This past week and the coming one as well has been & still promise to be filled with different, yet important commemorations. You see, in one week we have Yom HaShoa, Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaAtzmaut & Mother’s Day.
Not that I am trying to compare the importance of significance of one of these dates to another, they certainly are of different levels of importance and different purposes.
Yet, there are two common themes that run through these days.
The first is that the Orthodox community, on the whole, does not seem to give any significant recognition to any of these four dates.
The reason is quite different for each one, but, for the most part, these dates are certainly not given the importance or significance that one might expect.
Secondly, a common theme is certainly the fundamental idea behind each of these dates and the theme is one that the Orthodox community does fully support and believe in.
The underlying message of each of these days is our need, our obligation, to show “hakarat hatov”- gratitude and proper respect for and to the people that are being addressed in each of these special dates.
We are certainly obligated both individually and collectively to show our respect and feeling to the survivors of the Holocaust. If we observe the Yom HaShoa date or not, one must be very careful to be sincere in showing and expressing proper respect and love to those who gave up everything and spent years in true hell for the sole reason that they are Jews. Losing their homes, their businesses, their families, their innocence, childhood and in many cases, their dreams while barely holding onto their life because they are Jews is certainly enough of a reason for us to be obligated to show them our respect and gratitude.
The same feeling of gratitude, respect and hakarat hatov must be expressed to those who gave their lives or their family defending our homeland, Israel. Yom HaZikaron may or may not be a date observed in the Orthodox community, but gratitude to those who gave their life for us to be able to have and live in Israel requires us to show our deep felt pain over their loss and our respect for what they did.
The same holds true to Yom HaAzamut, while some may not celebrate that date with the recitation of Hallel or parties, all agree that we must praise HaShem and give respect to those who dedicated themselves to our having Israel today. Certainly the acquisition & keeping of Israel as a Gd given homeland to the Jews was and is miraculous. Certainly, it is a great bracha, worthy of our gratitude and appreciation.
Mother’s day is perhaps not on the same wavelength as the dates I previously mentioned. Maybe it has become totally commercialized and lost much of its meaning.
In addition, the Orthodox traditionally does not observe this date, yet, we all must agree that in its fundamental purpose of showing respect and appreciation to one’s mother is a holy obligation.
Maybe we do not want to celebrate it, but we must acknowledge that the idea of showing proper respect to one’s mother is something we all must do and do regularly.
So, when people ask me, do you do this on Yom HaAtzmaut or that on Yom HaZikaron and perhaps snicker at how we do not give Mother’s day its proper importance, I remind us all that while our community may not be prepared to change its prayer service or go to see Gene Simmons celebrate the Jewish State, we do and we must, be sure to give the respect, gratitude and honour to those who have done so much for us, for Judaism, Israel and mankind.
Those in our community who make light of these dates should take a moment to think twice and look deeper into the reason and purpose behind each of them.
To not observe them or how to celebrate them is the decision of the individual.
However, to denigrate or overlook the purpose behind them, the gratitude, respect, appreciation and love we not only are required by Torah to show but, simply as thinking, feeling human beings, must show, is criminal and goes against the very framework of what Judaism is based on- gratitude, respect and appreciation.
These days are reminders of the importance of giving thanks to HaShem, to those who gave their lives for us, to those who gave us life and to those who dedicated themselves to assuring our life to be better!
Such a show of gratitude compels us to make note of this, perhaps in our own way- but none the less- we must feel & show the gratitude and thanks that these people deserve. Not giving this respect is a flaw and failing on our part that cannot be tolerated!
The bottom line, if one chooses to observe Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Yom HaShoa or any of the other significant dates I mentioned above or not, that, I concede if up to the individual. Yet, the thread of gratitude, appreciation and respect that is woven so obviously throughout each of these occasions must make every thinking, caring person at least hesitate to think of how much has been done for us.
Certainly we should respect our parents every day, not just one day in May.
Certainly we must respect the martyrs, survivors, fallen soldiers, fatherless children and architects of the land of Israel more than once a year- but maybe at least knowing that these days exist can help remind us of the gratitude we have to feel and show.
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