This week, our hearts pause together as we mark a solemn and tender moment: the return of the final hostage’s body and the turning off of the counting clocks that have measured every day since October 7, 2023.

Counting is a deeply Jewish act. We count days to holiness, years to freedom, moments to meaning. But this counting was different. It was heavy with anguish and marked by names and faces that never left our consciousness. Those clocks did more than track time; they counted heartbeats of hope and fear, reminding us daily that lives were suspended and families were waiting. Each number carried the plea: do not forget, do not look away, do not stop hoping.

Now is the first time since 2014 that no Israeli hostages, living or deceased, are believed to be held in the Gaza Strip. Though the return of Ron Gvili’s body may not be the ending of the war we have prayed for, it is an ending nonetheless. It allows the relentless waiting to give way to sacred mourning. In our tradition, bringing someone home, even in death, is a profound mitzvah. It restores dignity. It affirms that every life matters and that no one is abandoned to anonymity or silence.

As the clocks of this nightmare go dark, our responsibility does not. We carry the stories forward. We hold the grief with tenderness. We honor the resilience of those who waited, hoped, and kept counting when it felt unbearable. And, gently, we allow ourselves to exhale.

May the memories of all who were lost be a blessing. May those who mourn feel surrounded by comfort. And may this moment strengthen our resolve to choose compassion, justice, and life, again and again, even when the road is painfully hard.

We move forward together, hearts cracked, yet still committed to hope and resilience.

With love, Rabbi Shara