"ושבו בנים לגבולם"

רייצ'ל גולדברג פולין, הכנסת ספר תורה להשבת הירש ושאר החטופים (תשפ"ד)

We dedicate this sefer Torah in the merit of Hersh ben Perel Chana v' Yonatan Shimson, along with all the other beloved hostages coming home. We would not be able to perform this mitzva without your strength, support and tefilot which have sustained us in countless ways.

In 1981, on an October Tuesday evening, my mom and I went up to her friend's house on the north side of Chicago.

His name was Larry, and he walked us from his house toward an area with lots of singing and dancing.

There were streets blocked off, and there was so much energy in the air. I had never seen or felt anything like it before.

Larry explained that this was the holiday called Simchat Torah (but it was Chicago and he called it 'SimchaS Torah').

And he told us that it was the end of the cycle of reading the Torah, and so there was a celebration every year on this date. The next morning, he explained that Jews all over the world would wind the entire scroll back to the beginning and start the whole process of reading the Torah over again, week by week, portion by portion.

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The last time I stood in this courtyard for a tefilah service it was October 6th. Jon, Hersh, Leebie, Orly and I walked here and we celebrated with this, our beloved HaKhel community. We each danced with the Torah. I remember at one point Leebie and Orly were sitting there, with Be’eri Shoham. Hersh was back there, talking to Ayelet Haas about his recent trip to Europe. I remember talking to Aviel -Noam's husband, Uri and Aliza's son-in-law, over there, and introducing him to Hersh.

My plan was to return the next morning for the morning Simchat Torah shacharit tefilah.

But that was not to be.

And so many of us never got to have the end of the Torah read for us, or to hear Ata Harata on that fateful Shabbat morning.

So here we are.

Part of what is customary to do at a Hachnasat Sefer Torah (Torah dedication) is to read the last pesukim (verses) of the Torah (exactly as we do on Simchat Torah), and then to say Ata Harata (also, exactly as we do on Simchat Torah).

So tonight, I am looking at this moment as completing the cycle of what was stolen from us on October 7th. A tikkun...We will finish what we started on the evening of October 6th. Our cherished friend Rotem will read those final verses for us, and we will recite Ata Harata.

Another custom at a Hachnasat Sefer Torah is to say the blessing of Shecheiyanu. This blessing we say when we recognize the miracle in a moment -the uniqueness of an occasion.

We struggled with deciding how to say this bracha, thanking G-d, at a time when we are broken. How can we say this bracha with intention and meaning? But then we realized, one of the fascinating things about this exquisite torment in which we find ourselves, is that there is STILL beauty, kindness, love, benevolence and blessings.

We have endured 286 days of AN indescribable existence.

But, we have been carried, nurtured, cared for, nourished, held, loved and never alone.

And we would never have made it to this moment without G-d blessing us with YOU.

It is YOU who has brought us here.

We dedicate this sefer Torah in the merit of Hersh ben Perel Chana v' Yonatan Shimson, along with all the other beloved hostages coming home.

We would not be able to perform this mitzva without your strength, support and tefilot which have sustained us in countless ways.

YOU have kept us alive to have this moment. YOU.

And so, when we say Shecheiyanu in a few moments, it won't be with the same alacrity and vigor as we will say it --when Hersh comes home. But we will say it. From the bottom of our bruised hearts, thanking G-d for allowing us to do this meaningful act and in gratitude to G-d for giving you to us.....our friends, our community, our people.

May we merit the joyous news we are starving for...in the blink of an eye.

May we merit that news....TONIGHT.

Hersh, I love you, stay strong, survive.