* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Shalom, Sivan. My name is Eden. It’s been a year since my younger brother, Roei Dawi is no longer with us. He was killed along with another 10 soldiers when their armored personnel carrier was struck by an anti-tank missile.
Roei was killed during the weeks in which we read about the trials of Avraham Avinu (Our father Avraham): the Binding of Isaac, his self-sacrifice, his travels….and in this week’s parasha, Chayei Sarah, there is the first description of a funeral in the Torah. Avraham Avinu buries Sarah Imeinu (Our mother Sarah) in Hebron in Me’arat Hamachpela (the Cave of Machpelah).
The verse says: “…Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to bewail her.” This is followed by the words: “Then Avraham rose from beside his dead”—in other words, after the funeral, the eulogies, and the weeping, Avraham gets up and returns to his active life: He purchases the Cave of Machpelah, and arranges for a wife for his son, Isaac. Thus, he continues to be involved in important activities.
This story reminds me of the last words that Roei left us. He ended his last letter to us with these words: “Only gain strength from everything.”
We posted this sentence on a huge sign at the entrance to Jerusalem, and during these very difficult days, we keep thinking about Roei’s words and would like to pass along his powerful message to the general public. May we only gain strength from everything that we experience.
