Simchat Torah 5784, or as the world marks it Oct 7, 2023 we lost 1,200 precious souls and 240 hostages taken. With so many initiatives, programs, demonstrations, volunteer opportunities and a roller coaster of daily emotions of grief, fear, hopefulness and inspiration, for many of us it feels like years have passed — but in reality, it has only been a few short weeks.
On that fateful day we were completing the yearly cycle of reading the Torah, and a powerful pasuk was read early that morning.
דברים, ל”ג, ה: וַיְהִ֥י בִישֻׁר֖וּן מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּהִתְאַסֵּף֙ רָ֣אשֵׁי עָ֔ם יַ֖חַד שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Then [God] became King in Jeshurun; When the heads of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together.
Rashi jumps in on the spot to explain:
בהתאסף. בְּהִתְאַסְּפָם יַחַד בַּאֲגֻדָּה אַחַת וְשָׁלוֹם בֵּינֵיהֶם, הוּא מַלְכָּם, וְלֹא כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ מַחֲלֹקֶת בֵּינֵיהֶם
(ספרי דָּ”אַ)
Another explanation of בהתאסף: When they assemble together in one band and there is peace between them, only then is He their King, but not when there is dissension among them (Sifrei Devarim 346:1).
In Israel, within hours the Jewish nation received the message. Over 300,000 reservists stopped their lives and drafted immediately. When they did so, millions of worried families joined in willingly to this אגודה אחת. The level of volunteerism has been just incredible.
But not only Israel, the Jewish community worldwide has risen, awakened, and a call for action has spread across the continents. Not only significant financial support, but Jews standing up speaking loud and clear in support of Israel and its mission. Through media and recent incidents, the sentiment is that the streets outside of Israel have been taken over by Hamas supporters, antisemitism spreading like wildfire from college campuses to Jewish communities, and a general public feeling of being unsafe as a Jew and especially standing up for it. And then came Washington on Nov. 14!
Thousands of Bnei Akiva members and alumni came from over 45 different communities from all over the U.S. and Canada. We are inspired by the thousands of high school and college students that joined with their respective schools and alma maters.
So unique to this rally was the incredible emphasis on youth. Bnei Akiva has always known the power of our youth; it is our driving force. As a youth movement, we were proud to join with other movements and organizations for the youth pre-rally, which truly brought our young leaders to center stage. An especially proud moment was seeing Bnei Akiva member Yishama Orlow, a senior in high school. in front of the huge crowd leading the rally and sharing our strong message to Klal Yisrael.
More inspiration came from seeing firsthand the incredibly quick planning and turn around — all with a focus on unifying everyone in attendance. A gathering that every Jew felt a connection to — including our close partner Ishay Ribo, as he gathered the 300,000 person crowd in tefillah, reciting Tehillim, Shir Hamaalot — all to unify in prayer for the hostages and chayalim.
Hearing the commitment and continued unwavering support of Israel and the Jewish people by politicians, community leaders and others was reassuring during these turbulent times. For Jews to say we aren’t afraid to stand proud as Jews, we know the אגודה אחת is happening.
As a youth movement, it is incumbent upon us to take these words of inspiration and put them into action. We continue to push forward with ongoing programming, initiatives and support for Israel and all of the Jewish people. One such program took place the very next day as we stood in front of 1,200 high school students at one of our partner schools, Yeshivat Frisch, with Ishay Ribo. Together, we spoke words of inspiration, shared in music and singing together, cheering a full-hearted עם ישראל חי! The song showcasing our resolve and davening for the return of our hostages, a safe return of our חיילים and a full recovery for all the wounded and families who have been shattered — all unified together as one.
Rav Shaul Feldman is executive director of Bnei Akiva of the U.S. and Canada.
