There couldn’t be a greater illustration of the stark differences between Israelis and the other side than what we’ve witnessed over the past two weekends. A euphoric atmosphere took hold of our country when first three and subsequently another four young women, who had been held in Gaza’s death tunnels for over 15 months, stepped out of that white Red Cross van and onto Israeli soil.
The reaction was astounding as joyful cries, shouts of jubilation, tears of gratitude, street dancing, and even audible prayers of thanksgiving could be heard everywhere. Undoubtedly, as the world looked on, many probably asked: Why would there be such a response over the freeing of just seven people?
Or, perhaps the better question is: Why would we agree to enter into a very flawed deal, knowing, in advance, the deadly risks it presents for all of us as we let terrorists with so much blood on their hands go free, endangering the general public?
For those who don’t understand, it is the very high esteem that is placed on the gift of life by the Jewish nation, a charge which is the very basis of the Torah ordinance “Choose life” (Deut. 30:19). It is due to this ethos that we are willing to allow 1,000 terrorists to leave their jail cells, knowing that their goal is to take part in yet another October 7 massacre.
Conversely, the willingness to risk so much is also a good sign. Despite over two years of bitter infighting among ourselves, we still embody the “House of Israel,” a biblical reference used to emphasize the collective over the individual. We live together, perish together, and take risks together, and that is what makes us unique from all other nations.
Sacred commitment to life
We have put aside major differences and political ideologies and revel in the lives of seven beautiful women, who are now able to feel the warmth of the sun on their faces and be enfolded in the love of their families and friends.
LIFE IS everything, and fulfilling our obligations to one another is a sacred vow that we do not take lightly. It is the reason that, just hours before the ceasefire, a well-coordinated effort was carried out between Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the Mossad, and Shayetet 13 (Israel’s equivalent of Navy Seals) to recover the remains of St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul.
Shaul was one of several soldiers who, in July 2014, entered the Shejaia neighborhood near Gaza City in an armored personnel carrier with six other soldiers. Everyone inside was killed when it was struck by a Kornet anti-missile. Likely, it was a captured Hamas operative who spilled the beans, giving us the exact location where Shaul’s body was being held. Wasting no time, the daring operation was executed, finally bringing him home after 10 years to have a proper burial.
This represents the abiding contract between the IDF and soldiers’ parents, who are promised that none of their sons or daughters will be left behind, just as the patriarch, Jacob, was carried off for burial in Canaan, rather than being left in Egypt, where he’d been living. We never abandon our own – whether alive or dead – because we live in accordance with a divine code, which we are commanded to follow.It is as a result of those core beliefs that we have been able to survive, throughout millennia, as evil people sought to erase us from the face of the earth. It is our zest for life, through our Creator, who has preserved our comings and goings, causing us to overcome the prejudice, jealousy, and unbridled hatred that never seems to subside but, rather, resurfaces with each new generation.
That awareness is what fuels our desire and commitment to protect one another in the face of persecution and death because we do not aspire to meet our end, as do the blind followers of ideologies that praise destruction and the ending of one’s life.
These seven women, Romy, Doron, Emily, Liri, Karine, Naama, and Daniella, embody our saying, “Am Israel Chai” (the people of Israel live) along with the continued victory in that, no matter how hard they try to kill us, they will not win because we are a people set apart by the Almighty, who has promised to never abandon us as a nation before Him.
Consequently, we remain a clan whose hand of mercy extends to others during their own tragic events. We help those in need and rush to the afflicted because it’s our way of living – and tangible evidence of a people who love life, committing themselves to its preservation.
TO LOVE our neighbors as ourselves requires the willingness to jeopardize our own state to save others. In this case, we have literally made a bargain with the devil for the sake of 33 individuals, whose lives mean everything to us.
We do so, as the remnant of the six million, whose legacy we are and whose memory we honor, as we extract our precious ones from the pit of hell, whether alive or, as Staff Sgt. Oren Shaul, in a body bag.
So, while the world may scratch its head in wonder, trying to figure out who we are, let them not forget that we are the same people who built a thriving metropolis from the ashes of death. Gathering up the life that still remained, we have blessed nations, people, and civilization through the many gifts and talents that have been bestowed upon us – none of which would have existed had we chosen death.
It is only through the choice of life that we get to fulfill our destiny, both for ourselves and for everyone around us.
This is best exhibited when we remember who we are as opposed to warring with one another over meaningless nonsense, which only ends up dividing us into bickering factions that destroy the unity under which we were meant to live.