* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
“Shalom Sivan, Last week, in one horrific moment, a missile fell near my parents’ home in Beit Shemesh. Our house, however, a bastion of warmth and precious memories, was reduced to a pile of rubble. But within the absolute destruction of our home, a great miracle happened: Our dear mother who was inside was saved; it was the same day that our beloved father passed away a year before. We were rewarded with the greatest gift of all: life.
Since then, another sort of miracle has been happening. Our walls fell down and our windows shattered, but into the wreckage of our home the benevolent spirit of our nation entered. Numerous people we did not know volunteered to help. Moments of unimaginable pain during dismantling of unsalvageable possessions, if not dismantling of our previous lives, gave way to moments of pure kindness, solidarity, and brotherhood.
I looked around and saw Uri from Kibbutz Geva working alongside a gruop of Haredim, together with teenagers from Beit Shemesh. So many good people who did not stop for a moment from carrying boxes, removing glass shards from broken windows, and collecting trash in moments that were so difficult yet consoling.
We felt that what everyone was doing was appropriate for this week’s parasha: On Shabbat we will read the double parasha of Vayakhel and Pikudei. It’s a Torah portion that describes how the nation of Israel built the MIshkan, our spiritual center, working together in perfect harmony. When all of us take upon ourselves a holy task with total devotion to it, the 'Shechinah' rests upon it and God’s presence is felt.
Sincerely,
Peretz Family, Rehov HaNasi, Beit Shemesh”
