November 28, 2025
On October 7th, the book I had ordered by Eli Sharabi called “Hostage,” arrived in the mail. With all the excitement of the new ceasefire and the hostages being released, I could not bring myself to read it. Upon returning from Israel earlier this month, I came home, opened the book and after three days, finished it. I could sense the discomfort within me during the weeks that it sat on my desk, unread. Did I want to read about the awful days he endured, the beatings that he took, the loneliness he felt? After returning home from Israel, where I once again encountered the resilience of our people, I knew I had to read Sharabi’s harrowing experience.
Of my many takeaways from the book, two stand out. First, during captivity, Sharabi was held for several weeks with Hersh Goldberg Polin. What could 23-year-old Hersh teach a father of two who was double his age? One’s age is not an indicator of one’s capacity to offer wisdom. Hersh had been influenced by reading the acclaimed Holocaust survivor and psychologist, Viktor Frankl’s personal account of surviving Auschwitz, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Hersh learned from Frankl that, “A man who has a why, can endure any how.” Hersh’s wisdom changed Sharabi. Sharabi’s why was to get back to his family. Of course, entering the book, the reader knows that Sharabi’s family was murdered on October 7th. Sharabi also has another why; he befriends fellow hostage, Alon Ohel and in many ways becomes like a father figure to him. The two care for each other during captivity and Eli is pained when he is freed, but Ohel remained.
The second lesson I learned is how gratitude can be lifesaving. In captivity, Sharabi urged his fellow captives to conclude each night with a moment of gratitude. In the depths of horror, how could they find something good to recognize? Sharabi told them, “Come on, let’s think of something good that happened today, just one thing. For example, one good thing to be grateful for is when they suddenly allowed us to drink tea. Or when the tea was sweet. Another good thing might be if a particularly cruel guard we dislike doesn’t show up that day. We find ourselves searching for the good things for which we can express gratitude in the evening.” They began to look for something good in every moment. It changed their mindset, shaped their outlook, and potentially saved their lives.
As you read the book, you learn of the minimal food they ate – sometimes only one pita a day. You learn of the beatings they took and the fear they had. Sharabi’s resilience and the resilience of all the hostages is certainly remarkable. Perhaps Sharabi’s lesson to us is that gratitude is not something we only focus on one day per year; we can turn our gratitude into a practice. What if we paused each day to recount one good thing that happened? Even in our darkest moments, we have the power to find something positive about our day. Our practiced recognition of the good might just change our lives and help us survive the most challenging and darkest moments that we encounter.
Gratitude is at the heart of who we are as Jews. We read in our Torah this week about Leah giving birth to her fourth child, who she names Yehudah (Judah), because she says, “I am grateful.” The Jewish people are yehudim, a word that is derived Yehudah’s name. Gratitude is part of our Jewish DNA.
I hope that everyone is able to spend time today and throughout the weekend recounting at least one thing for which you would like to express gratitude. Perhaps you might consider recording it in a journal, texting it to a friend or family member, even posting about it on social media or replying to this email and letting me know – I would love to hear.
Perhaps even better, what if we made acknowledging our gratitude a daily practice?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rick Kellner