Torah Readers Reflections

This week we mark the tragic murders of 3 members of the Dee family in Israel. The mother, Lucy Dee and her two beautiful daughters Maya and Rina. The father, Rabbi Dee, gave a very moving eulogy at his daughters funeral during Passover. The mother, Lucy, was still in a coma and she would not die till a few days later.

The Dee’s were killed for no other reason than they were Jews who wanted to live in the Land of Israel. They were killed while driving along the Jordan River valley, a popular route. We might never know why the terrorist chose to shoot at their car and not a different one, but what we do know is that this was a person with hate in his heart, he had no care for the lives of two beautiful, young girls who were just starting their lives. He wanted to cause pain and destruction - this is the way of terrorists. 

The Dee family were British/Israeli. It doesn’t matter where Jews are in the world, there is always someone who will hate them, someone who will cause malice and destruction to the Jews, someone who will want to kill them for no other reason than they are Jews.

I bring you here a transcript of the wonderful eulogy that the father gave at the funeral of his two daughters. May their souls be bound in the bond of eternal life and may we,

And no one else in the WORLD, EVER know so much sorrow

***

Rabbonim, Ministers, Members of the Knesset, Mayor Revivi, Social Worker Anat, family and friends.

I know my darling wife Lucy would have asked me to state, from the beginning, that these words are from the two of us. Tonight, as ever, the sentiments are from her, she is my CEO and I'm just the scribe.

Firstly thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your warmth, your kindness and your love. Never have we ever seen such an outpouring of love. And thank you to everyone who has helped in every possible way, I've not had to do anything and everything has been done. All of you are Tzaddikim, you are a Miracle!

Rabbi Akiva Tatz once taught me a question asked in the Talmud: if Siamese twins, 2 babies conjoined at the hip or at the head, are born, do they inherit once (are they one body) or twice (are they two)? And the Talmud answers: you must do the following test: if you hurt one of the bodies and the other side feels the pain- then they are one.

Today the Jewish people have proven that we are one, we are UNITED. Am ECHAD.

When a simple, quiet family in Efrat is devastated , the whole country hurts. And when a family in Tel Aviv is devastated, the whole country hurts. There is no greater proof of our UNITY.

Am Yisrael Chi!

And we know this. In fact, we have ALWAYS known this.

We have been marching through the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with Israeli flags arguing over whether there should be a vote of 61, 65, 70, an override clause, no override clause in the Bagatz, the Supreme Court.

Let’s be honest, most of us have no idea what any of this means.

But in three weeks time on Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, we will once again be marching, side by side, carrying our Israeli flags, left wing next to right wing, religious next to secular, UNITED against the REAL threat, the threat of pure EVIL, the threat of a mad ideological driven terrorist funded by Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, with a Kalashnikov rifle who doesn't care whether you're from Efrat or Tel Aviv, London or Italy, and who's prepared to destroy your children's lives in an instant. THEN we will march as one.

Am Yisrael Chi!

Some people have asked me, how can you have such Emunah, faith in God’s continued goodness? Please God it should last more than just today.

And I have told them that I have listened to almost all of Rav Efrem Goldbergs Emunah shiurim available online on yutorah.org. and in them he repeats over and over again that there is one main formula for Emunah:

Always focus on what you DO have and not on what you DO NOT.

And I still have three wonderful children, Keren, Tali and Yehuda and a wonderful wife Lucy (Leah bat Tzipora), may she PG soon come out of her coma. And Maia and Rina, who lie before us, YOU are now part of us all, forever.

And if the Jewish people would look at what we have, and not at what we do not, we would realise that WE still are a UNITED people, UNITED against our common enemy, we are the forces of good fighting the forces of evil. And we will always prevail!

Am Yisrael Chi!

The Talmud tells the story of the wife of Rabbi Meir who did not want to disturb his shabbat afternoon shiur to tell him that their two sons had just passed away from a deadly virus. After Shabbat she hints to him by asking him the question: “Before Shabbat someone brought me a precious gift and now they have come and want to take it back, should I return it or not?”

How will I explain to Lucy what has happened to our two precious gifts, Maia and Rina, when she wakes up from her coma?

