The State of Israel with her Jewish army, is clearly the national answer to the Holocaust, but Rav Kook sees it also as the moral answer, to bring morality not only to individuals, but also to the masses and the nations, as the Or LaGoyim, Light for the Nations. In short, Yom HaAtzma'ut should be the answer to Yom haShoah, in both security and ethics.
Much has been written on the cause of Anti-Semitism, but, as usual, Rav Kook has an innovative take on the issue. The she'ur deals with this unique historic phenomenon of hate, but also sees the light, regarding the optimistic, but inevitable solution. Am Yisrael, as the conscience of mankind, inevitably is going to be hated until the world matures, but maturation is just an issue of time.
Several stages of the continuing evolution of our nation's comprehension of its greatest tragedy: Rejection of the Diaspora, remembering the victims, and the beginnings of incorporating this indescribable catastrophe into our understanding of G-ds scheme for advancing the world.
At first glance, the question regarding the purpose of remembering the Holocaust appears strange. Is it not obvious that we must remember what the modern-day Amalek did to us just as we must remember what the original Amalek did to us?
Israel's Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day on 27 Nisan ought to be dedicated to the promotion of the "Jewish family." Certainly the last request of the six million Holocaust martyrs must have been that the Jewish people should persevere and thrive.
Equinoctial periods, because of their balanced nature, are fit to bear sanctity. Therefore, these periods contain most of Israel's Festivals. However, there are other times of year less sympathetic to Israel - periods marked by poles in cold or heat.
One should not use fast days for leisure or for field trips. One should even refrain from performing permissible acts such as showering or cutting one's hair. If a person spends the fast indifferently, he has not properly fulfilled his obligation.
After the destruction of the First Temple, the Prophets and the Sages of Israel legislated fasting on the Tenth of Tevet, for it was on that day that Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and his legions placed Jerusalem under siege.
In the past few years, nations have come upon us and demanded that we relinquish portions of the Land of Israel to strangers. This is one of the calamities concerning which we are supposed to fast and cry out to God about.
After the First Temple was destroyed, the Prophets instituted fasts marking the tragic events surrounding the Destruction and the ensuing exile of the Jewish People.
This step was taken in order to prompt the nation to grieve and mourn over the Destruction and Exile.
