A.
Tonight marks Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Hostile Acts—a day for which silence is fitting.
Words, speech, and even writing lose their value, and silence takes center stage. In the face of the intensity of this day and what it holds within it, every word would only diminish what it carries—if it can even be called a “message.”
On this day, the heart is meant to open, not the mouth.
On such a day, silence carries a sense of transcendence, allowing a still, small voice to be heard in the depths of Israeli collective life and in every individual within it—a reality not born of our own choosing.
On a day like this, silence emphasizes that this is not a private day of mourning, but a day of absolute national sanctity. It is not a day for those who fell in other tragic and painful circumstances, but a day for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of hostile acts—as wholly national and collective as possible.
We are all dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants. Nothing began with us, and nothing will end with us—on a day like this, we remember that.
B. Silence – Beyond Controversy
On this day, silence expresses unity. It is a day without controversy. Even if some will try to find exceptions that break the spirit of this day—and they will surely find them—it does not matter. The exception says nothing about the rule.
Even if it catches the eye, stirs the heart, and moves the soul.
On such a day, we silence the “I” that argues, criticizes, and divides, in favor of the sacred “we.” We will return to our arguments soon enough; they have their place.
On this day, that “we” is not merely a collection of individuals in the present moment, but something far deeper.
It is an unconditional bond between Israeli souls. Even if we drive each other completely mad in daily life.
On this day, the collective stands above the individual. And it is also not the day to emphasize the fact that anyone who separates themselves from the collective steps away from its essence—we will leave that for another time.
Our shared presence on the stage of history is highlighted—a stage for which lives were lost, not because of any private act.
We are all dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants. Nothing began with us, and nothing will end with us—on a day like this, we remember that.
C. Not paralysis, but potential
On this day, we look to our role models and their noble families, and remember that they are a lens through which we can see our own potential.
Those who gave their lives for our very existence—whether by conscious choice or otherwise—teach us humility.
The meaning of advancing under fire speaks of heroism, of a reality in which individual selfhood does not cause one to retreat or hide.
In the face of fire and war—where personal life itself is at risk—the ability to meet the challenge shows a person whose individuality has not consumed him, and who therefore serves as a universal example to us all.
It is worth remembering this.
In this silence, we are reminded that there are things worth living for, and that there is a people whose spirit is stronger than any destruction.
D. The Sanctity of the Collective
On this day, we remember that this is not a private day, no matter how close and dear the fallen may be to us. We are also connected to those we never knew.
In these moments, we understand that the sanctity of the fallen does not depend on their personal virtues or on their awareness of their own greatness at that moment.
One who fell simply for being a Jew is holy, for he became part of something infinitely greater than his private existence, no matter how righteous he may have been as an individual.
In that terrible moment of self-sacrifice, the individual is lifted beyond his limitations and merges with the collective of all generations.
This is a higher, objective holiness—one that human speech can only diminish.
E. A Day of Connection to Eternity
On this day, we listen to the miracle of Israeli life itself.
In this silence, we are reminded that there are things worth living for, and that there is a people whose spirit is stronger than any destruction.
From the scale of the relentless persecution by our cruel enemies, we learn the essence of our existence.
We will pursue victory over our enemies through a collective connection to eternity—with broad vision and thoughtful public diplomacy.
On this special day, we remember who we can and should be. And, without doubt, who we will become.
Only after this day, best marked by silence, and after its meaning has been absorbed, is it fitting to rejoice fully and sincerely on Independence Day.
