Page 17 - HaMizrachi Yom HaAtzmaut AUS 2021

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein

Celebrating our Connection to Israel

with Pride and Gratitude

om HaAtzmaut happens in the mark the occasion. At the head of tive-driven portions of the Torah, when
weeks leading up to Shavuot – the procession, there was a bull dec- really the Torah is a book of command-
Ythe time of the harvest during orated in gold. And all the residents of ments (Rashi, Bereishit 1:1).
which we celebrate the great bounty Yerushalayim – the shopkeepers and Quoting from a remarkably prescient
of the Land of Israel. This includes all the workers, sometimes even the Midrash (Midrash, Yalkut Shimoni
the mitzvah of bikkurim – the Torah king – would come out to greet the
requirement for farmers to bring their farmers’ arrival. Upon arriving at the on Torah 187), Rashi explains that
the reason the Torah begins with the
first fruits to the Beit HaMikdash. Beit HaMikdash, the Levi’im would story of Creation is because one day
Interestingly, the mitzvah of bikkurim sing a song from the book of Tehillim “the nations of the world” will accuse
can teach us how to approach Yom (Mishna, Bikkurim 3:3–4). the Jewish people of unjustly appro-
HaAtzmaut. Why all the fanfare? What is so special priating the Land of Israel, to which
What is most unusual about this mitz- about the mitzvah of bikkurim that it we can respond – G-d, the Creator of
vah is that when the farmers brought warranted such a declaration and such the world, gave it to us. That is our title
their baskets to the Beit HaMikdash, a grand, beautiful ceremony? deed. And we underline this claim by
they would make a short declaration, The Malbim (Devarim 26:5) explains publicly declaring and celebrating our
summarizing Jewish history: how the that the declaration regarding the connection to the Land of Israel in the
Jewish people came to live in Egypt; bikkurim was stated as a response to bikkurim ceremony.
how we were afflicted by the Egyptians those who would challenge our right There’s certainly a lesson we can draw
and called out to G-d; how He answered to the Land of Israel. He cites Rashi’s here in our own age about proudly
our cries and redeemed us with signs very first comment on the Chumash – and unapologetically celebrating our
and wonders, and eventually brought the question of why the connection to the Land of Israel. Yom
us to the Land of Israel – to the sacred Torah begins with the HaAtzmaut is a special time to do so,
ground from which these first fruits book of Bereishit, the and remind ourselves of the justice of
were harvested (Devarim 26:3–10). Israel’s cause.
more narra-
Furthermore, the Mishnah paints a
colorful picture of the farmers’ proces-
sion: they did not arrive one
by one in Yerushalayim;
rather, they would go up in
a group, accompa-
nied by music
and a whole
entou-
rage
to

Rabbi Dr. Warren
Goldstein is the
Chief Rabbi of South
Africa.

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