Oct 7 — no one is an island

Reach out. To your friend, to your neighbour, to a total stranger.

October 7 saw tragedies. Horrors. Beasts.

And it saw caring. Israelis for each other, Jews across the ocean for each other. And many non-Jews who showed that they wanted to help.

October 7 taught us about what we are capable of when we really see a clear need, and we strongly want to help.

And sometimes, we help people who are total strangers, who we had no idea that they needed us. But somehow we found them, and we helped. And by helping others, we help ourselves.

What inspired me to write about all this, is an amazing story that I just read.

Here is the link. Because if I try to tell it, I won’t do it justice.

https://anash.org/how-a-shliachs-autistic-son-inspired-a-lost-jewish-woman/

It’s a story about the power of every person, even a very autistic person, to help others who need it so much, but who no one except G-d knows about.

And also, the hero of our story, a young man with autism, knew about it.

I remember that I once saw a video, where the Lubavitcher Rebbe told a father of an autistic child, that  when someone doesn’t socialize or communicate with others, they are much closer to G-d.

I also remember, that a director of special education in New York once asked the Rebbe for advice regarding educating children with special needs. And the Rebbe wrote back a letter, in which he advised that the children’s teachers should teach them in a way, and with the attitude, that one day these children will be normal.

October 7 was a terrible day. But it was also Simchat Torah, when we rejoice with the Torah, and we are optimistic that one day soon all those who need cures will be cured, and those who perished on October 7 and in the Holocaust and in past generations will rise and become alive in this physical world. And we will all rejoice with the complete Redemption with Moshiach.

May it happen very soon.