Chief Rabbi Grat "D" Lau: "כשמלאכי השרת ראו את גופתו של רבי עקיבא, הם שאלו: 'זו תורה וזו שכרה?' הקב"ה אמר להם אין אתם רשאים להרהר אחרי. אתה רואה מול העיניים את התמונות, את התום, את החיוך. אתה רואה את המשפחות, את עם ישראל שכולו באכפתיות לשלום הנערים. ראינו איזה עם חזק יש לנו, אף אחד לא יוכל לפגוע בעם זה, כי זה עם אחד ומאוחד, אם כאלה פרחים גדלו בערוגה שלנו, לעולם לא יכלו לנו, כי תמיד יהיה להם המשך.
הבט רבונו של עולם משמים וראה, את בניך שגם ברגעים קשים עומדים לפניך בתפילה, ממשיכים במסורת האבות, בארץ חמדת אבות שהפכה לנחלת בנים. שובו אחים, והנה שבתם, נוחו בשלום, על אדמת הארץ שכל כך אוהבת ומחבקת אתכם, בארץ שבניה מלווים אתכם היום, באהבה ובתוגה".
The Prime Minister said in his eulogy: ""Iris and Uri, Bat Galim and Ofir, Rachel and Avi, the dear families of Yifrach, Sha'er and Frankel, and all the people who mourn with you, and headed by the President of the State and the President-elect, all my esteemed friends,
In the past 18 days, the images of Eyal, Gil-Ad, and Naftali have been etched in our hearts, in the hearts of the entire nation. The citizens of Israel have learned to recognize their faces, and even if, unfortunately, we did not get to meet them - as we had hoped, as we wished - we were captivated by the charm of their smiles, their gentleness, and the joy of their youth.
Three gifted, innocent, upright boys, upon whom the hands of the wicked wielding the hatchet were raised, murderers, whose cruelty knows no bounds and without batting an eyelid violated the ancient commandment - 'Do not lay a hand on the boy.' Families, the boys will learn values and a way from you, from you they grew and embarked on the path of their lives that was cut short in Abha before their time.
This day spontaneously became a national day of mourning. The entire nation prayed for the return of the sons, and the entire nation saw the nobility of soul, the inner strength of you, the parents, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandparents and all the other family members. And the nation understood, it understood immediately, the depth of your roots and the strength of your soul. Here we learned from you a lesson that will not be forgotten - of faith and determination, of unity and sensitivity, of Judaism and humanity.
An entire people stood together and were reminded of who we are, why we are here - and no less, what great powers are stored within us. The light that shines from you stood out even more against the horrific darkness of those who seek our souls. Despicable child kidnappers, despicable murderers, whose brothers rejoice in the spilling of innocent blood.
A wide and deep moral abyss separates us from our enemies. They sanctify death - we sanctify life. They sanctify cruelty - we sanctify mercy. This is the secret of our strength, this is also the basis of our unity. Throughout the history of our people, we have proven more than once that even in the face of the horrors of the tragedies that have befallen us, even in the face of abysses of sorrow and grief, the power of life that beats within us prevails over the murderous and annihilating ambitions of our enemies.
And I would like to say special things to you - Rachel, Bat Galim and Iris. You have taught the entire world what a mother's cry is, what a mother's love is. Blessed are the sons who have been blessed with such parents and families, and how terrible is the fate that separated them from you with an evil that is unimaginable.
I would like to thank all citizens of the country for their spirit of mobilization and volunteerism, unity, and in particular I would like to thank the IDF soldiers, the General Security Service personnel, the Israel Police officers and Border Guard personnel, and all the volunteers, for their relentless efforts day and night to locate the boys.
I would like to express my appreciation to the entire Jewish people who demonstrated greatness and deep empathy with these three precious families, who came into our lives and consciousness against our will. We bow our heads in deep sorrow, but we also remember the ancient and simple truth of our people - in your blood I live.
Today, as we accompany the boys, escort them to eternal rest here in Modi'in, the birthplace of the Maccabees, I am reminded of the words that Yitzhak Tabenkin said, more than 60 years ago, next to the grave of Yitzhak Sadeh: 'A grave in the life of Israel is not always a sign of weakness. From the grave of David, from the grave of Rachel, from many other graves we drew life's commandments - now we draw strength from this grave. Today we consecrate a grave that taught us how to live.'.
Dear families, I know that even the bravest embrace of the people cannot erase for you the burning of sorrow, the terrible pain that will continue to pierce your souls long after the days of official mourning are over. I know the pain of bereavement, there is nothing worse than it. But I also know that life has its own power, like a flowing river that carries us forward and gives us the strength of renewal and hope. And the entire people, who weep with you and embrace you today, the entire people will accompany you and serve as a balm and a source of comfort.
"We will always remember Eyal, Gil-Ad and the pure Naphtali, may they remain young forever. We will remember them and with God's help we will find comfort in the building of our cities and our country. The memory of the dear Gil-Ad, Eyal and Naphtali will be forever preserved in our hearts.".
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