Hi friends:
Since the unspeakable horrors of October 7, my family and I have been searching for sparks of light, rays of hope, and the possibility of promise – knowing full well that despite the crucible that our nation currently finds itself in, Hashem loves and cares for us in unimaginable ways, some transparent and some less so. In that vein, one of the most uplifting and inspiring videos I have seen during these trying times was the one below, one which I’m sure many of you have already been fortunate to have seen. Others, too, have shared with me the way it has touched them deeply. It depicts what I feel is the paradigm of achdut (brotherly love) and ahavat chinam (unconditional love): one Jew simply hugging another. But upon closer inspection, diametric opposites emerge. We see that one man is a soldier, the other perhaps a learner; one man with a kippa and tzitzit, the other without; one man providing, the other receiving; one man preparing for battle, the other preparing him for battle. At this moment, though, none of those differences matter.
One child of Hashem is hugging another. A hug that may be the soldier’s last. Those with children can attest that when our children embrace one another like this, it provides the greatest nachat, particularly in view of the differences they may have. I can only imagine – and pray – that a hug like this also provided Hashem with incredible nachat and that gestures like this shake the heavens in profound ways.
However, like most of us, I struggled to find a way to capture and retain that feeling of warmth and inspiration – so often ephemeral, unfortunately. I looked for some manner in which I could employ this brief video to inspire my family and I to continue giving nachat to Hashem by reminding ourselves every day to practice achdus and ahavat chinam. And after a bit of work, this is what I came up with. The Hebrew text translates loosely to “The Hug felt Around the World.”
I sent a canvas of the photo to each of my siblings, but realized that once I had already done the work, perhaps I should share it more broadly, too. So, I am offering it to all of you as well.
100% of profits received will be donated to Israel. Am yisrael chai!
Google form for purchasing is
here.
