The wait, over. The worst, confirmed. Gil-ad Shaar z”l, Naftali Frenkel z”l and Eyal Yifrach z”l — kidnapped by Hamas terrorists — were found dead. Baruch Dayan Emet. May their families find comfort among the mourners of Zion and Israel. Tonight we mourn together. And we will for days and weeks to come.

They Were Boys: A Yizkor Prayer
They were boys.
Stolen from their families,
Stolen from their people,
Stolen from life itself.
Boys.

G-d of Israel,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To Gil-ad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach
Whose lives were cut off by violence
In acts of witless anger and hatred.
Guiltless. Blameless. Boys.

Yikum purkan min shemiaya…
May deliverance arise from heaven
Blessing their families with consolation and strength,
Even as they’ve shown us their fortitude and their love.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Faith to mourn,
Willingness to heal,
And devotion to each other.
Bless their classmates, teachers and friends
With comfort and relief.
Bless the whole house of Israel
As we mourn together.

Rock of Jacob,
In this hour of grief,
Remember Gil-ad, Naftali and Eyal .
They were boys.
May their memories provide solace and courage
To our nation and our people.
Let them find peace in the cradle of heaven
And a home in the world to come.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

© 2014 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Expect a military response. Here’s a prayer “For the  Soldiers of the IDF,” a solidarity prayer called “Israel: A Meditation” and a link to more prayers for Israel.

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Photo Source: Times of Israel, Courtesy