"As If He Had Gone Out Himself" -
The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash
"As
If He Had Gone Out Himself:"
Integrating
Past, Present and Future
in
Observing Yom Ha-atzma'ut
by
Harav Aharon Lichtenstein
Translated and adapted by Rav Dov
Karoll
Yom
Ha-atzma'ut has been integrated into the calendrical cycle of the Jewish people
and of the State of Israel. It is
therefore fitting to compare and contrast it with other festivals, especially
Pesach, which is the holiday most connected to the history of the Jewish
people. By examining three levels
of our observance of festivals, we may learn about the nature of Yom
Ha-atzma'ut.
We
observe every festival in accordance with its inherent nature, and in accordance
with our current situation.
Clearly, there are specific halakhic and philosophical aspects that
remain constant. Nonetheless, there
is an aspect that relates to the circumstances of each era. In the Haggada, we proclaim that "In
every generation there are those who rise up against us, and the Holy One saves
us from them." Even when one drinks the same four cups, eats the same matzot,
and reads the same Haggada, one should relate, at some level, to the salvation
and dangers that exist in that specific year, in that generation, in the
particular historical context in which one finds oneself. This is one aspect: the contemporary,
the existential, celebrating in light of one's current
situation.
On
the opposite extreme, we do not look at our current situation, but rather at the
events of the past, at the beginning of the journey, the roots of the
process. We examine the source of
the holiday's significance and message.
Chazal
have taught us through the contents of the Haggada that one must relate to two
historical aspects of the holiday.
On the one hand, there is the original situation of servitude, suffering,
and hardship, and on the other hand, there followed redemption, salvation and
upliftment. The Mishna (Pesachim
116b) teaches that "In every generation, one must see himself as if he has gone
out of
The
Rambam's formulation of this law (in his Haggada at the end of Hilkhot Chametz
u-matza) sharpens this aspect even more.
Unlike the usual version, in which each person must "see himself as if he
went out of
I
believe there is also a third aspect to our observance of the festivals. The opening verses of Parashat
Bechukkotai (Vayikra 26:3-13) describe a calm and quiet period that stands in
stark contrast to the two aspects of which we just spoke. The Egyptian exodus and the birth of the
State of Israel, both tempestuous and dramatic periods, presented manifold
challenges faced courageously by the Jewish people. In our time, too, like many other
periods of Jewish history, we are constantly called upon to gird our loins to
take on the challenges and threats confronting us.
The
verses at the beginning of Bechukkotai, on the other hand, describe a world
devoid of all these challenges, a pastoral, peaceful existence. The Prophets portray such an ideal time
as one of "Each person under his own vine and under his own fig tree" (Melakhim
I 5:5, Mikha 4:4). I ask myself: in
the midst of such a prosperous period as described in these verses, how would
one observe the holidays? Would one
emphasize only the original exodus from
Since
the Torah presents this pastoral scene as a reward for "follow[ing] My laws and
faithfully observ[ing] My commandments" (Vayikra 26:3), apparently this scenario
is desirable. Clearly, this parasha
does not speak of spiritual stagnation and desiccation; spiritual growth and
vitality are the order of the day in such a situation as well. Rather, the calm is promised with regard
to the material aspects of life, relieving the pressure in those areas to allow
for greater emphasis on the spiritual.
However, this does not tell us that one should relate to the festivals
with less dynamism.
Beyond
that, it seems to me that this peaceful, pastoral element should remain a
component of the festival experience even during more difficult periods. I do not subscribe to the dream of
"normalization" that exists in certain schools of Zionist thought. We have no interest in the Jewish people
or the State of Israel becoming just like the other nations. We wish to experience that which has
characterized the Jewish people throughout its history, namely, growth and
creativity despite the crises and difficult times.
The
State of Israel came into being amidst the tempestuous reawakening and
revitalization of the Jewish people, and this renewed energy has contributed to
its continued existence. However,
we yearn for stability and want to feel that our existence here is
enduring.
The
Torah tells us, "For God's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9), and the Ramban
emphasizes several times in his commentary on the Torah (Bereishit 17:1, 28:12;
Vayikra 18:25; Bemidbar 23:23, Devarim 32:7) that this means we are under God's
direct supervision. As such, we have no guarantees for ongoing stability if we
do not continue to deserve it. Yet
we do not strive for precariousness, and we learn from the aforementioned verses
that we need not strive for it.
