On 12.5.2022, a ceremony was held to award certificates of appreciation to the brigade’s outstanding soldiers, on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day of the State of Israel.
The ceremony was attended by the Brigade Commander Colonel Elad Moati, the headquarters, battalions, commanders of the outstanding soldiers, parents, and representatives of the Givati Brigade Association.
The following are the greetings delivered by the Chairman of the Givati Association:
Brigade Commander and Dear Friend Col. Eliad Moati, Dear Families, Soldiers and Soldiers, and last but not least, outstanding soldiers of the Givati Brigade!
Dear all,
Four years ago, on the 70th Independence Day of the State of Israel, I had the privilege of attending this ceremony and, together with the then commander of the Givati Brigade, awarded the certificate of excellency to my young daughter Shahar, who served as a brigade officer.
After the ceremony I told her that I was very proud of her excellence, she tried to correct me and said “Dad is a ceremony of excellency, not a“ ceremony of excellence. ”In response I answered her at length the things whose essence I will share with you here.
I am well aware of the sense of pride that you all must surely feel on this day, but mostly I think about the meaning inherent in the class, and the hidden message for the future.
Personally, I really admire marathon runners, more than I admire, with all due respect, sprinters at the 100-meter end, who gained world fame when they dropped from 10 seconds.
And I will explain why:
The excellency ceremony, as it has always been called, the ceremony we attend, is an expression of appreciation for soldiers who have shown excellence during their military service.
With your permission would like to point out the subtle, but very significant, difference between excellency and excellence.
Excellency has two dimensions: Excellency is a relative event, that is, relative to other people (for example, you can take the podium as an example of awarding medals at the Olympics), in addition, excellency is examined in the final result and not in the way …
In contrast, excellence is a process of realizing the potential that exists in oneself, over time…
Excellence is not comparable, but depends entirely on a person’s personal development, education, and spirit.
So, excellence is a way of life. Excellency (as I mentioned earlier – podium) is for an hour. Occasionally one can excel. It may be a great feeling, but excellency is a point event, and even a person who excelled in one event or another, can suddenly fall from his greatness – that is, his excellency …
Not so with the excellency, excellence is a way of life.
I know that the soldiers who were chosen to receive the recognition in this event were chosen not because of their excellency in this or that event but because of their excellence over time.
Dear soldiers, excellency sticky excellency, and the more excellent soldiers and commanders in the army, the more they will influence and radiate to others, and we will have a better, more excellent army that can face any challenge, and as you know, there are many.
Dear families – Blessed are you who have been privileged to raise and educate fine and excellent children, who are an example and role model for members of the unit.
Dear commanders, you have chosen this wonderful team – persevere in this way, set an example for others, and inspire those who will follow in your footsteps.
Go forth and succeed!
Itzhak Levit
Chairman
Givati Brigade Association