A moving ceremony: In the presence of Israel’s Chief Rabbi, prominent rabbis, and family members, a Torah scroll was dedicated at Yeshivat Lev Chadash in Shiloh, where Binyamin studied — on the first anniversary of his tragic death.
On the first anniversary of the terror attack in which Binyamin Achimeir z”l was murdered, a Torah scroll was dedicated at Yeshivat Lev Chadash in the town of Shiloh, where he had studied in recent years. The ceremony was filled with emotion, blending pain with hope, as the scroll was dedicated in memory of a young man who gave his life al Kiddush Hashem.
Among those in attendance were Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi David Kalman Bar; the head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Sariel Ben Nisan; the president of Beit HaRamchal, Rabbi M. Shriki; Binyamin’s father, Rabbi Ofir Achimeir; yeshiva students, family members, and close friends who knew Binyamin’s refined character.
Chief Rabbi Kalman Bar delivered a heartfelt address, reflecting on the meaning of a yahrzeit and on Binyamin’s elevated soul:
“We are used to speaking about a yahrzeit, about the eleventh or twelfth month — that we do something ‘for the elevation of the soul.’ But for Binyamin — that’s not necessary. And I don’t say this — the Talmud says it,” the Rabbi noted.
“The Talmud tells of a sage who ascended to the next world and returned. When asked what he saw, he replied: ‘I saw an upside-down world. Those who are esteemed here — are barely seen there. And those who are disregarded here — are held in highest esteem there.’ Of the martyred — the Talmud says — ‘No being can stand in their presence.’ Binyamin is from among them.”
He continued, “There are souls that, from the moment they arrive in this world, it’s clear they belong to a higher one. They bring light, fear of Heaven, and true humility. Binyamin was such a soul. What happened to his body shook us all — but his soul is beyond what we can understand.”
The Torah scroll had been in the process of being written for many months, specifically to be completed and brought into the yeshiva on this anniversary date. After the final letters were written in the main synagogue of the town, the Torah was accompanied in joyous song and dance toward the yeshiva, carried with pride and emotion by Binyamin’s father and the students of the yeshiva.
Rabbi Sariel Ben Nisan, head of Yeshivat Lev Chadash, spoke of Binyamin as a true ben Torah, a student with a gentle soul, beloved by his peers and teachers.
“He entered the yeshiva’s gates with an open heart — a ‘new heart’ — and remained engraved in all our hearts. We brought in the Torah scroll, but our hearts remain open. The pain is with us. The only comfort is Torah — which is eternal, which uplifts.”
“From now on, the Torah scroll will accompany the students in their daily study and reading. It bears Binyamin’s name — a young man who dreamed of deepening his Torah learning, who loved the Torah and his people, and who continues to be a source of inspiration even after his passing,” said one of the rabbis at the yeshiva.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel