What a week.
All of it starting to sink in. The enormity. The magnitude. The global reverberations. The voices of support. The shockwaves of hate.
Hearing from someone who lost loved ones in the massacre, a community member who was stuck on an Israel tour at the time, a local family who's son was just called up to serve.
It feels like we're underwater. Flooded. Gasping for breath, grasping for hope, for an oxygen tank.
What do you do when you are flooded?
Let's take a lesson from the first flood with Noach. Hashem told him to come into the Teyvah - to enter into the ark. No while literally it meant to board a ship, the word Teyvah in Hebrew also means "The Word".
So the message is: let's immerse ourselves into the words of Torah and Prayer, as that is our ultimate source of strength, comfort, and blessing.
Prayer: Devorah has been posting daily short prayers to her facebook.
Torah: Join our fascinating highly acclaimed course about how to take control of your own happiness and peace. Begins this Monday.
Protection: A mezuzah bears three Hebrew letters on the outside "Guardian of the Doors of Israel". Please reach out if you would like a Mezuzah.
And finally, Light: Bring the light and peace of Shabbat into your home, and into our world, by lighting Shabbat candles today before 6:08pm.
Baruch Hashem for the two hostages that were just released, and we pray to Hashem for the safe return of every single one of the remaining hostages, and for the safety and security of all our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, especially those who are on the front lines.