Yom Hazikaron- Remeberance Day for the Fallen Heros of the IDF and Victims of Terror

Sunday night is Yom Hazikaron and we all remember and grieve for the loss of many thousands of killed Israeli soldiers and victims of terror. We cannot possibly begin to comprehend the totality of all the lives lost so I would like us to pay homage to one soldier in particular. He represents all of the fallen IDF heroes.
Major Roi Klein was a Golani brigade deputy commander. He was killed this summer in the battle for Bint Jbail in Lebanon. He, along with 2 other soldiers, had cleared and secured a house when a Hizbullah murderer terrorist threw a grenade in through the window. Roi, knowing that if the grenade exploded, his comrades would be killed, jumped on it. With his last breath, Roi shouted: "Shema Yisrael- Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One" and with that ancient prayer that so many Jewish martyrs throughout the generations called out as they were being led to their deaths, his holy soul returned to its Maker. He died on the Sanctification of the Name and was added to the list of Jewish martyrs throughout the ages who were sacrificed for G-d's Glory.


O G-d, full of mercy, Who dwells on high,
grant proper rest on the wings of the Divine Presence -
in the lofty levels of the holy and the pure ones,
who shine like the glow of the firmament -
for the souls of the martyrs of the Israel Defense Force,
who gave up their lives
for the Sanctification of the Name
and the Conquest of the Land,
because, the entire Nation of Israel mourns for them.
May their resting place be in the Garden of Eden -
therefore may the Master of Mercy
shelter them in the shelter of His wings for Eternity;
and may He bind their souls in the Bond of Life.
Hashem is their heritage,
and may they repose in peace on their resting place.

Now let us respond: Amen.