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The memory of the Holocaust is very important, not just this week but year-round. We remember our loved ones that perished in the most brutal way, we remember the cruelty and barbarity of the Nazis and vow “Never Again”. We also remember the heroic deeds of very special people Jews and non-Jews who risked their lives to help and save others.
Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist and during the Second World War, he was sent to the concentration camp of Theresienstadt. There, as he himself and his fellow Jews were going through the most difficult and challenging circumstances, he observed that at times strong and healthy people did not manage to carry on, while others weaker people managed to hold on and survived. So, he tried to understand what is it that gave them strength?
He found that people who had a reason to live, something they wanted to accomplish, someone to care for, had a much bigger chance to endure the difficulties. This brought him to the understanding that if you have the "why", you will find the "how" - If you have a reason to live for, you will find the way to make it happen.
Let's remember and internalize it. Let's find meaning in our lives and actions, which will give us the "Why" and then the "How" will follow.
Let our lives and our positive influence on the world around us be a tribute to those who perished.
Rabbi Mendel Hendel