Thanks to Mark & Talia Talmud, we had an unusually beautiful kiddush this Shabbos. They sponsored a pink-themed sumptious spread in honour of their new daughter, Maya.
Our bonus was a visit by a group of injured-in-action IDF soldiers. More than ordinary heroes, these young men who had risked their lives to protect our nation are walking miracles. Two of the eight soldiers shared their respective stories, holding the hall-full mesmerised as they described their close calls and miraculous recovery.
Nadav was a special forces commando shot at close range while arresting members of a terror cell. As he bled out, the platoon medic, a religious man, applied pressure to his severed artery for 45 minutes, saving his life. It took six months of intense therapy to get his legs to move and today he is fully recovered.
Shai was severely injured when a massive roadside bomb exploded just in front of his tank. Clinically dead on arrival in hospital, Shai defied the medical books by regaining consciousness after just over a week, marrying a few months later and leading an almost normal life.
Later in the afternoon, the rest of the group arrived at the farbrengen. Each had experienced a similar near-death experience. When someone suggested that they surely would not ever want to repeat their traumatic experiences, they emphatically disagreed: "We would do it all again to protect our People!"
Inspiring stuff!
Prince wrote...