* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
“Shalom Sivan, I am a 37-year-old bachelor. I just returned from army reserve duty and attended a gathering on the subject of being single, which was held at the Knesset.
It’s difficult to describe in words how meaningful this experience was for me. It was about being single, about hope and faith. We heard professionals on this subject as well as spiritual advisors, all of whose sole purpose was to establish new homes in Israel. I finally felt that people who cared were speaking about me. It was as if they had taken all of my thoughts over the last few months and put them in their proper place.
Among the participants were Eliyahu and Avishag Libman, dear parents of Elyakim Libman HY”D. He was a guard at the Nova Festival and saved many lives before he was murdered. They spoke about the project they had undertaken in his memory, a project of introducing singles to one another and matchmaking. They wanted to facilitate others building a home that their son was not privileged to build himself.
Amidst the good feelings of all who had gathered, there was suddenly news of three more soldiers who had fallen in Gaza. Yet it is especially when there is catastrophe and destruction, when a vacuum has been created by a loss, that we need to be extra diligent in filling the void.
Many Torah scrolls are being dedicated to the fallen, and many initiatives are underway to perpetuate their memory, but it is also important, in my opinion, to think about an unmarried friend and suggest someone for them to meet since this is a holy mitzvah. Try, even today, to do this. It could be that among all the gatherings and deliberations in the Knesset, the one that took place yesterday will be of the most lasting significance.”
