Thoughts On Yom Haatzmaut

Before I get to Yom Haatzmaut I'd like to talk about my close friend Elchanan Ehrman...

He has a lot a mylos - good qualities.

He ALSO has a lot of chesronos - inadequacies.

He is trying to bolster his mylos and improve on his chesronos. Life is a process of growth and change.

He has noticed that he is NOT alone. EVERYBODY he knows has mylos and chesronos. Every SITUATION has its pros and cons. Nothing and nobody is completely perfect or completely lousy.

He tries to focus on the positive while not forgetting about the negative.

You're with me?

Good:)

Now we get to the State Of Israel.

 Is it as bad as the Neturei Karta says it is? No sireeeeee. SO MUCH good here. MUCH better that living in, say, Lebanon or Syria. More religious freedom, certainly:). Today I spoke to an older Israeli Charedi friend/talmid chochom and he was lamenting the tragic circumstances in which we [the Torah-true community]  find ourselves. I couldn't help but disagree. I try to be a polite person and didn't think it would be respectful to disagree so I just let out some sound like "ahh".

H-E-L-L-O-O-O-O-O, it's not so bad. Better than Russia under the Communists or in Poland under the Nazis. I even find it better here for myself on a personal level than the GOLDENE MEDINA of America. Even more than Flatbush. Or Teneack. Or Woodmere. Even Woodmere. [Although I must admit that I do enjoy the time I spend there and the many invitations I receive and all the GREAT friends I have there:)].

There is ALSO much left to be desired. Many improvements to make. We have an imperfect government. Very imperfect. We have MANY problems in this country.

But Israel to me is like a child. He might be naughty sometimes but you love him no matter what.

Hallel? I love Hallel!!! So many nice tunes:). That מה אשיב is off the charts!! Do I say Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut? Maybe that is another one of my chesronos. I was taught to follow the rulings of the Gedolei Yisrael and the consensus is not to say Hallel - certainly not with a bracha. Does that make me less of a good Jew? Some people would say YES:):). But I really think that the Chazon Ish was a religious man-  no less religious than those who accuse him of heresy for not saying Hallel, so I will stick with him and hope Hashem forgives me. But I DO wish that I lived in Israel with my family.

Isn't it GREAT when you can have what you wish for?!

So I say - Baruch Hashem that we have a State. May everybody here do teshuva shleima and very soon we should have a government led by Moshiach tzidkeinu and ALL DAY LONG all people will do is seek knowledge of Hashem [see the very last Rambam in the Yad Hachazaka].

ומלאה הארץ דעה את השם כמים לים מכסים


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

[PS - I used to be afraid of losing my job because of my "anti-zionist" views, such as those delineated here. Hashem has blessed me that NOBODY can fire me anymore. All I fear now is Hashem. That, sweetest friends, is THE life:):). Hashem is AWE-SOME].