My beautiful, perfect, special Maia - we named you "God's water" and you were so many people's friend, flowing between so many different groups. Out on Friday night with one group of friends, with another group in our lounge on shabbat afternoon and a third visit to a close friend on Saturday night (Motsash) every week.

Mayshki - at your bat mitzvah just 8 short years ago, we tried to find a biblical character to compare you to. Rachel, Esther , Rebeccah? Then we realised that you were most like the Matriarch Sarah since, in your 12 years, you moved to Israel at the age of 2, left at age 6 and came back at age 11 - just like Sarah in the Torah who also entered and left Israel twice.

Sadly the comparison does not stop there. Sarah was buried in Ma’arat HaMachpela - the cave of the doubles in the holy city of Hebron, as each of the forefathers was buried along with their spouse - in pairs.

And Maia, today, you and Rina will also be buried in a double grave.

Maia, you wanted to sign up for another year of national service where you could really make a difference - But Mummy and I wanted you to start your studies and maybe meet a special boy. But you insisted, girls LIKE YOU always do two years of volunteering. So we were waiting to see what and where it would be.

You were always an angel. And now you will always be OUR guardian angel.

My beautiful darling Rina, you were such a great student, such a great friend, such a great youth leader (Madricha). You were so responsible and if the Ezra youth club needed cleaning on a Friday morning and you were the only one who turned up from your group, you would do it single handedly for three hours.

People loved you and always knew they could depend on you.

Less than two weeks ago you had 20 of your girls sleeping over in our home with your co youth-leader, Adi. Mummy and I had to find somewhere else to spend that night. The girls made so much noise but had so much fun.

Rina Bina, you were considering the army in two years time after Midrasha, Seminary - possibly in intelligence. You dreamt of travelling the world. And now you are travelling to heaven.

You too are an angel and I know you are currently organising Hashem's youth club in shamayim.

In the Torah reading for shabbat chol hamoed yesterday, Moshe

asks God הַרְאֵ֥נִי נָא֖ אֶת־כְּבדֶֹֽ: (SHOW ME YOUR GLORY) and God replies:

Ö¥ לא תוּכַ֖ל לִרְא֣תֹ אֶת־פנָי֑ ×›Ö›Ö´Ö¼×™  לא־ירְִאַ֥נִי הָאָֽדָ֖ם וחָָיֽ: …ורְָאִ֖יתָ: אֶת־אֲחרָֹ֑י וּפָנַי֖ לא יֵרָֽאֽוּ

(NO ONE CAN SEE MY FACE, BUT YOU CAN SEE MY BACK)

And Emeritus chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan sacks ztzl explained that Moses is asking: show me why bad things happen to good people but God answers: you will never know, except, possibly, by looking back from the far distant future.

The message is: We can never understand God's will.

But this shabbat there was also the reading from Ezekiel - the valley of dry bones. Bones in the valley - maybe even the bika hayarden, the Jordan valley where you were both so suddenly taken away from us - which come back to life.

Maia and Rina - you too are coming back to life.

You are two flames which have not gone out. Your flames have added to our flames and are strengthening them, bringing more and more light to the world through every one of us.

AM YISRAEL CHI

Today we celebrate the festival of Pesach when the Jewish people left Egypt and crossed the Reed sea, a process that took just one week. But it was not plain sailing. After three days God told us to go back to Pi HaCherut - which is Pitom, the place they were slaves for 210 years, straight back into the hands of Pharaoh. And then they had to come out a second time. Two Yetziot Mitzrayim - yes, we actually left Egypt TWICE.

And the message is: That Geulah, the journey to redemption, is a slow one. Three steps forward and two steps back. And Maia and Rina, with your loss, our world has taken two steps back.

It is customary in Israel to ask forgiveness from the departed at the funeral:

Rina and Maia, if any of us here have ever hurt your feelings or treated you without the respect that you deserve, please forgive us. We would never have done that intentionally.

Maia and Rina, you have inspired us, you have loved us, and, in turn, we will continue to love both of you, forever. תהא

תהיה נשמתן צרורות בצרור החיים

May your souls be bound in the bond of eternal life and may we,

And no one else in the WORLD, EVER know so much sorrow