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Faith Lessons from Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s Unthinkable Loss

Faith Lessons from Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s Unthinkable Loss

Last updated on: December 6, 2024 at 8:19 am by Susan P Lax

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Faith Lessons from Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s Unthinkable Loss 2024-12-06T08:19:48-05:00 Susan P Lax

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Yet without her knowledge, Rachel Goldberg-Polin became my teacher of unexpected soul lessons.

I have learned from many teachers in classrooms and others from life’s unexpected moments.

Yet, I had never imagined I would receive such inspirational and profound teachings from a mother’s pain.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin is the mother of Hersh Goldberg -Polin, who was executed by Hamas, after 330 days of captivity.

She fought day in day out, for over 11 months persistently with unwavering grace and determination to release her beloved son.

Rachel continues to swim the overwhelming waves of loss, sorrow and grief.

Yet without her knowledge, Rachel Goldberg-Polin became my teacher of unexpected soul lessons.

How does one still maintain faith when met by the unbearable?

Over the past 14 months, I have had the privilege of listening to Rachel Goldberg-Polin speak.

Her ability to maintain a poised calm while sharing her unthinkable story continues to amaze me.

Hope, resilience, and even joy were words that often infused her eloquent speeches, as she demanded and begged from the world and its leaders to return her son. At Hersh’s funeral, Rachel thanked G-D:” And one thing I keep thinking about is how out of all the mothers in the world, G-d chose to give Hersh to me.”

When I heard those words, I recall questioning: How does one still maintain faith when met by the unbearable?

Rachel’s words offered a profound and soulful lesson, leaving a lasting impact on my faith and perspective.

Woman Holding Book of Psalms

Rachel Goldberg-Polin -Polin Holding her Book of Psalms

A power beyond ourselves, that perhaps reinforces faith in us can restore our own faith.

This new realization came to me after hearing Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s speech this past week.

She talked about the Jewish prayer Modeh Ani ,a morning ritual of gratitude for waking.

Rachel shared that it was a prayer thanking G-D for having faith in us for choosing to rise and face the day.

Although I had heard many interpretations of Modeh Ani, this was the most powerful.

Her words, offered me an important soulful lesson, planting a meaningful impression on my faith and viewpoint.

Faith can be empowered and restored by acknowledging that there is a power greater than us.

I have struggled with my faith this past year.

However, as I listened to her words a strong force of courage and resilience embraced my soul.

Hope: A guiding light amidst darkness

I am a woman of hope.

For me, hope is a necessity, one we must nurture and never stand in her way.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin too shares this belief.

In one of her earlier speeches after Hirsh’s abduction, she emphasized :

“Hope is mandatory.” ” Hope, always hope”.

Her words are a great reminder of the important role hope plays in our moments.

As I honor Rachel’s message and soulful teachings, I feel a need to end this column with my own message:

May hope continue to blossom within the landscape of our hearts, offering a guiding light amidst darkness.

I am creator of the “Morning Inspiration” series, which provides readers with reflections and thoughts to start their day with spiritual inspiration.

If you feel the calling to receive it you can do so here

Women in Religion

About Susan P. Lax

When one of Susan’s closest friends was fighting cancer and had to focus on trying to heal, they didn’t speak as often as they once did. To make sure Stephanie knew that Susan was always thinking of her each day, Susan emailed her friend a healing, positive thought first thing in the morning. Slowly, Susan discovered an ability to translate her heart words into written ones and more and more people began to receive Susan’s “Morning Inspiration” which is from where her book, A HEART’S LANDSCAPE, derived. Right now, especially with all happening in the world, Susan offers deep reminders with words and warm visuals – to take a moment and just pause – get away from the inundation and put the chaos away. Susan’s heart words and inspiring visuals guide readers to take a moment and escape all adversity and focus on carving out one joyful moment with the hope that it will lead to other good moments. You can read more about the author here.

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