Yehudit Nitzan, the mother of Gilad Nitzan, an IDF soldier from the town of Shiloh in the Binyamin region, laid her son to rest in the town cemetery Saturday night after he fell in battle in the Gaza Strip.
"Lord of the world, what a gift you gave us 21 and a bit years ago, how did we merit this gift? In the last months when I carried Gilad in my womb, we said goodbye to so many beloved people, Eran Pikar, my beloved cousin, Avraham Gavish, Avi Siton, and Shmuel Yerushalmi, and more. Those were difficult days, and I asked myself: what kind of baby will be born to us if I cry so much during his pregnancy?"
"At his circumcision on Tisha B'Av, we decided to give him a name that is a prayer for the future, a statement of faith, and joy and comfort, Gilad Nehemiah. The first name meant 'everlasting joy' and Nehemiah means comfort. Lord of the world, they say that there are three partners in raising a child, we are partners in this story, we are not alone, we tried to do our part, to raise him in a healthy body and soul, to give him love and tools for life, to give him a Torah to connect with, not to spoil this special vessel or the developmental process of his great soul. God's part was to provide a great soul, and how very much we learned from him, his love for every kind of person, and how he built friendships of every kind.''
''You [Gilad] enjoyed hard work and ambitions, you never gave up on yourself, even if you deserved an exemption for a matriculation exam, even if your Gemara studies in yeshiva were difficult and challenging, you did not give up. You strove and worked hard. You enjoyed singing and dancing and learning about the sages. How much energy you had for man, for God, for nature. You had a talent for plants, for gardening. You had a connection to family and home. We would receive a call from you when you were coming home: 'Mother, do you need anything from the grocery store?' Then you would immediately get involved in the preparations for Shabbat, giving hugs and lots of respect.''
''God, you gave us a wonderful gift, but why so short-lived? There is still so much to do in the world, so much sadness to be banished, so much love to be spread, so many smiles to be shared. So many nephews want to go wild with you."
After the mother, his father Yaakov Nitzan eulogized him. "I was afraid of this moment, I was afraid, I prayed that it wouldn't come. Two weeks ago, Gilad took me aside: Dad, I know what you're thinking, don't worry, my soldiers are the best, the most professional, no one will get me. Dad, you will see a picture of me with a cigarette on the seashore in Gaza. 'Take your son whom you loved and offer him on the altar' - this is what I did on Shabbat. My Gilad, a pure child, a happy child."
The father recounted the moment they received the heartbreaking news: "Half an hour before Shabbat, I saw silhouettes at the door, but it was not guests. We have two hearts for each of us, a small private heart, a family heart, a loving heart, and we have a general heart, an Israeli heart, and they help each other for the second, that the Israeli heart is wounded, so the little heart helps. What do we do when both hearts are broken, what do we do when everything is crushed? And we don't have anywhere to run away, everything is crushed. Be a fighter, a warrior, continue, and be happy.''
''I remember one time in 10th grade, he had a hard time in school, 'Dad, I'm frustrated', he cried. I told him: Gilad, you're not crying, you're happy, nothing changes, forget the nonsense. He said: Father, how can I be happy? But what pride he had, and I, when he got his diploma.''
''When Gilad arrived there was light and joy in the house. I didn't understand many things, I think I now understand the [words God spoke to the first man, Adam, about] 'sowing in tears', the connection to the earth takes on a new meaning. On the land of Shiloh, here it began, here it continues, here it will be, this is him, this is us, this is the soul of all of us. Gilad is a child of the people of Israel. My Gilad, go in peace, rest in peace, I love you, my child.''