שְׂאִי אֵלָיו כַּפַּיִךְ, עַל-נֶפֶשׁ עוֹלָלַיִךְ
Lift up your hands toward God for the life of your young children.
–Lamentations 2:19
We send comfort to the family of Muhammed Hussein Abu Khdair today as they bury their son, who was abducted and killed on Wednesday morning, in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Though we do not yet know for certain whether Muhammed was killed as an act of revenge for the tragic and unjustifiable murder of Naftali Fraenkel, Eyal Yifrach, and Gilad Shaar, we condemn any such acts of revenge. We implore all religious and political leaders to cease any rhetoric that demands or justifies revenge. We, ourselves, must pray God’s prayer “may it be my will that my mercy overcome my anger” (Talmud Brakhot 7a). We draw strength from the courageous statements by the families of both Naftali and Muhammed that call for an end to all bloodshed. May peace come soon to the land that we all call holy.