Beyond the Headlines: From Destruction Comes New Life
- Sivan Rahav Meir
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news
Lt. Col. Asaf Hamami, who fell in battle on Simchat Torah and whose body was held for over two years in Gaza, was recently brought to burial, finally bringing closure to his family.
Geula Rabi of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom sent me pictures of him visiting the kibbutz. In those terrible days of the “conception”—the misguided belief that Hamas was deterred— the residents of Kerem Shalom lived under the constant threat of sirens, with rocket fire an almost daily occurrence.
Part of their coping mechanism was through a moving communal ritual they called “planting in place of falling.” Whenever a missile barrage led to a rocket exploding in the kibbutz and creating a crater, they’d invite the community to plant a tree inside that very hole.
If the enemy already dug the pit for us, they explained, why not use it for planting? If there is already a hole in the earth, let something good, green, and fresh grow from it, something that wasn’t here before.
During one such ceremony, Hamami appears emotional, planting a tree together with the children of the kibbutz, and thanking them for inviting him.
“Many holes were dug here,” they told me this week at the kibbutz, which is now absorbing new families. “There are many gaps to fill. So much is missing.”
But the image of Hamami planting a sapling inside the crater gave them hope this week. That, they said, is his legacy: to grow from hardship.
The Holiday of Sigd
The 29th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, which this year is Wed. Nov. 29 marks the holiday of Sigd. Three young women from the Ethiopian-Israeli community shared their reflections with me:
Habtam Abebe:
“Most Israelis think Sigd is our holiday—belonging only to those of us who came from Ethiopia, not to anyone else. But Sigd is an opportunity for everyone to connect with a people who set out on an unimaginable journey: walking to the Land of Israel on foot, burying family members along the way. Yet our longing for this land is something all Jews, everywhere and in every generation, have shared. Just a few weeks ago, in Parashat Lech Lecha, we read about the very first time someone left the comforts of home and walked toward the Land of Israel. In our generation, some of us simply continued the legacy of Avraham Avinu.”
Hodaya Mekonen:
“Sigd comes from the Hebrew word segidah—bowing. When was the last time we stopped and dedicated an entire day to thinking about our connection to God and to the Land of Israel? When did we last reflect on generations of longing for Jerusalem? When did we last bow and submit ourselves to something sacred?”
Mazal Jambar:
“Exactly fifty days after Yom Kippur, Sigd arrives. Ethiopian Jews gather for a day of prayer and soul-searching. It’s a reminder that fifty days have passed since that holy day. Do you remember your promises and resolutions from Yom Kippur? What became of them? There’s a reason we launder and wear white clothing today—our souls have gathered some stains since Yom Kippur, and we need to be cleansed again.”
The New Month of Kislev
As we welcome Rosh Chodesh Kislev on Friday, do you remember what we learned in kindergarten about this month and about the upcoming holiday of Chanukah? Everything we learned then is still true today:
• Kislev is a month in which the light defeated the darkness.
• It is a month that commemorates the struggle between the forces of good and evil. The side that ultimately emerges victorious is not the stronger one, but the one that represents the truth. All our enemies will eventually find themselves in the trash can of history.
• Kislev is a month of military strength as well as spiritual strength.
• Sometimes we need to maintain our courage over an extended period, and it may be difficult to keep up the momentum. Kislev reminds us that we can continually increase our strength. Just like the Chanukah candles, we add another candle each day, and each day has its own light. Similarly, if we manage to carry on our daily routine during these challenging days, each day is its own success.
• Finally, this is a month of miracles, prayers, and salvation. History has shown us that anything can happen, and we may be surprised by something good we never anticipated. A small jar of oil provided enough light for eight days, and in the end, the light was greater than we could have imagined.
Three Important Reminders from Parashat Toldot
1. What is your goal in life, to destroy others or to build yourself? The parashah relates how the Plishtim are constantly blocking Yitzchak’s wells and harassing him. It's strange, as these are their own water sources as well. But, as we’ve seen throughout history, our enemies want to harm us so much that they are even willing to harm and destroy themselves.
2. Yitzchak and Rivka pray for twenty years before they are blessed with children. Prayer transforms reality for the better. We must act in this world, but we must also pray. Let us add our prayers today for the safety and welfare of the Jewish people wherever they may be, in Israel and all over the world.
3. Good will triumph. The wonderful promises that Yitzchak hears in this week's parashah are being fulfilled in our generation, and God willing they will be fully realized very soon: "And I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the sky, and I will give to your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring."
Translated by Yehoshua Siskin and Janine Muller Sherr
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