On the heels of an uplifting Yom Kippur, I found myself with a few days before the onset of the Sukkot holiday. As I am in Israel with my family, my wife suggested that we visit Har Herzl. I spoke to my close friend Raphael Cohen, the Director General of Har Herzl to arrange the visit.
Har Herzl is holy ground as over 4000 Jewish heroes who gave their lives for the Jewish Nation are buried there. Every day a memorial ceremony is held for all those that perished on that Hebrew date. It is broadcast online so the families can watch and know that we have never forgotten their sacrifices.
Usually, there are about 60-70 names that are read. Since the Hebrew date that we were there coincided with the third day of the Yom Kippur War, they read 241 names. I felt my heart break as every name was read respectfully. Most of these young men would now be of retirement age had the enemies of Israel not cut them down in their prime.
I then went over to the section that contained the names of those who had perished since October 7th. So many young people with hopes and dreams that were cut short because they were Jews defending their brothers and sisters. So much heartache. So much pain.
Yesterday I joined our Yeshiva at the site of the Nova Festival memorial where the Erber family finished and donated multiple Sifrei Torah. These scrolls have been written over the last year, in a tent at the Nova Festival site, in memory of the heroes that gave their lives on October 7th. So many bereaved families were uplifted by the knowledge that the souls of their loved ones would not be forgotten and would live on in these Torahs amongst the Jewish people.
As I stood in the midst of the Nova Festival memorial site, I was struck by the fact that this too is holy ground. Any ground that contains Jewish blood is holy and sacred. This is one of the most important facets of the Jewish people. We never forget sacrifice. We never forget those who were killed by our enemies. We never forget those who protected the Jewish Nation. Every Jew is precious.
This is something the world at large does not understand. The kingdoms and dictatorships that surround Israel do not value the individuals under their care. This is the truth of the Jews. We must always remember and treasure those who came before us. We will always strive to do better and make sure their sacrifice is not in vain. The holiday of Sukkot commemorates the love between the Almighty and His children. This love is showered upon those of us who are alive and those who have passed. In truth, love never dies, only hate does. May we all live lives filled with love and continue to live proud rich educated Jewish lives in the merit of those who came before us.
