ISRAEL AT 663333---- still the "dawning of our redemption?"redemption?"////Yehoshua Grunstein A] Introduction My rebbe, Rav Yehuda Amital z"l [Sermon for/on Yom Ha -atzma'ut 2005 -http://www.vbm-torah.org/yyerush/yh65-rya.htm ] Although intellectually I understand the importance of our celebration today, it is psychologically and emotionally difficult for me to rejoice. One reason for this difficulty concerns upcoming events in Gush Katif ….. Along with my anxiety for the residents of Gush Katif , I also have grave concerns, which s hould not be hidden, regarding the security situation following the disengagement, and regarding the political results of the disengagement process as well… Beyond these problems, there is another factor that clouds my joy: we are all part of Religious Zionism, a movement that is currently in deep crisis …This year we are hearing, for the first time, some voices from within the Religious Zionist camp calling on us not to celebrate Yom Ha-atzma'ut and not to recite Hallel . Although several leading rabbis have denounced this call, the very fact that rabbis have come out with a statement that "We have no portion and inheritance in the Lord of Israel" must give rise to very serious questions. What is the origin of this confusion, which has completely reversed the attitude of many people towards the State? It seems to me that the main problem stems from the fact that among various groups, doubts have begun to arise concerning the expression, " reishit tzemichat ge'ulateinu , the beginning of the flowering of our redemption." … After the Oslo Accords, when Israel transferred a few cities to Palestinian control, I participated in a panel discussion in New York with some other Israeli rabbis. One of the questions raised was whether it was still possible to speak of the "beginning of the flowering of our redemption," following the handing over of territories to the Palestinians….Rather, I would say that if we believed in "the beginning of the flowering of our redemption" in 1948, then we could certainly still use this term after the Oslo Accords. BBB]B] Two "Prayer"Prayer---- Responses" to the existence of the State of Israel 1 2 Prayer for Israel/Rav Yisrael Broide Prayer for the welfare of Israel/Rav Hertzog 1 Rabbi Sir Israel Brodie , Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the commonwealth (1895, Newcastle – 1979), educated at Balliol College, Oxford, served as a Rabbi of Melbourne Hebrew Congregation (1923-1937), finished the War as Senior Jewish Chaplain. He became Chief Rabbi soon after the war at the age of 53 when he faced a difficult time due to the ending of the British Mandate in Palestine. He presided over the post-war expansion of the United Synagogue. Through the Conference of European Rabbis, which he founded and led, Brodie took a significant part in rebuilding the religious life of European Jewry after the Holocaust. Brodie undertook a number of pastoral tours throughout the Commonwealth, and strengthened the community in a quiet but significant manner, although the closing years of his tenure were overshadowed by religious dispute. On his retirement, he was knighted "for services to British Jewry"[1]; the first Chief Rabbi to be so honoured. 2 Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1888- 1959), born in Łom ża, Poland, and moved to the United Kingdom with his family in 1898, where they settled in Leeds. Auto-didactic in rabbinic studies [and taught by his father, Yoel Leib Herzog rabbi in Leeds and then later in Paris], he attend the Sorbonne and then later the University of London, where he received his doctorate in Marine biology on the renewal of the Techelet. Rabbi Herzog served as rabbi of Belfast [1916 to 1919], rabbi of Dublin [1919], and thereafter Chief Rabbi to the Irish Free State from 1919, and thereby Chief Rabbi of the Ireland [1922-1936], when he immigrated to Palestine to succeed Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine and of Israel after its independence in 1948. While visiting the USA to bring relief during WW2, he was told that Romel's forces were coming closer to Israel and at great personal risk returned to be with his people there. Following the Holocaust, he went to great efforts to find children hid in convents during the ִבינ ֶ ַַָמִי, צר ִיְָרֵאל ְוגֲאל, ֵָרְֶאת ְמִדיַנת ִיְָרֵאל, ֵראִית ְצִמיַחת ְ אֵָתנ. ָהֵג! ָעֶליָה ְֶאְבַרת ַחְסֶ%ָ, ְפרֹ ָעֶלי ָ ה (סַ)ת ְלֶמָ, ְַלח אְרָ ַוֲאִמְ*ָ ְלָראֶיָה, ֶָריָה ְויֲע ֶ ציָה, ְוַתְ+ֵנ ְֵעָצה ָ הטב ִמ0ְָפֶניָ. ַחֵ/קֶאת ְיֵדי ְמִגֵ.