Ezekiel’s Ingathering and the Raised Hand of Emily Damari
When ancient haftorah prophecy meets the unbreakable spirit of a twenty-eight-year-old survivor returning from captivity
This weeks Haftorah from the book of Ezekiel opens with a prophecy of what will occur during the ingathering of the exiles. This past week saw the beginning of the trickling in and ingathering of the remaining hostages. The exultation was of course marred by the sense of having to end this campaign before it was over and the threat of Hamas terror attacks in the future had been entirely eliminated. The heartbreaking scenes of reunion were of course joyous as well, but I’m haunted by the looks on their faces and in particular, by the missing fingers of Emily Damari. The remaining hostages still in captivity are our collective missing fingers. The ones who will never return reside in the void of our collective broken hearts. Let us keep praying for them.
Much Love,
Rabbi Yossi