Father Finds New Meaning in Prayer After Son's Death in Combat

Yehoshua Shani, father of the late Captain Ori Shani and a co-founder of the "Gevura Forum" (Heroism Forum), has shared a deeply personal reflection on how his prayers have transformed since his son's death in battle. Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Shani published a moving essay detailing his altered perception of the holiday prayers, particularly the passage "and with the binding of the son, may our state be secured." He explains that since the October 7th Hamas attacks, this ancient liturgical text has become intensely personal, representing specific individuals rather than abstract concepts.

Shani recounts his last Rosh Hashanah with his son, just days before the war began. He describes seeing Ori at synagogue, wrapped in a white prayer shawl, deeply engrossed in prayer. "I looked at him. I don't know why my gaze stopped on him then. I saw his radiant face, and my heart was filled with a father's peace and contentment. I didn't know I was creating an image within me that would accompany me until my last day," he wrote.

Shortly after, on Simchat Torah, Ori and his comrades went to fight and rescue civilians, and he fell in battle. His father interpreted this sacrifice through the lens of the biblical binding of Isaac, stating, "Ori ran with his friends into the fire to save the people of his nation, and was bound on the altar of the defense of the people and the land."

Shani extends his perspective beyond personal grief to encompass the nation's collective sorrow. He mentions the hundreds of soldiers killed since the war began, the wounded, and the bereaved families. He asserts that the words "and with the binding of the son" now represent the faces of the generation lost in the conflict.

In his prayer, Shani implores God to remember Ori, who was pure in life and ran to save his beloved people, and his heroic friends. He also prays for remembrance of the hundreds of sons who sacrificed their lives for their people, land, and faith. He concludes with a hope for a year of victory and revival, stating, "We do not ask to forget the binding. We ask that it not be in vain." He ends by recalling his son's image from that Rosh Hashanah morning and praying to be inscribed in the book of life for the sake of the sacrifices made.