One Soul.
Yehuda is a good soul. It’s Friday, and he’s ready for the weekend. Picture this young man in his white sleeveless t-shirt, biceps bulging, hair sheared close, scruffy beard. Engaging smile. Cheery disposition. The white wires of his earbuds are loosely hanging from his neck. There’s a dashcam too. Yehuda loves to share. At this moment, the camera is rolling, and Yehuda is singing:
My God, the soul You placed within me is pure. You created it, You fashioned it, You breathed it into me, You protect it within me, and eventually, you will take it from me and restore it to me in Time to Come. As long as the soul is within me. I gratefully thank you, Lord, my God and God of my ancestors, Source of all Creation. Sovereign of all souls. Blessed are You, God, Who restores souls to lifeless beings.
Sometime later, Yehuda gets a text. It’s from his friend, Gideon.
“Hey buddy, I’m feeling down today, a little depressed, slightly anxious, and I could use some of your optimism. What do you have for me?”
Yehuda sends him his most recent dashcam video. He’s singing a prayer of gratitude for his God-given soul. His beautiful, upbeat soul. Gideon loves it. He feels better.
And then, a few weeks later, Gideon gets a message. Yehuda is dead.
Yehuda was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Nova Music Festival in Southern Israel on October 7, 2023. His soul is no longer in his lifeless body. The soul of Yehuda Becher, 24 years old at the time of death, has risen to the heavens to be with God. His soul rests in peace among all those who went before, like Yehuda, who have faith in the arrival of the Messiah and the resurrection.
Yehuda lives on in the hearts of so many. The video went viral. Even in death, Yehuda has left his voice, smile, and legacy as a kindness to others.
By Susan Diamond
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