Embodiment of the new Israeli

When Moshe Dayan was agriculture minister, he told his right-hand man Gad Yaacobi that Meir Har-Zion should get "all the help he can get and then some" from the ministry's bureaucracy. At the time, Har-Zion was trying to get his ranch up and running near the Crusader-era fortress known as Belvoir, in northern Israel. The ranch had a breathtaking view of God's creation. Dayan once said Har-Zion was "the best Jewish fighter since Bar Kochva." When Dayan was Israel Defense Forces' chief of general staff, he had Har-Zion commissioned as an officer without having to undergo officer training.

When Dayan took command of the IDF, he found a military that was reeling from the humiliating blow-out at the Tel Mutila battle in 1951, when Syrian forces outsmarted Israeli troops and inflicted heavy casualties. With the help of Har-Zion, Ariel Sharon and Avraham Arnan, Dayan introduced new norms that would transform the IDF's combat doctrine by creating the elite Unit 101, whose chief mission was to stage retaliatory raids behind enemy lines in response to terrorist attacks. Har-Zion commanded this small group of fighters until he was injured in 1956. He would return to the IDF in time for the big wars of 1967 and 1973. The unit was ultimately folded into the Paratroopers Brigade.

In 1968, I was invited by Shimon Cahaner to a gathering of Unit 101 veterans in Neve Eitan. They talked about everything. The word "impossible" was never part of their vocabulary. Their accomplishments became the gold standard for future generations of IDF soldiers. Har-Zion was the ultimate embodiment of this. The book he authored underscored this.

This decorated Israeli hero, who was laid to rest on Sunday, was known for his independent thinking, his unrelenting self-discipline and his inner drive to pursue justice, whatever the obstacles in his path. For him, the world was black and white; there was no middle ground. The legendary foot soldier, who was willing to descend from his fortress and help his admired commander Ariel Sharon fix the mezuza on a doorpost when Sharon dedicated his home in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, later said Sharon's decision to dismantle the Gaza Strip settlements showed that he had "gone nuts."

Har-Zion was the quintessential Israeli warrior, a poster child for the new Jewish fighter. After he and Rachel Savorai -- an independent thinker in her own right who was very much like him -- illegally crossed over to Jordan and reached the Nabataean city of Petra in 1953, their trip became the stuff of legend. It captured the imagination of copycats who had a burning desire to go on this illicit excursion too.

Savorai and Har-Zion provided them with guidance and helped them reach that majestic place. A total of 13 tried to make it to the rose-red city, but only one survived to tell the story. A new book on that era depicts how then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion summoned Har-Zion after that incident.

"Promise me you will never help others cross into Jordan and I will put this behind us," he told the fighter. "Otherwise, I will have you put on trial." Har-Zion agreed, and added that if he changed his mind, he would inform the prime minister so that he could put him on trial.

In 1955, Har-Zion's sister Shoshana and a friend went hiking in Jordanian-held territory, and were killed by local Bedouin. A vengeful Har-Zion crossed the border with his friends and killed four of the perpetrators' tribesmen. He was like Samson, who killed Philistines on their own turf. In the aftermath of the attack, he and three others were arrested. They hired Shmuel Tamir -- who was loathed by the ruling party -- as their attorney. Infighting between Ben-Gurion, Dayan and other senior officials ultimately spared him from a trial, mainly because the establishment dreaded the prospect of facing Tamir in court. Har-Zion and his comrades would return to the military and continue serving as paratroopers.

After that affair Har-Zion withdrew from the public limelight. But his legacy and his aura would endure, taking on a life of their own.