The following comes from Rabbi Bill Berk of Keshet, The Center for Educational Tourism in Israel. Thanks to Sally Gooze for sharing:
As we count down from Passover to Shavuot something extraordinary happens here in Israel. We are counting the days to the great moment of revelation at Mt. Sinai. We come suddenly to two new holy times in the Jewish calendar—Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut. These two days add a drama to our traditional count-down. Something new has happened in Jewish life and our religious calendar is not what it was for the past 2,000 years.
What does this mean? In the middle of our countdown to revelation we celebrate a “revelation in the making”—Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day). Just before that we pause to reflect on the high price of our independence—Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for our fallen soldiers and victims of terror). These are the two most powerful days of the year here in Israel.
Rabbi David Hartman said that with the founding of Israel everything changes. A people that had grown accustomed to powerlessness comes to embrace power. A people that resigned itself to focusing religious life on kashrut and Shabbat suddenly finds itself forced to look to our tradition for guidance on matters that go beyond the home and personal religious lives. Jewish religion is now called upon to wrestle with very large questions—how do you have a Jewish army? How do you run a Jewish economy? How do you manage caring for the poor in your society with Jewish sensitivities and values? How do you care for “strangers” when you are in charge?
Yom Haatzmaut is not just a day for the whole country to revel in our accomplishments. It’s also a day we consider the challenges we face. It’s not just a day for our parks to be filled with barbequing. It’s also a day where we sing the Hallel songs of Thanksgiving. It is not just a day of street dancing. It is also a day of serious meditation on the meaning of sovereignty.
On Yom Hazikaron every neighborhood in the country has a local gathering where we name and honor our soldiers who gave their lives for us. These soldiers died on behalf of the two thirds of our people who had no other place to go to. They died for the other third who had a place to go but came here for serious idealistic reasons—wanting to be a part of this great return home after 2,000 years. When the sirens go off and the whole country stands at attention you know you are living in a place with an extraordinary and refined communal sensibility. We are in this together. We are strong. Our roots in this land are very deep. We aren’t going anywhere. Both our mourning and our celebration come to remind us that “Am Yisrael Chai”—the people of Israel lives and what a privilege it is indeed to be a part of this people and this story. Every Jew who lives outside of the land of Israel should come and experience these two days one time. It will be an experience you can count on to give new meaning to this sacred time leading up to the teachings and obligations we picked up at a nearby mountain some 3,300 years ago.