Two years ago, on the second day of Passover, a holiday celebrating freedom from oppression, Rabbi Leo Dee’s life was shattered by unimaginable horror. Islamic terrorists ambushed his family in the Jordan Valley, murdering his wife Lucy and two teenage daughters, Maia and Rina. In an instant, a family celebration became a nightmare that would forever alter the trajectory of his life.
Yet from this devastating loss, Rabbi Dee has emerged not broken, but transformed. His journey offers a testament to human resilience and insight into the biblical understanding of suffering that has sustained the Jewish people for millennia.
When faced with catastrophic loss, how do people of faith respond? What wisdom does the Hebrew Bible offer those facing their darkest hour?
The Book of Job stands as Scripture’s most unflinching examination of human suffering. When Job’s friends attempt to explain his suffering, they are ultimately rebuked. Their theological systems – suggesting Job must have sinned to deserve such pain – collapse under the weight of reality.
God speaks to Job from the whirlwind:
This response doesn’t provide Job with a neat explanation for his suffering. Instead, God shifts the conversation entirely. He doesn’t answer Job’s “why” questions but reveals His presence and sovereignty. The message isn’t that Job’s questions don’t matter, but that they exist within a larger context that Job cannot fully comprehend. Rabbi Dee has walked a similar path – not finding easy answers to why his family was taken, but discovering a way forward through purposeful action and faith.
In his recent open letter to Yarden Bibas – who emerged from 500 days of Hamas captivity only to learn his entire family had been murdered – Rabbi Dee offers hard-earned wisdom: “There’s no explanation and there’s no justification for our tragedies, but you will find new meaning in your life and new hope for the future, and that will carry you through.”
This perspective mirrors King David’s experience. After the death of his infant son, David arose, washed, changed his clothes, and worshipped God (2 Samuel 12). When questioned about this response, David demonstrated a faith that acknowledged both the reality of loss and the necessity of moving forward in devotion to God. His worship was not the denial of grief but the transformation of it.
Rabbi Dee’s own transformation is evident in his continued commitment to building rather than destroying. While revenge might seem natural, he has instead focused on honoring his family’s memory through acts of compassion and wisdom. When Lucy died, her organs were donated to seven people, extending life even in the face of death.
The Jewish understanding of suffering has never been about passive acceptance. Rather, it involves wrestling with God like Jacob did at Peniel – emerging wounded but blessed with a new identity and purpose (Genesis 32). Rabbi Dee captures this paradox when he writes to Bibas: “In 100 years you will be reunited with them, and you will be able to confront Hashem and demand an explanation. But for now you, as I, must live with the knowledge that we are here to achieve something more.”
This “something more” is reflected in Rabbi Dee’s book, “Transforming the World: The Jewish Impact on Modernity.” The book examines how Jewish values and traditions have shaped modern ethics, education, justice, and community. It reveals how ancient wisdom continues to offer guidance for contemporary challenges, including how to face devastating loss without losing one’s humanity.
The Rabbi’s insight about olives captures the essence of this biblical approach to suffering: “One of the symbols of the Jewish people is an olive branch, and we are like olives, because when they crush us we become olive oil – something far more precious than we were before.”
This metaphor draws from the ancient process of oil production. In Temple times, the finest oil for the menorah required olives to be gently crushed by hand rather than ground in mills. The Hebrew word for “pure” oil in Exodus 27:20 refers not just to physical purity but to moral clarity and spiritual illumination. From Rabbi Dee’s crushing came wisdom to guide others through darkness and determination to build rather than destroy.
The Bible never promises freedom from suffering. Instead, it shows how suffering, faced with faith, can become the vehicle for transformation. Moses could not lead until he experienced exile. Joseph could not save nations until he endured imprisonment. Israel could not receive Torah until they knew slavery.
What Rabbi Dee has learned – and what Scripture teaches – is that meaning emerges not from explaining suffering but from responding to it with moral courage and faith. When he tells Bibas, “You have been chosen to bring a message to all of mankind,” he follows the biblical pattern where those who suffer most often carry the most important messages.
As we mark the second anniversary of this tragic attack, Rabbi Dee shows us how to live biblical truth – turning victims into witnesses, pain into purpose, and death into a stubborn affirmation of life.
Click here to buy Rabbi Leo Dee’s book “Transforming the World: The Jewish Impact on Modernity” and support his continued mission of bringing Jewish wisdom to a world in desperate need of it.
