The First Request of a Freed Hostage
Elie Wiesel, the renowned author, Nobel Prize laureate, and Holocaust survivor, once recounted his visit to Brooklyn in the early 1960s, where he met with the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
During their conversation, Wiesel posed a poignant question: “How can you believe in G-d after Auschwitz?” The Rebbe sat in silence, his hands resting on the table. After a moment, he shed a tear and softly replied, “How can you not believe in G-d after Auschwitz?”
After 491 days in Hamas captivity, Eli Sharabi was released this weekend in a terribly weakened and emaciated state, to the devastating news that his wife and daughters were murdered in the October 7 attacks.
One of his first requests was a spiritual one—a pair of tefillin—and his family’s Chabad rabbi was ready to help.
Rabbi Shneur Raskin, Chabad emissary to Alfei Menashe, had been in touch with Sharabi’s family throughout his captivity in Gaza. When he heard about Eli’s request, he jumped into action, procuring a beautiful set of tefillin in custom embroidered bags that read: “The entire nation of Israel hugs you.”
Amazingly, over the past few weeks, we have heard incredible stories of faith from the released hostages. These stories remind us that in the face of absolute evil, surrounded by barbaric murderers, we realize the futility of relying solely on human reason and conscience and instead place our unwavering trust in G-d.
The horrific massacres of Simchat Torah on October 7th and the subsequent global response—or lack thereof—have profoundly affected us all. They force us to confront a troubling question: How does such barbaric evil persist in a modern, civilized world? Furthermore, how can seemingly sophisticated institutions, professors, and Ivy League students justify mass murder and openly call for the genocide of the Jewish people? What steps can we take to guide society and educate our youth to ensure a stable and moral future?
The answer lies in the profound message of the Ten Commandments, which are discussed in this week’s Torah portion, Yitro.
The first five commandments, inscribed on the first tablet, address our relationship with G-d:
I am the Lord your G-d.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain.
Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long upon the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you.
Conversely, the second set of five commandments focuses on our relationship with fellow human beings:
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not kidnap.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, servant, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
The first set of commandments is understandable—they define our connection with G-d. But why does the Torah need to explicitly instruct us regarding the second set? Shouldn't basic morality be self-evident to any rational person?
While these values may seem logical, human perspectives and behavior are strongly influenced by environment, education, and personal biases. What appears obvious to one person may not be so for another.
We cannot rely on individual judgment alone to guarantee moral behavior. Even with the best intentions, a person may still act harmfully toward others. We require an objective standard to govern human conduct.
The juxtaposition of these two sets of laws teaches us that they are interconnected and dependent on one another. Our behavior toward others must be rooted in our belief in G-d, which provides an objective standard of justice and righteousness. Simultaneously, our faith in G-d must lead us to live morally, treating others with dignity and respect.
Throughout history, there have been attempts to separate these two foundational principles.
One group, consisting of philosophers and intellectuals from the Age of Reason, believed that moral behavior could exist independently of religion. However, the Holocaust shattered this faith in human progress based solely on reason. A cultured and educated society committed the worst atrocities imaginable. Today, we are once again witnessing the consequences of failing to instill Divine morals and ethics in our youth, leaving them unable to objectively differentiate between good and evil.
Another group comprised religious factions that prioritized belief in their false version of god over fundamental moral principles, such as the prohibition against murder. This distortion led to the justification of violence against perceived “infidels,” ultimately undermining the sanctity of human life.
Faith, when divorced from a commitment to the sanctity of life, loses its true purpose. To delete “You shall not murder” from religion is to sever its connection to “I am the Lord your G-d.” True belief in G-d necessitates honoring the life of every human being, who is created in His image.
Similarly, if our moral commitment is not grounded in a divine mandate, there is no guarantee that it will not be overridden by self-interest. When G-d is removed from the moral equation, even the most cultured societies can descend into mass murder. However, when our lives are guided by the awareness that “I am the Lord your G-d,” we can overcome any challenge in the pursuit of goodness and truth.
Faith should lead us to moral living—dealing honestly with others, fostering strong interpersonal relationships, and conducting business with integrity. The Torah not only guides spiritual development but also instructs us on ethical conduct in all aspects of life.
We are blessed to live in a country founded on belief in G-d and the sanctity of life. The Declaration of Independence states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Our government has a long tradition of affirming faith in G-d. This is evident on our currency, which bears the words “In G-d We Trust.” Likewise, Congress begins each session with a prayer to the Almighty.
The Rebbe strongly advocated that both private and public schools, regardless of denomination, should institute a Moment of Silence in their daily schedule.
A Moment of Silence is a brief period of reflection or meditation at the beginning of each school day.
In a 1984 address on his 82nd birthday, the Rebbe explained:
“A person has the ability to influence his surroundings, extending eventually to the country and to the whole world, making the world a stable, productive place... This begins with the proper education of the youth, as written: ‘Educate a youth according to his way so that when he grows older, he will not depart from it.’ The only way to educate youth in the ideals of justice and righteousness is not through instilling fear of the police (for one may think he can outwit the police) but by instilling faith in the Creator and Ruler of the world—that there is ‘an Eye that sees and an Ear that hears.’”
Since the mid-1980s, this initiative has gained traction across the U.S. and beyond, with many public and private schools incorporating a Moment of Silence into their daily routine.
Currently, 14 states mandate a Moment of Silence in public schools, while 25 others encourage (but do not require) its observance. The students who participate in this practice benefit from a meaningful, reflective start to their day.
Let us each take a moment daily to reflect on our Divine purpose, infusing our lives and workplaces with deeper meaning. Let us encourage our friends, neighbors, elected officials, and educators to instill in our youth the values of morality and purpose, grounded in Divine ethics.
Our Sages teach that the ultimate purpose of creation is the coming of Moshiach and the final Redemption. G-d created the world so that He would have “a dwelling place among mortals,” a reality that will be fully realized in the Era of Redemption, when all nations will recognize and serve Him as one.
Through our collective efforts, we will usher in an era of true peace and prosperity for all humanity with the coming of the Redemption!
