Words From Rabbi White

My dear friends,

In this coming week we mark Yom Ha`atsma’ut, Independence Day.

It is certainly a day of Hallel. I know there is a technical debate as to whether hallel should be said with or without a beracha. However, all should agree on the religious significance of the day, and with or without a beracha, hallel should be said. 

I remember that when I was a student, I was most impressed by a book of responsa, “Kol Mevaser,” by the late chief Rabbi of Haifa, Rav Meshulam Roth. In the latest issue of “haMizrachi,” Rabbi Doron Perez explained Rabbi Roth’s position that this should be a day of thanksgiving. Rabbi Perez translated “this day was a great turning on Jewish History with a ripple effect of miraculous salvation. From servitude to freedom and redemption, with miraculous military victories and the ingathering of exiles--this was the day that opened the gates of collective return for Jews from all around the world.” 

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I have spoken and written before about the Ramban’s commentary on parashat Bo’, where he mentions that the names of the months in Hebrew were really Babylonian names, to remind us of the great miracle of the return to Zion in the days of Ezra. The name of the month Iyyar is taken from the Babylonian/Akkadian word “‘iyyaru,” meaning “blossoming,” for indeed in this month we see the trees blossoming and nature coming to life.

Nevertheless, there is a (Chasidic?) tradition that the name of this month in Hebrew is an acronym for the words of the Torah (Shemot chapter 15) “‘ani HaShem rof’ekha” which mean “I HaShem will heal you.”   And so, we pray that all the wounded and ill soldiers will be healed soon and return to normal life, “refu’ah sheleimah be-qarov.”

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I try sometimes to listen to the news from CTV, CBC, and CJAD. The slant of the reporting is upsetting. Probably the most pro-Israel station in North America is WABC in New York, which can most likely be accessed from Montreal on the internet. (Hmmm….is it a coincidence that it is located at 770 on the AM dial?)

And, of course, Happy Mothers’ Day. May the mothers of the soldiers see their sons and daughters returning home safe and sound in the very near future!

Shabbat shalom, “mo’adim le-simcha, le-‘alter leg’ulah sheleimah”

Rabbi Menahem White