Am I happy about this deal? Yes!
Am I super angry about this deal? Yes!
Am I proud of this deal? Yes!
Am I disappointed about this deal? Yes!
Am I hopeful about this deal? Yes!
Am I petrified by this deal? Yes!!
So here’s a shocker for you. Life isn’t social media. Social media is black or white. Life isn’t.
Two things can coexist and this deal is both incredible and absolutely terrible.
But like many people, I can’t shake this terrible feeling. I can’t ignore the list of monsters we are releasing.
I can’t avoid the videos of the sickos dancing as if they achieved some victory. I can’t swipe past the endless evidence that our enemies duped the entire world.
I am finding it increasingly difficult to feel the joy I should be feeling about our people coming home.
I am finding myself doing a lot of self talk.
So here’s what I’m saying to myself.
They’re coming home. They’re coming home!!
These are our people and they were taken from us. Now we’re bringing them home.
We need to be proud of that. But we also need to remember that as moral people, as an ethical society, we have no choice. We really don’t.
As a country, if we were to let our people continue to rot in the dungeons of hell, what right do we have to exist?
Of course I realize how steep the price is. I realize it more than most. I experienced it. Watching the monster who murdered my brother get out. I know the pain. We’re all feeling it. Trust me, I get it!!
We are not like them. We value life. We must back up those values with actions.
How can we let out so many monsters? Won’t they end up costing us more lives? Trust me, I get it.
But we can’t leave them in there. That’s all I know.
We also need to think about someone else. Our kids. Our soldiers
.
Children who haven’t experienced what children are supposed to experience: life.
Two years. Some of these kids haven’t lived for two years.
Sure, they are proud and heroic. They’re not asking for this. But we owe it to them to let them live.
They can’t go on forever.
These kids achieved spectacular military achievements. But they need to be able to take a deep breath and live a normal life. We owe that to them.
Is it the type of victory we wanted?
Did Hamas come begging on their knees like we imagined in our dreams?
Did they wave a white flag and beg for mercy?
Did they even admit they lost?
No.
Remember all those other wars Israel won?
You know; the war of independence.
You think our enemies admitted defeat in those wars?
They didn’t.
Does anyone have any doubt who won those wars?
No.
So we won this war. We achieved things even we didn’t think possible.
We forced Hamas to give back our people without us leaving Gaza, something they never would have agreed to if they weren’t forced to.
I’m reminded of the famous song we sing on Passover. Dayenu.
If you’re not familiar, here’s a little bit about that song.
We list all the miraculous things G-D did for us when we left Egypt and we say that had He done only one, it would have been enough.
Had G-d taken us out but not given us the Torah? Dayenu. It would have been enough.
Had G-d given us the Torah but not brought us to the land of Israel? Dayenu. Would have been enough.
Then the song concludes thanking G-d that He did all of it.
If this war would just have achieved the end of Hezbollah? Dayenu.
If only Deif was eliminated? Dayenu.
If only Sinwar was killed? Dayenu.
Iran’s nuclear program? Dayenu.
The Iranian leadership? Dayenu.
Houthis leadership? Dayenu.
But we didn’t only accomplish one of those things. We did it all. And so much more.
Hashem helped us do it all!
AND we are getting our people back. Not gonna lie. There were moments, many moments where I thought we’ll never see any of them. That they’re all dead.
They’re not. They’re alive. They’re coming home.
Please, for one second, close your eyes.
I mean it. Close them. For a second.
Imagine a relative you love. Someone you are very very close to. Your dad. Your brother. Your cousin. Whoever.
Ok, imagining that person?
Now imagine they were taken. Imagine they spent two years in the depths of hell. Imagine you thought you’d never see them again. In fact, you were sure you’d never see them again.
Now imagine you were just notified that they’re coming home. Imagine you were just told that you’ll get to hug them again. In two days. Imagine knowing you’ll have many more years with them.
Can you imagine that? Can you imagine how those families feel?
Can you imagine if you were told that we could bring your loved one back but decided not to because the price was too steep?
Can you imagine how you’d feel?
Then you get it. We have to bring them home.
So we’ll get them back. Then we’ll figure out the other objectives of the war.
No one here thinks for a second that we will ever live with the threat of an October 7th 2.0 on our borders again. We won’t.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here.
Let’s get them back. That’s all I care about right now.
What happens next will happen next and we’ll take care of that next.
So yea, for now I’ll celebrate every one of the incredible achievements of the war and I’ll celebrate the hostages coming home.
As far as the rest of it, I have confidence that we have a real friend in the White House. Actually we have many friends in the White House.
I have confidence that Netanyahu won’t agree to go back to having Hamas on our borders. I know that no amount of diplomatic pressure will change that. He’ll withstand the pressure. He’s proven that.
But above all, I have confidence in Hashem. He too has “Proven Himself” these past few years.
The miracles we’ve seen are endless and when I say miracles, I mean miracles.
I mean aerial defense systems that, by any stretch of the imagination should not have worked as well as they have.
I mean multiple defense systems that were never designed to work together working together flawlessly.
I mean thousands of rockets, missiles, and drones that should have killed thousands falling in empty spaces.
G-d has made it abundantly clear that we are gonna be ok. He’s showed us that He has our back even when it’s hard to understand.
It’s a new Middle East. There’s already talk about Arab states extending their hand to Israel for peace.
Things are going to be ok. They’re going to be better than ok.
For now, let’s get those people back. Let’s give our children the privilege of living life. Let’s continue to sing Dayenu. Let’s realize that the song isn’t over and G-d has more tricks up His sleeve, tricks that’ll lead to the real end of Hamas, to a more peaceful region, and to the eventual realization that Am Yisrael Chai.
We’ve been saying for two years that we will dance again. Let’s give ourselves that opportunity and let’s dance together as our loved ones are all reunited in two days from now on Simchat Torah, the day that they were taken.
Or just another miracle in the long long line of miracles.
For now, let’s get them home and say together in a loud voice, Dayenu!!
So, where will you be watching them cross over the border on their way to meet their families?
See this picture? More of this please.
