Rabbi David Lau, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, visited artillery battalions on the Gaza border. The rabbi went from one battalion to the next and met hundreds of soldiers.
At the 439th Battalion, Rabbi Lau met the brigade commander, Yotam Burstein, who told him about the brigade and battalion's work and the soldiers' high morale. The commander related that "the battalion was the first to be called up on Simchat Torah and was the first to fire at Gaza, precisely and quickly, and I'm proud of that."
The Chief Rabbi addressed the soldiers, and even from crew to crew, to speak and bless the soldiers who couldn't make it and had to remain on standby in their cannons. One of the teams honored Rabbi Lau by letting him write a dedication on an artillery shell. "For the uplifting of Israel's might and the revenge of his servants spilled blood. In prayer for the success of the protectors of our holy land," the rabbi wrote on the shell. The rabbi asked that the shell be used on an important target, such as the home of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and asked that he be updated when it happens.
"I'm not an expert on all of the conditions that were presented to the government, and I assume they were presented. We are all aware of the American pressure. We need a lot of prayers and pressure on those holding the hostages to return them. The State of Israel can not allow such a reality; no one can set conditions for the State of Israel."
The rabbi was invited and accompanied by the conversion judge, Rabbi Yehoshua Weisenger.