in his hand for a fellow Jew. When one Jew is in danger, a million rise up
to save him.
"And
who is like Your Nation Israel one Nation on Earth".
