January 14th will mark 100 days since Hamas’s inhuman assault on Israel.  Over 1300 Israelis have been killed, more than 12,500 rockets have been fired, 220,000 Israelis have been displaced, and more than 130 captives are still being held hostage in Gaza.

There has been real suffering in Israel and Gaza. And the same time for many of us in diaspora have been struggling for the last three months plus. But I am here and not there, what can I do? It is hard to hold hope. In thinking about this question I have been struggling with depression. In one of these moments I found myself meditating on a Pasuk from Deuteronomy. There we read:

And now, O Israel, what does your God demand of you? Only this: to revere your God , to walk only in divine paths, to love and to serve your God with all your heart and soul.

Deuteronomy 10:12

I have been humbled by the level and power of global moral depravity we have witnessed. I have been contending with my anger with God in all of this. And despite my issues of theodicy, in this humility I have found some solace in a reverence for God. But what does it mean to walk in a divine path? What is our mandate?

We learn in the Gemara:

It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: A person is obligated to recite one hundred blessings every day, as it is stated in the verse: “And now, Israel, what [ma] does the Lord your God require of you” (Deuteronomy 10:12). Rabbi Meir interprets the verse as though it said one hundred [me’a], rather than ma.

Menachot 43b

From here we learn the idea that we should all say 100 blessings a day. This is a wonderful practice in gratitude. I know this last period of time has made me count my blessings. I take nothing for granted. This gratitude has been a salve for my depression.

But is that all? I see in Rabbi Meir’s drasha of what- “ma” to 100 “me’a” something else. Reflecting on these last 100 days, I want to ask, ”And now, at this 100 “me’a” day mark what [ma] does God require of us?” 

We need to do everything we can to bring our hostages home. THIS IS AN ISSUE OF GLOBAL CONCERN. Here is a one-pager (http://bit.ly/3HaStt5)  outlining a number of initiatives from the Bring Hersh Home team, including information about the runs and rides. Minimally you can join in Hersh’s mother Rachel’s sticker campaign to raise awareness.

Tape it. Post it. Tag it. Every morning Hersh’s mother Rachel Goldberg takes a piece of masking tape, writes the number of days that have passed since Hersh was taken hostage and places it on her shirt. This ever-changing number is a reminder that with each passing day their lives are at ever-greater risk.

Join Rachel on January 14, 2024 to show that you care:

• All you need is masking tape and a black marker.
• Write the number 100 and place it on your shirt over your heart.
• Take a picture, post it and tag: #Bring_Hersh_Home #BringThemHomeNow

Please share this campaign widely. Join millions of people in giving a voice to the voiceless – BRING THEM HOME NOW!

• Facebook: Bring Hersh Home
• Instagram: @bring.hersh.home
• TikTok: bring.hersh.home
• X: @BringHershHome

Hersh and all the hostages need to be returned to their loved ones now. Reverence and prayer is not enough. We need to act and “walk in divine path”. Now more than ever, we all need to help raise global awareness and mobilize advocacy efforts to bring them home!