Since the terrible massacre on Simchas Torah, most of what the Jewish people [and much of the world, for that matter] have been talking about is the hostages. Why is that? 99.99999 percent of us never heard of any of them!!
The answer is that Jewish people are suffering and we care and want to do anything we can to end their suffering [including making a much debated deal with Hamas which many hold is quite foolhardy].
That is AMMMMMAAAAZZZIINNNNGGGG!!!
Caring about people even if you don't know them.
Thought experiment: IMAGINE that we cared about all Jews that way! Why does someone have to get kidnapped [or killed] for us to care??? The Mishna says that when any person suffers - the שכינה Herself is suffering! Why can't we also just care deeply about people and be empathetic - even if we don't know them?
F'rinstance: Until now there have been many many people in desperate need of money and they suffered. Money is tight. Tough economy. Suddenly - billions and billions of dollars are being found to fund the war. That is AMAZING that we support the war and the hostages. OF COURSE WE SHOULD!!! But we shouldn't have to wait for such a horrific tragedy to care and ACT. So when it comes to the hostages where we have just about ZERO power to help [in a concrete this-worldly way. Of course we can and must daven] - we care so much. But where many people actually have the ability to help people in severe distress - we don't. [It goes w/o saying that there is no nation on earth where there is as much Tzdaka and Chesed per capita like Am Yisrael. But I fear that there are many people who could do a lot more and are not].
ואכמ"ל יותר.
