Blev Echad

Hello,
All i can say about last night is Amazing. I am like speechless. To be there was one of the most moving experiences in my life. I am running to a meeting now but i wanted to share this with all of you. This was written after the event by one of the Blev Echad team. Enjoy. I will write up a full synopsis later!

A once in a life time experience, and more, was truly what I experienced today. Having been part of the blev echad committee for the last 6 months, I had no clue going into today, what it would actually be like. ( I am going to steer away from the broadcasting aspect, and focus more on what took place at the actual event). I will try my best to put into words what exactly took place and how I felt, but no matter what I say, words cannot possibly explain how much emotion is inside of me. After arriving at 2pm, we (the blev echad committee) were able to go into a separate room to look at the 8 sifrei torah all together. 6 ashkenazi torahs, and 2 sefardi torahs, all extremely beautiful. Walking into a room in the library and seeing 8 sifrei torah lying out on a table, the first thing that automaticly popped into my head was the exact room of the 8 boys who were lying in tallesim exactly one year ago. Here, in their place, were torahs. The exact thing which they died for. These very torahs are to help them live on. After that, the torahs were brought to their respective places where the letters would be filled in. 2 in the yashlatz (high school) beit midrash, the exact place that one year ago was being set up for a rosh chodesh adar chagiga which forced these 5 out of the 8 boys to go to the mercaz library and continue learning. Most people I know would take the break from learning to go chill out in their rooms, however these 5 special boys would not even think of wasting any time learning and because of that were brutally murdered. 2 sifrei torah were in there, 2 were in the beit midrash of mercaz harav, and the remaining 4 were in the library, exactly where the attack took place. One thing that really struck me were the signs with the arrows indicating which boy’s torahs went where. Coincidental or not, 4 of the signs pointing to the library were perfectly aligned next to the bullet hole left by the merciless attacker. To me, that really hit home. This bullet hole could have signified many things, it could have said, you know we were attacked, we are done learning for good, however right next to it, were signs saying “in your face”. Yes we were attacked, however we were not defeated, because inside the very place you tried to bring us down, we are writing sifrei torah to continue our learning and to continue serving hkbh. Watching all the different families react was truly remarkable. The Meharte family from Ethiopa was probably the most inspiring thing for me to watch, and brought home the idea of “blev echad”. Many gedolim showed up to fill in letters including the Bostoner rebbe, all the Roshei Yeshiva, and many of the talmidim from the yeshiva. However, watching the anonymous family fill in the letters of each of the sifrei torah was amazing. Paparazzi following him everywhere, however when asked what his name is, he simply replied “it doesn’t make a difference, you’ve probably never heard of it”, and than continued to focus on the ketiva. The midah of anava that one man/ family can display is something that I cannot even put into words. Can you imagine being completely incognito at an event that you’ve spent tons of money on. Can you imagine being nothing more than an observer of something you’ve put your entire neshoma into. Spending shabbos with this family and learning from them was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Following the completion of the final letters, the sifrei torah were brought to one location outside with each of the fathers of the boys gripping their torahs for dear life. It looked as if they were holding onto their son who they lost, and would do anything to have back. Watching these fathers exit the balcony into the streets was one of the most emotional parts of the night. One of the fathers who has a connection with the anonymous family, was walking down the stairs, made eye contact with them, mouthed “thank you” and kissed his torah. Tears startred streaming down my face. All I kept thinking was about how much this father must miss his son, and how this torah was something that was going to help him live on, and he was truly grateful for this. The inspiration the parents gave me, and everyone else at the event was something I will take with me forever. These are parents who were mamish sitting in the exact place where their sons were killed a year to the day ago. And instead of being angry with hashem, they were embarcing his greatest gift ever. It is so easy to be angry with god after he takes away your child, but instead, not only were they not angry, but they were taking something so tragic and turning it into something so positive. Instead of being mad at the torah which their sons died learning, they were continuing to embrace it, how special. Can you imagine fathers dancing on the yertzait of their son?, its probably hard to, but that is exactly what happened. Going outside to the chatzer was insane. The committee as a whole was incredibly nervous about the turnout for this event. Going out into the streets and seeing literally over 10 thousand people was so memorable. So many different types of jews. Chasidim, Israelis, Americans, Chilonim, Daati Leumi and everyone else, all there to celebrate the 8 holy neshomot and the torah to which they were so commited. Tens of thousands of people were in the same exact place last year for a levaya pouring their hearts out, bawling, whaling, for the tragedy which had occurred. However tonight was different. Tens of thousands of people were here dancing, singing, and celebrating. Yes the night had an emotionally sad aspect to it, but it was not meant to be a night of mourning. It was a night of celebrating. 2 completely opposite events with the same turnout, exactly 365 days apart. The torahs finally made its way into the streets were everyone was able to dance with them. Light trucks, children holding torches, yeshiva bochurim, women, and men were all able to celebrate. We made it over one block in one hour. Looking straight ahead down the block and seeing that many people really touched me. Mi K’Amcha Yisrael?? The torahs from inside the beit midrash came out to meet the new torahs and escort them inside. The Beit Midrash of Mercaz filled immediately. The 8 fathers were upfront with their torahs in the air singing, “avinu malkeinu ptach shaarei shamayim” Hashem, open the gates of heaven and listen to us. Thousands of People were pouring their hearts and begging hashem to listen them. Begging him for an adar filed with simcha, to end our pain and suffering, begging him that there should be no need for such an event, and to bring our geula bekarov. There were many points in the night where I was convinced that moshiach was coming and this was one of them. This exact time last year this room was filled calls out to hashem with screams of pain and this year we were screaming sounds of happiness, achdut and love for the torah. There were speeches and than the whole world together, 75,000 jews sang acheinu kol beis yisroel all together. I had chills up my spine. Hamakom yirachem alehem veyotzeaim mitzara levracha umeafea leora, lishibud leguala… are there any words more appropriate than this for tonight? Hashem please take us out of our tzaros and bring us bracha (he did, 8 boys were killed, 8 sifrei torah were brought into this world) and iyh we will be taken out of galus and brought to geula, and tonight made it all the more clearer that we are extremely close to that. So much ahavas chinam going around. After the rav of mercaz was misayem what was learned by all of klal yisroel. Tanach was finished 14 times, and shas 3 times. PLUS, all the mitzvos that were done liluy nishmasam. AM YISRAEL CHAI! NOHING CAN BRING US DOWN! For the last part of the ceremony, the roshei yeshiva presented a gift to the hero who shot the terrorist and everyone sang “siu shearim rasheichem”. He seemed so embaressed and not into the kavod, but he was treated like a true melech for what he accomplished. Chas vshalom more people could have been hurt. But this hero took the intiative, risked his own life, in order to save fellow jews. We are one special people. The last part of the night was meeting the families during the seuda. We did not have a seat there since it was not really our place, but you could really tell towards the end that there was some sort of nechama on their faces and a certain sense of closure, not that there could ever be true closure. But they were so thankful to us, and mostly to all of klal yisroel who participated in helping their son’s neshamos have aliyos. That’s how it ended, and that is why it is 5:45am and I am sitting here writing this. Way too inspired, way too many endorphins, and thoughts to possibly go to sleep. But it is Rosh Chodesh once again, and it is time to go to vasikin, so I am going to cap off what has been an icredible trip with shachris at the kotel.
Lshana habbah beyerushalayim habenuyah

Talk to ya soon!
Jesse