Rabbi Shmuel Yaniv, whose grandson Yehonatan fell in Gaza and two grandsons, Hillel and Yagel Yaniv, were murdered in a terrorist attack in Huwara earlier this year, spoke to Yaron Wilenski.
Rabbi Shmuel Yaniv eulogized his grandson, “Yehonatan always wanted the minimum for himself, but wanted to do the maximum for other people. He was a modest person. He donated his entire military salary and would volunteer to help others in his free time.”
He added, “in our family we regard military service as the holy of holies. Even though he spent many years studying Torah, and even though Torah is important, putting it into practice is even more important. He never stopped keeping mitzvot in the army, but he wanted to give as much as he could and in every way possible.
“He was angry when his officer would not let him enter Gaza, even though his wife is pregnant, and they have an older child. He was very happy.”
Rabbi Yaniv ended the interview saying that, “the personal pain is minimized while the entire nation is fighting to sanctify life.”