By Moshe Ganoz

At the beginning of September 2024, I visited my daughter Yifat at her home in Ein Kerem. Suddenly, I received a WhatsApp message from my good friend Asaf Matan. The message included an image and the question: “Where is the book Joy as a Challenge (Simcha K’etgar) that I gave you some years ago?”

Under the dedication, on the inside cover of the book, there was a sticker with the picture of Eden Naftali, HYD.

Eden Naftali, 23 years old from Rishon LeZion, was murdered by terrorists at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023. She is remembered as a true ray of light, full of joy, generosity, and extraordinary happiness.

Eden was a lively, smiling young woman. She loved life, enjoyed traveling, and spending time with friends. Her friends say she was the “funny one” in the group, always able to lift everyone’s mood and draw people in with her positive energy. Her guiding motto was “Spread the Love,” which she lived by in every moment of her life.

Giving to others was a central part of Eden’s life. She worked devotedly with children with special needs and believed in the healing and connecting power of music. Friends describe her as a true loyal friend, someone who acted like a mentor, always giving the right advice and making each person feel like they were the center of her world.

“The book was in my library, but I hadn’t seen it for a long time,” I answered Asaf. I assumed that if the book had disappeared from my home in Oranit, it was probably taken by my daughter Yifat. Since I was with her at that moment, I asked if she remembered the book.

“Of course!” she replied. “Such a special book is unforgettable. I read it eagerly. Afterwards, a member of our community saw it on the shelf and borrowed it, but I don’t remember who it was…”

I returned to Asaf and asked for clarification, and this is the amazing story he told me:

Miriam, a friend of Rina Naftali, Eden’s mother, dreamt about Eden a few weeks earlier. In the dream, Eden asked Miriam to go to her room, take a specific book from there, and bring it to her mother.

Miriam came to Rina’s house, told her about the dream, and together they entered Eden’s room. On the shelf lay the exact book Miriam had seen in the dream – Joy as a Challenge.

The book, authored by Rabbi Shloma Majeski, was published about 25 years ago and contains a large collection of guidance and explanations from the Rebbe on how a person can remain joyful even amid difficult life crises.

When Rina read the book, she understood it as Eden’s “testament.” She and her family are meant to rise above the immense tragedy they experienced, to live with joy despite the pain, and to continue even more strongly the good deeds Eden performed in her short life.

The book also discusses, among other things, a mother of a kidnapped child (p. 28), redemption of captives in connection with the holiday of Simchas Torah (p. 71), and connects joy with deep responsibility for life, mutual responsibility, and redemption – even when reality is unbearably difficult.

The strongest proof of this “testament” was the verse that concludes the book, its final words: “Then our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful song.”

This week, I met with Eden’s beloved family. I heard incredible stories about her noble, heroic, and value-driven character. I saw and heard how Eden’s spirit continues to accompany her family and friends to this very day.

And I understood where she inherited these qualities and the strength to do good and spread joy in the world.

May her memory be blessed.

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The family of Eden Naftali shared this story on social media and wrote:

“Eden was given the book ‘Joy as a Challenge’ as a gift – and we still don’t know from whom. But its message, to choose joy even in the midst of pain, continues to stay with us wherever we go.”