The best thing about forgetting Yom Haatzmaut is that if you miss Hallel its really not such a big deal. I never really understood how people who don’t even daven on a regular basis would preach the Hallel thing and they wouldn’t even daven – either way I am neutral on the subject.
When I was in Cleveland in February I stayed by this yeshivish family in Cleveland Heights and I mentioned that I could make fun of people who say Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut – and the little kid kept saying Yom Haatzmis – it sounded like Christmas actually and that was the first time I heard anyone refer to it as that.
The reason why I forgot was simple, I went to a yeshiva that was anti-Yom Haatzmaut, never could figure out why, its a damned important day – but that has instilled me with a nonchalant view of the whole situation. Don’t get me wrong, I myself really don’t have any qualms about hallel on Yom Haatzmaut – in my mind if people want to daven more great, better for everyone all around. Chassidim take it on their own not to say tachnun on random days so why not let the Jews say something extra.
In honor of Yom Haatzmaut – this poem was sent to me by Tova Schreiber
If I forget thee,
They say I will grow left handed.
I am not ambidextrous,
So I must
Remember all of you (and I do).
I had thought that buses could only hold
A finite number,
But there will always be space
For a policeman to stand
Next to me on the ’18’
Wearing aftershave and insignia
As his rifle brushes my thigh
At each turn
Through Rechov Yafo.
There is a cold afflicting me,
And I buy some oranges from
The produce-seller, ignoring the screams of
Poor bargainers and rich beggars.
If you aren’t used to pushing,
The shuk is no place for you.
There is always shoving past people
And prices and time.
Jerusalem is bipolar,
Steamy and shivering in one cycle.
My arms wrapped around my warrior’s neck in the hot sun,
His lips touching mine and an M-16
Between us. Later I
Lay myself down among Judean trees and earth,
Cold and shaking beneath him.
Everyone is a righteous man,
And the sinners buy wine on Fridays
Like the saints. I see polo shirts
Caressing long black coats, and
Two galaxies are bridged
For an instant.
These things cannot have happened
Here,
And I am only-right handed.
So there is no forgetting you,
Not in the Jerusalem
Of my mind.
I’m all for the Hallel thing, but I just don’t get the poem…
I’ll say Hallel when the fucking HEREDIM get JOBS and stop stealing my money!! yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
It is indeed a controversial issue. Whether or not to say Hallel is not based on ideology (contrary to popular belief), its a question on whether the events on that day meet the halachic criteria for saying Hallel. You will find tamidei chachamim arguing both sides. Ill leave it at that
I heard that in YU, some guy got up and said that he would like to make an early minyan without hallel, and all hell broke lose!!!!!
Yeshiva Dude – I am willing to bet that YU students are very split on the subject
It’s all political just like everything else! The entire religion has become corrupt.
I live in a religious kibbutz. We had:
– Hallel shalem with blessing in the evening and in the morning.
– Evening and morning Kiddush with shehecheyanu (!) in the evening.
– Festival psukei dezimra with nishmat kol chai etc. in a yomtovish tune.
– Torah reading (parashat Ekev) AND haftara!
(no musaf though) :))
It indeed was a beautiful holiday.
We lubabs say tachnun and no hallele, othersa say it , some even with a bracha. On the flip side, the neturei karta fast to commemorate the “tragedy”, they even read vayechal. I confirmed this yesterday with one of them at the Montreal Israel day parade, they were there protesting as usual.
phil-
I didn’t even know they had neturei karta in montreal. where do they usually hang out?
u
Anon,
I don’t know for sure, I would guess Satmar or Tosh. Maybe they bring some in from NY too.
They always hang out at pro Israel venues. I know they used to be on Araat’s payroll back in his days, don’t know if hamandijad funs them now.
PS.
I shot some footage for youtube, posted it to my family channel, didin’t bother including the neturei in it though.
Check: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7EJdpxvIHY
Shadkar,
You read kria AND MADE KIDDUSH? Surely you’re joking. Forget the questionable (at best) saying of hallel – esp. with a likely brocha levatala. Forget even tachanun. How do you justify that?
I personally followed ben gurion’s minhag and didn’t add hallel or omit tachanun.
Excellent poem. After being educated in schools that were not vehement supporters of Israel as a state, my personal belief in the importance and snctity of the Jewish people having Israel has only grown.
Thank you for posting this, Heshy!
To “————–“: Would you care for an explanation?
Good Shabbos, everyone…
Normally NY neturei karta does come in for the montreal rally (led by their leader Rabbi Weiss), but for some reason this year they did not. The few who were at the rally this year were montrealers.
Ill never forget the rally a few years ago, when a morrocan kid (leave it to them) whiped a bottle at Rabbi Weiss’s head, knocking his hat right off. That was the year they had to be escorted away by riot police for their own protection.
Royal Mount,
I felt like killing them the first time I saw them. They were protesting a tehillim vigil in Centennial park in CSL that was being held just before Sharon threw the Jews out of Gush Katif.
I wasn’t the only one, one Israeli guy stole one of their signs then kicked another one in the tuchus. The cops had their hands full that day.
The ones at this parade were very low key, hardly noticed at all, very docile. Maybe it’s because they were fasting.