Three abductees who were freed - Sapir Cohen, along with the mother and daughter Yelena and Irena Trufanov - arrived at the Western Wall last night, blessed the "Hagomel" and said "a psalm of thanks."
I was at one of the largest prayer rallies at the Kotel before the release. An assembly full of concern and supplication. It is not to be taken for granted that they were released alive and well, and that they remembered to come afterwards, themselves, to give thanks.
There is a famous story about a rabbi whose daughter was in the delivery room. He stood outside and said psalms in prayer for an easy and quick birth. And then - mazel tov! - a baby was born. Everyone rushed to the new mother and he lingered a little longer outside. When they asked him why, he said: Up until now we have prayed and asked, now - we will say "a psalm of thanksgiving."
The psalm is chapter number 100 in the Book of Psalms. It is worth being familiar with it, because even in the midst of difficult days there are moments and things to be thankful for. The three abductees also asked yesterday that soon all the abductees and the soldiers and the evacuees and the wounded, everyone, all of us, will be able to say it with complete joy:
מִזְמוֹר לְתוֹדָה הָרִיעוּ לַה' כָּל הָאָרֶץ. עִבְדוּ אֶת ה' בְּשִׂמְחָה בֹּאוּ לְפָנָיו בִּרְנָנָה. דְּעוּ כִּי ה' הוּא אֱלֹהִים הוּא עָשָׂנוּ וְלוֹ אֲנַחְנוּ עַמּוֹ וְצֹאן מַרְעִיתוֹ. בֹּאוּ שְׁעָרָיו בְּתוֹדָה חֲצֵרֹתָיו בִּתְהִלָּה הוֹדוּ לוֹ בָּרְכוּ שְׁמוֹ. כִּי טוֹב ה' לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ וְעַד דֹּר וָדֹר אֱמוּנָתוֹ.
B'sorot Tovot.
