* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin ([email protected])
Yael Binenfeld from the city of Lod has an important reminder for all of us:
“A few days ago,” she wrote, “a siren sounded when our kids were in school. One of my children called me crying and said he was frightened and that maybe I should come and pick him up.
I tried utilizing every tool imaginable to calm him down: empathy, mirroring, contextualizing the event, deep breathing, and more . . . but nothing helped.
But then suddenly, when I had almost given up, I had a flash of insight and spoke to him with these words: ‘You are a part of the nation of Israel, and the nation of Israel is full of courage, so that you are full of courage too. What has sustained the nation of Israel throughout the generations exists in you too. And I finished with a quote: ‘A people that rises up like a lion, leaps up like a king of beasts.’ (Numbers 23:24)
And suddenly, from who knows where, nonchalantly, he simply said: ‘Okay, mother, I am going back to class,’ and ended the call.
This story is not only about a little boy, but about all of us. Our nation thirsts to show its courage. It derives fortitude and inner strength from its mighty roots. The qualities of its soul are great for they were bequeathed by the patriarchs and matriarchs and exist in every Jew in every generation, passed down in our DNA.
This nation understands that even if there are setbacks, even if the road is long, the nation of Israel lives. That is what comforts us and that is what gives us strength.”
