HaRav Dov Begon is Head of Yeshivat Machon Meir in Jerusalem.
It is seventy-eight years since the establishment of our cherished Jewish State. "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (Psalms 118:22). A People who were lowly among the nations become the cornerstone in the building of the nations (Rashi there). After the People of Israel were at the lowest nadir among the nations in the terrible Holocaust of Europe, and despite the enormous difficulties at the beginning of the Medina’s path, when seven Arab states attacked us with the aim of annihilating us, and despite the great economic and social difficulties and complications that accompanied the absorption of millions of Jews who returned home to the Land of Israel - our miraculous State is growing and has become a strong country economically and militarily that the nations of the world respect.
Moreover, millions of people around the world see the national revival of Israel in the Land of Israel as the fulfillment of the vision of the prophets of Israel, literally as they foretold the return to Zion: "And I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own Land" (Ezekiel 36:24). At present, we are in the midst of building the national home. We already have a powerful and modern country, but we must remember and repeat that the goal is not only a material home; we must pour spirit and soul into the national enterprise. As the prophet said, the next stage after the ingathering of the exiles will be, "And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean... I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you... and you shall follow my statutes... and you shall be my people and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
These days we see firsthand how the vision of the prophet Zephaniah is being fulfilled (Zephaniah 3): "At that time I will bring you in, at the time I gather you; for I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord."
And a final reminder. The doors of Machon Meir in Jerusalem are open to seekers who want to deepen their connection to Torah, to Am Yisrael, to Tzahal, and to Eretz Yisrael. When you get here, stop by my office and say hello!
Wishing you a happy Independence Day. In the meantime, we yearn for complete Redemption and strive to do as much as we can to work alongside Hashem, blessed be He, in bringing it to fruition, may it be soon!