The Yom HaZIKARON SIREN- EVERY ARROW NEEDS A HEAD! | Rabbi Ari Shvat | Beit Midrash

Shabbat and Holidays
Yom Haatzmaut

קטגוריה משנית

The siren sounded in Israel on Yom HaZikaron, is a time & feeling that cannot be explained to anyone who hasn't experienced it. The feeling of millions of brothers simultaneously stopping their individual lives to be together, of national unity, altruism, thanks and resolve are incomparable. We resolve to eulogize & learn from those soldiers, to support, appreciate & feel sorry for the fallen and their families, but also feel sorry for those who miss out on this unique feeling of selflessness, Klali'ut, and belonging to something big and eternal (whether because they live abroad or deliberately choose to separate from the rest of Israel, see Rav Kook, Orot, p. 166).
It's a time to especially appreciate the disproportionate share of Kibbutzniks in the military cemeteries and learn to emulate their ideology of the collective, and selfless giving. They never comprised more than 3% of Israeli society, but produced almost all (!) of the Prime Ministers & IDF Chiefs of Staff for the first 30 years of the State, and although to a lesser extent, supply leadership to this very day.
The present war shows a new phenomenon: that this arrow-head of leadership has clearly been transferred to the Kipot HaSrugot- the religious-Zionists. Our disproportionate share among the officers, battle units and reserves (although admittedly lacking in those early days of the State), is unfortunately also clearly expressed today in the military cemeteries.
Several days ago, I went to console the Cohen family of Sha'arei Tikva, and heard from Y'ella, Matan's mother, how this all is not coincidence. That youth who grow up not only learning g'mara but also Tanach, Mussar and Jewish philosophy, are the new arrow-head of Israel, already admired & examples to be emulated by the entire country.
Youth who grow up in homes like that of Y'ella Cohen, are nursed with the Torah of Rav Kook, & learn in Hesder Yeshivot from giants like R. Aharon Lichtenstein zt"l (rosh yeshiva of Gush Etzion), cannot forget when he analyzed society in 5 simple words: he roared: "האם איכפת לך או לא?!"- "Do you care or not" about other Jews, Israel, the non-religious…?! This is also what gets religious Zionists to be the ones making Aliya.
I once discussed with R. Eli Saddan, founder of the first pre-army Mechina in Eli, about the need to direct these living examples of religious-Zionist idealism, after leading the charge on the battle-field, to encourage those suitable, to begin a new page in Israeli politics. BezH that day is coming sooner than we thought, for if 3% of the population could once be the arrow-head, how much more so can 20%.
We must clarify, that we definitely don't want to "take over", but to the contrary, to be selfless & share. Every arrow needs a head, a Nachshon ben Aminadav, to show the ultimate idealism for all. No less important than being an arrow-head, is that religious-Zionist youth can logically & practically be the bridge between secular Zionism and non-Zionist religious Haredim. Harmonizing the best of all worlds, reviving the traditions of the heroes of Tanach, who all lived in Israel, served and led the Jewish army, spoke Hebrew and worked- Mitzvat Yishuv Eretz Yisrael (see Chatam Sofer, Sukkah 36; Rav Kook, Orot, p. 14).
Youth who have the self-discipline not to use their cell-phones on Shabbat, & express that same will-power in the IDF and all of Israeli society, can even serve as a "Light to (all of the) Nations", showing mankind how to balance modernism, religion, family, nationalism & humanism. If we were all to selflessly emulate that idealism in day to day life, we would be living in the atmosphere of Ge'ula, and won't need any more wars in the process to get us there.
Wishing you a meaningful Yom HaZikaron, and subsequently a Happy Yom HaAtzma'ut and Shabbat Shalom! Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)

Yom Haatzmaut