Our tradition places great importance on the connections we feel with other people. We note those connections through happy events, such as a wedding or Bat Mitzvah, and sad events, such as a funeral and burial. In this week’s Torah reading, Ki Tetse, we read of how we must let a captured woman mourn the loss of her parents. Marking that kind of connection is a supreme value of ours.
This war has enabled us to feel our strong connections to others due in particular to the smallness of our country. We most likely either know a soldier who was killed or know someone who does. We were evacuated ourselves or know someone who was. Maintaining and strengthening our connections with others will enable us to face our current and future challenges with courage and strength.
