I am unable to speak

How can a young widow, stripped of her two children say, "I know that the ways of G‑d are good, and He will reveal the path and give us the strength to continue"? Only a life guided by the Torah can be prepared for this step.In an epoch when violence responds to violence and where revenge is understood as an obligation, the message of Chava, the young widow of Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, shine bright as a prophetic word donated once more to the hardened heart of mankind by El Rahum, most Compassionate God, as translated by the great writer André Chouraqui.But these aren’t simply "beautiful" words aimed at subduing disagreements by downplaying them. Before us stands a woman who says: "My heart is broken. I am unable to speak". She speaks the words of a woman murdered in her flesh, a woman brutally stripped of her husband and children. It’s not an encomium, nor a trenody. It’s the living hope of Chava who doesn’t turn in on her grief, nor does she call for revenge. She suffers, just as someone who has always been guided by Torah and only wishes that "no one may ever have to endure such pain and suffering", exemplifying that her suffering is pure and transparent. The young family had left the land of Israel "to help young people learn about the beauty of Torah", and they knew that nothing could be transmitted unless it is lived in first person. And that’s why Aryeh and Gavriel had been raised "to live the ways of Torah". The glance of Chava and Jonathan wasn’t frozen on the horizon of a distant land and of daily life, although they lived their daily lives in joyous fulfilment, supported by the certainty that on the earth we live in Exodus directed towards the Gan Eden, Paradise where G-d strolls, and that there Moshiach will bring together all the people of Israel and all peoples. To know that "that their holy souls will remain with us forever" is a profession of faith that will continue raising conscience awareness and prevent getting inured to evil. Chava thus invites parents to make their children "living examples of Torah, imbued with the fear of Heaven and with love of their fellow man". Once more, the plane is not theoretical or abstract, the young widow is asking for concrete gestures not for herself but for the community:- "Let’s continue their lives on this Earth" referring to her dear ones who are no longer here to see and to be with;- "Parents, please kiss your children. Tell them how much you love them": Chava will no longer be able to embrace them;- "Please increase your study of Torah", to the teaching of which Jonathan had dedicated his life, with great orations, since when Israel kneels on the Torah this gesture is an ardent prayer;- In the approaching holiday of Passover "Please invite another person into your homes so that all have a place at a Seder to celebrate the holiday of our freedom", a feast of joy, of liberation, of the awaiting of the Moshiach;- "Kindle the Sabbath candles", no sadness, no tear will ever profane the joy of Sabbath.Indeed, the reference is to the concreteness of the mitzvoth, the precepts, the daily life marked by the presence of G-d. As goyim, who are not the chosen people, we had hoped that after the Shoah and the devastations of atrocious Nazi ideology, humanity had learned the lesson. We have to change our minds. Not a word against the murderer was written by Chava’s pen, nothing against his fanatic deed. And also this is something we have to learn. I have Orthodox Jewish friends in Jerusalem. When I wrote them that I shared their grief, I received an answer that confirmed once more the quality of the life of those who love Torah: "We envy them and we are proud that their life was spent for Torah and for G-d".One aspect should make us quiver and proud: "The spirit of the Jewish people can never be extinguished". Many have tried to across the centuries, we must ensure that they are not amidst us. We join Chava’s words that "from this moment on, we will all only know happiness".