Shiri Bibas chose to be an angel.
"Ki malachav y'tzaveh lach lishmarcha b'chol derachecha. He will assign His angels to guard you wherever you go. They will carry you in their hands lest you hurt your foot on a stone. You will tread on lions and serpents, trample cubs and snakes." (Tehillim 91:11-13)
The world is filled with angels and snakes. The angels embrace every opportunity to serve as God's hand to nurture and protect others, while the snakes connive to viciously inflict harm and death. Every moment of our lives presents opportunities to choose whether we will be angels or snakes. As evidenced in the searing iconic image of October 7, Shiri chose to be an angel, a fiercely protective Jewish mother shielding her beautiful children from despicable snakes, the Hamas monsters who are part of a society that has chosen to celebrate viciousness and death.
When Hashem chose our people and gave us the Torah, He immediately followed with the mishpatim that guide us to be angels and agents of protection and service – malachei hashareit – by providing us with the rules that govern how we are to treat each other, refraining from inflicting harm and repairing that harm when it happens. The court is the ultimate institution of Jewish society and shares the divine name of Elokim because it is charged with the angelic mission of protecting His people. And when Mishpatim's instructions are completed, God tells us about the angel He will be sending to lead us to the promised land (Shemot 23:20). Hashem knew that along our way we would encounter malachei chavala, agents of terror and destruction, and assured us that His malach, His angel of protection would be there to bring us home. That angel may be a spiritual force or a divine prophet, but it is embodied in the culture, institutions, and individuals of Klal Yisrael who choose life and embrace their role as God's angels and agents of protection and service.
I had the privilege to spend the past week in Israel along with the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. As usual, the group met with the top echelon of Israeli leadership, including the President and Prime Minister, the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, and many others. Yet the most impactful event by far was our meeting with one of the leaders of the angels, Brigadier General Zivan Aviad-Beer, who serves as the Surgeon General and Chief Medical Officer of Tzahal, Israel's Defense Forces. Every day, his team of heroic doctors and medics, driven by love and constantly innovating and refining the tools and techniques to preserve life, jump into the thick of battle to rescue and provide immediate and effective medical care for the wounded.They are angels, agents of love and life who have no counterparts amongst our death-crazed enemies. Does Hamas have a Chief Medical Officer? Does that devilish force whose strategic goal is to maximize civilian harm on both Israelis and Palestinians even own a band aid?
"Hamalach Hagoel oti mikol ra yevarech et ha-ne'arim. The angel who redeems me from all evil shall bless the children." Those words are sung softly by Jewish mothers and fathers as they put their children to bed each night. They are singing about themselves as they choose to be their children's angels, nurturing and protecting them from harm. That was the story and the image of one great angel, Shiri Bibas, who did her all to nurture and protect Ariel and Kfir even within the deepest snake pit, to be the angel that Hashem sent to accompany those beautiful children along their tragic journey.
Hashem yikom damam.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer
Executive Vice President
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