Hundreds of thousands of Jews attended a wedding in Israel yesterday, according to some estimations, the number could've reached a million! Jewish Communities from Australia to Texas sent representatives to participate in this deeply moving ceremony. Even Sarah Netanyahu, Bibi's wife, made a special appearance, surrounded by Israel Secret Service Agents.
The Wedding of Sarah Techiya Litman to Ariel Bigel was actually scheduled to take place last Tuesday. What should have been an ordinary wedding turned into a double funeral of the father and brother of the bride, as Yaakov and Netanel Litman had been brutally murdered by terrorists as they were en route to the the preliminary wedding celebrations.
Not just the family, but the entire Jewish nation was shaken to the core. As the family rose from Shiva last week, they bravely announced that the wedding would continue the following week. Only this time the entire Jewish People had been invited and the reception moved to Israel's largest banquet facility.
An anonymous donor from New York arranged an apartment for the newlyweds for the first three years, on him. An Israeli car company delivered a brand new car to the wedding as their gift. There were so many people in attendance that those who couldn't enter the hall simply danced outside in crowds that dwarfed those inside the massive facility! The videos of the wedding celebration being spread on social media are both heart breaking and heart warming. (Watch them here.)
How did they have the courage to persevere despite the anguish and torment that surrounded them?
The answer lies in an enigmatic passage in the Torah Portion this week when Jacob confronts the Angel of Esau and they struggle through the night. As dawn breaks and just before the Angel declares Jacob the victor and renames him Yisrael, our name eversince, the Torah finds it necessary to point out that the Angel had dislocated the hip of Jacob. This detail is apparently so important, that henceforth the Jews have always avoided eating the sciatic nerve, unless its painstakingly removed in a process called traboring. There goes Kosher T- Bone steak, filet mignon, rump and sirloin steaks, and leg of lamb, amongst other meats that originate in the hind quarters of the animal and have the sciatic nerve run through them.
The significance of this minor detail is staggering. Jacob was developing a dangerous pattern in his life whenever confronted by challenge: When faced with Esau's wrath he bolted and when faced with his father in law's dishonesty, he fled again. Now, as he prepared for the epic showdown with his nemesis Esau, he was preparing to bolt once more! After struggling with the angel, the angel ensured his strategy would preclude retreat by making him lame.
When confronted with adversity, or in our case, world condemnation, criticism and aggression against the Jews, we too can be inspired to instinctively bolt. To succumb to the bullying and cower as Jews, choosing to hide our identity and not be too Jewish in public. Yesterday's wedding was a powerful fulfillment of the Jacob's defining moment. Refusing to kneel to the sorrow, they redoubled their joy as they shared it with an the entire nation!
This message is indeed so relevant and meaningful that we must recall it each time we open a restaurant menu and consider the T-Bone!
Am Yisrael Chai: Prouder. Better. Stronger.