On the 25th anniversary of the heroism of the passengers of Flight 93

Rabbi James A. Gibson delivered these remarks at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, marking 25 years since 9/11.

What is courage?

American writer and activist Ambrose Redwood wrote: “Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgement that something else is more important.”

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Author Mark Twain wrote: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

One of the most famous rabbis in Jewish tradition, Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav declared: “The whole world is a very narrow bridge. The most important thing is not to give in to fear.”

We could cite any one of these quotations regarding the heroism of the passengers of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, whose ground we gather upon today. As a group they decided that something was more important than being terrified of terrorists. As a group they consciously and decisively resisted and mastered their fear. As a group they stood on that very narrow bridge and refused to give in to fear, though they knew their lives were forfeit.

Our Jewish tradition would declare all of them to have perished al kiddush haShem, sanctifying God’s name. Even those who may not have believed, acted in a manner that makes them holy in God’s sight.

Their courage has made them holy. Their actions have sanctified them. And so today, on the 25th anniversary of their deaths, we consecrate, we commemorate, we celebrate their lives.

Our words can ring hollow when we ourselves speak of bravery, valor or courage. I fear our speech does not do the lives of the Flight 93 heroes justice. We honor them best, not by our words but by our commitment to remembering who they were, caring for the families they loved, upholding the values they lived by, and calling to mind their deeds, which will live in perpetuity.

We best honor their memories by living our lives by the virtues for which they gave theirs: Courage, Fearlessness, Patriotism, Fidelity, Faith. And so we pray — pray that their sacrifice will not only be remembered, but serve as a model for all of us who honor, cherish and still mourn them this day.

In my tradition, we pray the following for the souls of the departed, those who have died at the hands of cruel oppressors:

El Malei Rachamim, Shochen BaM’romim – O God, full of compassion, dwelling on High, may our departed find perfect rest beneath the sheltering wings of Your Presence, among the holy and the pure; who shine with the light of the heavens, the souls of our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, men, women, and children, who have died at the hands of terrorists. May the Garden of Eden be their resting place. Oh please, Master of compassion, keep them in the shelter of Your wings for eternity and bind up their souls in the bond of life. God is their inheritance; may they rest in peace, and let us say, Amen. PJC

Rabbi James A. Gibson is chair of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and rabbi emeritus of Beit Kulanu (formerly Temple Sinai).