Yom Ha'atzmaut

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Tehillim 107 - Yom Haatzmaut
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag
In Israel, Yom Ha'zikaron [Memorial Day] and Yom Ha'Atzmaut [Independence Day] are separated by a mere split second. It is precisely this proximity that gives extra meaning to both days. Our awareness that the dedication of those who fell made our independence possible gives us the strength to cope with the sorrow of Yom Ha'Zikaron. At the same time, our awareness of that terrible price, encourages not only to appreciate our joy on Yom Ha’Atzmaut, but also to strive to channel our independence in the proper direction.

This contrast between sorrow and joy at a time of redemption is reflected in Tehillim 107. It is the custom in Israel to recite that perek before davening Maariv on Yom Ha’Atzmaut. The following shiur will analyze the internal structure of Tehillim 107, and will explain why it was chosen to be read on this day.
Siege and Salvation in Shomron
Rabbi Alex Israel
Judaism does not always present redemption as flawless. We learn about the story of the siege and salvation of Shomron via characters who are ethically compromised: the cruel child-eating mothers and the selfish leprous outcasts. Moreover, God's salvation is discovered almost by accident. The study of this chapter leads to contemporary thought on a flawed redemption in modern day Israel.
Yeshayahu 9-12
Matan Al HaPerek
Neta Shapira
Though Assyria successfully conquered the Israeli Kingdom and significant portions of Yehuda, Yishayahu mocks the arrogance of Assyria and describes its downfall, describing a future of world peace and prosperity. The prophet sees the world returning to the state of the Garden of Eden, before Adam's sin.
Parshat Eikev - Dependence and Independence
Rabbi Alex Israel | 37 minutes
This shiur analyzes the structure and content of Parshat Ekev, which discusses the reward and punishment that come with the covenant, and emphasizes that Israel’s tenure in the Land is contingent upon upholding the Torah. The main section also relates to different concerns “If you would say in your heart” and answers them with a call to remember something. There are responses for different mindsets and moments in life. Under-confidence- as well as certain types of overconfidence- are both religious errors. The motif of water that recurs in the parasha, especially in the contrast between the Land of Israel and Egypt, serves to highlight the tension between the human desire for independence and the Divine demand for dependence on God and adherence to the covenant.
When are Prophecies NOT Written?
Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun
Yeshayahu 42-43 - Matan Al HaPerek
Rabbi David Sabato
Chapters 42-43 and afterward are made up of short prophetic speeches that deal with the redemption of the People, their special relationship with God, and their national and universal destiny as a "Light Unto the Nations."

Chapter 42 opens with a description of the Servant of God and ends by turning to Him. In the middle verses, the inhabitants of the ends of the earth are called to sing to God of valor. Chapter 43 opens with a heralding of the Redemption. After that, God calls the nations of the world to Judgment, as the People of Israel serve as witnesses to God's acts of salvation in history.
Yirmiyahu 29-30
Matan Al Haperek
Rabbi David Sabato
Yirmiyahu's war against the false prophets continues in perek 29, this time describing his struggle with the false prophets in the Babylonian exile. Those exiled in the exile of Yehoyachin were influenced by the false prophets who prophesied that the exile would end soon and there would be a return to Jerusalem. In contrast to these prophecies stands Yirmiyahu, who sends a letter to the exiles to convince them to settle in and establish themselves in the exile, which will continue for a while longer. Paradoxically, it is Yirmiyahu's prophecy of the long exile which contains within it the seeds of hope and redemption. In the continuation of the perek we hear how Yirmiyahu's letter angers one of the false prophets in Babylonia, Shmayahu haNechelami, who requests that the priests in Jerusalem imprison Yirmiyahu. In response Yirmiyahu prophesies that Shmayahu's descendants will not merit seeing the consolation.

Perek 30 opens the section of prophecies of consolation in the book, which continues through perek 33. Our perek describes the Day of the Lord, the day when the great war will begin which will begin the salvation of Israel, a prophecy which seems to hint at the fall of the Babylonian empire. In the continuation of the prophecy, the stages of redemption are described - the return of Israel to its land and to independence, the rebuilding of the desolate land and the renewal of the connection between God and His nation.
Ramban on Parshat Haazinu - The History of the Jewish People
Rabbi Ezra Bick | 36 minutes
Ramban’s comments on verse 26 of Chapter 32 have a great deal of meaning in terms of understanding Jewish History. Ramban focuses on the word af’eihem, which, he argues, is a compound word meaning “However, where are they”? The verse comes in the midst of the Song of Haazinu, at a point where Israel has abandoned God. God is angered and the people are to be punished with exile.

