Three Teshuvot
April 28, 2009 Three Teshuvot Related to Yom Ha'atzmaut Because tomorrow is Yom Ha’atzmaut, we studied three teshuvot from Kollel Eretz Hemdah related to that topic.
1. New Jersey — Prayers for the State of Israel We covered the first teshuva in the greatest detail. A new Sephardic synagogue had hired a rabbi who was a Ba’al Teshuva, who had studied at anti-Zionist yeshivot. Most of the members of the synagogue were Zionists, but they respected the Rabbi’s Torah knowledge. The question identified three problems that had recently arisen. (1) The Rabbi does not agree to recitation of a prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel. (2) The Rabbi does not agree to recitation of a prayer for the welfare of the soldiers of the IDF, though he did agree to a compromise in which there was a prayer for the “soldiers of Israel,” rather than the “soldiers of the State of Israel.” (3) At the end of hakafot on Simchat Torah, the congregation spontaneously began to sing Hatikvah. The Rabbi walked out, on the grounds that the composers of the song were anti-religious. The questioner asked for the halachic support for the recitation of prayers for the State of Israel and the soldiers of the IDF and whether the congregation should take a stand to force their recitation. The teshuva cited various phenomena in support of the notion that the establishment of the State of Israel contained signs of redemption. (1) There has been a massive influx of the exiles in the past century, such that half of world Jewry lives in Israel, a phenomenon not seen for 2,700 years. (2) The people have settled the land and caused ruins to blossom (citing Rav Abba in Sanhedrin 98a). (3) Settlement of the land in our day is a mitzvah (see footnote 5, citing the Ramban). (4) The Torah world is flourishing with Israel being the greatest Torah center in history and many men and women learning with the assistance of the State. The teshuva adds that, even if the government were not Jewish, there would be an obligation to pray for its welfare (citing Yirmiyahu 29:7 and Rabbi Chanina in Pirkei Avot 3:2). Indeed, we should pray for the welfare of the entire world. Through history, Jews have prayed for the welfare of the government, so why should the State of Israel be any worse? Anyone can understand that the welfare of the State has an impact on the physical and spiritual well-being of world Jewry, so it is impossible not to pray for the government. The majority of Sephardic congregations in Israel and the Diaspora say the prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel. Thus, anyone who opposes the prayer is in the weaker position. On the other hand, the teshuva does not object if a congregation chooses to remove the words reishit tzemichat ge’ulateinu (the beginning of the flowering of the redemption). Notwithstanding this analysis, the teshuva says that the congregation is obligated to maintain respect for its Rabbi and to conduct all debates in an atmosphere of mutual respect. As an example, it cited the case of Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, Chief Rabbi of the Old City, who does not say Hallel on Yom Ha’atzmaut or Yom Yerushalayim. Because his congregants feel a strong need to say Hallel on those days, he made a contractual condition with them at the outset that he will have two vacation days per year: Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim. The teshuva concluded with a prayer for arrival of the full redemption. 2. Tennessee — Haircuts and Live Music on Yom Ha’atzmaut The question was how it is possible to take a haircut or listen to live music on Yom Ha’atzmaut, since it falls during Sefirat Ha’Omer, and what happens when Yom Ha’atzmaut is celebrated in advance of 5 Iyar. The teshuva said that with the establishment of the State of Israel, the majority of rabbis declared that the date was a cause for celebration and tribute to G-d, temporarily nullifying the rules of mourning that obtain during Sefirah. Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook cited Yeshayahu 3:9 (“their faces show their character”) in support of haircuts and shaving on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank also permitted trimming the beard for Yom Ha’atzmaut. Rav Shlomo Goren supported celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut on Thursday when the fifth of Iyar is on a Friday. Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook deemed it a Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of G-d’s name) that the State of Israel moved the celebration to avoid desecration of the Shabbat. The teshuva concludes with an admonition that the mourning of Sefirah is the result of lack of mutual respect among the students of Rabbi Akiva, and therefore urges that any disagreements on these matters be expressed peacefully and gently. 3. Illinois — Celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut on a Day Other than 5 Iyar The final question concerned a local celebration of Israel’s 50th anniversary, which would take place on Sunday, the 6th of Iyar, and whether one may listen to live music on that day. The teshuva said that one may participate in festivities that include music and dancing only if they take place on the 5th of Iyar. If the festivities include only recorded music and no dancing, however, one may attend. With respect to the 6 Iyar event, one may attend the parts of the gathering that do not involve live music, so long as one does not stay for the concert. Finally, the teshuva says that when Yom Ha’atzmaut is moved from Friday to Thursday, one may take a haircut on Wednesday afternoon.
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