The Rebbe during the morning services on Hoshana Rabbah. | Jewish Educational Media - JEM

Today is Hoshana Rabbah — the day we pray “Save us and protect us.” Two years ago, we said the same words. The next day came October 7 — a day of pain and loss for all of Israel. But now we understand: our prayers were heard. Israel survived. We paid a heavy price, yet we were saved. Now it’s time for unity, gratitude, and light. Only together are we strong.🕎♾️🌿🇮🇱💯 #HoshanaRabbah #Israel #Prayer #October7 | Sarel Sarelelkin

In these days of Hoshana Rabbah and Simchat Torah, we raise our voices in supplication and song, and with renewed hearts, we celebrate deliverance. On Hoshana Rabbah, the “great day of supplication,” we circle the bimah with the Torah and lulav, crying “Hoshana! Hoshana!” as we lift our prayers upward. It is the final moment of the closing of the heavenly gates, a last chance to amend, to hope, to plead for mercy. Then comes Simchat Torah, the joyous celebration when we complete the Torah cycle,

This year, Hoshana Rabbah feels different. Our hearts are full of prayer and anticipation as we stand on the edge of redemption, believing that the return of our brothers and sisters held hostage is closer than ever. Families wait with hope. A nation prays with unity. And even in these final moments of darkness, the light of faith grows stronger, shining toward the promise of their return. In this powerful episode of Everyday Greatness, I sit down with Mickey 'Blechner' Nyer to talk about the ho