I do not have the words to describe the feeling being in the Ziegler Sanctuary last night with 800 members of the Sinai Temple and Greater Los Angeles communities listening to the testimony of Omer Shem Tov. Omer is not a released hostage. Omer is a free man. As we recite each morning, we thank God for being Ben Chorin, a free person. Omer consistently told us over his 505 days that he witnessed miracle after miracle. Last night, he told us that while in captivity, he found a stack of books. Within that pile of books was a small card that contained Psalm 20. “May God answer you in time of trouble….May God send you help from the sanctuary, and sustain you from Zion….May God grant you your desire, and fulfill your every plan.”

When Omer came home and told his mother this story, she began to cry. She told Omer, “Every day, I read that Psalm while sitting in your room.”

Omer said that every morning in captivity he prayed. But instead of asking God for something, he said, “God, How are You? What can I do for You today?” In the darkest of times and spaces, Omer found his faith propelled him forward one day at a time, one word of Psalm 20 at a time. So too should we appreciate every breath of our lives. Omer begins and ends every speech with the same words, “I am Omer Shem Tov, and I am a free man.” This Shabbat, may we merit the light that Omer shone upon our community and our souls and be grateful for our freedom.