יֶאֶר- ָקְד ֵ נ , ְוַהנ ְִחיֵלֱאלֵֹהינ ְיָעה ַוֲעֶטֶרת ִנ3ָח! ְ*ַע2ְֵר ,ְוָנַתָ* ָל ֶָר- ְוְִמַחת עָל ְליְֶביָה. ְוֶאת 6ֵחינ ָ)ל ֵית ִיְָרֵאל ְ 5 ָקד7 ָנא ְָכל 6ְרצת 5ְזֵריֶה , ְותִליֵכְמֵהָרה קְמִמ:ת ְלִצ:! ִעיֶ רָ ְוִלירַָלִי ִמְַ)! ְֶמָ, ַ)ָ)תב ְתַרת מֶה ַעְבֶ%ְ: " ִ א ִיְהֶיה ִָנַ%ֲח ְִקֵצה ַהַָמִי, ִמָ ְיַקְֶצָ ה'ֱאלֶֹהיָ ִמָ ִי ָ + ֶחָ. ֶוֱהִביֲאָ ה' ֱאלֶֹהיָ ֶאל ָהֶר-ֲאֶר ָיְרֲאבֶֹתיָ ִויִרְָ*<, ְוֵהִיטְבָ ְוִהְרְֵָמֲאבֶֹתיָ ) " דברי ל,ד7ה). ְוַיֵחד ְלָבֵבנ ְל6ֲהָבה ְלִיְרה ֶאת ְֶמָ , ְוִלְמֹרֶאת ָ)ל ִ%ְבֵרי *ָרֶתָ. ְַלח ָלנ ְמֵהָרה ֶ ! ָ%ִוד ִ ְמיַח ִצְדֶקָ, ִלְפ%ות ְמַחֵ)יֵק- ְיָעֶתָ. הַפע ֲַהַדר ְ@א! He who blessed our ancestors Avraham, Yizchak and Yaakov, shall (עֶ/ָ ַעל ָ)ל יְֵבי ֵ*ֵבל 6ְרֶצָ, ְויַֹאמר )ֹל ֲאֶר ְנָָמה 56ְ: "ה' bless the State of Israel, it's leaders and counselors on the land that ֱאלֵֹהי ִיְָרֵאלֶמֶל ְ , ַמְלכתו ַ)ל ָמָָלה". ֵמ! ֶסָלה was promised by G-d to be given to us. Put in their hearts the love and fear of you so they lead it in ways of peace and justice, and may we be privliged to see the fulfillment of the prophesy "from Zion "Our Father in Heaven, Protector and Redeemer shall Torah go forth and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Put of Israel, bless the State of Israel the dawning of peace in the land and eternal joy on it's inhabitants…and put the our redemption. Shield it beneath the wings of canopy of peace on all the inhabitants of the land… your love. Spread over it your canopy of peace; send your light and your truth to its leaders, Rabbi Lord Emanul Jakobowitz officers, and counselors, and direct them with "reservation of judgment on whether the present State of Israel is in your good counsel."O God, strengthen the defenders of our Holy Land; grant them salvation fact the embryonic nucleus out of which the ultimate Redemption is and crown them with victory. Establish peace in bound to develop with all its universal ramifications of the the land, and everlasting joy for its inhabitants. "Remember our brethren, the whole house of Messianic era." Israel, in all the lands of their dispersion. Speedily ("The National Idea -Differing Religious Attitudes" in L'Eylah, Spring 5737). let them walk upright to Zion "Unite our heart to love and revere your Name, and to observe all the precepts of the Torah. Shine forth in your glorious majesty over all the inhabitants of the world. Let everything that breathes proclaim: The Lord God of Israel is King; His majesty rules over all." Amen. war and worked hard in bringing relief to DP camps. Rabbi Herzog was recognized as a great rabbinical authority, and he wrote many books and articles dealing with halachic problems surrounding the Torah and the State of Israel. Indeed, his writings helped shaped the attitude of the Religious Zionist Movement toward the State of Israel, such as how to work an army, hospital and police force in a Jewish country especially on Shabbat and the Festivals. CCC]C] Partial=something! 1 ) ירושלמי, פסחי, פרק י'/א מניי! לארבעה כוסות ? רבי יוחנ! בש ר' בנייה 7 כנגד ארבע גאולות ( והוצאתי והצלתי וגאלתי ולקחתי ). ). רבי יהושע ב לוי אמר כנגד ארבעה כוסות של פרעה Jerusalem Talmud Pesachim 10/1 - how do we know we need 4 cups [for the seder]? R' Yochanan in the name of R' Benaya said; since there were 4 sayings of redemption ["and therefore tell the people of Israel I am the Lord and I will take you out…and save you…and redeem you…and take you to me"). R' Yehoshua ben Levi said; since they were 4 "cups" of Pharaoh [Beresheit 40- "and the cup of Pharaoh was in my hand and I squeezed it into the cup of Pharaoh and put the cup in the hand of Pharaoh and I gave the cup in Pharaoh's hand]. 2 ) שמות פרק ד/י"ד7 " וַ:ֹאמֶ ר ִ י אֲ דֹנָי ְלַח נָא ְיַד *ְִלָח" Shemot 4/14 - "and [Moshe] said G -d send this mission in hand of some [other] messenger" • רש"י [ש] 7 ביד אחר שתרצה לשלוח, שאי! סופי להכניס לאר- להיות גואל לעתיד. Rashi 3-in the hands of the other that you will send, as I won't eventually be the one to bring them to Israel to be their eternal redeemer. • מדרש ילקוט שמעוני [ שמות ג/ רמז קעא 7] אמר לו רבו! העולמי " שלח נא " ביד אותו האיש שאתה עתיד לשלוח לעתיד לבוא . אמר לו 7 לא אמרתי ל " ואשלח אל י שראל " אלא " אל פרעה ", ולאותו האיש שאתה אומר אני שולח אותו לעתיד אל ישראל " הנה אנכי שולח לכ את אליה הנביא" . Midrash Yalkut Shimoni- Moshe said; "Master of the universe; "send" in the hands of that person that you will eventually send." G-d responded "NO- I told sent you to "the Jewish people" but rather "to Pharaoh". And that person to whom you'r referring, I will sent him in the future, as it says "and I will be sending Eliyahu Hanavi." 3 ) ירושלמי יומא ג/ב רבי חייא רובא ורבי שמעו! ב! חלפתא הוו מהלכי! בהדא בקעת ארבל בקריצתה .