Yael Good

April 5, 1999 - January 16, 2020
(Nissan 19, 5759 - Tevet 19, 5780)

"The memory of the righteous is a blessing" - Proverbs 10:7

Yael Good is the daughter of Joseph and Debra Good, founders of Hatikva Ministrie as well as Jerusalem Temple Study. Just a few months before her 21st birthday, Yael Good came down with the flu in January of 2020. Thinking it would run its course and she would recover in a few days, her parents became alarmed when she did not get better, but her symptoms became progressively worse. She was taken to the ER and admitted to the hospital on January 7th. Within 10 hours of being in the hospital, she had a massive heart attack. Her heart completely stopped and it took twenty minutes to restart her heart. The doctors soon realized her heart could not continue to pump on its own. Within a very short time, both her heart and her lungs stopped functioning and she was immediately put on life support. They had initially hoped that installing a pacemaker could help her heart to restart itself but realized the swelling was just too much for it to be able to make a difference. Over the course of the next 9 days, her organs began to fail and her brain swelled. Unfortunately, she returned to her Creator when she was taken off life support on Thursday, January 16th, 2020.

During her days in the hospital, a campaign was started to not only pray for her, but increase the overall spiritual climate of our world through various activities of those following Yael’s plight. Hundreds of people from various religious backgrounds began to pray, fast, recite Tehillim (Psalms), give tzedakah (charity), and study Torah and all of Scripture with fervor on her behalf. It was an incredibly powerful time that transcended all religious boundaries and unified all who call on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to do what we should be doing every day.

After Yael passed from this life, her parents asked me to convey something to everyone who was lifting them up on this difficult journey. Even though they lost Yael in this world, they realized they had gained something incredible also. They were able to see the community of faith come together to pray, to speak blessings, to encourage, to give tzedakah (charity), to read Tehillim (Psalms), to study Torah (and all of Scriptures), etc. with a passion AND without religious or denominational barriers, as I mentioned earlier. For one of the first times in their lives, they saw Christians, Jews, Messianics, and everyone somewhere along the spectrum working together for a common cause and heading in the same direction. They saw Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, etc. all drop their denominational walls to pray as one voice with one heart. They saw Orthodox Jews, Ultra-Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews, and Reform Jews all praying together as one voice with one heart. They saw Messianic Jews and Messianic Gentiles, along with those in the Hebrew Roots movement praying together as one voice with one heart. We all came together as one for a common purpose and for a brief moment blessed the heart of God. It also brought great joy and comfort to Joe and Debbie. They knew this must not stop. Yael’s illness was the catalyst for this beautiful and rare event and it should be that Yael’s memory should sustain it.

Yael has passed from this world, but we can't allow the deeds performed on her behalf to fade with her physical body. We must keep the torch lit and continue the work the LORD started at the beginning of this crisis. This is what Joe and Debbie have worked tirelessly towards for the last several decades. To see it finally come to fruition in this horrific time of sorrow is a glimmer of hope that will keep the wind in their sails and carry them to the distant shores of hope. What can we do? What can YOU do?

First, you can join our Facebook group (link forthcoming) to become part of this community that will continue to work for Hashem’s (God’s) Kingdom. You can also make donations to the Good family to help cover their medical expenses on this website. You can also help support their ministry if you choose to do so. You can pray Tehillim with us using the Tehillim Together app (you can find our campaign under "Yael Bat Devorah (Yael Good)”). You can study the weekly Torah portion with a number of commentaries and teachers (there are hundreds of sites online that you can find commentary and teaching on the weekly Torah portions). You can study Daf Yomi (the daily Talmud study cycle) using the Real Clear Daf app, the Daf Yomi site, or the Sefaria site (click on "Daf Yomi" under Calendar). You can give tzedakah (charity / alms). You can plant a tree in Israel in her memory (some options: JNF, Shiva, Holy Land Tree). You can perform random acts of kindness, and increase your commitment to mitzvot (commandments / good deeds). Whatever you do, please don’t just do it once and then stop. Integrate new habits into your life to make a difference, shining your light in this dark and broken world.

Working together as one with the Holy One of Israel leading us, we have the power to bring tikkun (repair / transformation) to this broken world. It was so good to see the interaction of the faith community as we came together in action. We need to keep this up. We need to continue being vigilant in daily prayer, daily Torah study, daily reciting Tehillim, giving tzedakah (charity), acts of chesed (kindness), and fulfillment of the mitzvot (commandments), and good deeds in general. All of these make this world a better place and one in which God can dwell.

Will you join us? Will you answer the call? Thank you for taking the time to read this and doing your part. We ask that you could share this site with family, friends, co-workers, co-congregants, etc. so we can have as many people as possible contributing to this holy work. May Hashem bless the works of our hands and may the fruit of our lips be as bulls on the Holy Altar (Hosea 14:2; Hebrews 13:15). Much love and blessings to you all.

With sincere appreciation,

-Darren Huckey