Over the last several weeks as we held our breath waiting, hoping and dreaming for an outcome that would have truly been a miracle, something struck me. It was amazing to me how in the search for the three kidnapped Israeli teens, all eyes turned to three individuals. As if on cue, all cameras were set in the direction of the heartfelt pleas, outpouring of thanks and words of encouragement of three formidable women, the mother’s of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali.
It was they who stood at the forefront of every interview, who traveled to rally the UN to help end the search to find their boys and who profusely and continuously thanked the hundreds of thousands who expressed support and solidarity throughout. We know them each by name, Rachel Fraenkel, Bat Galim Shaer, Iris Yifrach. And while I’m sure they were no less concerned or involved, I have absolutely no idea what the names of the dads were.
Not too shabby for a trio of observant Jewish women.
They were poignant, graceful and modest. Didn’t make a scene but made a point. Didn’t make noise but were surely heard the world over.
These are women who know their role. Who understand what it means to be the anchor of the home. Who appreciate that the entire future of the Jewish nation rests upon them. This is a Yiddishe mama, a true Jewish mother.
A woman who realizes the incredible powers entrusted within her. That she holds the key to the whole family. That her primary focus in life is to steer her husband and children in the direction of Torah and good deeds. She teaches her children the value of life but that along with that sometimes G-d does some unbearable, unthinkable things that are beyond our understanding yet we accept them with dignity and with love as we do the rest. They show by example that with hate you get nowhere, yet in unity we are indomitable. They encourage their sons to go to Yeshiva, their husbands to go to minyan and their daughters to be proud and beautiful ambassadors of the Jewish people. And that everything else is secondary.
Then it all made sense. When we pray for a sick person's physical recovery, we invoke the mother's name; while when praying for a deceased person's soul, we use the name of their father. This is because the mother is more associated with the body and the father with the soul. Specifically, it is the mother who holds the pulse. It is she who keeps the Jewish heart beating.
In very stark contrast, there was another woman who made a headline, albeit a single one, a headline nonetheless. Entitled: “The shocking comment from the mother of one of the prime suspects in Israeli teen abduction”, she said that if her son committed the crime, she would be “proud of him.” Quite frankly, this is not in the least bit shocking. To me, shocking would have been should she have condemned this most heinous and evil act. What can society expect from the child of such a mother? If this is what he is being lullabied to sleep and awoken to every morning, shocking would be if he grew up with moral, decent values.
Yet, these are people we are told who covet peace. With whom we shall live side by side.
Let me tell you something my friend, peace can come and it will come to those who deserve it and to those who truly pursue it. Haters have their day, but they don’t last very long, as have the mighty Romans, the communists and even the Nazis. But with the strength of the yiddisher mamas at the helm as in years gone by the Jewish people will always rise above. Because don’t you know, good always prevails over evil.