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Demo modeThe journey begins 17 Elul 5786 · Sunday, August 30, 2026 (Sydney)

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Legacies of Light
Staff Sgt. Roie Elias z”l

Day 11 of 36

When the road gets tough and everyone slows down, I charge ahead.

Staff Sgt. Roie Elias z”l

Determination

Wednesday | 27 Elul 5786 | September 9, 2026

Video reflection

The video reflection for this day has not yet been published.

Each day’s reflection is offered by a rabbi, educator, or Jewish leader from somewhere in the world, and appears here on its day of light.

Reflect & live it

  1. Charging Forward: In what difficult moments do you tend to slow down or despair? How can you train yourself to “charge ahead” especially when things are hard?

  2. Leading When Others Retreat: When was the last time you took initiative while others hesitated? How do you build the courage to act first? Try being the first to take action in some area of your life and see what it does for you.

Your private reflection

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How Roie lived

Roie, son of Tzipi and Sasson, grew up in Moshav Tsofar in the Arava and served as a lead frontline gunner in the Doher Company, 603rd Battalion, Combat Engineering Corps. He was an outstanding basketball player, active in his community, and loved by all who knew him. He loved the Arava and dreamed of returning to realize the values of building and working the land on which he was raised. An expert in advanced engineering, he was the one to push everyone forward in the toughest moments. He fell in Gaza while leading his friends with devotion and bravery. He was 21 years old when he fell.

Born:
27 October 2002 (21 Cheshvan 5763)
Fell:
23 December 2023 (11 Tevet 5784)

Visit Roie’s legacy page →

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