Page 9 - HaMizrachi #6 TuBishvat 5779

about it, we’ll work it out, just come. And young man told us that as Ari was taking water or jump across something. And
all the years I came, and he did so much the yeshiva guys down to the Kotel, he everybody did it except for one boy, who
for me.” And then he reaches into his saw a little girl crying. He stopped, left was too afraid. We all tried to encourage
pocket and pulls out an envelope. “Here’s the group and talked to this girl to find him and hold his hand, but he wouldn’t
a check for the back money I owe him.” out why she was crying and how he do it, he was terrified. Ari, who was not
could help. his teacher, said let me help you. He
Yonah: It was never about money went deep into the water, stood there
though, never. And never about ego. And Yonah: And he did it all so naturally, and told the boy to step on his feet. And
that’s what we’ve been hearing for four because it was the right thing to do. he stepped on Ari’s feet and crossed
months now. We never knew the impact over…”
he had on tens of thousands of people. Mary: Yes, for example, every Friday he
One person after another: “I met Ari and would tape a dvar Torah over a BBQ or It seems a lot of people stepped on Ari’s
in his dining room, and he would start
my life changed.” Or “I never met Ari feet as they overcame obstacles in their
but he changed my life.” Over and over “Hello all from the beautiful rolling lives…
again… hills of Judea.” On his last Shabbat he
was giving a dvar Torah, and suddenly Mary: He did everything with
Mary: A soldier came to us, big guy. He Tamar, his daughter, comes up to him enthusiasm, passion, whether it was
gets down on his knees and says, “Ari – she was going away for Shabbat – and karate or singing, blowing the shofar,
changed my life. I was 15 years old, left asks Ari to bless her. So instead of saying learning. Everything. He even kissed the
high school in Wisconsin and came to I’m in the middle of filming now, don’t ground here every time he came off the
Israel to find out something about my bother me, he stopped what he was plane. How many people do that these
Jewish roots. I wanted to enlist in the doing, kept the video going and blessed days?
army but they wouldn’t take me because his daughter.
I was huge. I met Ari somewhere and Yonah: That was him. A great family Ari created a tsunami in this world,
told him I was thinking of going back man. His wife and children meant that’s the only thing I can say. A tsunami
to the States to join the US army. “Are everything to him. He also had a of passionate, positive Jewish, Zionist,
you crazy? Are you going to fight for wonderful sense of humor, and an human action.
something that’s not yours? Fight for impish childlike streak. Like his son, Besides our personal loss, which I can’t
something that’s yours! You’re going to Yakir, said at the funeral, “When we got even describe, I just feel like there’s now
lose weight. I’m going to call you every a toy he was the first one to take it out
week and you’re going to lose weight.” to play with, and if you ask all the nieces an empty black hole in the world. In Am
He lost 70 pounds and the army took and nephews what they remember about Yisrael…
him. him, they’ll say he threw us up in the air Yonah: Yeah, we’re ripped apart inside,
and played and wrestled with us.” and he’s not coming back. We’re not
Mary: One more thing about his
learning. He always walked around with Mary: Yes. He was a regular guy. Just a waking up from this one. But all those
a Gemara in his hand. He had a fire regular guy from the States. A mensch. people that are with us, supporting us,
burning in him. He didn’t sleep. Every There was a show on TV here once a telling us Ari stories or whatever, it has
Thursday night he would go to mishmar week, when Yariv Oppenheimer, head to be a comfort somehow. It’s uplifting,
(all-night study) at Netiv Aryeh; Rav of Peace Now, would debate Ari, and it inspiring and as rational human beings,
Bina would give a shiur till late and often got very heated. But Yariv came we have no choice but to move ahead.
Ari would take the boys to the Kotel, to the shiva and told us that “no matter We’re here in Israel, we have what to live
dance and sing and share divrei Torah. what went on on-set, we went upstairs for, and we’re going to keep on going.
Sometimes he went on to learn on his afterwards, had a drink together, Mary: When the Prime Minister was
own till Shacharit. He wasn’t a sleeper, he schmoozed, and Ari was always a real here just before the levaya (funeral), he
had too much to do. mensch.” was trying to understand how Ari had
had the strength to run after the terrorist
Yonah: Yes, he found time to answer Yonah: He just cared for every human
anybody who wrote against Israel on being. He was selfless, really selfless. He after being stabbed. He said it must have
social media. He was a defender of Israel, just gave and gave and gave. been the last blood in his body. My son
advocating, explaining, fighting for his Doni – who looks exactly like Ari –
beloved homeland. Listen to this story one of his students said, “With all due respect to the Prime
wrote us: “I was in Ari’s 6th grade class. Minister, it wasn’t the last blood in his
Mary: Yet with all his fighting spirit and We had a school hike, 5th and 6th grade body that allowed him to do that. It was
physical strength, he was a softy. One together. We had to go through deep his neshama (soul)”.

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