Navigating the Turbulent Journey
We can't control the journey. We can choose how we navigate it.
Early yesterday morning, I saw a news alert that a flight headed to Israel was in crisis and that more details would be forthcoming.
And I found myself in that strange space of not knowing.
Should I worry? Should I assume everything was fine? Should I recite Tehillim? Should I put down my phone and simply resume my plans?
I did some of each.
Eventually, we learned what had happened. A Flydubai flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv had become the scene of an attempted hijacking. The co-pilot stabbed the captain and the plane went into a terrifying descent. Despite being seriously wounded, the captain managed to open the cockpit door. Israeli passengers rushed forward, subdued the attacker, and used corded headphones to tie him up. Two off-duty pilots who happened to be among the passengers then helped take control of the plane, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Everyone on board survived.
The speed, courage and ingenuity of the passengers are extraordinary. And for me, there is something almost impossible not to see as Divinely inspired in the way everything came together: the wounded captain opening the door, the right people being there, a passenger knowing enough to pull the plane upward, off-duty pilots being on board, and, somehow, corded headphones becoming restraints.
The passengers could not control what was happening.
But they could respond.
And they did.
I couldn't help thinking about the history that sits behind an Israel-bound airplane.
In 1976, the Jewish passengers of an Air France flight were taken hostage after terrorists hijacked their journey and diverted the plane to Entebbe.
On September 11, 2001, airplanes themselves were turned from vehicles carrying people toward their destinations into weapons of destruction, in the most horrific terrorist attack on American soil.
And on October 7, 2023, the most horrific terrorist attack occurred in Israel. This was on Simchat Torah what should have been one of the most joyous days of the Jewish calendar.
There is a common thread that I find haunting:
Something that was supposed to carry us somewhere can suddenly be taken in another direction.
A plane.
A holiday.
A journey.
A life.
And yet, yesterday's story also reminds us of something else.
We cannot always control the journey.
But we are not necessarily powerless within it.
Sometimes we have to recognize what is happening, use whatever is in our hands, and act.
That feels particularly meaningful as we return to Simchat Torah.
We have enjoyed Sukkot, zman simchateinu, the season of our rejoicing, by leaving the permanence and security of our homes and sitting in a temporary structure.
It seems almost contradictory.
We know the world is unpredictable.
We know our lives are vulnerable.
We know we cannot control every storm that comes our way.
And still, we built the sukkah.
We decorated it.
We invited people into it.
We ate in it.
We sang in it.
We rejoiced in it.
The sukkah doesn't promise us that nothing frightening will happen.
It reminds us that vulnerability and joy can exist at the same time.
And now we welcome Simchat Torah.
Three years ago, we learned just how quickly a day of dancing could become a day of terror.
This year, we will take the Torah in our hands again.
We will gather.
We will sing.
We will dance.
Not because we have forgotten October 7.
Not because we believe the world is suddenly safe.
And not because we can control what comes next.
We dance because our response is still ours to choose.
And perhaps this is also part of what we, as grandparents, are trying to give the next generation.
We cannot control the world our children and grandchildren will inherit.
We cannot guarantee that their journeys will be smooth.
We cannot remove every difficult moment they will encounter.
But we can give them something for the journey.
Stories.
Wisdom.
Values.
Traditions.
A sense of where they come from.
And perhaps most importantly, we can model what it means to respond when the journey suddenly changes.
We don't get to choose every journey our children and grandchildren will face.
But we do get to decide what we place in their hands before they leave.
A story. A song. A relationship.
A way of responding when things go wrong.
And sometimes, apparently, a pair of headphones.
We Can Navigate Our Journey With Joyful, Intentional, Connections.
Joyful. Make room for joy this Simchat Torah. Dance. Sing. Tell a joke. Eat something delicious. Let yourself experience the joy rather than waiting for the world to feel completely safe.
Intentional. Ask yourself: What do I want my grandchildren to carry with them? What story, value, tradition, skill or way of seeing the world do you want to make sure they receive?
Connection. Find a way to share Simchat Torah with a grandchild, whether you are physically together or connecting from afar. Show them that Jewish joy is not simply something we remember. It is something we continue to create.
Becoming the Grandparent You Want to Be
What kind of grandparent do you want to be?
Not the perfect grandparent. Not the grandparent someone else tells you to be. The grandparent you want to be.
Join me this fall for a six-week journey through Torah wisdom, reflection, conversation, and practical ideas for building meaningful relationships with your grandchildren.
Together, we'll explore the lives of the first Jewish parents and ask what their experiences can teach us about the real-life questions of modern grandparenting: connection, boundaries, values, joy, legacy, and the relationships we hope to build.
https://grandplan.pro/profile/workshop
May this Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah remind us that we cannot always choose the journey, but we can choose how we navigate it.
And may we all have the courage, wisdom, faith and connection we need for whatever comes next.
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbanit Sharona Hassan
Founder of Grand Plan
Did you listen to the Connecting Jewish Grandparents: The Grand Plan Podcast this week? It was completely different from this Weekly.
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Spotify: bit.ly/JewishPodcast
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Use this learning in honor or memory of someone you love.
A parent.
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A child.
Whether celebrating a joyous life-cycle event or honoring the memory of those no longer with us, it is a meaningful way to connect the generations and mark a legacy.
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