Vayishlach 5784 ~ Dec. 1, 2023

There is a most heartwarming story related to one of the children who have thankfully been released by the terrorist Hamas. It’s the story of Yigal Yaakov. Even if we have heard the story, it is one of those stories that brings a smile to our face. And we need some of these stories after we have heard the truths come out about the horrific conditions that many of the children and women hostages faced. And, if they are facing such ordeals, we can only imagine the situation that the men, the women, and children still held hostage, not to mention those who are being held captive from the IDF, are experiencing.

So here is the heartwarming story:

“A sofer (or Judaica store owner) tells the story of returning to work after Simchas Torah and calling customers to pick up their orders of Tefillin when one order caught his eye – the customer was from Nir Oz.

He texted the customer, Renana Yaakov, to ask how she and her family were doing. She responded that her son, Yagel Yaakov, was taken hostage in Gaza, and he is supposed to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in one and a half months.

While holding a tefillin bag embroidered with the name Yagel Yaakov, he tells how he felt awful and told her he would refund her order.

Renana responded, "Noam, you aren't refunding me a penny. Yagil will come home, and we're going to make a big celebration. We're going to need the Tefillin for his Bar Mitzvah."”

Yagil and his brother Or were returned to their mother’s arms on November 27. Baruch Hashem, Thank God.

While we hope that Yagil will have the opportunity to don tefillin and celebrate his bar mitzvah, we pray for his and all of the former hostages wellbeing, knowing how difficult the road is ahead for them.

The mere fact that Yagil’s mother held out hope through tefillin, made specifically for him to say the beracha (the blessing) over them for the first time as he became bar mitzvah, provided her with the hope that someone up above was watching over him.

There is a belief that each and every one of us has one specific mitzvah that we need to perform in our lives and, until we fulfill that mitzvah, there is an angel watching over us and protecting us from harm. (Not that there isn’t one if something bad happens to us.) And just perhaps, as there was an angel watching over Yaakov in this week’s Torah reading, as he returns to the Promised Land, after having lived with his scoundrel of an uncle and father-in-law Laban, there was an angel watching over the family Yaakov as their sons were being held hostage. And just as Yaakov demands a blessing from that angel, we as a Jewish people demand a blessing:  that an angel will watch over each and every hostage, and each and every former hostage, to bless them and provide them with many more mitzvot and good deeds to perform in the days and years ahead.  As Jacob demands of the angel of God whom he wrestles with in our Torah reading this week, we petition the same of God: “Deliver me (in our case them), I pray, from the hand of my brother… I fear may come and strike me down, mothers and children alike. You have said “I will deal bountifully with you and make your offspring as the sands of the sea, which are too numerous to count.” (Genesis 32:12-13).

(A note, the picture above is that of my cousin Sam, and a member of his unit  who is davening and wearing tefillin, during the temporary truce.)

As many of you know, we have several Beth El congregants with family members who have been directly affected by the current war between Israel and Hamas.  This week, we were relieved to learn that Jerry Fischer’s cousin, Leit Beinin, was released in a hostage exchange and was brought back to Eretz Yisrael.  Yet, in a horrific turn of events, we learned that her husband, Aviv, was pronounced dead just yesterday.  The blood of each soul who has died, is directly on the hands of each Hamas, Islamic Jihad terrorist and anyone else from Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Yemen and Iran who participated either directly or indirectly in the October 7^th terrorist attack, who planned the operation or who aided these terrorists.

We still await the safe return of Romana Strochlitz Primus’ cousin, Chaim Peri.  Romana shares the following  touching story about her cousin:

“My cousin is Chaim Peri and he is one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz. He is a kind and gentle soul, an artist and author of children's books. On Oct 7, he pushed his wife, Osnat, behind a sofa for safety.  He then surrendered himself, hoping Hamas would not examine the room closely. Hamas missed her, so she survived.”

Ella Sackett shared with me that her son Daniel is, at this moment, serving in a “safer” location as a member of the IDF. We pray for his unit and for Daniel that they, too, will remain safe and will help in defending Eretz Yisrael.

In closing, I wish that my weekly messages would not be about the hostages and about the current situation in Israel and in Gaza. One day that will not simply be a story or a dream, but it will become a reality.

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi K