The One Who Frees the Captives מתיר אסורים

February is upon us, and I’ll start off by quickly noting three wonderful happenings coming upsoon. They are (1) Our annual Super Bowl Fundraiser, (2) our upcoming scholar-in-residence,and (3) Purim. I hope to see you at those special events.

As you know, not long ago, the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage in Gaza, were brought home to Israel. In some ways, an incredibly painful chapter was closed. I won’t ever forget the moment each Shabbat morning in shul when Sabrina — before reading the Prayer for Israel —would intone his name, reminding us of our obligation to him and his family. In my Torah chanter’s mind, Joseph makes his brothers take an oath that they won’t leave his bones in Egypt. Ambassador Huckabee spoke with heartfelt eloquence about his taking off the yellow ribbon pin and hoping never to need to see it again. Israeli soldiers sang Hatikvah and recited Kaddish in the presence of the coffin bearing Ran Givli’s remains, and that scene powerfully drives home the Hebrew term for a funeral — levaya ( לויה ), which means ‘to accompany.’ We leave no one behind.

But another Israeli official (I can’t currently recall his name) gave voice to a deeper level of complexity to this ancient and modern imperative of pidyon sh’vuyim ( פדיון שבויים ), redeeming the
captives. He reminded us all (not that we could forget) that Hamas is very much remaining in the Gaza picture, and that they (and other terrorist groups) have taken home the lesson — hostages continue to fetch a high price; they make for excellent bargaining chips.

Terrorists in the Old World (call them pirates if you like) knew this as well, and our sages who crafted Jewish Law have been struggling over this for a very long time. That’s why the (above-cited) Israeli spokesman told us that while he was relieved to take off the yellow ribbon pin, he would be sure to remember where he put it. We are grateful that the Gvili family can finally mourn properly. The yellow ribbon pin serves as shorthand for many intermixed, complex emotions. And so, we recite the blessing thanking God for redeeming the captives, and we cannot forget the Psalmist’s words — Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.