But then there is the night—the times when our emunah must come from deep within, for we do not have our faith strengthened by the obvious. Those are the times we refer to each night, after kriyas shema, when we say emes ve’emunah—“true and faithful,” for at times when Hashem’s hand is hidden from us, we still remain faithful, even though we must remain in the dark, and cannot understand His ways.

When a Jew retains his emunah in the darkest times, he affirms his faith during the day as well. He can say the words of Tehillim, “Nosato l’rei’echo nes l’hisnosess”—You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed. The word nes can mean a test, for when a person passes a nisayon, he proudly carries the banner of Hashem.

Nancy passed many nisyonos in her life. No matter what the situation—in public or in private, in New York or in the distant places to which she traveled, she gave to others more than she gave to herself. Her bein odom l’chaveiro was always exemplary. She taught many to guard the sanctity of Shabbos, and that there would be no cost too great when it came to kosher food. She was immersed in the secular world, yet always remained above it. An avid cyclist, Nancy displayed the banner of the cyclists throughout the competitions that she entered. I wonder if she knew the real banner that she displayed throughout her travels—the banner of nes l’hisnosess, the banner of Kiddush Hashem.