Bring Them Home NOW: A Call to Unity from the Heart of Vayishlach

This week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, calls us into a moment of profound possibility. It echoes in the urgency of our time—a time when families are separated, fears are overwhelming, and the need for unity feels more critical than ever. We are living through days of relentless advocacy, with the families of hostages enduring 430 sleepless nights, pleading with the world to act, to care, to bring their loved ones home.

In Vayishlach, we meet Jacob at a crossroads of his own. Afraid for his family’s welfare, he prepares to confront his estranged brother, Esau. The pain of their separation, the weight of their shared history, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead are palpable. Jacob sends a message to Esau: “I lived with Lavan. (Gen. 32:5)” These words, rich with layers of meaning, are Jacob’s way of saying, “I have not forgotten who I am. (see Rashi)”

But Esau’s response—approaching with 400 men—fills Jacob with terror. The Torah tells us: “Jacob was greatly frightened in his anxiety” (Genesis 32:8). Fear drives him to divide his family into two camps, hoping that if one is attacked, the other might survive. This moment, born of fear and strategy, mirrors a sensibility that shaped Jewish history for millennia—the scattering of our people to ensure survival, the painful necessity of diaspora.

Yet here we stand today, the children of Jacob, now Israel, a nation reborn and strong. And still, the fear of division lingers. The divide between Israeli and diaspora Jewry, between factions within our communities, feels as fraught as Jacob’s camps. But the Torah’s message to us, as descendants of Israel, is clear: Do not divide. We are stronger together.

Jacob emerges from his fear transformed, limping from his encounter with the divine. He receives a new name, Israel—one who wrestles with God and prevails. Like Jacob, we carry the weight of our history, our wounds visible, yet our identity strengthened through struggle.

Today, as we pray for the safe return of hostages, as we work tirelessly to bring them home, we must remember that we are one people. Their pain is our pain; their freedom is our freedom. Jacob’s story teaches us to acknowledge our fears but not to let them define us. Instead, we must reaffirm our unity, refusing to be divided, refusing to stop striving for wholeness.

So, friends, let us stand together and say with unwavering conviction: Bring them home now. Let these words be our prayer, our rallying cry, and our promise. Share this message. Write to your leaders. Send your heart to the east. Do everything within your power.

And as we say these words, let us also remember Jacob’s journey. He walked away limping, forever marked by his struggle, yet carrying a name that reminds us of our shared strength and resilience.

We are Israel. We are one. Until every captive returns, until every family is whole, we remain a fractured unity. But today, we declare our belief that something has shifted. We believe in the power of this moment, and we will not stop until we bring them home.

Sing it. Pray it. Demand it. Let the world hear: Bring them home now.