Our Hope at the Time of Shavuot

I am probably going to date myself, but bear with me. In High School, there was not much time for TV. Living far from school, we would get home, eat dinner, and run up to our rooms to complete hours of homework. We usually watched shows only on Sunday nights, or Thursday nights. But, the half-day on Friday meant that we could get home, help bake or cook, and then turn on our favorite Soap Opera to catch up with the “Conclusion” of the week. Sure, we did not know everything that happened, but it was easy enough to figure out between school van gossip, and the Friday re-cap.

One fave was Days of Our Lives…and the love story of Hope and Bo…to a teenage girl of the 1980’s, it was a dreamy romance of crazy ups and downs that always lead to their romantic love for each other. We used to recap the unrealistic situations on the van ride to school. We also followed them in the tabloid gossip magazines…it was the Tik-Tok of our generation, I guess…obsession with a character plot, and obsessively following week after week with the absurdity of it all. 

At some point, we all made fun that “Hope” was תקוה in Hebrew, and “Bo” reminded us of the Hebrew word בא. We surmised that the two were fitting, it was the hope and determination to always “come” back together that kept this crazy love story going. FYI, Days of Our Lives is still recording! Helping housewives, teenage dreamers, and elderly geriatrics keeping hopes and dreams alive!

The truth is, תקוה, or HOPE, is a part of the fabric of our existence. We named our youngest daughter, Tikva, aka Tiki, to remind us of this eternal hope of the Jewish people. 

The prophet Jeremiah (known as Yirmiyahu in Hebrew) was given the difficult task of sharing his prophecies with the Bnei Yisrael to change their wayward ways, and to give up their idol worship to properly serve God in the Holy Temple.  Even after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, Yirmiyahu was faced with the Bnei Yisrael holding onto false prophesies of the “נביא שקר” charlatans that disputed Yirmiyahu’s wisdom. He was the underdog, the one who was defied by many because of his unpopular message. Ultimately, Yirmiyahu was thrown into a dungeon by King Zidkayahu, where he remained until Jerusalem was destroyed. He was set free, but not by his own people, but rather by those trying to plunder every nook and cranny of Jerusalem. 

After he was released, Yirmiyahu cried for his brothers and sisters, With love in his heart, he continued to encourage the Bnai Yisrael to be strong in the exile. He gave them a vision of future glory and return from exile to the redemption 70 years after the Destruction of Jerusalem. His words and prophecies became a legend and a mainstay of hope for those who returned with Ezra and Nechemia to be a part of the era of the Second Temple. (Sherman, Nosson, The Stone Edition Tanach, 2010).

The first prophecy of Yirmiyahu is that of 

וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר: (ירמיהו פרק ב פסוק א)

הָלֹ֡ךְ וְֽקָרָאתָ֩ בְאָזְנֵ֨י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה זָכַ֤רְתִּי לָךְ֙ חֶ֣סֶד נְעוּרַ֔יִךְ אַהֲבַ֖ת כְּלוּלֹתָ֑יִךְ לֶכְתֵּ֤ךְ אַֽחֲרַי֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּאֶ֖רֶץ לֹ֥א זְרוּעָֽה: (ירמיהו פרק ב פסוק ב)

The translation is as follows: 

“The word of Hashem came to me saying: ‘Go and call out in the ears of Jerusalem saying ‘So said Hashem, I remember for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following me into the wilderness, into an unseen land.’ (Jeremiah, 2:1-2).

One of the commentaries asks: Why use the word הלוך? According to the Radak (Rav David Kimchi, of Provence, France 1160-1235), this form of the word is in the ציווי form. It is a commandment, a demand by God. It is strong language that usually comes with a command from HKBH. It is a form of the verb form used in instances such as זכור את השבת / Remember the Sabbath.  This shows utmost importance that is not to be delayed or ignored by Yirmiyahu. 

God tells Yirmiyahu to remind the Children of Israel to remember where this all started from. It was blind faith of a small people, being tortured and captive as slaves in the foreign land of Pharoh’s Egypt. Yet, it was a young nation, eager to be married to their faith, and their destiny to follow God into the desert, towards an unknown land, and an unknown future. 

Faith in itself is a very important key to the Jewish identity. As the Jewish people, we have a shared story, a history that is transcribed in the Bible. And, whether our people remain steadfast to the commandments, or fail, there is still a collective faith. Rav Adin Steinsalz explains: 

“The point of choice, the leap of faith, is made in a variety of ways. For some people, the moment of the leap to faith is an overwhelming, unforgettable experience…Many more people, however, never have an epiphany, but they still have faith. In the real life of both sinners and saints, faith is not always such a tremendous, overpowering emotional experience. Some people do not even know that they made the leap; they just take a step without even noticing, and then they find themselves on the other side. Only if they are introspective can they, perhaps, pinpoint the moment of change by retracing their personal history” (Steinsalz, Adin, 1999, Simple Words: Thinking about What Really Matters in Life).

So, if we return to Yirmiyahu, we see that one of the first moments God asks him to remind the Jewish people of is that of the “leap of faith” that they took as they left Egypt. They left everything they knew…to follow a God that promised a better land, and a life of freedom from slavery, and freedom to practice their newfound religion. 

