* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
This week, someone told me that he plans to make Kiddush on Friday night and recite the words of “Eishet Chayil.” Why? Because he saw this video of Eli Sharabi.
With all the noise we’re hearing these days, it’s worthwhile to listen to Eli’s weak but clear voice. After 491 days in Hamas captivity, he delivered a speech at the U.N. last week in New York, and then went to pray at the Ohel (grave) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
When Eli emerged from the Ohel, he said:
“I’m not a religious person. I was in the darkest place, 50 meters underground. What gave me strength every day was to recite ‘Shema Yisrael’ in the morning, to sing “Eishet Chayil” every Friday night and to make Kiddush over water because we didn’t have any wine. It gave me and the other hostages somuch strength— we felt the power of our faith and it helped us survive nearly 500 terrible days of captivity.”
Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive director at Chabad World Headquarters, then asked Eli to convey a message to the Jewish people. Eli, whose wife Lianne and two daughters were murdered by Hamas, made the following statement: “With the power of faith it is possible to conquer everything. The power of faith. And unity, our unity, is the most important.”
Eli was reminding us of the most basic and eternal thing that truly unites our people: our Jewish identity. He has inspired us to connect more deeply with the words: ׳Shema Yisrael,׳ ״Eishet Chayil’ and ‘Kiddush’.”
May all of Eli’s prayers be answered. Shabbat shalom.
