A Remarkable Story from the Mother of Aryeh Schopak HY”D
Today I sat with the mother of Aryeh Schopak HY”D at the shiva in Har Nof. And this was the story she shared with the 20 or so women present:
“Sue Koltai, the mother of Azi Koltai z”l who died in the Meron tragedy, came to visit me on the 1st day of the shiva. Aryeh and Azi had been friends and classmates. Sue told me I should look back at the months leading up to Aryeh’s murder with new eyes, and she said I would probably find hints that on some level Aryeh knew that he didn’t have long to live.
“There were a few things that came to mind. But nothing so clear. Until yesterday when one of Aryeh’s rebbes came from yeshiva and told me what Aryeh said the day before he was killed. Aryeh studied at a yeshiva in Beit Meir, a picturesque moshav surrounded by beautiful hills and nature.
Aryeh had invested a lot of time creating a hang-out for himself and his friends to rest and talk between classes and learning, with chairs and a sofa, overlooking the gorgeous view.
Last Tuesday, out of the blue, Aryeh announced to his friends, “Listen, I’ve decided I’m going to leave the hang-out to the 1st year students. When I’m gone, they will inherit it from me.”
“Why the 1st years?” his friends asked, “Doesn’t it make more sense that the oldest students at the yeshiva should get to enjoy it?”
“No,” Aryeh insisted, “best the 1st years should have it. They will have the most years to enjoy it.”
And the next day, the very next day, Aryeh was gone. HY”D.
