May Our Dreams Not Be Buried
Oded Lifshitz, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists and whose body was returned to Israel today along with Shiri Bibas and her two children Ariel and Kfir, was eulogized by the kibbutz he helped found. Kibbutz Nir Oz writes:
Oded was 85 years old, one of the founding pioneers of the kibbutz and someone who shaped its path over many decades together with his wife Yocheved. Oded came to the kibbutz as a member of Garin Nahal, and was the kibbutz's secretary, farmer and treasurer. He dedicated his life to his family, social work, journalism, promoting minority rights and the struggle to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He and his wife were peace activists who regularly drove Palestinians needing medical care from Gaza to Israeli hospitals. Oded, and Yocheved, were dragged across the Gaza border by terrorists on October 7th and held in captivity. Yocheved was released two weeks later. According to experts Oded was murdered by terrorists over a year ago.
Today is a tragic day for the people of Israel. It is a devastating day for the Jewish people. Four coffins were returned. We await the official, although expected word that the other three bodies are indeed Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas.
This week we read the Torah’s command, “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 23) This frequently repeated demand appears two times in this week’s portion alone.
But it is a difficult, if not impossible, command to hear. There are only the sounds of brokenness. There are only tears of pain. Our obligations to others, our compassion for the stranger, appear to be luxuries for another day. They seem like painful reminders of forgotten dreams.
The Israeli singer Hanan Ben Ari laments,
And who will heal my heart
for whom am I longing
like a sea that has no shore
just tell me who
who will embrace me and ensure
that I will not give up in the end.
Our hearts are too broken to feel anything but pain. Our ears are too filled with cries to hear the demands of compassion. Our eyes are too dimmed by tears to see the face of the other.
Kibbutz Nir Oz’s announcement concludes:
The cactus garden that Oded and Yocheved cultivated throughout their 63 years of marriage remains a living testament to their dedication and the home they built together. Oded left behind four children: Arnon, Yizhar, Sharon and Omri, many family and friends, who will always remember him as someone who loved people and the country, a man of culture and peace.
May the memory of Oded Lifshitz be a blessing. May his dreams not be buried as well.
And may the Torah’s commands be heard once again.