Mission Rebuild

On Monday night, I had the privilege to hear Gadi Moses, the 81-year-old hostage survivor from Nir Oz. He spoke to us with quiet courage about returning to the kibbutz without his murdered wife and his determination to rebuild it. It was deeply moving. The message was unmistakable: the survivors will rebuild—but they cannot do it alone. They are asking us for help, because what they are doing is not only for themselves. They are ensuring that Israel survives and thrives as a Jewish state, and that is a responsibility we all share.

Gadi reminded us of something profound: there is a covenant that binds all Jews together. We are responsible for one another, and we share an indivisible destiny. Hidden even deeper in his words is what binds us together. At Sinai, we stood together “like one person with one heart,” and accepted God’s covenant to bring His light into the world for all humanity. The place where we are tasked to do this, is of course, the land of Israel. It is this covenant that transfixes the entire world.

As I listened to Gadi, I couldn’t help but think of a verse from this week’s parsha. After farmers declare that they have given all their tithes and shared their produce as commanded, they turn to God with these words: “Look down from Your holy abode, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the soil You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.”

The return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel in 1948 was not only to create a safe haven, but a Divine turning point. It presents an opportunity to build an exemplary society in the Land—one worthy of being sustained by God’s blessings that spill over for all humanity. The question it leaves each one of us with is: what are we doing to help build Israel into the beacon of light it is meant to be.