What is the element behind this leap of faith? How can we describe it? We all have moments where we take this jump into the unknown. In everyday life, it could be as simple as skiing for the first time. Or, tasting a new hot and spicy Moroccan dish. But, what causes us to take those hard-core leaps into the unknown abyss. What causes people to cry to God saying the שמע ישראל prayer when they never had said it before in their lives? What causes a person to look up to the Heavens on a “bad day” and say “God, I know you see me. Thank you for being there!” These are also faithful moments that are part of our essence that we cannot necessarily pinpoint, but we know it is part of our נשמה, our true spirit given to us on the day we were conceived.

These moments of tested faith are also connected to our תקוה, our hope. If it were not for our hope, we would not be able to withstand tests of faith. Some may argue that hope is just the act of being optimistic. But, Rabbi Saks (2005, To Heal a Fractured World, p.166) taught the following:

“Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope is an active one. It needs no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to hope. The Hebrew Bible is not an optimistic book. It is, however, one of the great literatures of hope.”

Hope is the ability to actively be a part of making this world a better place. It takes gumption and conviction to do so. It is not a light concept, and it is not simply an idea. It is an action that people take when faced with ש test of faith, or extreme circumstances beyond comprehension. It is a part of the “leap” we make each time we are faced with these situations. Hope and faith are actions that are part of the very fabric of our being. Without these unique facets of our lives, we are nothing.

This reminds me of the famous poem titled “Hope is the thing with feathers”, by Emily Dickinson (American female poet 1830-1886). Emily Dickinson was a reclusive poet at the end of her life. Her vast collection of works had been found after her death. Her sister took the initiative to publish her sister’s incredible works. She is considered one of the great American poet laureates of her time. 

Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickenson

Hope is the thing with feathers-

That perches in the soul-

And sings the tune without the words-

And never stops -at all-

And sweetest in the Gale is heard

And sore must be the storm-

That could abash the little Bird-

That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land-

And on the strangest Sea-

Yet -never- in extremity

It asked a crumb – of me.

This poem describes “Hope” as a strong-willed bird that lives within our soul. It sings its song no matter what, throughout this great Earth. Yet, it never asks anything back in return. Hope has been a constant to the writer…throughout all storms. It never asks for anything in return, but is always there. It is as if Hope is the bird that is perched upon our soul and does not move, but rather keeps a constant tune…it sings and gives strength at times when we are challenged. It is also the form of a bird, which can fly and soar above our troubled times. It can rise above the “storms” found on the “strangest Sea” of life as we know it.

It is fitting that this poem was written during the late 1800’s, for it is the same time-period that Naftali Herz Imber, a Ukranian Jewish poet wrote the “Hatikvah”, which was used as the National Anthem of Israel, that all know and love. Adina Ellis, in a recent article about Hatikvah notes that “the lyrics proclaim עוד לא אבדה תקוותינו, we have not lost hope” (2024, Times of Israel “There is hope, Hatikvah”). These words are actually derived from the famous Vision of the Dry Bones prophecy in Ezekiel/Yehezkel.

Before I review the prophecy, just a little bit about Ezekiel ((known as Yehezkel in Hebrew). He was a prophet during the time of the Jews exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. His prophecies were of great hope, and at times of  strong rebuke. He found despair as his own wife died of a plague during this tumultuous time. This became a symbolic event that was used to describe similarity between the loss of the relationship between the Jewish people and the Holy Temple. Ultimately, Yehezkel becomes the source of hope and triumph for the Jewish people(Sherman, Nosson, The Stone Edition Tanach, 2010).

In the vision of the Dry Bones, Ezekiel(known as Yehezkel in Hebrew) is shown the vision of the rising and coming back to life of bones. The vision becomes a vision of hope. The people give up their despair from death, as the “corpse” of bones regenerates and comes to life. It is a vision of the time in which the Bnei Yisrael will rise again from the depths of despair and unite, as the descendant of David becomes a King once again, and the Land of Israel becomes a Home for the Bnei Yisrael, under the guidance of God. 

The vision itself has God speaking to Yehezkel  saying in 37: 11-14:

יא

וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ אֵלַי֒ בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם הָעֲצָמ֣וֹת הָאֵ֔לֶּה כׇּל־בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל הֵ֑מָּה הִנֵּ֣ה אֹמְרִ֗ים יָבְשׁ֧וּ עַצְמוֹתֵ֛ינוּ וְאָבְדָ֥ה תִקְוָתֵ֖נוּ נִגְזַ֥רְנוּ לָֽנוּ׃ 

יב

לָכֵן֩ הִנָּבֵ֨א וְאָמַרְתָּ֜ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם כֹּה־אָמַר֮ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִה֒ הִנֵּה֩ אֲנִ֨י פֹתֵ֜חַ אֶת־קִבְרֽוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם וְהַעֲלֵיתִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם עַמִּ֑י וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֶל־אַדְמַ֥ת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ 

יג

וִידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה בְּפִתְחִ֣י אֶת־קִבְרֽוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם וּבְהַעֲלוֹתִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם עַמִּֽי׃ 

יד

וְנָתַתִּ֨י רוּחִ֤י בָכֶם֙ וִחְיִיתֶ֔ם וְהִנַּחְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם עַל־אַדְמַתְכֶ֑ם וִידַעְתֶּ֞ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֧י יְהֹוָ֛ה דִּבַּ֥רְתִּי וְעָשִׂ֖יתִי נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה׃

“Son of Man, these bones – they are whole House of Israel. Behold they are saying ‘Our bones are dried out and our hope is lost, we are doomed…Therefore say Behold I am opening your graves and raising you up from your graves, My people, and I will bring you to the soil of Israel. Then you will know that I am Hashem….”

