A few days ago, on the morning of April 1, I visited my grandfather at the hospital.
Basically, they called us to say goodbye, supposedly for the last time (although Grandpa, like a true warrior, continued to fight for another two whole weeks until he actually returned his soul to the Creator). When I arrived, Grandpa opened his eyes, he could barely speak. He called me with his eyes to come closer to him.
When I approached, he told me: "It's not good that you came... so that you don't infect the great-grandchildren.".
So typical of a grandfather, even in the most difficult moments, when every breath is an effort and every normal person wants - I assume - those closest to him, a grandfather shows responsibility and thinks first of all about others, about what is right to do for the common good, and puts himself aside, so that they won't make a fuss about him.
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It reminded me of one of the central stories - in my grandfather's life, but also in my own.
This was during his detention in Kenya, where he was exiled by the British following his activities in the Etzel. In the detention camp, there was a respectable group of Etzel and Lehi fighters. But as explained in Hasidism - only the Jewish body was given up in exile, not the soul, the Jewish soul is free - and they immediately began to dig their way out.
My grandfather was nicknamed "Digger Number One" in the camp. He spent most of his time underground. Using a spoon, he dug his way, millimeter by millimeter, dozens of meters beyond the fence.
From this situation where Grandpa is several meters underground, in darkness, moss, suffocation, with no light at the end of the tunnel, and yet he digs, spoon after spoon, with faith and confidence that he will reach his desired destination, emerge through the earth to redemption, return to the Land of Israel - I drew strength and inspiration at various points throughout my life.
Whether it was in the process of repentance, when I tried to make a way through the stifling spiritual wilderness of a life disconnected from God without a destination or purpose, or during the missionary period in the dark mountains of India, in an effort to make a way for more Jews to return to the bosom of Judaism and the Land of Israel. So it is in public activity today, in an effort to promote public life according to Torah, one spoonful at a time, when the gap between what is and what is desired seems so great that we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But the truth is that the more Hasidic part of the story lies in the fact that all those hours that Grandpa spent underground, he spent knowing that he was not going to be one of those who would escape through the tunnel.
But Grandpa, as I wrote in the introduction, knew how to put himself aside - the good of the cause and the common good were what stood before his eyes.
And so, even though he knew he would be left behind, he grasped the magnitude of the hour and realized that his personal salvation was not the issue at all.
And God, who raises the lowly to the highest, did not remain indebted. The escape was successful, the struggle bore fruit, the British Mandate transferred control of the land to the Jewish people, and Sava was released among all the prisoners of Zion.
Grandfather was honored to return to Israel and take on key roles in the major events that shaped the history of the Jewish people over the past seventy years – the War of Independence, the Six Days, Yom Kippur, the upheaval of 1977, Deputy Minister of Defense, Minister of Communications and Director General of the National Insurance Institute.
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During my teshuva, it was Grandpa who made sure to explain to my parents and the rest of the family that if I fell into the hands of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, they could be happy and calm. Throughout the process, he encouraged me with surprising stories that there is no room to elaborate on here.
I will just mention a small anecdote that helped me understand the priorities in his worldview.
About six months ago, during an interview I did for a magazine, the interviewer asked me to ask my grandfather a few things.
Among the questions was the following: "Maybe this is a question like - who do you love more, father or mother, but when you think about it, what is more important to you, Judaism or the state?""
Grandfather, who supposedly dedicated his entire life to the state, replied at the height of the raids: "Of course, Judaism is important first and foremost. The state is simply a tool so that Judaism and the Jews can exist.".
One morning in recent days, he sat by the hospital window and looked out. To his daughter, he said: "I can see the whole of Israel from here. Here is the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. Here is Mount Hermon...""
May we merit and have the verse fulfilled in him and build it: "He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces" and "Awake and awake, you who dwell in the dust," and he is among them, in the first chapter.
• The writer, Attorney Uri Tzipori, holds a bachelor's degree in law and psychology from the Hebrew University, head of the legal department of the Derech Chaim movement, a convert and the grandson of Mordechai (Motke) Tzipori.
• Mordechai (Motke) Tzifuri, late Irgun fighter, exiled to Sudan, Kenya and Eritrea by the British, participated in the escape from detention in Eritrea. With the establishment of the State of Israel, he enlisted in the IDF, finishing his service with the rank of Brigadier General. MK for the Likud, Deputy Minister of Defense and Minister of Communications in the Begin governments. Former Director General of the National Insurance Institute. Died on the eve of Shavuot 5777.
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