Last week parents lost a son. Parents lost a daughter. Two children lost Abba and Ima. The Jewish People lost two precious gems of kindness and devotion. The Mumbai Jewish Community lost loving leaders and mentors. The Lubavitch Community lost two of its finest. The Shluchim (Chabad Emissaries) network worldwide lost faithful colleagues and dear friends.
It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I write these words. Fear and anger filled my heart as news of a terrorist attack came in from India. Tears filled my eyes, and I was struck with grief and pain when the newsreel delivered word that two of our own had joined the ranks of the slain innocent in Mumbai. Indeed, every life lost in the attacks is a great tragedy, and they all deserve our thoughts and prayers. I feel compelled, however, to write of a loss that hit close to home, that of two colleagues in Mumbai.
Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, 29 and his wife Rivkah, 28, co-directors and founders of the Chabad Center in Mumbai were murdered in cold blood by the brutal creatures that seized the Chabad House, taking them and others hostage inside. Their son, Moshe Tzvi, "Moshele," who turned two on Shabbat, was whisked from the building to safety by a courageous nanny escapingthe hell on earth. (Their other child was and is in Israel.)
It is difficult to imagine Moshele not being able to embrace his parents and call out "Abba, Imma." It's unfathomable why G-d would take two loyal servants from this world. Together, they sacrificed the cozy confines of family, friends and religion. Together they devoted their lives to sharing a spark of the religion they loved with others in a foreign land. Together they made the ultimate sacrifice, losing their lives in the line of duty, may G-d avenge their blood.
They cooked for dozens – sometimes hundreds- for Shabbat and Holidays. They provided kosher food for locals and travelers including chickens that were slaughtered weekly in a kosher manner by Rabbi Holtzberg. They taught men, women and children. They performed weddings, brit milahs, holiday events and Passover Seders for hundreds of Jewish people living in and visiting Mumbai.
They made connections with thousands of young men and women leaving an impact for a lifetime. They were very involved in the Mumbai Jewish community, actively pursuing its betterment and growth. They helped prevent a local synagogue’s Minyan from fading away, bringing people there almost weekly. Together, they led the community, with kindness, compassion, devotion and love.
We cannot explain why something like this happens. We cannot even pretend to understand the ways of G-d. It seems senseless to us. We are angry. We are sad. We are shocked. We simply do not understand. We are mourning and grieving. We wonder: Did G-d fail us? Did he ignore us? Emotions will flood the streams, and the questions will choke our thought. We are human. It is natural.
But after the grieving and mourning settle, and perhaps even before, we must take action. Chassidic masters have long taught the importance of looking evil in the eye and acting against it. We must fill the darkness with light, battle the evil with goodness and the hatred with love.
We must resolve to do an extra mitzvah. We must resolve to memorialize the victims with what was important to them – taking the time to do Mitzvot like lighting Shabbat Candles and wearing Teffilin, observing Jewish Holidays, studying Torah and more.
We must not allow ourselves to be overcome with doubt and depression. We must immediately take steps to make this world the fountain of goodness and kindness that it could and should be.
We must do it for Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg.
We must do it to show Moshele how special his parents were.
We must do it for the other innocent Chabad House victims.
We must do it for the over 150 victims of the attacks.
We must do it for the sake of G-d and ourselves – to improve our world!
May we never have to report on events like this again.
May we, very soon, experience the coming of Moshiach!
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