Ari Fuld, may Hashem avenge his blood.

Many of us approached Yom Kippur with the sorrow of this 45-year-old father of four, Efrat resident, and gibor (hero) of Israel on our minds.

Fuld chased his killer, with a cut artery, and shot him before his own life ran out. In doing so, he helped authorities capture the murderer and saved other Israeli lives.

At his funeral, his grieving wife talked of how he was a hero who ran towards danger instead of away from it. He was called a superhero, a gibor, a learned man, a special leader, a fighter for Israel; and beloved by his family and community, worldwide.

In short, he was Israel. He lived his life for his family and for Israel. He worked for Standing Together, an NGO that raises funds for Israeli soldiers. But Israel wasn’t just his occupation, it was his being. He gave Israel his last full measure of life.

These coming days as we finish building our sukkot, let’s use the time especially with our children to take the positive energy of Ari and transform and elevate the perhaps mundane of hammering and building, remembering that Israel is a privilege given to us by Hashem. Ari’s unconditional love of Israel is something to infuse in our children and ourselves when we bench lulav and etrog this Sukkot, when we engage in acts of chesed and when we talk of a Third Temple.

Ari Fuld might have been taken from us physically. But he was an unyielding force and spirit for all of us to follow.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu perhaps said it best about Ari Fuld, “We are alive thanks to heroes like Ari. We will remember him forever.”

And we will.