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very pale, as if completely bloodless. I noticed that he
was bandaged. And I realized that a mistake had been
made: he was brought to us even though he was already
bandaged and should have been placed in the line of the
wounded waiting to be flown to the hospital. But since
Chanan was already there, I decided to examine him.”
The examination saved Chanan’s life. Sabato discovered
that in the storm of battle, the medics made a mistake
and had not bandaged one of his severe wounds. The
blood was draining so heavily from him that Chanan
was about to die. The medics hurried to dress the
wound, but even so, the doctor estimated that Chanan
had no chance of reaching the hospital alive after
losing so much blood. Since they had no more doses of
blood left, the doctor ordered three medics, including
Rav Sabato, to lie on the floor and donate blood. They Chanan Porat wounded in the hospital. (PHOTO: HAGGAI HUBERMAN)
quickly checked which blood was suitable, and injected
it into Chanan’s body. “Suddenly the color came back Ichud, and its title was “An Invitation to Cry.” Despair
to his cheeks, and we saw how a dead man could come seeped into him from every line: “Together we will cry
back to life,” Rav Sabato recalled. “He opened his eyes, over the dreams we have given up, over the great things
looked at me and recognized me. I said to him: ‘Chanan, that have become small, over the gods who lied, over
when you get back to Israel, say hello to my parents.’ We the false prophets who have risen to greatness, for the
didn’t know if we would get out of that inferno alive.” lack of taste, the lack of will, the lack of power, for
Ari Elon, son of Judge Menachem Elon and brother of the present that does not possess a single ray of light,
Rabbi Benny Elon, was among those who evacuated and for the future that will be never be the same. We
Chanan by helicopter. “Chanan was waiting for the will cry for the newly bereaved, the new widows and
helicopter to evacuate him,” he recalled, “and the chief the new orphans, for the strong friendships that were
medic, Professor Itamar Pitovsky, told me that I should cut apart, for the illusions that were shattered, for the
talk to him the entire flight because he is in a serious speculations that were proven to be baseless, for the
condition, and that he should not be given water.” And truths that were discovered to be lies, for the plans that
that’s exactly what Ari Elon did: he talked to Chanan were made but will never happen and for the sadness
the entire time so he wouldn’t lose consciousness. that came down like a cloud over every joy, forever…”
“Chanan was in a stupor, but he managed to talk to me. “Lapid’s deep despair hurt me so much,” Chanan later
He showed me his daughter Efrat’s red hat. I wanted to said, “that I felt that the wounds were reopening in me:
see if he was conscious and so I asked him what day it Master of the universe, after all the trials and crises and
was. Half fainting, Chanan answered: ‘Today is Shabbat, failures, Am Yisrael rose up and defeated its enemies. If
אֹב ָל ה ָבֹור ְק ה ָאּופ ְרּו קֹע ְז ִּ ל ִמ אי ִה ת ָּ ב ַ ׁש, Shabbat is not a day to we had merited it, we would be obligated to say Hallel
cry out, may healing soon come.’ Then he tried to wink for victory in the Yom Kippur War – and he invites us
at me and convince me to give him water, even though to cry? At that moment, the spark was born in me that
the doctor forbade it. I said goodbye to him when the later led me to establish Gush Emunim.”
helicopter took him to the hospital.”
The long weeks of recovery after the injury led Chanan  This article was originally published in Hebrew in Matzav
to long reflections and soul-searching. ‘Why was I HaRuach.
injured? Why was I saved? What hint was Heaven send-
ing me? What is the most important thing I can do so
that this life, which was given to me as a gift, will not
be in vain?’ As he continued thinking, he came to the
conclusion that if he had received his life as a gift, he
must now dedicate it to action on behalf of the people of
Israel. But what should he do? This he didn’t yet know.
One of the articles that influenced him in those days,
when he was lying wounded in the hospital, was an Haggai Huberman
article that he read in the kibbutz movement’s maga- is an Israeli journalist and author,
zine, Shadmot. The article was written by the journal- and the editor of Matzav HaRuach.
ist Arnon Lapid, a member of Kibbutz Givat Chaim

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