The time has come for you to step up. We are living in unprecedented times. The events that have occurred and the actions of many of our heroes will be recorded as another victorious chapter in Jewish history.
Our enemies outnumber us greatly, and we face many odds against us, yet we are all united and stand together as one. We continue to place our emunah and bitachon in Hashem, and with Hashem’s help Am Yisrael will prevail. We will rebuild, flourish, grow and prosper, like we had to do so many times, after our enemies attempted to destroy us. With every victory, we had kind, wise and beautiful women, who played an integral role in saving klal Yisrael.
The question we must now ask ourselves is: What role do we want to play in the history of our nation? Will you be like Ester HaMalkah, and Yehudith, who risked their lives to save Am Yisrael? Or will you hide away safely in your comfortable palace? As women, wives, mothers and sisters, we must be the light, role models and shining examples for our families and communities. We must dig deeper than we have ever done, and find inner strength to lead our families and nation through such horrific tragedies.
When your children and grandchildren ask you how you dealt with this disaster, we must be able to respond: It was really hard, but we dug really deep and responded with strengthened emunah, like Aharon did when he heard about the death of his two sons. Make sure you tell them about all the women heroes who united to support each other, davened and risked everything, physically, spiritually and financially to support our brave soldiers and save Am Yisrael. Make sure part of your story includes telling them that you flew to Israel to help the many families and soldiers, and that when you couldn’t go, you encouraged and strengthened Abba to go. Tell them how graciously you emptied your bank accounts for Klal Yisrael’s survival, just like it was the women who donated all their jewelry to build the Mishkan.
While we are flooded with many stories of brave soldiers battling and being moser nefesh for all of Klal Yisrael, I want to bring to our attention and support our heroes behind the scenes, the many wives left behind. These women have been left home alone for several weeks, without their husbands’ help and support. Many are pregnant and giving birth without their husbands by their sides. Children are home a lot of the time, as schools have scattered schedules, since the bomb shelters cannot accommodate all the children in the building at one time. These women are running homes on limited and no income coming in.
“Sisters in Arms” is a wonderful initiative started by Limore Klienman, a shaliach in Miami, whose husband went back to Israel to serve. Beyond the valuable financial contributions given to these women, care packages are sent to the children and women specific to the needs that would benefit that family. The donations sent are used to purchase items from small Israeli women-owned businesses, whose livelihoods have been affected by the war. To donate and support our heroes behind the scenes: https://forms.gle/gmU2oAs4irFkqb258.
May the beauty of Jewish women radiate and shed light to all of Klal Yisrael. May our faces be filled with chen, true inner beauty that comes with a loving and kind heart.
(Based on Rav Tanchum Gold’s teachings)
Sari Friedbauer is the owner of Sari’s Wigs located in Teaneck. She is a licensed cosmetologist and certified wig maker. She is available for consults and can be reached via text only at 201-694-5319.
