There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism. – Alexander Hamilton
I know that my mandate in this column is to write about personal finance and investing, but in the current environment I am not sure that readers need another dose of living within their means and saving for the future. Instead, I am going to use this space to write about a personal tragedy that struck our family.
In his eulogy for brothers Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, who were killed in a terrorist attack seven months ago, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed said, “The destiny and calling of the Jewish people, from the days of our father Abraham until today, is to carry the banner of ethics and morality, and bring blessing to the world, and therefore, in every generation, the greatest evildoers fight us.
“We did not return to our country to dispossess Arabs of their homes, but rather, to add goodness and blessing to the world. The Arabs could also benefit from this. However, when they decided to rise up against us, we will fight them and win, and all lawfully, by means of the army and police.”
Losing family to Hamas's evil pogrom
This past Saturday, in the evil pogrom carried out by Hamas terrorists, my 32-year-old nephew Hayim Katsman was murdered at Kibbutz Holit where he lived. Rabbi Melamed continued, “Our rabbis have taught us that every Jew who is killed simply for being a Jew is kadosh (holy), and is guaranteed to be a ‘ben olam habah’ (destined for the World to Come). In his death, just for being a Jew, his personal clothes have been discarded, and he has wrapped himself in the holiness of Israel.”
The story of his death was nothing short of heroic. After learning that the Hamas terrorists had entered the kibbutz, he hid with a neighbor, Avital Alajem, in a closet. He protected her and as the terrorists opened fire, he ended taking all the bullets, and died. They then opened the closet door and took her out. They handed her two small children of her neighbor’s and proceeded to kidnap them and walk to Gaza.
In her own harrowing story, which can be found online, she survived and saved the two children. As we learn in the Mishna (Sanhedrin 4:5) “Why was the human being created as an individual? To teach you that one who destroys a single human life is as though he has destroyed an entire world. And one who saves a single human life is as though he has saved an entire world.” He saved one, who in turn saved two. Amazing.
Hayim’s motto was, “In every room I enter, there is someone smarter than me in some way.” Considering that he had a PhD from the University of Washington, there’s a pretty good chance he was the smartest in the room. His motto spoke volumes about his character. He was modest, generous, intellectually honest, was very principled, stuck to his convictions, and really loved life.
He was always respectful to those that he disagreed with. Unlike many in the academic community, he wasn’t beholden to academics. As Jim Wellman, chair of the Jackson School’s Comparative Religion program, who served as Hayim’s thesis adviser, said, “Hayim loved taking care of his kibbutz’s fruit gardens. He loved his community and created a hangout where he’d invited friends from literally all over the world to jam – he played drums – drink their homemade beer and talk and talk. He was a dear, dear friend to me and to many.”
In addition to his love of music and gardening, he was a mechanic as well. He was literally a jack of all trades, a renaissance man. I mentioned he really loved life. The picture of him in my mind that I haven’t stopped thinking of since we received the horrific news, is of him being a small kid along with his older brother, running around the outside of the sukkah nonstop for like half an hour, laughing and having such a great time. He loved life.
He was also an amazing grandson, to my father, who should be well. While studying for his PhD in Seattle, he stayed with his grandfather. Maybe it was due to their shared interest in cars and gardening, but he forged an amazing relationship with him, and really took care of him. For that, my siblings and I are very grateful.
May all the families of the fallen be comforted. May the wounded have a speedy recovery. May our dear soldiers be safe and protected.
Yehi Zichro Baruch. HY”D
The information contained in this article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.
Aaron Katsman is the author of Retirement GPS: How to Navigate Your Way to A Secure Financial Future with Global Investing. www.gpsinvestor.com; aaron@lighthousecapital.co.il