Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

On Tuesday I traveled to Washington DC to participate in in the March for Israel on the National Mall. I returned home with the two posters pictured above. We placed them in our front window. We live in a small condominium community of about 30 units, so we do not have many passers-bye. Who was really going to see these signs? What kind of impact would they have?

Yesterday, two groundskeepers were in front of our home, raking some leaves. My wife, Middy, overheard this conversation:

Younger Groundskeeper: “Hey! Y eso?” (pointing to the lower picture, he asks, “What is this about?” )

Older Groundskeeper: “Que?” (Looking at the picture, he says, “What”?)

He continues: “Esos son niñitos secuestrados en Israel” (Those are the children kidnapped in Israel.)

Younger Groundskeeper: “Pero son niñitos!” (But they’re small children!)

Middy did not hear the rest of the conversation. But the posters put a human face on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. One never knows the effect of a small gesture of support for Israel. The little things we do matter.

Here is a poem by Nurit Yaakov Kohen, translated by me from the Hebrew.

“It’s Simple”

To be concentrated in doing the blessed act/That is what we need to do now.

Yes. Even a smile to the passer-bye on the street is considered.

Every action, small and large

That releases the heart

From the sorrow of autumn.

כָּכָה. פָּשׁוּט./ נירית יעקב כהן
לִהְיוֹת מְרֻכָּזִים בַּעֲשִׂיָּה מְבֹרֶכֶת
זֶה מָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לַעֲשׂוֹת עַכְשָׁו.
כֵּן, גַּם חִיּוּךְ לְעוֹבֵר אֹרַח בָּרְחוֹב
נֶחְשָׁב.
כָּל פְּעֻלָּה, קְטַנָּה כִּגְדוֹלָה,
שֶׁמְּחַלֶּצֶת אֶת הַלֵּב
מִצְעָרוֹ שֶׁל הַסְּתָו.