There Are no Words. And Yet.

"My dear friends,

I have just learned that the bodies of our three boys – Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach – have been found. My heavy heart is with the families.

All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten Thee, neither have we been false to Thy covenant.  Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Thy path; Though Thou hast crushed us into a place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death. (Psalm 44:18-20)

These boys, our boys, have died al Kiddush Hashem, simply because they are Jews.

Nay, but for Thy sake are we killed all the day; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (Psalm 44:23)

We cannot just light a candle and say a prayer. It is up to us now to live our lives al Kiddush Hashem, to sanctify God through our deeds and our lives.

The word Chaim is in the plural because it contains both the good and the bad. It is up to us to go on.

Arise for our help, and redeem us for Thy mercy's sake. (Psalm 44:27)

Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz"