Our Sages teach us not to be indifferent. Not to let things simply pass us by. Not to treat everything as a random occurrence, a meaningless coincidence. Not to see reality as nothing more than a collection of news stories that say nothing to us.
Let’s look for a moment at the rescue of the flydubai plane last week. Naturally, we are always looking for the “hero” of the story. But this week, there wasn’t just one hero. There was an extraordinary chain of rescue, made up of many small pieces that came together - many pieces of a puzzle.
There was the woman who heard a noise and realized that something was wrong; the pilot who had been stabbed and apparently managed to open the door; the heroes who overpowered the terrorist; and the two pilots who were there and landed the plane.
And above it all is the sense that this cannot be explained solely in rational, realistic terms. There was another dimension here - miraculous, Divine. There was something more.
Most of us will never be called upon to take control of an airplane cockpit. But we can learn much from this story about resourcefulness, alertness, and stepping outside our comfort zone. After all, they boarded that plane as anonymous passengers, probably planning to catch a little sleep, and stepped off it as heroes.
So what does a person do in a moment when no established procedure exists? And how did we once again discover this extraordinary spirit in seemingly “ordinary” Jews?
But these are only initial thoughts, while history is still being written. We should keep reflecting on this, rather than simply scrolling to the next story. After all, we are the commentators. We are the first generation telling this story.
Three years ago, we entered Simchat Torah with the leading headline focused on a Supreme Court hearing over the use of partitions in Dizengoff Square ahead of the post-holiday hakafot. The next day, the fences protecting the Gaza border communities were breached, and we were reminded who the real enemy was.
Do we remember? Have we broken free of all our old assumptions?
A year ago, we entered Simchat Torah just hours after all the living hostages had returned home, on a morning of embraces, tears, and gratitude. Since then, the hostages have asked us, again and again, to listen to their message - to strengthen our faith, our unity, and our identity.
Are we listening?
And this year, during the dramatic period we are living through, an event took place just before the holiday that will one day be recounted in books and portrayed in films. But each of us can already think about how we will tell this story around our own family table, and what we will take from it going forward.
May we know how to give thanks when gratitude is called for, to grieve when grief is called for, to feel, to reflect, and also to learn and take the lessons to heart.
The first call for the 'Dor Ambulance'
Hila Baravitz, a midwife who lives in Kibbutz Sa’ad, sent me the following story:
“Thursday evening. I’m in the middle of cooking for Shabbat when the phone rings. It’s Tzvika Rider, our neighbor, a senior medic. He tells me: ‘I have a call for a woman in labor.’
“Half a minute later, I’m already in his new ambulance, donated in memory of his son Dor, who was murdered in Be’eri on October 7, 2023. We start driving toward the entrance to Be’eri, in the area of the fields. On the way, Tzvika says: ‘How I wish there would be a birth here, in Dor’s ambulance. This is my first call with this vehicle.’
“On the way to Be’eri, opposite Kibbutz Alumim, Tzvika spots the car that called us, pulled over at the side of the road. We get out and see a woman leaning against the trunk of the car, two small children inside, and a husband who is very, very happy to see us...
“I hurry over. The woman is already in active labor. Tzvika rushes to take out a stretcher so we can get her into the ambulance. We get inside, and within seconds she gives birth. A boy. Gorgeous. Beautiful.
“We are all overwhelmed with emotion. I hold myself together so I won’t cry. With perfect timing, a mobile intensive care ambulance arrives and takes her, overjoyed, to the maternity ward. On the way back, I think about the project called ‘Potchot Tzir,’ which brings together the Midwives Association and Magen David Adom precisely for situations like these. Thank God, thanks to this project, I was there.
“People always say about a new ambulance: ‘May it only be used for births.’ And here we were, fortunate enough to experience exactly that.
“Then I think about Dor Rider, Tzvika’s son, who was murdered in Be’eri. An ambulance was dedicated in his memory, and its very first call was for a baby boy, born right on the road to Be’eri. At that point, the tears won’t stop.
“I cry for dear Dor. For my friend Adrian, the beloved midwife who was murdered in Be’eri. And for the mother whom I helped bring new life into the world. Then I go back home, to finish the cooking for Shabbat.”
“And I said to you: In your blood, live. And I said to you: In your blood, live.”
Today - Back to the beginning!
Don’t miss it: “Bereishit… In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Many of us have known these words by heart since kindergarten. But this morning, we begin again, and it’s an opportunity to add a few minutes of meaning and holiness to our day.
Immediately after Simchat Torah, we begin again with the most basic cycle of Jewish learning: the weekly Torah portion. We open with the first of the Five Books of the Torah, Genesis, and its first parasha, which bears the same name.
The parasha is read in the synagogue every Shabbat morning, but throughout the week, Jews around the world, of every age and at every stage of life, traditionally prepare for it and study it.
The parasha is divided into seven sections, one for each day of the week. It is customary to study each section together with the commentary of Rashi, the Torah’s best-known commentator. In this way, each week we can complete the entire parasha, and over the course of the year, the entire Torah.
You can study the weekly parasha on your own, with your spouse, your parents, your children, or your grandparents. You can even suggest studying with a study partner from outside your immediate circle.
You can buy a Chumash with Rashi’s commentary, or use any of the many resources available online. The main thing is simply to give it a try - and discover just how relevant the Torah is, and how directly it speaks about us and to us.
Want to read more by Sivan Rahav Meir? Google The Daily Thought or visit sivanrahavmeir.com