The phrase עוד לא אבדה תקוותינו is to remind us of this very vision. Even in the depths of despair, we did not lose hope. This was chosen as the National Anthem immediately after the terrible atrocities of the Holocaust. Despite losing 6,000,000 brothers and sisters, we fought to establish a National Homeland for the Jewish people. We did not lose our hope, we only became stronger. 

The Hatikvah Anthem continues,

עוד לא עבדה תקותינו

התקוה בת שנות אלפיים

We have not lost our hope, Our hope is 2000 years old!

This hope is stronger than a fleeting moment, it is the essence of the Jewish condition. It is the part of our soul that continues to courageously fight for survival. It is our lifeline. It defines us.

At this time of the War of Swords, it has been a rollercoaster of shock, loss, pain, and devastation. On October 7th, our country was caught in a terror attack that caused irreparable damage to our country. We lost 1,139 people who lived, worked and toiled for this land. It was the largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. We also had 251 people taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists. At present time, we have 116 hostages remaining in Gaza. The pain is intense, and it is real, as we lose soldiers daily in the battle to end the Hamas tyranny and bring our hostages home.

Throughout it all, we have beacons of light that give us hope. Rachel Goldberg Polin, and her husband Jon have been outspoken regarding the hostage crisis since Day One. Their son Hersh was wounded before taken onto a truck and brought to Gaza as a hostage. Several weeks ago, a video of Hersh surfaced. It gave us all a glimmer of hope. He was alive…this brave soul was alive! 

A friend of mine told me that she saw Rachel Goldberg Polin being interviewed after seeing the video. She said that when the government alerted them that a video was going to be published of Hersh, she agreed to share it on the news. Then, she immediately told her parents not to watch it until they spoke to her. Rachel told them of the video, and said “He is alive”! Her father broke down in tears, crying for 10 minutes straight. He told her that they supported her continuous faith, demonstrations, and appeals to world leaders. But, that he honestly thought Hersh was gone. This video restored his hope, and made him cry as he realized that he was weaker than Rachel and Jon. He had lost his hope. 

Rachel Goldberg Polin was just filmed in a prayer circle that met of Chabad ladies at Kever Rachel. She said: “We know, and you know that the answer from this will come from Hashem. But, we do not know who the כלי will be, we do not know who will be  the vessel, who will be the vehicle. We do the hishtadlus of running to talk to people who are supposedly important, and influential and powerful. But, you know, and we know where the answer is coming from. We are just doing the hishtadlus. I feel with all my heart, and I know with all my heart that Hersh ben Perel Hannah will come home. I just don’t know when, and I just don’t know how. But, he’s coming home. We have to daven for all of the hatufim and hatufot, We actually palpably feel your tefillot, so please don’t stop.”

Rachel’s honesty, her emunah, and her hope are an inspiration. It is no coincidence that her Hebrew name is Perel Hannah…Perel is pearl in Yiddish. Hannah is our famous prophet that was ostracized for praying to herself, instead of praying aloud. Eventually, the community accepted her practice, and our private prayers are a result of this amazing woman. And, here we are, encouraged by Rachel Goldberg Polin’s pearls of wisdom she shares with the world, as well as her constant reminders to continue to pray and to use this positive energy to encourage our glimmers of hope. 

Our prayers may have been the conduit for the four kidnapped victims who were returned to Israel on this past Shabbat, June 8, 2024. I do not think we will ever forget the elation, the high felt knowing that the IDF had rescued Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrei Koslov and Shlomi Ziv from their captors in Gaza.  Hearing the news restored our hope in the possibility of a swift return of all of the hostages. May our prayers be a conduit for this. Every prayer is sparked by our hope to change this reality, and again live in peace and harmony in our blessed land of Israel.

As the blessed Hatikva Anthem states, in its own prayer and premonition:

להיות עם חופשי בארצינו, ארץ ציון וירושלים.

“To be a free nation, in our own land, A land of Zion and Jerusalem.” May we all remember this simple hymn as we celebrate the blessed holiday of Shavuot. 

התקווה

כֹּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה

נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה,

וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח קָדִימָה,

עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה;

עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ,

הַתִּקְוָה בַּת שְׁנוֹת אַלְפַּיִם,

לִהְיוֹת עַם חָפְשִׁי בְּאַרְצֵנוּ,

אֶרֶץ צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַיִם.

לִהְיוֹת עַם חָפְשִׁי בְּאַרְצֵנוּ,

אֶרֶץ צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַיִם.