Friday morning. A car with three happy women driving along a scenic route.
Enjoying the beautiful scenery and the Jordan Valley tranquillity, looking at the high yellow hills already beginning to turn green.
They wend their way in such harmony and the car is filled with so much goodness and light.
I try to imagine the conversations and small talk in the car. Lucy must have talked to Maia about being a counselor at the Ulpana and with Rina about the last activity she had done with the youth group she led in north Efrat and also about how excited they all were about spending the Shabbat of Pesach in Tiberias with their family from abroad.
A car filled with joy, kindness and caring about others – and coming towards it, a car filled with evil, darkness and cruelty.
Many daughters have done valiantly, but you, Lucy, are above them all..
You invested so much in educating your daughters and your son, in your dear husband and in your relationship with G-d.
You were on a special plane – in that you had a wonderful married life with Leo and raised Maia and Rina – and may they be blessed with long life, Keren, Tali and Yehuda to be loving siblings and good friends to one another.
You were on a special plane – in that you invested time in your relationship with G-d, in prayer, devotion, and organizing Torah lectures for women. You never kept this goodness to yourself, you always passed it on to others.
Maia – you were on a special plane – in that you were an outstanding youth group counselor dedicated to my daughter and her friends
You were on a special plane – in that it was important to you that everyone know you are Israeli and speak Hebrew exactly like your mother.
Rina – you were on a special plane- in that you spoke with G-d three times a day, and in the synagogue each Shabbat with your mother and sisters.
You were special in that you greeted every friend with a smile, cared about everyone even if they were not your closest friends, and always forgave if any of them hurt or insulted you.
So much light
So much light now missing in our world
Each one of us must now shine a stronger light than we did before so that the wicked terrorists will not succeed in darkening that world.
Rabbanit Yehudit Efrati lives in Efrat and knows the Dee family.
Translation by Rochel Sylvetsky