How tough times can transform a giving spirit - opinion

In reflecting on the past year, most would think back on the pain and loss that Israel and the Jewish world have suffered. Yet, amid these definite challenges, we have witnessed some of the best displays of Jewish strength, resilience, and unity. This spirit of caring for others has set us on a new course for personal and communal growth as we move forward to the new year.

Over the course of the year, in the context of my work with Colel Chabad, Israel’s oldest continuously running charity, founded in 1788 by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, I’ve had the privilege to be on the front lines in witnessing the outpouring of love from Jews from all over the world bringing a distinct ray of light into an otherwise tragic situation.

Pantry Packers, the Jerusalem-based food distribution center that I’m honored to direct, had more volunteers than any time in our 11 years of existence. As nature of the volunteers changed as flight cancellations and the situation limited the numbers of groups that could come, with a flow of smaller groups, local families, couples, and individuals, arriving uninterruptedly to help. 

That spirit of continuing despite it all and even because of it all, is something I learned in the very early days of the war. 

A few weeks after that unspeakable Simchat Torah, I traveled down South to Kibbutz Beeri.  The kibbutz is home to one of Israel’s most well-known print shops, which we have worked with to print our Eshel food debit cards for families in need. There, I met with the CMO, Naor. The factory was almost empty and while the print shop itself had largely survived the horrors of Oct. 7, the devastation on the kibbutz was everywhere. Naor had been through a living hell, losing close family members and with his children being in immediate danger of being captured or killed. 

He was likely devastated, but I recall how committed he was to getting back to work and having the kibbutz rebuilt. He never wavered in that goal and soon thereafter, he watched as Israel’s president flicked the switch and his printing presses were running again.

Flash forward all these months. This week I went with my wife Rena back to the south  I returned to Kibbutz Be’eri and visited Naor in the print shop where he was working on our Rosh Hashanah cards. I can’t say that he was full of joy, nor could that be expected.  But he had no desire to reflect on the pain and made it clear that the only place to look is ahead. Never forget the past but always move forward.

I took that experience as an important lesson, particularly at this time of year. Certainly, as Jews, the month of Elul, in advance of Rosh Hashanah, is a time when we need to reflect on and learn from the past.  But we can never move forward if we are only mourning.

Naor's lesson

NAOR’S LESSON is what tzedaka, giving, is all about.  We can remain focused on the pain of the past or decide to channel our struggles into bettering our families, our communities, and the world. We can’t stop because of the tough times. In fact, it’s during the tough times that we find our true human spirit – and this year we certainly found out what our people are made of.

We would never want to experience a year like the one we have just been through, and our sincerest wish is that the new year should be one of safety, health, and peace. Yet we must recognize the good that came out of such terror and loss. We learned who we are and how we can help others.

For that, we can be thankful. We must pray that we take that lesson and learn from it this year and for years into the future.

With heartfelt prayers for the return of those in captivity, the safety of our soldiers, and the complete and speedy recovery of the wounded.

May we all be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year.

The writer is founder and director of Colel Chabad’s Pantry Packers in Jerusalem.