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Attractive FINDING LIGHT
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IN THE DARKNESS
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An Introduction by Rabbi Aron White

ust five months after celebrating its 75th birthday, Israel communities was palpable - survivors of October 7th milked their
was plunged into darkness. From 6:30am on Shemini cows in Kibbutz Alumim and restarted their printing press in
Atzeret morning, a cloud of darkness spread from the Kibbutz Be’eri, just days after the atrocities.
Jburning houses of Be’eri and the killing fields of Re’im, These painful weeks have made us rethink so many things,
enveloping the whole of Israel and the Jewish world. The joy of
Simchat Torah turned to confusion, terror and mourning, as an including the way we look at the Jewish calendar. We celebrate
joyous chagim, but we don’t usually think about how the stories
unimaginable horror unfolded.
played out in real time. We spend a few days remembering events
As the details, numbers and stories emerged, we struggled to that took place over the course of years. There were many years
even find points of reference to process the murder of over 1,200, of darkness and uncertainty before the Chashmona’im finally
the injuring of 5,000 and the kidnapping of 240 Israelis in one defeated the Seleucid Greeks, and centuries of slavery in Egypt
day. Hamas inflicted more casualties in a single day than Israel before we were miraculously freed. Those living through those
suffered through the entire second intifada. The intelligence and dark times did not know how their story would end. We joyously
When They Come to Destroy, We Build military failure that failed to prevent this surprise attack felt like celebrate their salvation, but perhaps we don’t reflect enough
on the genuine maror our people experienced before we tasted
Yom Kippur War 2.0. The shock factor of a mass terror attack on
a scale previously considered impossible felt like Israel’s 9/11. The the bread of redemption.
brutality and savagery of Hamas, the reports of which are too
painful to read and watch, recalled the horrors of the pogroms Many of us have never experienced darkness, loss and suffering
like this in our lifetimes. But just as it did on Pesach, Purim and
that Israel was meant to prevent.
Chanukah, we believe that the light of redemption will ultimately
As a nation and as individuals, we experienced in those days a banish the darkness. May these moments of light be mosif v’holech,
rollercoaster of emotions, almost all of them negative. Fear, for grow from night to night, until the light of redemption is fully
what was coming next. Confusion, as to how this could have ablaze for all the world to see. We hope this edition can provide
happened. Sadness over so much loss. Pain and anguish over you with some of those sparks, to find some of the light in the
the fate of the hostages. darkness.

M
In the midst of the darkness, flickers of light appeared. Stories of
heroism and courage began to emerge, first of individuals, then
of tens, hundreds and thousands of brave Israeli soldiers and
civilians who had run to the front lines and saved thousands of
lives. From Thailand to Mexico, planes departed for Ben Gurion
packed with Israeli reservists ready to fight for their country.
Donations of every kind poured in from Israel and around the
world, while Jews of unbelievable strength spent weeks work- Rabbi Aron White
ing day and night to provide chessed shel emet for the dead. The is the Managing Editor of HaMizrachi magazine.
determination and resilience to return and revive the destroyed

Above: The Beit Knesset in Kibbutz Sa’ad, guarded by a soldier. On October 7th, Hamas terrorists were prevented from entering the kibbutz by the brave security team. Sa’ad
was one of the few kibbutzim in the area to be spared. (PHOTO: SARAH EVRON)
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