Thought for the Day: Shavuot
“Whoever Has a Why Can Bear Almost Any How”
Former Israeli hostage, Or Levy, attributes his desire to carry on living through the harshest of conditions while held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, to a fortuitous encounter with fellow hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
In an underground tunnel, Hersh mentioned that he had once read the book, Man’s Search For Meaning, by Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, in which Frankl wrote that “whoever has a why can bear almost any how”. This mantra had become Hersh’s profound lifeline of resilience, which he shared with all the other hostages he came across. Hersh was tragically murdered while in captivity. After listening to Hersh, Or was able to maintain his mental fortitude despite his horrific ordeals, because he was determined to return to raise his young child. His ‘why’ helped him to deal with his ‘how.’
Over recent weeks and months, Jewish people around the world have drawn much strength from this message. This has been a painful period for many, which seems to show no sign of abating. Just this week, a man in London was beaten close to unconsciousness near his home by a gang of five men, reportedly after being overheard speaking Hebrew on his phone.
The Jewish festival of Shavuot, which begins this evening, offers a template for responding to times of adversity.
The two-day festival marks the conclusion of a fascinating seven-week period on the Jewish calendar, which mirrors the 49-day journey of the Israelites out of Egypt. Having left their long and bitter slavery in Egypt behind them, the Israelites moved swiftly to Sinai, where they received the Ten Commandments. They had every reason to be consumed by their oppression in Egypt and to be defined by their victimhood. Instead, within weeks of liberation, they chose to embrace a code of life which would empower them with a reason to exist, far larger and more enriching than their sense of pain.
From that moment, they were no longer defined by their persecution, but by their purpose. That reorientation, from how to why, is one of the most powerful ideas in human history.
With this in mind, the Board of Deputies of British Jews has launched the inaugural Jewish Culture Month, a nationwide celebration of Jewish creativity, comedy, music and literature, running across the country until mid-June. Open to all, its founding spirit is deliberately, defiantly joyful. That is the Sinai spirit. Not a denial of these extraordinarily difficult times, but a refusal to be defined by them, because in the end, life is measured by what we build and not what we endure.
Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 21 May 2026.
