בקרוב

בקרוב

בקרוב

בקרוב

בקרוב

בקרוב

Wow, it's actually been two years, who would have believed it? You have no idea all the things we’ve been through during these past two years. There’s been an insane war here; people were kidnapped and returned, we managed to enter and flatten all of Gaza, go deep into Lebanon and Syria to fight there, and they even bombed Iran. Oh, how much you would have enjoyed these past two years—all the bits of information flying around the web that you would have been the first to bring to us, all kinds of wild investigations into things that happened in the war. All kinds of leaks about strike timings, you were always the best at finding everything and knowing first, and I’m sure you would have thrived on that during the war.

But all of that is just the shell. We all know you were a super-warrior, that you would have gone into Gaza with your head held high and proud with your soldiers, fighting the right way and not whining. You have no idea what we’ve been through these past two years, how much reality has completely changed, how people we knew are no longer with us, how everyone is just not the same since then. And you also have no idea what's been going on here—how many people got married, some of them are even parents already...

Don't worry, rest assured we haven't forgotten you. You are with us at every junction and everywhere in life—whether it's on a car or on the fridge at home, whether you're mentioned at every wedding and event, or just on a Friday visit on the way to the spring. You have no idea the scale of the distribution that was done for you and your story; everywhere in the country and abroad there are stickers of you. And we all go around telling everyone about you.

It says in the Song of Songs, "My beloved has gone down to his garden, to gather lilies." Usually, people like to say that in wars the very best go, and they always paint some kind of Superman like Roi Klein or Emmanuel Moreno. Because of you, we know what real heroes look like—how they are mischievous from a young age, what difficulties they had and have during their lives, but at the moment of truth, they know how to rise above, elevate themselves, and act with heroism. We know that the way a person ends their life, in some way symbolizes what their whole life was. On that cruel morning of Simchat Torah two years ago, you chose to rise like a lion and not run away, you chose to fulfill your responsibility, take your soldiers, and go fight the brutal delaying battle at the outpost. Thanks to your leadership in battle, we succeeded in holding and defending the outpost, and delaying the cursed terrorists' ability to advance on their murderous rampage. You lived as a leader and you fell as a leader. You lived as a hero and you fell as a hero.

But what about us? We have been left feeling so lacking ever since. Every social gathering, every holiday, and anything connected to you that comes up leaves us feeling so missing and longing... And this brings me to the second interpretation of "My beloved has gone down to his garden." In the upper worlds, there is a fierce spiritual war, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, chooses whom to take from here to help Him fight that fierce war above. This choice is not random, as you know. But the purpose of this choice is not just the war above—its purpose is to sweeten the world down here and give us the strength to continue the fight. Ever since you fell, ever since the Holy One, Blessed be He, gathered you and lifted you up, you may not be physically here, but with your elevation, the entire world has been sweetened. That is because the number of people who know you and your story now is vastly greater—many times over. The number of people you strengthen and push on the battlefield is much greater. Many more people know who Roey Weiser is and draw strength from him. I know this may only be a small comfort, but there is no real way to be comforted from such a loss.

I want to turn to the dear family—Naomi, Yisrael, Shani, and Nadav. We will always be with you, you will always be in our hearts. You have no idea how much we also think of you, how much we want to help you even if we don't know how to express it... Roey’s absence will be felt by all of us forever and will accompany us all our lives. May his memory be blessed and guarded in our hearts forever.

בקרוב

Roey my brother,

We did basic training together, and from the very first moment I knew! We would walk this path together. Right from our first conversation, I felt I had found a rare, pure person with a huge heart and a great light. From the first field week until we brought down the wall [slang/milestone], we slept in the same tent, we shared everything. our conversations, the laughs, and the small moments are etched in me and will never be forgotten.

Roey, anyone who knew you knows you were a genius at math, but an even greater genius at heart. Who if not you would calculate down to the minute when each person had to go up for guard duty? You were quick and knew how to divide everything so everyone would rest well. I remember how you used to tell me: "Shevach [surname/nickname], tents, we'll either be the first to go up for watch or the last, and if we're last, we probably won't even end up watching." You would add an extra minute to every watch shift so we wouldn't have to stand guard, and—well, full disclosure—so we'd sleep well at night. And indeed, during basic training, I slept well, because you were by my side.

With your permission, I would like to recite a chapter of Psalms for the elevation of his soul, and I would be glad if you would join me.

Roey, you were the salt of the earth, with endless love for the homeland, and with an open heart that loves and accepts everyone. You are with me in every thought, in every moment. I love you with all my soul. May God avenge your blood.