Page 17 - HaMizrachi #29 Yom HaAtzmaut 2021 USA

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein

Celebrating our Connection to Israel

with Pride and Gratitude

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

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

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