Esty Yaniv, the mother of the kedoshim Hillel, h’yd and Yigal, h’yd, who were murdered in a shooting attack early Sunday afternoon, recorded a chilling message to the youth on her yishuv, Har Bracha, only hours after her sons’ deaths.

Despite her terrible loss, she spoke words of emunah and tried to be mechazeik them.

“I spoke with my children and you’re also like my children…I want to tell you something,” she said. “We received a slap from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, a powerful slap. I don’t know why.”

“We’re trying to find the good things and the chessed – that beforehand we had a family Shabbos, that we had good conversations with them yesterday, that we took a family photo. Hakadosh Baruch Hu sends chassadim, He sent us – together with the painful blow – chassadim.”

“We have a hole, a huge hole in our hearts. Nothing will close this hole – not construction [of a new yishuv], not protests, not anything. And family simchos will just be a bandaid. The hole will remain. We’ll learn to live with it, and live with it b’simcha and continue, and draw strength from you and our children.”

“If you ask what to do, increase your limmud Torah – both of them were on the way to limmud Torah. Do meaningful service in the army.”

“There are no words, there are no words that can comfort, that can express…we’re depending on you.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)