Written by Naomi Kendel Toledano
Translated by Rena Perlmutter and Allison Kupietzky
Edited by Juliana Brown
"Dear Honored Rabbi," Nitai wrote to his Rabbi, "Should I write my name with the letter Yud after the letter Nun, or without it?"
That was Nitai. A man and a fighter who took care with the exact spelling of his Hebrew name - with or without a Yud, paying attention to detail, including even the smallest Hebrew letter. As a child he was a playful and rebellious boy, "a boy that you had to love " says mother Revital. When he decided to do something - he set his mind to it and achieved his goal. For his bar mitzvah, after learning to read his parasha, the chapter from the Torah, he continued to learn to read the entire Torah! He became a 'Baal Koreh', an expert in reading Torah, and throughout his high school years, he read Torah in his home synagogue in Kibbutz Alumim, taking care with each letter. Even when he returned home, tired from his army service, he would wake up early for Shabbat morning prayers and read Torah for the entire congregation. The members of the kibbutz looked forward to his return so that they could hear his heavenly voice.
Before enlisting in the army, when asked how he would feel if he was not accepted to the unit of his dreams, he answered: "I promise to be the best soldier on base." Two weeks later, he received his first certificate of excellence as a soldier, and kept his promise. Later, as a commander, Nitai made sure to lead his troops, paying careful attention to all and not leaving anyone behind.
On the Saturday when the war started, Nitai was home on vacation from the army. Nitai left home as soon as he heard the news of the war. He was determined to reach his commanders and army comrades. He said that he would surely return in the evening, not giving away the information he had received about the battles that were taking place a few minutes away from his family's home. For almost six hours, Nitai fought off dozens of terrorists. He could have chosen to stay safe and return to his family, but for hours he chose to move forward with infinite heroism, protecting his homeland.
A young man came to visit the family at the shiva after Nitai's passing. His beautiful eyes were softly crying as he sat on the side. When asked who he was, he said: "I studied with Nitai for 11 years, I was in the grade below him. When I heard about his heroism, I wasn't surprised. This is the same boy who stood up and defended the weak at school, who didn't let anyone hurt me."
In Nitai's diary, his parents found the words: "Work quietly, as success will make your voice heard." And so it is: Nitai's tremendous success reverberates with strength after his passing.
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