Q:
What is your opinion of Yom Ha’atzmaus? Are you allowed to say hallel on that day?
A:
The second question first. Don’t say hallel! Look in the authentic siddurim, not in the ones issued by the Jewish Agency. In those siddurim, the ones that kol Yisroel use, you will not find hallel on Yom Ha’atzmaus.
And what’s my opinion of Yom Ha’atzmaus? My humble opinion is that it’s so little, so unimportant, that it doesn’t need any time to say anything.
TAPE # 48 (May 1974)
Q:
How should we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaus?
A:
The answer is that you should not. And I’ll tell you why. Yom Ha’atzmaus is a day that was invented not by the chachmei hatorah. It was invented by a group of atheists called the Knesses. Now in the Knesses there are some decent people too, but the majority are atheists. When atheists get together and they pass a law that this and this day should be celebrated by the Jewish people, then we honor them with a sneeze. We ignore them entirely.
The only ones who make laws for the Jewish people, are the ones who keep the laws of the Jewish people. People who don’t eat kosher and don’t believe in the Torah have no business telling us what to do. And therefore we celebrate the Yom Ha’atzmaus by ignoring it entirely!
Now we pray always for our fellow Jews wherever they are. Whether they’re in Buenos Aires or in Poland or in Eretz Yisroel, we pray for our fellow Jews. But when it comes to making laws, we don’t listen to the atheists at all! And so we ignore the day entirely. It means nothing at all.
TAPE # 821 (April 1991)
