The Wedding of an Injured Hero
The image of this one-legged soldier figuring out how to break the glass under his chuppah is unforgettable. A picture of pure resilience. Of Am Yisrael Chai.
This soldier reminds me of a quote I read in the wonderful booklet “Healing the Heart: Faith and Comfort in Times of Crisis,” a collection of essays by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks edited by Sivan Rahav Meir to provide some chizuk in these challenging times (https://did.li/ST0w5)
Rabbi Sacks wrote:
“’See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse.’” That was Moses’ insistent message in the last month of his life. There is always a choice. As Viktor Frankl said, even in Auschwitz there was one freedom they could not take away from us: the freedom to choose how to respond. Victimhood focuses us on a past we can’t change. Choice focuses us on a future we can change, liberating us from being held captive by our resentments…
“There really are victims in this world, and none of us should minimise their experiences. But in most cases (admittedly, not all) the most important thing we can do is help them recover their sense of agency. This is never easy, but is essential if they are not to drown in their own learned helplessness. No one should ever blame a victim. But neither should any of us encourage a victim to stay a victim. It took immense courage for Holocaust survivors to rise above their victimhood, but what a victory they won for human freedom, dignity and responsibility.
“Hence the life changing idea: Never define yourself as a victim. You cannot change your past but you can change your future. There is always a choice, and by exercising the strength to choose, we can rise above fate.”
Mazal tov to this inspirational young couple, who every day are choosing the blessing rather than the curse. Choosing the future over the past. The future will be challenging, but judging from this wedding, IY”H it will be beautiful as well.
Beautifully expressed!