Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Independence Day) begins Monday night, as flags are raised to full staff in Israel. In honor of Yom Ha'atzma'ut, the Chief Rabbinate issued a special message Monday afternoon, providing instructions for special prayers for the day.
Not simply a day marking the State's establishment, Yom Ha'atzma'ut is a day to thank G-d for the miracles of “ingathering of the exiles” and the resurgence of the Jewish people in the State that is “the first flowering of our redemption,” the Rabbinate said. On Monday night, Jews around the country will gather at synagogues to praise G-d for these miracles with special prayers. On Tuesday morning, Hallel, the special Psalms of praise, is recited, and a special reading from the Prophets is read in synagogues.
The order of prayer on Yom Ha'atzma'ut was first established by the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Meir Hai Uziel, and Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Ya'akov Herzog, in 1949.
In its message, the Rabbinate said that all of the Jewish holidays constitute important symbols for the Jewish people, and marks historic milestones of the nation. Yom Ha'atzma'ut is an important marker on the road to Israel's final redemption, uniting the religious and national identities of the Jewish people, it said.
“At the end of the 65th year of its existence, the State of Israel, with the Grace of G-d, is secure and prosperous among the family of nations,” the message added.