This article first appeared on Meaningfulminute.org Sometimes there are simply no words. What do you say to the young man who tells you his sister tried to take her life? To the young woman who just lost her brother to a drug overdose? To the newly married Kallah who just found out that she has cancer? To the young man who has just lost his father? Life can be extraordinarily painful. In our pain, we reach out to friends, Rabbeim, teachers, mentors, and loved ones, searching for words of comfort and hoping for guidance on how to approach impossible situations. I remember the day of the tragedy in Meron vividly. Everyone was struggling to make sense of what had just happened. One young man on social media posted, “I wish I were back in Yeshiva right now. My Rabbeim would know exactly what to say.” There was only one problem. I was the Rebbe, and I had no idea what to say. What could I say to the young man crushed in the crowd who had come within inches of losing his life? To the talmidim who had lost their best friend? I felt inadequate and unprepared to handle the intensity of what had just transpired. The Meron tragedy occurred on a Thursday night. Despite my inadequacy, I felt I had to be together with them on that Shabbos. I learned something powerful: The boys didn’t need any words of inspiration. They knew as well as I did that there was nothing to say. All they needed was someone to accompany them on their journey. To sit quietly with them in their room as they cried bi
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