Free at Last

Thank God, Almighty, they are free at last.

I never really expected it to happen, but I saw the faces of the hostages this morning. One by one, they came out of the vans. One by one, they were engulfed by their families. We will see much more of them in the days ahead, but I feel the relief of a father at a healthy birth. Some, at least, came through alive. Perhaps they will be reborn into life, free of the stench in which they were held for years.

Matan Zangauker was not first to return, but the sight of his face brought a rush of emotion. I recognized his mother, Einav, as she lept to greet him. More than anyone in the cohort of hostage families, Einav has been a catalyst for the return of the captives. Every day, she raised her voice against her government, tearing at the layers of deception and foot-dragging.

She understood much earlier than most that there were many barriers to the return of her son, among them the disregard of the Israeli government and its use of the hostages as strategic pawns. The longer they remained in the tunnels of Gaza, the greater the opportunity for the pulverization of the Palestinians. When she ran to her son, she cried out “My life! My life!” It was a moment of shattering, Biblical intensity.

If I were a normal boy, I would leave things here, and so I will try my best to behave with grace. There is plenty of time to talk about Trump and Netanyahu, and to parse the columns of credit and blame. We must be grateful for redemption whenever it comes, and we are living through the blessing of pidyon shvuyim, the rescue of captives from the hands of their oppressors.

Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, who kept us in life and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment of fulfillment.