Love, light, and faith

What a privilege it was to be among the hundreds who came out in support of the event hosted by the Jewish National Fund and The Base Shul at Sandton Shul last week to honour and support freed hostages Moran Stella Yanai and Noa Argamani!

These two incredibly brave women inspired the South African Jewish community. I was overcome with humility and awe, not only from hearing the details of their harrowing ordeal – which no-one should ever have to endure – but by witnessing their courage and tenacity to raise awareness of the 101 remaining hostages through a message of love, light, and faith. From where does this inner strength and powerful resolve to motivate people originate? The resilience of ordinary people, just like you and me, doing extraordinary things to make a difference in the world around us?

Our recent Torah readings have returned to the narrative of our first patriarch, Abraham, and his life partner, our matriarch, Sarah. The Mishnah (Avos 5:3) teaches that Abraham endured 10 defining challenges. Through these tests, he revealed to Hashem, to the world, and to himself his strength of character. All the commentaries agree that one of these 10 major trials was the call to Abraham to leave the comfort of his land, birthplace, and father’s home to teach the world the concept of monotheism. This was done together with the values of kindness and compassion, for which Abraham and Sarah would become renown. Most commentaries explain that this was, indeed, the first of his 10 tests. However, Rashi reminds us that before Abraham was charged with revolutionising the world, his formative years included two major challenges. His pagan nemesis, King Nimrod, placed a bounty on Abraham’s head, forcing him to hide underground for no less than 13 years in fear. Eventually, he was captured and tormented until he was flung into a burning furnace from which he was miraculously spared. Only then, says Rashi, did the task of influencing the world for good begin. They were faced with extraordinary challenges. In spite of, or perhaps because of their ordeals, they understood the importance of inspiring the world with a message of peace, love, and faith, bringing the light of morality and dignity to a world steeped in suffering and chaos.

These are our forebears. This is the Jewish heritage from which we descend. Our spiritual DNA comes from Abraham and Sarah, who passed it on to Isaac and Rebecca, then to Jacob, Rachel, and Leah, and the 12 tribes of the Jewish people, eventually reaching us. We’re the nation in this world still charged with the mission of teaching love where cruelty dominates. We’re the people who bring righteous values and morals to a world beset by vindictive malice, motivated by selfish gain at the peril of others.

Moran and Noa left me feeling proud and inspired to be part of am Yisrael, to have brothers and sisters who can, like our ancestors, find the inner determination to light up the world from the depths of darkness.