In Parasha Vayera, G-d appears to Abraham. Three strangers pass by, and Abraham rushes to welcome them into his tent. It is in the midst of this act of chesed, hospitality, and generosity that the angels reveal shocking news: Sarah, though ninety years old, will bear a child. Sarah laughs. It is not a laugh of joy at first, but of disbelief. Hashem’s response is striking: “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, zichrono livracha (of blessed memory), often returned to this verse as one of the Torah’s most enduring lessons. He wrote that hope is not the naive belief that everything will work out easily, but the refusal to ever give up. “Optimism is the belief that things will get better. Hope is the faith that, together, we can make them better.”

This message speaks powerfully to us today, two years since October 7, when unspeakable evil descended on Israel. We still live with grief, with loss, and with pain. Families remain broken. And yet, we do not laugh in despair. We hold on to tikvah, to hope. We pray, work, and demand that the hostages still in captivity will return home, alive and safe.

Like Abraham arguing for the people of Sodom, we believe in the power of justice and mercy. Like Sarah, we are called to believe in all possibilities, even when the promise seems beyond reach. And like Isaac, forced on the altar to be sacrificed but spared, we hold on to the faith that life will overcome death. Hope, Rabbi Sacks taught, is what allows the Jewish people to survive tragedy and to rebuild. Hope is what allows us to say, even in darkness, “Is anything too hard for Hashem?” Hope is what binds us to one another and to Hashem, refusing to let despair have the final word.

On this Shabbat, let us dedicate our prayers, our voices, and our actions to the safe return of the hostages, to our brave soldiers, and to the strength of Am Yisrael.

Shabbat Shalom,
Micol Shore, BBYO Italy