In a poignant musical tribute that echoes across Israel's grieving heart, singer Yehuda Saado released "Song for Levi," commemorating the life of Yakir Yaakov Levi and his seven fallen brothers-in-arms.
The song, released Tuesday morning, marks six months since the tragic disaster that claimed the lives of eight young warriors from the IDF's Combat Engineering Battalion 601 in Gaza.
"This is the least we could do," Saado said of the tribute.
The lyrics, rich with biblical imagery and deep spiritual meaning, paint a portrait of a warrior-musician in the tradition of King David:
*"Levi, Levi, where did you go to play?
All the people here are asking
My dear Levi, if the House of God isn't here
Did you ascend above to sing and play?
The sword was foreign to me, cried the warrior
And the smoke of battles is not incense to the Lord
Yet you fought like David in the land of the Philistines
To establish the glory of God
Letters that soared up to the Throne of Glory
Were gathered in wings of splendor and majesty
And the Creator joined them as in the beginning
And the Levite returned as before
How beautiful are your hands, Jacob
Whether for battle or for music
And when will my beloved return
A gathering of roses"*
The fallen warriors, each with their own dreams and stories, came from communities across Israel. Captain Wassim Mahmoud, just 23, hailed from the Druze town of Beit Jann. Sergeant Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist, 21, called Beit Shemesh home. The youngest among them, 19-year-old Sergeant Itai Omar, grew up in Kokhav Yair-Tzur Yigal. Staff Sergeant Stanislav Kostrev, 21, represented Ashdod, while Staff Sergeant Or Blumovitz, 20, came from Pardes Hanna-Karkur. Staff Sergeant Oz Yeshaya Gruber, 20, was from Tal Menashe, and Sergeant Yakir Yaakov Levi, 21, grew up in Hefetz Haim. Staff Sergeant Shalom Menachem, from Beit El, completed this brotherhood bound by fate and duty.
The song's verses draw a powerful parallel between Levi's dual nature as both warrior and musician, reminiscent of biblical figures who balanced the call of duty with spiritual devotion. Through its melodic verses, the tribute captures the essence of a young man who, like the Levites of ancient times, served both with instrument and valor.
For the families left behind, Saado's tribute offers a musical embrace, a reminder that their loved ones' sacrifice will never be forgotten. The song serves not just as a memorial, but as a bridge between memory and meaning, between loss and legacy, its verses ascending like prayers to the heavens where, as the lyrics suggest, Levi continues his eternal song.
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