Rather, we strive for an element of stability in our existence. Unfortunately, circumstances demand that
we constantly fight to maintain this.
This
stability and tranquility does not often come to fruition, and is rarely
reflected in reality. How many
generations experienced "And you shall lie down untroubled by anyone"? Nonetheless, we must not feel that our
existence is entirely precarious, but should sense an aspect of permanence and
rootedness in our land, in our state, in our daily lives.
The
above considerations and feelings should accompany us in all our celebrations of
special occasions, but they have special applicability to Yom Ha-atzma'ut,
especially in our current situation.
On the one hand, we should celebrate Yom Ha-atzma'ut in light of our
current situation. On the other hand, we ought to develop a strong experiential
connection to our history, along the lines of "In every generation one must see
himself as if he has gone out
" In
other words, we must grasp the difficulties and suffering we underwent along the
winding road of our two thousand years of Exile, as well as the challenges faced
here in
But
it is not physical salvation alone, the deliverance of those who were in peril,
for which we are thankful. To apply
the model of the exodus from
In
order to appreciate the significance of this salvation, we must comprehend what
came before. This is especially
difficult for those who were born after the founding of the State. It is hard to imagine what would be if
there were no State of Israel, but this thought demands our
attention.
Another
point deserves consideration. The
State of Israel is a unique country.
However, part of what we desire is that there be stability and rootedness
in our existence here. We wish that
the arrival of each Yom Ha-atzma'ut not be cause for astonishment. We wish for a certain measure of
normality, and the ability to celebrate Yom Ha-atzma'ut with confidence of our
endurance. While the celebration of
Yom Ha-atzma'ut ought to differ from the celebrations of other nations, it
nevertheless would be nice to have some parallel, in this regard, to Bastille
Day in
What
do our enemies say? "A state may
have risen, but what are fifty or sixty years in the grand historical
picture?" They compare our
existence to that of the Crusader state, which lasted a few generations and then
was uprooted. The entirety of our
Jewish soul, of our Israeli soul, of our Torah soul, rebels against this
notion. Even when "You lie down"
and you are "troubled by someone," we assert that we are set, rooted, firm, in
this land. We will not allow anyone
to tell us that we are a relic from the past, or a transient moment in the broad
historical picture.
Admittedly,
viewing Yom Ha-atzma'ut through the perspective of different time periods may be
difficult. It is more complex than
focusing upon a single scenario.
However, I believe that if we wish to appreciate the full significance of
the event, both experientially and philosophically, we must take all of this
into consideration.
I
have spoken about some parallels between Yom Ha-atzma'ut and the holiday of
Pesach. Regarding Pesach, Chazal
emphasize an additional aspect. The
blessing of "Asher ge'alanu," which is pronounced after telling the story of the
Exodus from Egypt, opens with thanking God for redeeming us, and for redeeming
our forefathers, from Egypt, and concludes by turning to the future, asking that
God allow us to celebrate in the redemption. The Talmud Yerushalmi (Berakhot 1:5, as
explained by Tosafot, Pesachim 104b, s.v. chutz), in explaining why the blessing
contains "barukh" at both its beginning and its end (while according to the
rules of blessings we would expect only one in this case), asserts that this is
because the blessing speaks of two different redemptions, one past and one
future.
This
teaches us that our celebration of the Exodus from
This
brings us to another point. I spoke
about how difficult it may be for those who have merited growing up in a time
when the State of Israel could be taken for granted, to "See himself as if he
had gone out
" It requires more
effort, partly intellectual and partly imaginative. The Gemara (Ketubot 75a) cites a verse,
"And of Zion it shall be said, This man and that man [meaning everyone] were
born there" (Tehillim 87:5). Noting
the repetition of the word "ish," "man," the Gemara explains, "Echad ha-nolad
bah, ve-echad ha-metzapeh lir'otah" - the appellation "one who was born there"
applies both to those who were actually born there and to those who yearned to
see it. Each of them has a
connection to
In
the continuation of the above Gemara, Abbaye says that if one needs to choose
between these two, between those in
What
is the nature of this priority? In
what way is a person who has come from abroad to be preferred over one who was
born in
When
we approach this Gemara, we should not view these approaches as mutually
exclusive. Each of us should see it
as a challenge to integrate these two elements in his consciousness. Even those who were born here should
strive for the better aspects of both.
If you merited to be born in
Those
who were born in
[This
sicha was delivered at the Yeshiva's Mesibat Yom Ha-atzma'ut, 5762
(2002).]