God has “initially” proposed that there is to be no remnant or memory amongst the nations. But what does this mean? Ramban posits, 500 years before political nationalism and the Zionist movement, that the meaning of the verse is that the Jews will not have their own national identity while they are dispersed among the nations. According to the attribute of strict judgement, this fate should have been eternal. As it is, the Ramban believes that the “merit of the forefathers” (Zekhut Avot) has been all used up in Exile. But for the sake of God’s Great Name—for the sake of Kiddush HaShem- the lack of Jewish political status and national identity will not last forever, and the song conveys that the Jewish people will be a nation again.

Other biblical and midrashic sources are used to delve further into the ideas about the reasons for creation of humanity and the meaning of Kiddush HaShem.
Ramban on Haazinu: Exile - and Zionism?
Rabbi Ezra Bick
The Garden of Eden in the Torah
Dr. Yael Ziegler
תאריך פרסום: תשס"ז | | 31 minutes
The Torah begins with an idyllic, harmonious description of the creation of life in the Garden of Eden.
Why is Gan Eden not a central feature of the rest of Torah? Why is there no attempt of people to find it? Only Lot seems to search for it.

In fact, the major personalities do seek it, but it is no longer called “Eden:” life in Eretz Yisrael is meant to recreate the Garden of Eden, but with a major difference: no easy irrigation source(a deliberate contrast with Egypt and Mesopotamia). We must recognize our dependence on God and cultivate a dynamic relationship. The goal of the Torah is to return to the harmony of the Garden of Eden in the Land of Israel, where life of blossoming and blessing is dependent on commitment to God.
The Vision of the Dry Bones
Dr. Tova Ganzel
God’s status and His power stand at the center of Yehezkel's prophecy. The nation’s past, present and future is clarified by its relationship with God. Indeed, from the prophet's perspective it is altogether possible that not a single survivor of the nation will remain. Therefore, for the observer of the vision of the dry bones the outcome is not clear. The prophet therefore has no indication as to the future of these dry bones based on prior knowledge or principles such as the covenant, the merit of the forefathers, desecration of God’s Name, or the like. The answer will depend only on God’s own decision.

The description in the book of Yirmitahu of human bones that are strewn outside of their graves expresses more than just the great number of deaths during the years of siege and destruction. The withholding of burial dishonors the dead, and the removal of bones from their burial place likewise shows contempt. In light of this, Yehezkel’s encounter with a valley full of bones may testify to the disgrace of the people, and not necessarily to its future revival. How will the situation develop? That depends entirely on God.

What unfolds is a slow process of rebirth that is realized in stages. Whether the description in the book of Yehezkel is of an actual occurrence or an allegory, it is clear that in the Jewish national consciousness, this prophecy remains timeless. For our generation, seeing the establishment and prospering of the State of Israel after the horror of the Holocaust, this consciousness of the redemption being bound together with the vision of dry bones is greatly amplified.
Parshat Ki Tavo - Pledge of Allegiance
Rabbi Alex Israel | 33 minutes
This shiur focuses on the description of the covenantal Ceremony of the Stones. It bears a striking resemblance to the covenantal ceremony at Sinai which took place the day after the Revelation at Sinai. What is the reason for the strong overlap? The ceremony occurs at an auspicious juncture as the People of Israel take a bold step- to become a nation with a land. The covenantal ceremony- creating a triangle between the Nation, the Land, and God, mediated through the Torah - is meant to naturally continue the values of Sinai in Israel.
Avraham's Aliya, Our Aliya, and the Chagim
Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 18 minutes
We see from last week’s parsha that Avraham has picked up and headed for Canaan, even before receiving a commandment from God.

This parasha is full of messages about belief, trust in God, and Aliyah - in the midst of Avraham's immigration which is full of question marks.

