Religious Living  /  Observance

Yom Ha'Atzma'ut

Yom Ha'Atzma'ut

5 Iyar

This article was written by Stephen Butterfass for Religious Living on the Web.

"...If I should forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, If I do not remember you;
if I fail to elevate Jerusalem above my foremost joy". Psalm 137:5-6

Ravaged by countless persecutions and pogroms, feeling more and more vulnerable through centuries of exile, the Jewish people longed for the restoration of the national homeland. On May 14, 1948, this ancient dream became a reality, Israel was reborn, as a modern, independent state. In 1970, the Central Conference of American Rabbis proclaimed Yom Ha'Atzma'ut (Israel Independence Day, celebrated on the 5th day of Iyar) "a permanent annual festival in the religious calendar of Reform Judaism".

The celebration of Yom Ha'Atzma'ut should include public worship, gifts of tzedakah to organizations that strengthen the State of Israel and our Reform movement, and participation in the various secular celebrations found around our geographic area. It is a mitzvah, affirming the unity of the whole household of Israel.

The Reform movement has provided Torah and haftarah readings to honor this special day: [see Gates of the House, page 295. The Torah portions are Deuteronomy 8:1-18; 11:8-21; 26:1-11; 30:1-16; The haftarah portions are Isaiah 10:32-12:6; 60:1-22; 65:17-25]

The parashot include eloquent descriptions of the beauty and fertility of the land:

"For the Eternal your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey...a land flowing with milk and honey." Deuteronomy 8:7-8, 11:9

The selections from Isaiah resound with the promise of universal peace and harmony, the ideal we still hold out hope for in Israel, in all the world:

"And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
And the calf and the young lion
and the fatted ox together;
And a small child shall lead them.

And the cow and the bear shall feed;
Their young shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw
like the ox...

They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain;
For the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Eternal,
As the waters cover the sea.

Violence shall no more be heard
in your land,
Desolation nor destruction within
your borders;" Isaiah 11:6-7,9;60:18

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