Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day I wish to dedicate these words to the families of the fallen, and to those wounded in body and soul. The blows, the bruises, and the scars that are within you are part of you. The immense difficulty of this day, and of every day of the year, is beyond comprehension. And within all of this, the ability to rise also remains. Rav Kook knew, up close, loss and deep personal pain within his life and within his own family, and the sufferings did not stop him from his optimistic teachings and from his spiritual outlook that sees in the human being the primary force in changing and building the reality around him. Dear brothers and sisters, if your body is weak, remember your strong soul, those around you, and the powers planted within you. Rise, receive healing, connect to life. Precisely on this difficult and terrible day, which for you is another day of hardship among the days of the year, remember these words, the freedom that is present within your spirit.

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For the elevation of the souls of all who fell in the wars of Israel and in acts of terror. And for the recovery of those wounded in body and soul.