Clergy Blog

זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו 

This is the day that the Eternal has made, let us revel and rejoice in it (Psalm 118:24)

Dear Friends,

This week, the ceasefire and hostage return deal took hold. After two years of anguish, we may finally be witnessing the beginning of the end—hostages coming home, the war winding down, and the possibility of healing.

We've hoped before. We've celebrated small victories only to watch them collapse. But this time is different. Hamas has agreed to the core terms. The Israeli cabinet has approved the deal. Gazans want it. Israelis want it. Arab nations are backing it. And the United States is pushing with full force. We’re seeing movement too. The IDF is pulling back. The 72-hour window for Hamas to return the hostages has begun. For Israelis, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of Omri Miran, one of the hostages and the son of Danny Miran, who we met at Hostage Square last February— was in Washington this week lobbying for the deal. In an op-ed in the New York Post, she wrote:

"Over the past weeks, I have witnessed something I thought was impossible: momentum. The outlines of a deal that could finally end this horror are within reach. If this deal succeeds, it will not only bring my husband home—it will restore hope to an entire region. It will prove that even the darkest moments of human cruelty can be answered with moral clarity and determination."

The prophet Micah dreamt of a time when all would "sit under their vines and fig trees, and none shall make them afraid" (Micah 4:4). He didn't know when that day would come, but he knew that hope was the key to making it happen. So let's hope. Let's pray. Let's help wherever we can.

Let's celebrate too. This Simchat Torah—two years after October 7th shattered our world—we need to gather as one people to affirm life, community, and Torah. Join us Tuesday, October 14th at 6:30 PM for services with lively music and a celebration we've been waiting for.

עשה שלום במרומיו הוא יעשה שלום עלינו ועל כל ישראל ועל כל יושבי טבל ואמרו אמן 

May the One who makes peace on high make peace for us, for all of Israel, and for all life. And let us say, Amen.

Shabbat shalom and Moadim L'simchah,

Dave