Of course, each of the hostages returning home is a world unto his/her own, and means the world to their family and friends, and indeed all of our people. But we’re also starting to hear stories and snippets of individual hostages heroic survival under the very challenging conditions, 475+ days and counting under Hamas captivity. This week, this Parsha Bo 5785, when we read of the final 3 Plagues inflicted on Egypt and of the very first Passover, and the Exodus of the Jewish people – we got to “meet” and hear about a few hostages released at this time, whose image and stories hit home…
GADI MOZES
The image of Mr. Moses, at age 80!!, having survived 480 days of captivity at an advanced age, making his way through the crowded masked Hamas (and other terror groups) armed to the teeth, guns drawn – in a purple shirt, top few buttons open Israel-style, with a slight smile on his face. Unfazed! Unbroken! (Obviously one can not know the extent of the torment of the soul going through all that, but at least in the picture…) he comes through with tremendous inner strength.
They say he argued with his captors as to the rights and history of the Jewish people in the land of Israel. He kept his sanity in solitary confinement by doing math problems and other mental gymnastics.
In these Torah portions of Bo and Beshalach, we read of the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt “B’Yad Rama!” which Rashi translates as a bold, public strength! May we in our life situations, when facing adversity and challenge, come through with the stamina and strength of a 80-year-old Gadi Mozes…
The image is powerful enough, but there’s an art piece by digital brushstroke artist Ilan Block who paints the terrorists in the background abstract as lizards and serpents, and the serenity and half-smile of Gadi Mozes comes in strong in the foreground. It’s a very powerful piece. I thought about this image much of Shabbat.
There’s a famous verse (also a song) from Tehillim/Psalm 23: “Even as a walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me!”
AGAM BERGER
The week prior when a number of hostages were released, we already started hearing about Agam Berger. She braided the hair of her fellow hostages as a sign of resilience, strength and a semblance of human dignity. The day of her release her family asked people to braid hair in her honor, and our High School did that at the local Maimonides School, too.
Then stories started to emerge of her refusing to cook for her captors on Shabbat. And her refusal to eat meat throughout her captivity for Kosher reasons. Obviously, the laws are suspended in circumstances when there’s risk to life, such as in Hamas captivity. But this personal stand of religious conviction and connection, these small but major acts of resistance, are a tremendous testament to her and what she lived for.
In the helicopter coming home/to the recuperating hospital Agam held up a sign about how her faith kept her – and how she is returning in that faith… there’s another Ilan Block painting of Agam Berger and this saying and testament of faith.
This is a call to all of us! What do we stand for with such conviction and power? What do we hold onto so tenaciously cdespite tremendous grave challenge as Agam did?
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Gadi, Agam – all the hostages…. these are reflections we can learn from!