Blindness

It absolutely boggles the mind that there can be so much blindness in the Jewish world. Israel is celebrating its seventy-seventh year of independence and far too many just don’t get it.

Is there any logical explanation that a nation that suffered a nearly 2000 year exile, and picked itself up, out of the ashes of the Holocaust, is able to accomplish so much in only seventy-seven years?

The population of the new State in 1948 was 600,000, and today there are 7.7 million Jews living in the Holy Land. In this short amount of time, an army that is the envy of the world has been built. The land is producing abundant crops. Numerous modern cities have emerged all over the country.

We have witnessed an incredible ingathering of the exiles from all over the world. There has never been such a great amount of Torah study in 2000 years. Israel is a world leader in high-tech and has made remarkable discoveries, benefiting the entire planet.

Anyone who does not see the miracle in all of this, and the open Hand of G-d, has to be foolish and blind. It seems to also show disrespect and a denial of this generous Divine gift that is the State of Israel.

People need to open their eyes and feel grateful to be living in such miraculous times. Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, should be a day of giving praise and thanksgiving to Hashem for bringing His people home. If someone cannot do this, it shows ingratitude and the inability to see G-d’s greatness. The saddest part of it all, is that if someone cannot recognize all of this, he is being denied the ability to be part of this amazing journey. This is what blindness can do. How sad!

For the rest of us who do see and appreciate, Yom Ha’atzmaut Sameach.