PEACE DEAL
The Rambam said that there is no greater mitzvah than the freeing of captives and I pray that on their day of reckoning, H-shem remembers those who freed our hostages.
It is impossible to grasp the profundity of a historic event in real time. If President Trump’s peace deal carves a path to enduring stability in the Middle East, it would be a gift to the entire world, not just the region. I am cautiously optimistic. I also never expected to be jubilant when the war concluded, nor when the first images of the released hostages emerged. I hold space in my heart for conflicting emotions: elation for the return of the living; despair for those returned in body bags; adoration of Am Yisrael’s grit and fortitude; and disgust for the deafening silence of the “Ceasefire Now” crowd.
I caution everyone to really read the 20 points of this peace plan. With their grandiose morality-play in tatters, haters have already falsely accused Israel of breaches (sit down, Scotland, the destruction of the remaining Hamas tunnels is point 13). Are the disrupters traumatized by the end of war, indifferent to peace, worried about the loss of their protest stipends, or simply fear feeling unmoored without a cause célèbre? It is surreal to witness such cognitive dissonance.The refusal to celebrate peace only proves that it was never really about a ceasefire, or bogus claims of genocide, but the eradication of Israel and the hatred of Jews. Antizionism was simply a gauzy front for old-fashioned Antisemitism. I think many have been lying to themselves about their purpose, just as much as they’ve been lying to us.
To wit, Israel agreed AND affirmed its cease-fire commitment, locking itself into a deal with serious problems; namely, leaving the disarmament of Hamas to phase 2, without a plan to get there. Israel latched on to the deal because it frontloaded the hostage’s release. However, Hamas’s victory conditions are backloaded. Gaza will not be annexed or settled by Israel, rather there will be rehabilitation and massive building. Any Gazan who has left, or who chooses to return, has the right to do so. There’s wall-to-wall Arab and Muslim-majority country support. There’s infinite money and bottomless sympathy. Gaza has a chance to become what it should always have been: a beautiful emirate with off-coast natural gas reserves, like Singapore on the Mediterranean.
That is the vision! Israel is on board. It’s literally the best possible outcome for Gaza. And that is exactly why it is the worst possible outcome for Hamas. Hate Israel all you want, but continuing to support Hamas…seriously? Who wants to side with the group that built the most comprehensive bomb shelter system in human history, and didn’t let a single civilian into any of those 500 km of tunnels? Who forcibly used their civilians as human shields? There is currently no greater suppressor of the Palestinian people than Hamas. It is impossible to continue to pretend that the pro-Hamas campaigns overlap with any interest in a better future for Gaza. But it was never about Gaza. It was about the rolling wave of fundamentalist bigotry that’s circumventing the world. Yes, the world, not the region.
So, while we remove the “Bring Them Home” dog tags from our necks, and recite the Shekiyanu as we bring down our hostage campaigns, I hope that the symbol of the yellow ribbon endures. May it evolve to hold an olive branch and dove, ushering in peace not only to Am Yisrael, but to our Druze and Christian brothers in Syria, the Coptic community in Egypt, and the thousands of other minorities still living in fear in the Middle East. The thumb of radicalization has not been lifted from them; it only continues to press down harder.
On the eve of Simchat Torah, I want to conclude with more hopeful words. Jews are commanded to be a light unto the world, so even when things are dark, it is our obligation— no, our privilege — to illuminate. It bears repeating that Judaism does not subscribe to coincidence. So while the peace deal did not perfectly overlap with the English calendar, on the second anniversary of October 7th, it did beautifully align with the Jewish calendar. If judgement is written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur, it is delivered on Hoshanna Rabbah. During this holiday, in preparation for Simchat Torah, it is customary to stay up all night to study and pray. And the Jewish nation was wide awake, waiting for the release of our hostages! When Gilad Shalit was returned in 2011, it was on Hoshannah Rabba. After 2 years in Hamas captivity, our hostages were also returned on Hoshannah Rabbah. In Beresheit (Genesis), Yosef is called "HaShalit al ha'aretz", the "Ruler over the land." The word “Shalit” means one who rules (recognize that surname?). Stories repeat themselves. Today's hostages embody the suffering of Mashaich ben Yosef. They were alone, unseen, exiled in darkness, yet their pain awakened an entire nation to cry, pray and plead for return. They are the living mirror of Mashiach ben Yosef. In the entire Talmud, he is mentioned only once, linked to a specific day: the seventh and final day of Sukkot, the "Hoshanna Rabbah," which literally means "The Great Salvation."
As we exit Hoshanna Rabbah and mark the eve of Simchat Torah, the most joyous day of the Jewish year, when the Torah isn’t just ink on parchment, but breath that animates the soul, may we also leave space in our hearts for those who will forever light yahrzeit candles and say Kaddish for their dead on this day.
"And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made Sukkot and dwelt in them: )...) And there was exceedingly great Joy.
Nehemiah (8:17)
Am Yisrael Chai…and Happy Birthday, papa.
Kelly