Dear Friend,

So says the Lord: A voice is heard on high, lamentation, bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children for they are not.

What does it mean to refuse to be comforted? Why does our Matriarch Rachel refuse to be comforted?

We've spent this week in a paradox of emotions:We’ve seen the evil in Nir Oz Army Base. We’ve seen the horror at Nova.

We’ve experienced the longing with Sharon Sharabi at hostage square.We’ve experienced deep pain with bereaved father Uzi Rosenzweig for his son Aitan.

We’ve also seen the resilience of our people. We've seen the beauty of the Jewish souls healing in the Sheba hospital in Tel Aviv (and my particular honor in meeting former hostage Maya Regev and witnessing her inner strength). The heroism of the 15 Chayalot burned alive at the Nir Oz Army Base - visions of the holocaust.

We’ve seen the unity of Israel while dancing with the soldiers at the army base in the south - oh these young precious souls, these young heroes. We’ve heard of the faith of our people with Menachem Kalmanson who together with his brother Elchanan and nephew Itiel saved over 100 people from Kibbutz Be'eri, before being wounded and his brother being fatally shot.

There are emotions too difficult to carry around. One wishes to unload them. To escape them. And indeed people do, we do.

Through rationalizations, anger, and sometimes very unhealthy escapes.

To be with these feelings is to refuse to be comforted. To not become immune to the pain. To not become callous.

Our mother Rachel, the Prophet tells us, refuses to be comforted, she refuses to find excuses even for G-d. She waits for G-d Himself to bring the comfort.

The quickest way to the light is through the darkness. Being here in Israel has been very special. It has been very difficult. The light is bright! Very bright!

Please know that Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael are strong! There are hard times behind us and I suspect hard times ahead.

Let us stand together with inner conviction and inner light knowing that we are One with a BIG G-d who embraces us with big hugs.

And then let your light out and share it with another, through the study of Torah and Mitzvos and give of yourself to strengthen community local and abroad.

Here are two stories that I leave you with as we enter into Shabbos here in Jerusalem.

One of the places we witnessed was the Shura Army base. This is where the bodies, and body parts from the massacres were brought to for identification. I"ll spare you the details of what was shared with us by the IDF Rabbi Bentzi Mann.

One of the rooms that we saw is called a Cheder Prayda - a departure room. This is where the caskets (all victims of terror are buried in caskets so as not to tell how much of the body does or doesn't remain) are brought and where the family has a few moments together before heading to burial.

A young soldier named Yaroni, had been killed in Gaza. Bentzi told us that when Doron, Yaroni's older brother was in Cheder Prayda saying his farewell, he stood outside the door and heard him singing Hamalach Hagoel from within.

Hamalach Hagoel is a song that is often sung to children as they are going to sleep. It is a prayer that the angels should protect and bless the young.

Bentzi asked Doron to share why he sang that song. Doron explained that his parents had divorced when his brother Yaroni was just 3 years old, and he decided to help put his younger brother to sleep every night and sing Hamalach Hagoel. He wanted his brother’s final sleep to include that song as well.

The second story is best told by Rami himself. We heard this story live from this living superman, a living superhero Rami Davidian. Check it out here.

May you and yours be blessed with the ultimate comfort this Shabbos! With all my love, all my heart from Jerusalem.

Candle Lighting in Atlanta 7:36 PM

Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman

JLI - The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute