When the news arrived, it was unclear as to the severity of the situation. The boys were teenagers; and teenagers sometimes disappear for a few hours. However, as time continued to pass it became apparent that something was very wrong. And then the official announcement: three of our boys, our sons, our pride and joy, had been abducted by those who want to kill and eliminate us. And then the panic and the worry, the dread and the waiting set it.
We feel hopeless and helpless, abandoned and disillusioned. We turned to the only source we have and that is to Hashem. We must feel their pain and feel their fear. Empathy is an important Jewish trait. We can no longer go on with our lives today as if all is normal and all is the same; for it is not.
Three of our boys are missing. They are the true “Shevuyim”- the true captives. What can we do?
Besides beseeching Hashem and pleading for His mercy to bring the boys home, we can attempt to feel their pain.
Daven for them when you enter your car today; daven for them when you hug you kids today; and daven for them as you go to sleep in your own comfortable bed tonight.
Identify with the pain of the parents; deprive yourself of some extra luxury today.
If your own biological child was missing, would you be able to take that extra piece of meat?
Or would you just eat the minimal you need to keep alive? Feel the boy’s pain; feel the pain of the parents. We are all one today. It makes no difference who you are and what group you belong to; today we are all parents of:
1. Yaakov Naftali ben Rachel Devorah
2. Gilad Michael ben Bat Galim
3. Eyal ben Iris Teshurah.
Today we all anxious parents. May Hashem bring our children home safely.
