Our title deed to Israel was given by G-d

Yom Ha’atzmaut is an opportunity to declare proudly and publicly our connection to Israel. This is our opportunity to remind ourselves and the world what Israel means to us.

We can draw our inspiration for this from a beautiful and powerful mitzvah – bikkurim – the mitzvah for farmers to bring the first fruits of the harvest to the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicate them to G-d.

The Talmud paints a colourful picture of the farmers’ procession to the Temple as they brought the bikkurim. They didn’t arrive one by one in Jerusalem; rather, they would go up in a group, accompanied by music and a whole entourage to mark the occasion. At the head of the procession, there was a bull decorated in gold. And all the residents of Jerusalem – the shopkeepers and all the workers, sometimes even the king – would come out to greet the farmers. Upon arriving at the Temple, the Levi’im would sing a song from the book of Tehillim.

Then, on dedicating their baskets of produce to the Temple, the farmer would make a declaration summarising Jewish history and expressing gratitude to G-d for bringing the Jewish people to the land of Israel – to the sacred ground from which these first fruits were harvested.

Why all the fanfare? And how is any of this connected to Yom Ha’atzmaut?

One of our great sages, the Malbim, explains that the declaration on the bikkurim was a response to those who would challenge our right to the land of Israel. He cites Rashi’s very first comment on the Chumash – the question of why the Torah begins with the book of Genesis, the more narrative-driven portions of the Torah, when really the Torah is a book of commandments.

Quoting from a prescient midrash, Rashi explains that the reason the Torah begins with the story of creation is because one day, the Jewish people would be accused of unjustly appropriating the land of Israel, to which we can respond – G-d, the creator of the world, gave it to us. That is our title deed. And we underline this claim by publicly declaring and celebrating our connection to the land of Israel in the bikkurim ceremony.

There’s certainly a lesson we can draw on here in our own age about proudly and unapologetically celebrating our connection to the land of Israel.

But bikkurim has another – no less important – lesson for us for Yom Ha’atzmaut – the lesson of gratitude. Through the declaration, farmers express gratitude for the fact that G-d took us out of Egypt and brought us to the land of milk and honey from which the fruits were harvested. In this way, the entire farming experience becomes grounded in a deep appreciation. And the way we show our gratitude is by dedicating the best and the first to G-d through the mitzvah of Pidyon Haben, of redeeming a first-born son, and through the mitzvah of bikkurim.

Gratitude is at the heart of Jewish identity. The word “Jew” comes from the word “Yehudi”, derived from the name “Yehuda”, Leah’s fourth son. When she gave birth to Yehuda, she said, “I will give thanks to G-d.” As Jews, we know that everything we have, every blessing we enjoy, comes from our creator.

And so, as we mark Yom Ha’atzmaut this year, as we look back with satisfaction on all of the immense achievements of the past 73 years, our hearts are filled with gratitude and appreciation to G-d for His blessings that have made it all possible.

David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, is famous for having said, “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” G-d’s miracles have accompanied the birth, growth, and development of the state of Israel throughout these 73 years. From the great military victories and economic and technological achievements, to the miraculous rebuilding of yeshivot and Torah learning on a grand scale beyond the wildest dreams of those who saw the destruction of these institutions in the Holocaust, the Jewish people have established, with G-d’s blessing, a thriving state in spite of all odds. Israel has, with divine help, continuously defied the natural order of things.

This Yom Ha’atzmaut, as we once again declare our historic connection to the land and celebrate all that our beloved state of Israel has miraculously accomplished, let us do so with deep gratitude and unabashed pride – and through this, let us unleash abundant divine blessings for many more years of greatness.