By Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Klugman
Yeshiva Ohr Somayach
The actions of *Agam Berger* תחי’ and her mother are something that one witnesses maybe once in a lifetime.
That a mother and a daughter independently begin to keep Shabbos as a result of the daughter being taken into captivity by murderers, without one knowing of the Shmiras Shabbos of the other.
That a mother whose daughter is about to be released after almost 500 days begs Klal Yisrael not to be mechalel Shabbos upon her release.
Who declares that she won’t even travel to see her on Shabbos, so as not to cause chilul Shabbos.
And then Hashem moves around the pieces so that instead of Agam being released on Shabbos, she is released on Thursday and causes no chilul Shabbos.
Millions of people watch Agam on the helicopter on the way home, writing her first three words since her release: דרך אמונה בחרתי (Tehillim 119:30).
The first three words.
And in our technological age, when she wrote those three words, millions of Yidden were watching.
A girl who didn’t go to Bais Yaakov.
Whose family is not “frum” — yet — who kept Shabbos and refused to eat treif, and along with her friends in captivity tried not to eat on Yom Kippur.
Yesterday, Agam taught emunah to millions of Yidden.
Then, when her mother first gave her a hug, you see the mother whispering for a few seconds, thanking _HaKadosh Baruch Hu_.
The אמונה בה’ evinced by the mother — *Meirav* — and in murderous circumstances by *Agam* תחי’, who spent close to a year and a half with bloodthirsty terrorists, is something that one sees once in a lifetime. The אמונה בה’ that she taught an entire nation clearly caused an uproar in Shamayim.
We wonder sometimes what special zechus we had when over 600 missiles shot from Iran didn’t cause a hair of damage on a Yid. Yes, we have the zechus haTorah. But one wonders if there was perhaps something more.
Rashi explains ויהי ידיו אמונה , with which the Torah describes Moshe Rabbeinu in the battle with Amalek, as meaning that his hands were strong. The powerful emunah that 19-year-old *Agam* taught millions of Yidden under the most murderous conditions is an everlasting zechus for our generation; it’s something that we last saw during the Holocaust.
We must never forget it.
Tonight, when we sing בואי בשלום עטרת בעלה — Come in peace, Shabbos, the crown of your husband, the Jewish people…
We mean…yes, Shabbos, you are our crown — our Kallah — and we will treat you like one treats a Kallah. Come בשמחה — with joy. ובצהלה — with jubilation — at the freedom of *Agam* and her fellow hostages — so far, may they all be brought home soon.
This week is truly a Shabbos Kallah!
We’re telling you, our Kallah, that you are תוך אמוני עם סגולה — in the midst of the מאמינים of Hashem’s treasured people who are מאמינים בני מאמינים, whose emunah becomes that much more apparent the more murderous the circumstances.
*בואי כלה, בואי כלה*
— Let us welcome this Shabbos Kallah together; for it’s like no other we’ve ever experienced.
{Matzav.com}