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This coming Shabbat of April 5 will mark 1 ½ years that there remain 59 hostages in captivity in Gaza. It can be very easy not to pause and note this moment in the calendar with the constant barrage of news that we receive hourly, but then, this is not only about us. This is about the 59 human beings and their families, as none of us can truly comprehend what it would feel like to be the family of a hostage for such a duration. The impact goes far beyond these families to include vast swathes of Israeli society who refuse to forget them, to here in Pittsburgh, where we too refuse to forget them. 

We know that the charter of Hamas specifically delineates one of its aims is to eliminate a Jewish presence in the land of Israel, or to use their mantra that far too many abuse: From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free. Of Jews, that is. It can be very easy to let our emotions take firm hold and just express H. Master Yoda said it perfectly: "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to H. H leads to suffering."  It can be easy for us to dispassionately analyze the true intentions of Hamas, as so many talking heads have done and continue to do. Lost in the dizzying array of opinions are 59 human beings, pawns in a tragic situation. 

It may surprise you to learn that one of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah is called Pidyon Sh’vuyim, the redemption of hostages. Even in the Torah? Looking back over the millennia of Jewish history, it was not uncommon that a leading citizen in a Jewish community would be kidnapped by bad actors, who employed the antisemitic generalization that all Jews are wealthy, and that they have the money to pay for the abductee’s release. I do not know if there is any specific research that delineates approximately how many Jews were abducted, how many Jewish communities paid the ransom, and how many were returned alive. It was far too common an occurrence. And each Jewish life matters. 

We will soon be gathering for the Passover Seder, recounting the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, as he stubbornly refused to release the Israelite slaves while his citizens suffered for his stubbornness. We have witnessed history repeat itself, as Hamas has led to the ruination of the Palestinians in Gaza while stubbornly refusing to release the hostages. I still maintain hope that all of them will be returned to their families. We read in Exodus 12:36, “And the Lord had disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people, and they let them have their request.” In other words, the same God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart softened the hearts of the Egyptians. I continue to pray that the God of our ancestors soften the hearts of the captors of the hostages now held in Gaza, that they may release them in time for Passover, so that their families may truly celebrate a festival of freedom. Ken Y’hi Ratzon. So may it be God’s will.