Last week I wrote to you about emulating the goodness of the Divine.
Today I had just finished giving a presentation at my rabbinic conference in Denver when we learned that the ceasefire and hostage agreement had been signed. At last! People started to weep. I led the group in reciting the blessing for receiving good news:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעולָם הַטּוב וְהַמֵּטִיב
Baruch atah adonai, melech ha-olam, ha-tov v’h-amei-tiv!
Blessed are you, Holy One, who is good and does good!
You’ll notice the operative word here is tov, as in mazl tov.
You might want to make this blessing with family or friends today and ask those listening to give you an amen!
And let’s each of us think about how we can tap into our own goodness to find ways we can be of help in the long, difficult road toward peace.
Please see the statement from President Biden below.
I’m lifting up my eyes to the Rocky Mountains and thinking of you all on our beautiful redwood coast!
Rabbi Naomi
Statement from President Joe Biden
Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.
I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council. It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.
Even as we welcome this news, we remember all the families whose loved ones were killed in Hamas’s October 7th attack, and the many innocent people killed in the war that followed. It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin. I am also thinking of the American families, three of whom have living hostages in Gaza and four awaiting return of remains after what has been the most horrible ordeal imaginable. Under this deal, we are determined to bring all of them home.
I will speak more about this soon. For now, I am thrilled that those who have been held hostage are being reunited with their families.
Link to this statement: