And they shall study war no more

Today Gilad came home, after 1940 days in captivity.
Today he saw light, after 5 years and 4 months of darkness
He spoke to people, in Hebrew, his native tongue, after being kept in solitary confinement, for years in prison, somewhere in Gaza.
He hugged his parents and brother and sister and grandfather, and felt the touch of their love, once again
He felt the love of the Israeli people

Today we welcome home a hero, who survived 5 years and 4 months in captivity by the Hamas.
Today we are honored with the presence of a very, very, very courageous young man, who can teach us all about inner strength.

Today, the Israeli and Hamas governments carried out a deal, that was based on years of shadow diplomacy and intense negotiations.
Today we showed the world, but more importantly ourselves, that we can reach agreements, and bring home loved ones, even though we do not agree on so many things
Today we have concrete evidence, that we can create here a different path, if we are determined to do so.

I am not religious, but today the words of Isaiah, capture my feelings and appear to be possible (first sung here by Mahlia Jackson, followed by some of the verse):

.	And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
.	And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
	And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
	O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD...
	Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures...
	Our people are our gold and silver; there is no end to our treasures. The Hamas and Israeli governments reached an agreement on prisoner exchange, and today, both peoples enjoyed the fruits of this agreement. If we reached this agreement, we can reach another. And another. Today we proved to others, but more importantly to ourselves, that where there is a will, there is a way. If we will it, it will come.