Major Moshe Yedidya Leiter, who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, was laid to rest on Sunday at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetary in Jerusalem.
Lt. Col. Erez Tanzer eulogized as the representative of the IDF: "For your entire military service, you did your duty in the best way. You were a motivated commander. It is so difficult to speak about you in the past tense."
Leiter's direct commander stated: "Moshe, you were a man of conceptual, practical, and human connections. You didn't see polarization; you saw human beings.
We continue to fight for our future, for our land, for all citizens of Israel, for the Jewish People. We fight to be a free Jewish state. It is an honor, and it is our obligation. It is our turn; we are fighting for our home. Moshe was a rare species. A symbol and a figure, and at the head, always first. Leiter lived as human and left us as a role model."
Moshe's wife, Tzipi, eulogized: "I won't talk about our great love because it will always remain. I won't speak about your heroism. What do I have to do with heroism? My entire life, I asked for quiet, and I found it in your big heart.
20 years of marriage. You fell a hero's death. The death of people who live beyond a time and place. The physical reality was minor to you. You were a great light, and now the light has dispersed in small particles. Chani and Yehiel, thank you for giving me your son, walk with your head upright.
I promise you, my beloved children, that we will continue to live happy lives. It will hurt us a lot, but we will put things back together slowly."
Carmi, Moshe's daughter, lamented: "I appreciated your knowledge, modesty, and never-ending giving. From you, I learned not to give up. I always felt protected next to you - I felt that you radiate calm.
Abba, you left us a great void that, no matter who tries, will not be able to fill it, but we will keep going from here, knowing that that's what you want. It's difficult now, but in the end, it will be good."