The hostages are home. Now what?

As we approach Simchat Torah this year, my heart feels like a mosaic of emotions—joy, grief, gratitude, fear, and hope—all at once. I think many of us feel that way right now.

On one hand, there is the indescribable relief of parents finally embracing their children after twenty-four long months of captivity. The images of the reunions coming through this morning alone can move us to tears of joy. Yet, in the same moment, we ache for the now-former hostages and all they’ve endured, and for the families of those who did not return alive.

And we cannot ignore the painful reality that this moment also comes with a steep moral and human price. As Jews, we know that making a deal with the devil—compromising our deepest values to save a life—can, G-d forbid, bring tragic consequences down the road. The Rebbe often reminded us that the true preservation of life means also protecting the lives that may be endangered tomorrow.

It’s not easy to hold joy and pain together. But that’s what it means to be a Jew. From the very beginning, we’ve learned to cry and dance at the same time—to break a glass at a wedding even in our happiest hour, and to sing through our tears because life must go on. Joy, for us, has never been the absence of pain; it’s the refusal to let pain have the last word.

Simchat Torah gives us a sacred opportunity to do just that. We will dance—not because everything is right, but because our bond with G-d, with the Torah, and with one another is unbreakable. Our dancing is not an escape from reality; it’s our way of declaring that light and goodness will prevail.

This year, we will dance for those taken from us on October 7, for the soldiers who gave their lives defending our people and our land, and most significantly—for those who have finally returned. Each circle on the dance floor will be a prayer; each step, an act of faith that the story of our people is far from over.

Please join us tomorrow night for Simchat Torah. Let’s dance for them, for us, and for the hope that will carry us forward until the day we all dance together in peace, with the coming of Moshiach.