A pit in my stomach has been growing all morning. Perhaps it is from the dark, unceasing rainfall in the U.S. Northeast. Something natural. Tangible.
More likely, however, it is the realization that today is Day 613.
Six-hundred and thirteen days since Oct. 7, 2023.
Six-hundred and thirteen days of pain for the Jewish people and supporters of Israel. Of families torn apart. Of a war no one wanted. Of a rainfall of rockets. Of international scorn and misinformation.
For the Jewish people, the number 613 is particularly significant as there are 613 mitzvot, “commandments,” in the Torah. Some are positive commandments; some are negative. Some are time-bound; some are place-dependent.
And some mitzvot take only a moment but have a lasting impact.
Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi of Great Britain, has suggested that Jews take on an extra mitzvah today in the merit of the hostages. As he wrote on X, Tuesday marks “613 days of the cruel captivity of our hostages. In their honor, let us each renew our dedication to one of the 613 commandments of the Torah, be it giving charity, showing extra kindness, or any mitzvah you feel drawn to.”
In that vein …
Maybe you’ll call a family member you haven’t spoken to in a long time.
Maybe you’ll recite a chapter from Psalms. If so, consider Chapter 17, which mentions both Ariel and Kfir, the names of the two Bibas boys brutally murdered in captivity. Or, maybe, say Chapter 133, which includes the words He-nei ma-tov u manayim shevet Achim gam yachad, “How good it is when brothers come together.”
Maybe you’ll give a few coins or dollars to a charity that speaks to you. Perhaps it will be a charity that helps those fighting on the frontlines in Israel, the poor in your neighborhood, or a local Jewish school or synagogue.
Maybe you’ll make an effort to eat only kosher food today.
Maybe you’ll refrain from gossiping.
So today, pick a mitzvah and for a moment think of the hostages. Do what they cannot.
It’s hard to be patient. Yet the rain outside will cease. The skies will brighten again, figuratively and literally. May we merit to see goodness prevail and the hostages released and reunited with their families and friends.
