Thirty days after the tragic death of Yosef Eisental z”l, a matzeivah was erected this week at his kever on Har HaMenuchos in Yerushalayim. The inscription, composed by his parents, records the circumstances of his death and reflects the profound impact his passing has had on the Torah community.

According to the inscription, he was struck down “at the height of his blossoming” by a criminal act while on his way home from an atzeres.

The wording engraved on the monument describes Yossi as a devoted yeshiva bochur, deeply immersed in Torah study and especially sensitive to the needs and wellbeing of those around him. It expresses the family’s shattered hopes of seeing him grow old within the walls of the beis medrash and records the spiritual awakening his passing inspired among many, strengthening their commitment to Torah learning, self-improvement, and teshuvah.

The following is the full inscription:

פ”נ
בן הישיבה
בננו אחינו ונכדנו האהוב והיקר
עלם חמודות וילד שעשועים
יגע בתורה וטרוד לדעת סודה
נתייחד מאוד בנתינת עיניו וליבו
על טובתם של רעיו ומכריו
בצפייתנו ציפינו לראותו
שתול בבית ד’ עד זקנה ושיבה
ולדאבוננו נקטף מעמנו
בשיא פריחתו ע”י בן עוולה
בעת שובו מעצרת תפילה
למען קיומה של תורה בארצנו הקדושה
הקדוש חיים יוסף
איזנטל הי”ד.
בן יבלחט”א הר”ר שמואל שליט”א
נולד בט’ אלול התשע”א
נלב”ע בח”י טבת התשפ”ו
זכה ופטירתו עוררה
התחזקות עצומה ונוראה
בקרב עם סגולה
לחיזוק שקידת התורה ועמלה
לתקן כל מידה נכונה
ולהיכנס לשערי תשובה
ת. נ. צ. ב. ה.
ויעמוד לגורלך לקץ הימין
חנון הביטה ממרומים
תשפוכת דם הצדיקים ותמצית דמים
תראה בפרגודך והעבר כתמים
קל מלך יושב על כסא רחמים
הקדוש
חיים יוסף איזנטל הי”ד

Full Translation of the Inscription

Here lies
A yeshiva student,
Our beloved and precious son, brother, and grandson,
A charming youth, a child of delight,
Toiling in Torah and striving to understand its hidden depths,
Distinguished in placing his eyes and heart
On the welfare of his friends and companions.

We longingly hoped to see him
Planted in the House of Hashem until old age and longevity,
But to our great sorrow he was taken from us
At the height of his blossoming by a man of evil,
While returning from a prayer assembly
For the sake of the continued existence of Torah in our Holy Land.

The holy one,
Chaim Yosef Eisental, Hy”d,
Son of his father, may he live long,
Harav Shmuel, shlita.

Born on the 9th of Elul, 5771
Passed away on the 18th of Teves, 5786.

Merited that his passing aroused
An immense and awesome strengthening
Among the treasured nation,
To reinforce diligence and toil in Torah,
To refine every proper trait,
And to enter the gates of repentance.

May his soul be bound in the bond of eternal life.
He shall arise to his destined lot at the end of days.

Gracious One, look down from the heavens,
See the spilling of the blood of the righteous and the essence of their blood
Before Your inner chamber, and remove the stain.
Mighty G-d, King Who sits upon the Throne of Mercy.

The holy one,
Chaim Yosef Eisental, Hy”d.