* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Rav Yitzhak Bitton and his wife Tamar lost three children in the Iranian missile attack on Beit Shemesh last week—Yaakov, Sarah, and Avigayil.
Yesterday I joined the hundreds of people— most of whom did not know them personally—who came to console them at the Grand Court Hotel in Jerusalem.
Many words of chizuk (support) were spoken there last night. I would like to share one thought from the bereaved father, Rav Yitzhak Bitton:
“People have been speaking to me about Akeidat Yitzhak (the Binding of Isaac). Our sages teach us that this is what gives us strength. All of our patriarchs and matriarchs underwent trials. And because they are the foundation of our nation and we are continuing their path, each one of us has inherited their strength. We have inherited their faith, love, joy, kindness, as well as their self-sacrifice and the capacity to overcome adversity. I heard an appropriate analogy: Our patriarchs can be compared to a train track. Just as the train can’t travel without a track, our patriarchs are our train track and we are the train riding along the track they laid. Every Jew possesses this legacy from our patriarchs. The fact that they faced incredible trials and tribulations and managed to persevere gives us the strength to bear our own trials today.”
The trial of the Bitton family is immense. But when Rav Bitton shared this thought many of those in attendance nodded in agreement. Each person received strength to cope with his or her own challenges.
