Rabbi Dr. Yosef Lynn
After two years of heartbreak, the hostages are back. Their return isn’t only a miracle—it’s a mandate for how we live moving forward.
After two years of praying, hoping, and holding our breath, all the living hostages are finally home. The emotions have been overwhelming. I’ve watched the videos of families reuniting with their loved ones, and the tears have flowed freely. Mothers embracing children. Spouses holding each other as if they might never let go. The sheer relief and joy radiating from their faces—it’s almost too much to take in.
But we are quick to forget. Life has a way of pulling us back into routine, of dulling even the sharpest feelings. Moments of profound emotion carry profound responsibility. I cannot simply return to life as normal after witnessing this miracle. None of us can. Here the lessons I’m striving to take with me.
Be Empathetic to Those Around You
You never know what someone is going through. For two years, families walked among us carrying unbearable pain. Some wore it openly; others masked it with forced smiles and brave faces. But behind closed doors, they were breaking. Every holiday that passed without their loved ones. Every empty chair at the Shabbat table. Every night wondering if they would ever see them again.
How many people in our own lives are carrying similar burdens we know nothing about? A friend struggling with infertility. A neighbor battling illness. A colleague dealing with a family crisis. We pass each other in shul, at the grocery store, in our daily routines, and we have no idea.
The return of the hostages reminds us: everyone has a story. Everyone is fighting battles we cannot see. A little kindness, a listening ear, a genuine “How are you?”—these small acts can mean everything to someone who is suffering in silence.
Cherish Your Loved Ones
We don’t need to experience pain to learn to cherish one another. The families of the hostages didn’t know if they would ever get this moment—the moment of embrace, of reunion, of having their loved one home. They would have given anything just to sit together at the table again, to hear their voice, to hold their hand.
We have that now. Today. Our loved ones are with us. Don’t wait for a crisis to truly appreciate them. Don’t let petty frustrations cloud your gratitude for simply having each other.
The hostages’ return teaches us that life is fragile and precious. Look at your spouse, your children, your parents, your siblings and friends, and truly see the blessing they are.
Never Give Up Hope
For nearly two years, it would have been easy to give up and let despair win. But the Jewish people never stopped praying. Never stopped advocating. Never stopped hoping. We prayed at the Kotel, we wore the dog tags, we kept their names and faces before us. We refused to forget and to accept that this was the end of their story.
And now, they are home. This is the power of hope. Not naive optimism, but the deep, stubborn Jewish faith that even in the darkest night, redemption can come. That miracles still happen. That no situation is beyond the reach of the Almighty.
Moving Forward
The hostages are home but their ordeal is not over. They will need time to heal, to rebuild, to find their footing in a world that continued without them. And we, as a community, must be there for them throughout the long, difficult months and years ahead.
And let’s support each other. Let us be more empathetic. Let us cherish what we have. Let us never give up hope. This is how we transform collective trauma and joy into lasting growth.
Rabbi Dr. Yosef Lynn is an executive coach who focuses on helping individuals thrive in their professional lives and beyond, giving them the tools to achieve their goals in all of their personal endeavors, especially in their relationships and serves as the Dean of Students at Machon Yaakov, the Dr. David Robinson Institute for Jewish Heritage, Jerusalem. He holds a Doctorate in Human and Organizational Psychology (PsyD) from Touro, and a Master in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania.