There is a commandment but also a pull toward Eretz Yisrael. For Avraham and for contemporary olim (immigrants), there is no initial promise that everything is going to work out - we have to wait for the next part of the parasha where God will give us the promise. The idea of hope during a time of many unknowns also relates to Rosh Hodesh, a time of optimism and looking forward to the middle of the month when the moon is in full view, and when many of our festivals are celebrated, symbolizing God's manifestation to Israel after periods of seeming obscurity - periods to cultivate optimism.
Bechukotai: Coming Home
Rabbi Jay Kelman
Eretz Yisrael in Tanakh and Jewish Thought
Rabbi Chaim Navon
Does the Tanakh portray the Land of Israel as a homeland, or as a place of exile? What type of qualities are unique and special about the Land? Are the geographical and natural features a source of abundant blessing or of vulnerability and dependence upon God? What is meant by the various biblical descriptions of the Land as the place of the Divine Presence? We examine the role of the Land of Israel throughout Tanakh, and explore perspectives of midrashim and Jewish philosophers and scholars. Some of the responses may be surprising.
“When You Come into the Land”
Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein
תאריך פרסום: תשס"ח |
When God planted a garden in Eden, this was not just a grove of trees, but rather laying the foundations of the world. We are commanded in the Land of Israel to develop agriculture and plant trees, not only to fulfill mitzvot like orla or neta revai, but also to the build the nation and to ensure its viability. Just as God constructs the entire world on the basis of the planting of trees, we are commanded to plant trees in the Land of Israel, so that there will be a healthy economy and strong society in the Land of Israel.

Based on a Shiur by Harav Aharon Lichtenstein zt"l (Adapted by Lavi Bigman and translated by David Strauss)
Tell His Righteousness to a Born Nation
Based on a sicha by Harav Aharon Lichtenstein (Translated by Yoseif Bloch and Rav Ronnie Ziegler)
Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein
תאריך פרסום: תשס"ט |

The declaration of the State of Israel filled hearts with terror and joy alike. I found myself, like every simple Jew, compelled to recite psalms. My attention was drawn to mizmor 22 "To the Conductor, on the morning star, a psalm of David," a chapter associated by the Sages with times of crisis.

"They will come and tell His righteousness to a born nation as He has made it" (Psalms 22, 32). Over half a century ago, certainly I took our verse to refer, first and foremost, to the present-tense "born," to a nation just now finding itself on its feet, at this moment undergoing the birth process, experiencing the pangs of emerging nationhood, the pangs of history - "a nation being born."

However, it now seems to me that we can speak not only of one understanding, but of three valid interpretations.
"HaTikva" Then and Now
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
The prophet Yechezkel speaks about an exiled nation mired in despair; they are thus compared to corpses that are not only lifeless but whose flesh and skin have decomposed and whose bones have been scattered. "Ha-Tikva" likewise describes a nation in exile, but the soul of this nation is alive and its eyes look towards Zion. Hope has another aspect to it, as expressed in the words of Iyov. Elements from Tanakh are compared to their references in HaTikva and to other Jewish sources about hope for the return to Zion.
Survival and Fulfilment: Thoughts on Yom HaAtzma'ut
Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein
Avraham's aliya began in the same way as did Herzl's Zionist movement. His starting point is not the attraction and the vision of the land of Israel, but rather escape from Ur-Kasdim. But while Avraham is in Haran, he is commanded "to do what he had intended to do, to go to the land of Canaan."

The command of "Lekh Lekha" turns the framework of fate into a framework of destiny; it turns the place that was meant to serve as a place of refuge into God's inheritance.

Yom HaAtzma’ut restores for us with full force and depth the consciousness that here, in God's inheritance, we can fulfill visions, but also exist; we can realize dreams but also live.

Adapted by Yair Yaniv and translated by David Strauss
A Psalm for Independence Day
Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun
The first Chief Rabbis of the State of Israel, Rav Herzog and Rav Uziel, along with several other important rabbinical figures, selected chapter 107 of Tehillim for recitation on Yom Ha-atzmaut (Israel Independence Day). This prophetic psalm is composed with a view towards the future (“God’s redeemed shall declare…”); it is indeed well suited to the day, as it speaks of the ingathering of the exiles, to which we are witness in our generation and of which Yom Ha-atzmaut is the principal symbol.

We examine this exciting psalm in detail.

Translated by Kaeren Fish
Acharei Mot - Kedoshim and Yom HaAtzmaut
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen
When You Call Out My Name, You Know That Wherever I Am, I’ll Come Running
The Structure & Story of Book V (107-150)
Dr. Beni Gesundheit | Hour and 17 minutes
Structure & Story of Book V - Opening Mizmor 107 - Structure & Context & Intertext

How can contextual interpretation be used to help our understanding of Mizmor 107, its opening of Book V and its recitation on Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim?

Book V details the vision and the program for the revival of the Jewish people in Israel in various steps which will deepen the connection to the land, Jewish history and the people. Jews of the Diaspora and all nations will eventually be part of this process under King David’s leadership. Three Hallel units appear in Book V (113-118, 135-136; 145-150) with similar but different messages; they provide the structure of the narrative of Book V.

Mizmor 107 is the ideal opening for this process, as we shall see from analysis of its text, context and intertext. Therefore, it was chosen to be recited also on Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim.