Nineteen years ago, the Holy One, Blessed be He, granted us a soul. The sun rose upon us. We received from the Holy One a gift of joy, a gift of giving, a gift of love, a gift of humility, every good trait that a mother could dream her child would possess. Eighteen days ago, the sun set, and the Holy One requested his gift back. I want to request forgiveness from Eyal; I didn’t pray for him enough. I request forgiveness because I didn’t appreciate his high soul. Our partnership with the Holy One hasn’t ended; it continues, even though He took back His part. Our partnership continues faithfully. Our role is to unify the Jewish people, to unify us with ourselves. I don’t know what we would do without faith. Faith is our backbone. The heart is broken but our spirit is strong, unbroken. I understand that there are levels of faith— the great test in this Divinely orchestrated series of events. The Holy One is checking us and testing us throughout our lives, all the time. It comes in stages.The Holy One is saying to us: “You wanted, and I gave. Now let’s see what you do.” And we are climbing up another level. We believe that this is a test of faith, and each time it’s another new level. I pray to Hashem that He will give us the strength to understand His power. We’ve experienced one of the most intense tests of faith.
In these Yemos Hamashiach the Holy One shakes the rope and we hold on with two hands, not just with a finger. That’s our Eyal, never giving up. There were endless prayers here, and Hashem saved us from uncertainty. That’s also a kind of redemption. We were certain they would return. And they returned. They returned. They say that our children are angels, our children are holy martyrs. Now I understand the perfection that was my son. Now I pray from the bottom of my heart. Now Eyal is next to Father. Father is hugging him. I am certain and convinced that our prayers were received. We have our own faithful representative, right next to Hashem.Eyal will know how to pray for us, how to request. Because he’s like that, doing everything until it’s done. I am turning to the dear mothers: Believe in the child that Hashem gave you. They are so great, our children. We need to know how to appreciate this special gift, to use this time to the fullest! The Holy One gave us these children, the opportunity to pray for them, to bless them and to love them. Rest in peace, my dear son. By Iris Yifrach, Eyal’s Mother.