* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
“Shalom Sivan, my name is Nevo Peretz. We have just received a wonderful gift. On the 7th of October two cousins of mine in Ofakim were murdered. Ariel Raphael and Roy Haim Guri are the two heroes who fell while saving their city.
Only now did the family receive Roy’s personal notebook, whose last page is attached below. This stirred us tremendously. On the 4th of October, just three days before Simchat Torah, Roy wrote as follows.
Goals for the next two months:
1. Finish the book “To Fear the Lord Your God”
2. Call mom at least twice a week
3. Do a minimum of two 20 minute workouts per week
4. Be joyful
For emphasis, the word “joyful” is written in big letters next to a happy face.
These words were written just before Simchat Torah and now, just before Pesach, we see a message from the heavenly world of my fallen cousins. They continue to speak to us. We shed tears, but this time not out of sadness but out of pride, joy, and a sense of mission. They left for us a goal: to make sure that our lives here are more joyful. Chag sameach, have a joyful holiday, in spite of everything.”
