More hostages were released yesterday, including Agam Berger. I have so many memories, stories, and moments with her mother, Meirav Berger.
Seeing the moving footage of Agam from yesterday morning gave me flashbacks, here are some:
* Meirav at a meeting with Jews who came from abroad, telling them: "Agam was kidnapped because she's Jewish - be more Jewish!”
* Meirav at Kever Rachel (Rachel's Tomb), at the Western Wall, at countless prayer events- some were large gatherings while others were intimate ones: "The weekly Torah portion, the Parsha - I only started learning now and the Parsha gives me such an anchor, such a compass." Meirav called me on her way to a lecture, consulting about whether her idea about the parsha will strengthen others enough.
* Meirav launches an initiative for family purity (mikvah), directly asking women, with lots of humor too, to pray for Agam when at the Mikvah. Moving notices from her appear in mikvahs across the country, specifically mentioning the name that millions in the Jewish world said this year in prayer: Agam bat Meirav. "We need renewal, need to go to the mikvah and come out different, all of us," she explains. "Add purity and holiness to the world."
* Meirav comes to every event wearing her shirt, like all family and friends, with Agam's famous quote: "I have chosen the path of faith." This is a quote from Psalms that was Agam's status (on WhatsApp etc), and became the motto of this entire struggle. I have chosen the path of faith. Not the path of TV studios, not the path of politics.
* Meirav at a meeting with Nova survivors: "Don't be afraid to live, to dance, to be happy. I'm telling you this as a mother of a hostage: don't feel guilty. I want to see you smiling."
* Meirav on Simchat Torah 5784, exactly one year after the kidnapping, surrounded by hundreds of people, standing before a Torah scroll and speaking from the heart. It was a moment I haven't yet found the words to describe. Maybe in the future.
These are just some initial memories. In this week's Torah portion, we'll read about the exodus from Egypt and about how each of us connects to the commandments and the great story of the Jewish people. Thank you, Meirav, for reminding us about the big story and making us more connected to it. May we hear a lot more good news.
