Where were you on 9/11?
I was in Toronto, studying in yeshiva. We had just finished our morning tefillah and we heard the news…
A friend’s father worked in the World Trade Center and as he tried calling home, his nervousness quickly turned to near panic. The lines were jammed and calls were not getting through. It turned out that his father, usually a punctual person, was inexplicably running late that morning. Everything had taken longer than it should have; little did he know that it saved his life.
But what now, ten years later? What should we focus on when commemorating this most devastating attack in which 2977 innocent people perished? Do we hold a moment of silence and move on? All of us feel that something must be done but we don’t know what it should be. So we participate in some memorial service and try to feel the emotions of the day… and then we move on. It doesn’t come back to us until next year 9/11…
In 1957, the fledgling community of Kfar Chabad in Israel was attacked by a group of terrorists, who killed 6 young men and wounded many more. The people of the village, many of them refugees themselves, were in a state of despair and many were prepared to move elsewhere and close down the village.
And then a telegram came. It said three words that made all the difference. “Bhemshech Habinyan Tenacheimu - By your continued building will you be comforted.” The telegram was sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe and its succinct but powerful message saved the community.
Let us take this message to heart. By our continued building, we will be comforted. The terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 want us to conform to their ways, to be subjugated to their religious dictates. A most appropriate response is to strengthen - and promote - our way of life.
It is most fitting then, that our Hebrew School begins the first lessons of the new school year on 9/11. 32 young Jewish children are being educated with the timeless lessons of the Torah, to enable them to build a better tomorrow. In effect we are saying that we are building and growing; our continued building is a fitting memorial to those who perished. By our continued building we will be comforted.