Last week the Moriah middle school students had the privilege of hearing from two soldiers from the IDF Wounded Veterans’ delegation who spoke about their experiences recovering from and living with injuries from battle. The soldiers passed on extremely inspiring and relevant messages. They spoke about the fact that we must all view ourselves as soldiers looking out for our friends and families. They gave examples from their healing process that demonstrated that looking for shortcuts will often only set us back. They reminded the students that although we may plan our lives a certain way, Hashem may have other things in mind, but any obstacles put before us will be a way to strengthen ourselves and grow. Rabbi Lipstein shared the important idea that when we daven for chayalim, we must remember the ongoing battles in their lives beyond the IDF. Last week, parshat Vayeitzei, is the week of Honor Day which commemorates IDF casualties. As a school, Moriah davened for Israel and the IDF during these turbulent times.