Yom HaAtzmaut: A Day of National Soul-Searching and Renewal

by Ram ben Ze’ev

Yom HaAtzmaut: A Day of National Soul-Searching and Renewal

Today, we mark יום העצמאות (Yom HaAtzmaut — the Day of Independence), a date etched into the heart of our modern history as the reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael after nearly two thousand years of exile. Yet, this national celebration is preceded by יום הזיכרון (Yom HaZikaron — the Day of Remembrance), a day of mourning for our fallen soldiers and victims of terror. The pain we feel on this day is not just individual, it is national — and in truth, cosmic. The death of our holy warriors, many of whom died simply because they were Jews, evokes the same anguish as the destruction of the בית המקדש (Beit HaMikdash — the Holy Temple).

But this day must be more than tears. It must be more than flags waving in the wind. It must be a יום חשבון הנפש (yom cheshbon hanefesh — a day of soul-accounting). We are not simply a people with a land — we are a nation defined by תורה (Torah — Divine instruction). As Rabbeinu Sa’adia Gaon famously taught: אין אומתנו אומה אלא בתורתה — "Our nation is not a nation except through its Torah." Without this foundation, our independence is nothing more than an illusion of sovereignty.

The prophet speaks in the name of G-D: שובו אלי ואשובה אליכם — “Return to Me and I shall return to you” (מלאכי ג:ז — Malakhi 3:7). The call is clear: we are to return, as individuals and as a nation, to the path of righteousness, mitzvot, and יראת שמים (yirat shamayim — fear of Heaven). This is not merely an emotional or spiritual response; it is an obligation we have inherited from the countless generations who lived — and died — for the sanctity of the Torah.

Many of our fallen brothers and sisters lived lives filled with מסירות נפש (mesirut nefesh — self-sacrifice), giving everything to preserve Jewish life, Jewish land, and most powerfully, Jewish values. Some were scholars. Some were simple men and women. But many gave up their lives in sanctification of the Divine Name — refusing to abandon the faith, even in their final breath. Their blood is קודש (kodesh — holy), spilled for the sake of our collective soul.

The ספר הזוהר הקדוש (Sefer HaZohar HaKadosh — the Holy Zohar) teaches that the soul of a Jew who dies in sanctification of the Name rises to the highest realms and brings merit to the entire world. In the section of תרומה (Terumah), the Holy Zohar explains that when a soul is taken for the sake of Heaven, it becomes a מרכבה (merkavah — chariot) for the Divine Presence. This means that our fallen are not only mourned — they are exalted, and their deaths cry out to us to live in a way worthy of their sacrifice.

In ליקוטי אמרים (Likutei Amarim — Collected Sayings, the first part of the Tanya), the Alter Rebbe writes that a Jew must always view the world as perfectly balanced — half merit, half guilt. A single good deed can tip the scale and bring salvation to the world. What greater honour can we give the memory of our fallen than to tip the scale through Torah observance, through acts of kindness, through returning our hearts and our children to the ways of our forefathers?

Yom HaAtzmaut is a time to rejoice — but not with empty celebration. The true joy of this day lies in the הכרה (hakarah — recognition) that we have been given another chance to live as a nation of Torah in the land that G-D promised to our fathers. The question we must each ask is not "How free are we?" but rather "What will we do with this freedom?"

The Talmud teaches, כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה — "All of Israel are responsible for one another" (שבועות לט). That means their deaths obligate our lives. We do not remember them with barbecues alone. We remember them with תשובה (teshuvah — repentance), תפילה (tefillah — prayer), and צדקה (tzedakah — charity). We remember them by making their sacrifice meaningful through Torah study, proper education of our children, and living a life in accordance with the רצון השם (ratzon Hashem — will of G-D).

This is the path of true independence. This is the meaning of nationhood. This is the call of Yom HaAtzmaut.

Shalom al Yisrael.

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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue