Daniel Castiel z"l, Benjamin Early z"l, Yosef Gedalya z"l, Lior Sivan z"l, Elisha Levinstern z"l, Rotem Levi z"l - these are the names of the fallen soldiers of the city of Beit Shemesh who were swallowed up by the sea of fallen. For their family, they mean the world, and what about us?
This year we mark the 10th of Tevet after the massacre on Simchat Torah Day and in the midst of the Iron Sword War. I ask all of us to stop this year and mark 10 Tevet as the general day of Kaddish for the victims of the Simchat Torah massacre and the Iron Sword War whose story is unknown.
The funeral of Lior Sivan in Beit Shemesh, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
No one is born a hero
No one is born a hero. Every day we wake up in the morning with a message whose first words are "allowed to be published," and then a short text will tell us about heroes who were and are gone, and we are all still under the heroic stories from the communities near Israel on Simchat Torah.
Recent events show that a lot of heroes are growing up here. No one wakes up in the morning and says to himself, "I will be a hero," but apparently heroism was deeply hidden in all the heroes whose stories we meet every day. The IDF managed to recruit hundreds of thousands of soldiers without creating drama. Heroism began with the silent phone that reached every soldier, and many went into battle unasked.
IDF fighters in Gaza. Heroes, Photo: IDF Spokesperson
Shaul Tchernichovsky asks: "They say there is a land, a land that rents the sun / Where is that sun?" and adds: "Hello Akiva, hello to you Rabbi. Where are the saints? Where is the Maccabi?" Tchernichovsky replies: "Akiva answers him, the Rebbe tells him, all Israel is holy, you are the Maccabees."
Heroism is here all around us - "All Israel is holy, you are the Maccabees." This special reality requires special attention from us. Knowing that there is an unknown story of heroism requires stopping.
We will all stop on the 10th day of Tevet and turn to look for a hero or hero, stop for a moment and delve deeper into their story. We will search for information about them, check what their friends and family have written about them. We build a character that we want to get to know him or her. A character who will be hosted virtually at the Shabbat table.
"A humble and happy man." Yosef Malachi Gedalya, z"l, photo: None
It is with unimaginable sorrow that this week I accompanied three of my townspeople to eternal rest. Young widows, orphans and babies who will never know their father's heroism. I asked the wonderful families: Talk as much as possible about them. Not only for the heroism of the fighting, but for the entire course of their lives. I repeat: Let's say and tell people well while they are with us, not just after they are gone.
On the 10th of Tevet the siege began, on the 9th of Av the destruction took place. This year, on 10 Tevet 5724, we will count the heroism of the female and female fighters, and with their power we will replace the siege wall with the bridge of unity in Israeli society.
The writer is the mayor of Beit Shemesh
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