Thousands accompanied the heartbreaking funeral procession in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem today (Wednesday) for the 21-year-old Issachar Dov Spiegel, a student at the 'Tifrach' and 'Keter Torah' yeshivots, who drowned at Sanz Beach in Netanya last Friday - and died last night after midnight.
His father, the rabbi Shlomo Spiegel, head of the Spiegel group in the Beit Israel neighborhood, said at the funeral: "There are three partners in a person - father, mother and God. So if God gave us a gift, how can He take it without asking us? The answer is: This is not a gift, we gave you a deposit. The owner of the deposit takes the deposit. God gave us such a good deposit. He didn't need to be encouraged, he was always drawn to pray, study and be good. We return the deposit perfect and pure.".
He ended his wake-up call with chilling tears - and referred in a cry to the search for his 17-year-old son, who was missing at sea: "'Why should I lose both of you in one day?' Where is my father? Where is he? Why two? Now you ascend to heaven, ask that we find my father, be a good advocate so that I can hold the yeshiva.".
Rosh Yeshiva Tifrah, the Gaon Rabbi Aviezer Peltz, delivered a stirring speech: "'The Seraphim of Ma'ale cried out bitterly, is this Torah and this is reward?' It is necessary to know that there were not angels of destruction in the waves of the sea, there were angels of mercy. The angels bring Issachar Dov before God, blessed be He - look what a young man he was here in the world, who was only interested in Torah, he spent nights and days studying Torah.".
The Gaon Rabbi Avraham Moshe Ziskind, Rosh Yeshivah 'Keter Torah', said that he would prepare the lessons with him, and he had a special perspective on every subject.
The head of the Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Yitzhak Ezrachi, said in his remarks that he visited the Laniado Hospital in Netanya two days ago and saw that what was painful for Rabbi Shlomo and his rabbinical wife was that their son, who was in the middle of making aliyah, had a break.
Rabbi Dan Segal, the overseer, said in his words: "We have all received a blow, not just the parents. This is a blow to all of us. We must strengthen our relationship with one another, strengthen the bond between friends.".
After reciting Kaddish, with the father crying, the funeral procession set off for Mount Hamunuchot, where he was buried.
