We will continue to sing…

The sweet tenor of the singer’s voice wafted gently through the warm dusty night air soothing the crowd of Jerusalem concertgoers like a warm nectar slowly pouring over our souls. Swaying to the gentle rhythm of his band, mouths moved in unison forming the collective vocalization of familiar lyrics that need to be heard over and over. Against the backdrop of the newly completed National Library – a Noah’s ark-like structure that houses the greatest literary treasures of our people – Eviatar Banai serenaded the young and old, religious, secular, and everyone in between. Mizrachim, Ashkenazim, soldiers, civilians, tourists, visitors, and more joined in the communal prayer of his songs.

“עד מחר, עוד מעט…”
“Until tomorrow… Just a little bit more.”

As he sang part of the refrain from one of his most well-known songs, I saw tears stream down the cheeks of those around me. We all were too painfully aware of the newly adopted context in which these words were being sung.

How much longer will this go on? How much more can we take? When will they come home? And if only, God willing, can it be tomorrow?

I arrived in Israel to join the “Week of Goodness.” The Week of Goodness is an initiative of the families of all the hostages, who have been running to the ends of the earth to do everything possible to help save their loved ones. Seeing as they have yet to see the results, they and we all want, they are dedicating one week, July 14 -21, to inject goodness into the world through volunteering, studying, giving tzedakah, praying, singing, and more. The week is approaching its end and will culminate by fulfilling the 613th and final mitzvah in the Torah which is to write (or contribute to the writing of) a Torah scroll.

A Week of Goodness was a way to increase awareness of the 120 hostages still in captivity and is a beautiful reflection of the inherent goodness of Israeli civil society. To launch the week, hundreds gathered in Jerusalem’s “First Station’ to sing. No words or speeches, no slogans, platitudes, or political pandering, just song. Just emotion and outpouring of love and goodness.

Much of Israeli society is holding each other, trying to find the good, and wondering if maybe, tomorrow will bring an end to their suffering.

“עד מחר, עוד מעט”- “Maybe tomorrow, or just a little bit longer”?

This comes during the week of Parashat Balak in which we hear the story of the famous bait-and-switch bracha given by the sorcerer Bilaam to the Israelite people. Instead of cursing our people, as he was hired to do, Bilaam is persuaded by his donkey to utter words of blessing reminding us that we are in fact good.

מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

How Good are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel! (Numbers 24:5)

…

אֵ֚ל מוֹצִיא֣וֹ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם כְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥ת רְאֵ֖ם ל֑וֹ יֹאכַ֞ל גּוֹיִ֣ם צָרָ֗יו וְעַצְמֹתֵיהֶ֛ם יְגָרֵ֖ם וְחִצָּ֥יו יִמְחָֽץ׃

God who freed them from Egypt
Is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
They shall devour enemy nations,
Crush their bones,
And smash their arrows. (Numbers 24:8)

The blessing in the Torah is for the Israelites to be a “good” people and devour their enemies. This sentiment from the Bilaam’s blessing perfectly mirrors the tension felt in Israeli society today – to push for a deal that will release the hostages or to carry on with the war effort to “devour our enemies” and achieve (a loosely defined) victory.

In the hallways and conference rooms of the Knesset, the family members of the hostages have coordinated their efforts to talk with every passerby, speak at every committee meeting, and remind the decision-makers that they cannot continue like this much longer.

As I walked through the hallways and meeting rooms talking with several hostage families, the tension was thick as a different group was milling around sending contradicting messages. They were wearing t-shirts that read: “Only pressure on Hamas will free the hostages”.

They are associated with Netanyahu and the far-right block who, in contrast to most hostage families, are against a deal and advocate for the continuation of the war.  Minister Ben Gvir prayed this week for the release of the hostages without “a reckless deal, without surrender.” What more is that on the eve of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington DC, where he will meet with President Biden and address the U.S. Congress, the Knesset voted late Wednesday night to pass a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. (A principled stance rather than in reaction to an actual proposal).

This week, as we prepare for the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington D.C., we carry the echo of Banai’s refrain “Ad machar? Od m’at…”  Maybe a deal is imminent, and hopefully we can end our collective frustration that the war has gone on too long with no end is in sight.

This was an incredibly meaningful and important week to be in Israel to come together to do good, and to spread that good to the far corners of the earth. Next week will be an important moment to be in Washington, to hold up a sign with a picture of one of the kidnapped hostages – someone’s child/sibling/parent/grandparent/loved one – and simply demand: “ad machar, od m’at?”

Until that happens, we will continue to sing, pray, hope, organize, and mobilize to bring them home and let us all spread our goodness to the world.

Shabbat Shalom.