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The Cantor's Voice May-June 2007 
The wonderful holiday of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, falls on the 5th of Iyar. However, when this day coincides with a Sunday night/Monday, the holiday is, by Israeli law, postponed one day, to a Monday night/Tuesday celebration. The reason Yom Ha'atzmaut is postponed makes sense-The commemorative day of Yom HaZikaron, Israel's day to remember its fallen soldiers, which always falls one day before Yom Ha'atzmaut, should not fall on Shabbat, or even the day after Shabbat, giving each of these important days their own appropriate commemoration and/or celebration.
Therefore, this year Yom Ha'atzmaut falls on Monday night/Tuesday, April 23/24. The secular celebration of this day in Israel is very fun. Public and private barbeques and picnics abound, parades take place, and people place Israeli flags on their balconies and elsewhere, often leaving them out until Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Reunification Day. The day concludes with the annual awarding of the Israel Prize, recognizing the contribution of great Israelis to the country's culture, science, arts and humanities. There is a section from the Psalms which are recited on certain religious holidays which are referred to as Hallel. The Talmud and rabbinic commentaries have great discussion regarding which holidays qualify for the inclusion of Hallel, verses of great praise of God. For example, one question regards why Hallel is not recited on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, and why Hallel is recited on Hanukkah, but not on Purim. Hallel includes five basic themes: 1. The Exodus 2. The splitting/crossing of the Sea 3. Giving of Torah 4. Resurrection of the dead 5. The difficulties preceding the Messianic Age. Hallel, according to Rabbi Isaiah Wohlgemuth, deals with all of Jewish history, from the birth of our nation to the establishment of the Messianic Age. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel declared that Yom Ha'atzmaut should be celebrated with the recitation of Hallel. Naturally, this view was not universally accepted, with some Jews reciting Hallel, some reciting Hallel without the traditional blessing before the recitation, and some not reciting it at all. Some Jews, who believe that the establishment of the State of Israel is contrary to God's plan, actually mourn on Yom Ha'atzmaut, not dissimilar to the mourning that takes place on Tisha B'Av. Thankfully these people are in the minority. I'll leave you with the inclusion that is part of the Amidah on Yom Ha'atzmaut. May we all be inspired by these words: We thank You for the heroism, for the triumphs, and for the miraculous deliverance of our ancestors, in other days and in our time. In the days when Your children were returning to their borders, at the time of a people revived in its land as in days of old, the gates to the land of our ancestors were closed before those who were fleeing the sword. When enemies from within the land together with seven neighboring nations sought to annihilate Your people, You, in Your great mercy, stood by them in time of trouble. You defended them and vindicated them. You gave them the courage to meet their foes, to open the gates to those seeking refuge, and to free the land of its armed invaders. You delivered the many into the hands of the few, the guilty into the hands of the innocent. You have wrought great victories and miraculous deliverance for Your people Israel to this day, revealing Your glory and Your holiness to all the world. Amen! Keith Miller Hazzan Director of Education |
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