From Brokenness to Strength — Reflections from Parashat Ki Tisa and October 7

By Julia Loeb, WLCJ International President

In Parashat Ki Tisa, we read of the golden calf, and of Moses smashing the two tablets when seeing the people dancing around and praying to the idol. But, even in that tragic moment, Moses does not give up hope for the Jewish people. He insists that God, after punishing the instigators, forgive the Jewish people. God does forgive, and Moses ascends the mountain to receive a set of new tablets written by God. Moses sings the praises of God’s mercy—the 13 attributes we say repeatedly on the High Holidays and throughout the year. 

The duality of the highs and lows of this parashah speaks strongly to me this week, as I have just returned from Israel on a mission representing Women’s League with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. In Israel I had the privilege of meeting with Aviva Siegel who was kidnapped from Kfar Aza by Hamas and released after 51 days in captivity. Her husband, Keith, continues to be held by Hamas. We also met with soldiers, politicians, and evacuees from the South, and now the North, who are refugees in their own country. We met with first responders who witnessed the results of the horrific attacks and residents from the Kibbutzim that were destroyed. In Israel, you cannot escape the overwhelming tragedies of October 7 and its aftermath.  It is simply heartbreaking. At the same time, the pervasive resilience of the Israeli people is breathtaking. 

              
(left to right) Shir Siegel and Aviva Siegel                             Photo of Kibbutz Nir Oz after October 7

At our Shabbaton, Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields taught about a Talmudic phrase, eilu v’eilu divrei Elohim Chayim—both these and those are the words of the Living God. This phrase is used to describe two seemingly incompatible concepts, which nonetheless exist together. That is how I felt in Israel, seeing the memorial to the 360 people killed on the grounds of the Nova Music Festival, hearing artillery shells in Gaza and drones flying overhead as we said the El Malei Rachamim prayer, and seeing the destruction at Kibbutz Nir Oz. Eilu v’eilu— signs of death, and the pervasive strains and dangers of war were everywhere, but at the same time I experienced great pride and joy as I learned about the bravery and strength of our brothers and sisters in Israel.

In Israel, instead of Trauma Centers they have Resilience Centers. That to me was very telling. The people are committed and unified to carry on, to not let this event define them, and to never allow such an attack to ever happen again. The country has suffered a devastating blow, but the way the Israeli people step up for one another, the way they give of themselves, and their resilience is what defines them in my eyes (and not the tragedy they suffered).

               
                                                  Re’im—Site of the Nova Music Festival

No better example of that resilience is Corporal Ori Megidish. She was captured by Hamas on October 7, and held in dark tunnels for 23 days, fearing for her life and suffering unimaginable trauma. On Monday of this week, she announced that she was returning to duty in the army’s Intelligence Directorate.

We were all shattered on October 7. But like the shattering of the two tablets in this week’s Torah portion, that day did not end the story. The Torah says that the shattered tablets were to be kept together with the whole second set of the Ten Commandments in the ark of the covenant.  It was done so as a reminder to the people that surviving a crisis can bring unity and strength. The Israelites carried those shattered tablets around with them through the desert and into the Promised Land and established a nation there, flowing with milk and honey.

And today, we all carry the shattered parts of own hearts from October 7. That brokenness will never fully go away, but the Israeli people have shown us the importance of strength and resilience and the true meaning of Am Israel Chai.

Shabbat Shalom,

Julia Loeb
WLCJ International President
jloeb@wlcj.org