To Live, to Think, and to Aspire Broadly Over the past few weeks, as we have all watched hostages emerge from the confining hell of the Gazan tunnels, I have constantly been thinking about one phrase from Tehilim 118. מִן-הַמֵּצַר, קָרָאתִי יָּ-הּ; From the narrows I call to you, עָנָנִי בַמֶּרְחָב יָ-הּ answer me with your breadth. (118:5) This pasuk, which we recite famously in Hallel, reflects on the moving from narrowness to breadth and has hit my heart in so many ways these days, as a Jew, as an American, and as a global citizen in these challenging times. For these hostages who have survived the narrow, the meitzar , we have been watching a crippling, jarring shock, and, at the same time, a redeeming opportunity to re-engage. They are emerging from unimaginably confining surroundings, to a wide world of the embrace of family and the possibilities that the world can offer. The narrowness of this crisis finds some comfort not only in the breath of life,...
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Showing posts from February, 2025