Helping our younger boys get their Purim costumes ready for dress-up day in school tomorrow, going through our massive "Purim box" full of costumes and accessories from years of Purims past and kids who've always enjoyed dressing up.

As I looked for a particular item my hands found instead a transparent bag with superhero components - capes, shirts, headgear - and a stiff felt Batman mask with pointy ears atop a neatly folded set of little boy Batman pajamas.

The tears welled up unbidden and all I could see in my mind's eye was the photo of the once happy Bibas family and their two little boys enjoying a family Batman PJ costume back in another life, before the Hamas invasion of October 7th stole that all away and kidnapped them to Gaza.

What is happening to them now? Are they still alive? Together? What conditions are they being held in? Do they have food, water? How are they being treated? Do they know it's almost Purim? Do they know how much everyone is doing to find them, save them, set them free?

Let my people go! שלח את עמי