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Mizrachi in Israel’s National Institutions

Gael Grunewald

The One and the Whole

av Kook, in Orot, described eyes of all peoples. So I ordered a blue So on the one hand, the tzitzit
the establishment of the State and white flag with a Magen David reminds us of our great love for Eretz
Rof Israel as “The foundation of drawn on it, and thus the national Yisrael, while on the other, the obli-
G-d’s throne in the world, the only flag was born.” gation of mitzvah observance. This is
desire of which is that G-d should be the bond between Land and Torah.
One and His Name One.” Sea, Heaven and the Throne of Glory And this is why the flag is also blue
and white, expressing the Jewish peo-
Rav Kook’s greatness – at a time The Torah does not explain why the ple’s independence in the Land G-d
of immense complexity – was his color blue was chosen for the tzitzit. gave us and in which we are obliged
insistence on seeing the whole However, the Gemara tells us it had to listen to His commands.
picture, the whole process, with all
of its complexities and challenges – nothing to do with considerations From Corona to Renewal
rather than focusing on any particular of design and fashion. This color
aspect of Israel’s return to its Land. was designated to remind the Jewish This year, during the days commem-
people of their Father in Heaven:
To a large extent, the Israeli flag “Rabbi Meir said: ‘Why is blue differ- orating Holocaust and Renewal,
integrates this intricacy. An ent from all the other colors?’ Because the whole world is as “one bundle,”
passing before Him like sheep. How
individual tallit and national blue is comparable to the sea, and the
belonging. The tallit as correction sea is comparable to the sky and the appropriate it is to see the Israeli flag
for the collective sin of the Spies sky to the Throne of Glory…” (Sotah flying over the buildings in Israel, and
and a personal reminder to every 17a). on the balconies of Your people, next
individual. to Jews praying to G-d – each in his
Blue skies remind the Jewish people own space, enveloped in a tallit – to
Blue and White of their Father in Heaven not only speedily send succor to His world and
thanking Him for the merit we have
because He is in Heaven, but also
The Israeli flag – two blue horizontal because of their unity and eternity. of living in a generation in which the
stripes above and below a central blue The one color of the sky reminds us Jewish people has a State capable of
Magen David – was adopted by the that G-d is One and His Name is One, defending and protecting its citizens
First Zionist Congress and later, as and that He sees all and looks from from every threat.
the official flag of the State of Israel – Above upon everything below. May He bless all of Am Yisrael to be
by Israel’s Knesset. able to celebrate Torat Yisrael and
Blue and white together remind us Eretz Yisrael together, with great
The Magen David is an ancient Jewish
symbol, used frequently in Judaica of cloudy skies, producing rain at the joy, in good health and economic
and synagogues throughout the ages. appointed time when we listen to strength, speedily in our days.
Its source is unknown and its actual G-d’s mitzvot and observe them. For Based on an essay by Rabbi Ya'akov
connection to King David and his that purpose were we given Eretz Yis- Medan in the Be'er Miriam anthology
shield unclear. rael – so we can observe G-d’s mitz- for Yom HaAtzmaut.
vot in G-d’s Land. Indeed, the rain
The colors are the colors of the tallit, falling on the land in Eretz Yisrael is
the tzitzit. David Wolfson, the second the direct expression of our people’s
President of the Zionist Organization, connection to G-d (Devarim 11).
designed the flag for the First Zionist
Congress in Basel: “And behold! The Hence the color of Heaven symbolizes
idea lit up in my mind that we already the fact that accepting the mitzvot is
had a flag, blue and white. The tallit an obligatory condition for inheriting
with which we wrap ourselves in the Land. Hence it is also the color Gael Grunewald is Head of the Rural
Growth
and
Division
Development
prayer… that is our symbol! Let us chosen for the tzitzit, for that too is of the WZO, former Director of World
remove the tallit from its bag and roll slated to remind us of G-d’s mitzvot – Bnei Akiva and one of World Mizrachi’s
it out for the eyes of Israel and the יתווצמ לכ תא םתישעו ורכזת ןעמל””. representatives in the National Institutions

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