My heart is aching and my mind is a blur. The shocking tragedy in Itamar, Israel where a couple and three of their young children were mercilessly slaughtered as they slept on Friday night while the Gazans danced in the streets and handed out candy. I so personally relate to the Fogel family. Perhaps because Udi was a rabbi, or maybe because the young children are about the same ages as my own or possibly because one of the soldiers protecting the borders could have been my little brother Shmaya, currently, proudly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces or simply because I view them as my flesh and blood.
One thing I know for certain, this is a war being waged by a people who celebrates life versus one who celebrates death. One who pursues peace versus one who doesn't even know what peace is. One who preaches love versus one who preaches hate.
The prophecy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menchem Schneerson, the staunchest lover of the land of Israel reverberates in my mind; "Even should one agree to give in to their demands on condition that they sign a piece of paper that they are making peace for a while, as is the wish of Peace Now, not only will this not help, but this will bring actual danger onto the Jewish people."
And so, to our enemies I say, there is no such thing as land for peace. There is no such thing as anything at all for peace. If you truly seek peace then preach peace, live peace, love peace. Peace itself is the only trade off for peace.
Do not bully us! The world around us may give in to your violent, crude and cowardly behavior, but not us. We have prevailed over the Romans, the Persians, the Greeks, the Spanish, Stalin and Hitler and we will prevail over you too. Not with our guns or our knives but with our love for the land of Israel and its people. You can destroy, but we will build. You can hate, but we will love. You can extinguish but we will bring light.
A Jewish response to tragedy is to add light to this dark world. Women around the world are uniting to light candles this Friday night, March 18, 7:12 pm local Palm Beach Gardens time in the merit of the holy souls of the Fogel family. If you do not yet light Shabbos candles, take this opportunity to start lighting them and if you already do, look up the proper local time to light them and light them then.
As we know, nothing is by coincidence, rather divine providence. This shabbos, the shabbos before Purim is called shabbos Zachor - the shabbos when it is the obligation of every man, woman and child to 'remember'. We remember how the enemies of Israel tried to annihilate us but they didn't succeed. Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens will be coming together this shabbos to remember that today too, as he has in the past, G-d will protect us from our enemies. Remember the Fogel family and what they stood for. We will be hosting'Rak Shalom', (only peace) a special ten man cappella free concert. One of the most dynamic groups in Jewish A Capella, The Huffington Post named them the fifth best A Capella in the country. Come stand up for Israel!
I have no doubt that the voices of Rabbi Udi, 36, his wife Ruthie, 35, their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4 and tiny Hadas, 3 months, will reach the heavenly throne and demand from the A-lmighty, "Enough is enough already. The Jewish people have suffered too much pain and darkness, bring on the day 'when the wolf will lie with the lamb, when the night will shine, when those who have died shall live.'"
Am Yisroel Chai!