From Yom Hashoah to Yom Ha’Atzmaut

We find two curious exchanges between Moshe and Aharon “BaYom HaShemini,” on the eighth day of the inauguration of the newly constructed Mishkan. Chazal explain that this day was as joyous as the day in which Hashem created heaven and earth (Megillah 10b). Amidst this incredible joy, tragedy suddenly struck as Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, are abruptly killed for bringing a foreign fire into the Mishkan. In the first exchange, Moshe tells Aharon that Hashem referred to his sons' deaths as being sanctified by those who were closest to Hashem(10:3). In response to this, “VaYidom Aharon”, Aharon remained silent. In the second exchange, Moshe instructs Aharon and his family not to observe the typical mourning rituals and to instead continue with the Mishkan service (10:6), Moshe discovers that the sons of Aharon disobeyed Moshe and decided not to eat one of the sin-offerings. Instead, they burned it on the altar. Moshe asks the Kohanim why they did not consume the Korban Chattat, and Aharon responds with a respectful counter-argument which Moshe accepts (10:19-20). My friend and colleague Rabbi Chaim Poupko suggested that in these two exchanges we find two different responses to suffering. In the first, Aharon remained silent; he can do nothing but accept the harsh Divine decree against his two sons. His silence is an expression of “Baruch Dayan HaEmet,” that Hashem is the true Judge, without complaining or seeking to understand. Aharon exemplified what Rav Soloveitchik refers to as “the man of fate”: a person who stands perplexed and confused before the greatest of mysteries; the mysteries of suffering and why bad things happen to good people. In the second exchange, Moshe embodied what the Rav describes as “the man of destiny.” When Moshe points out that the sons of Aharon neglected the proper procedure for the sin-offering Moshe is encouraging a different response to tragedy; not silence like the man of fate, but action and a sense of purpose. Rav Soloveotchik explains that this type of response is emblematic of “the man of destiny”: willing to confront the environment in which suffering is occurring and makes every effort to find a path through that suffering. The Rav used these two concepts of fate and destiny to understand the relationship between the Holocaust, which we commemorated on Yom Hashoah, and the establishment of the State of Israel, which we will celebrate Wednesday night on Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Responding theologically to the Holocaust is very difficult. Perhaps the best response is that of the man of fate. Instead of any explanation or answers, all we have is confusion, bewilderment, and silence. However, rising from the ashes of the Holocaust came the building of the State of Israel. Yom Ha’Atzamut and Medinat Yisrael represent a response by the man of destiny: to seek a path through which the suffering of the Holocaust has a purpose, even if it remains without explanation. As a survivor of the Holocaust, Rav Yehuda Amital (founding Rosh Yeshiva of Gush) was a living embodiment of these two attitudes. In 1985, he addressed his students at an event celebrating the 40th anniversary of his arrival to Israel. He spoke to them candidly about why he chose to celebrate his salvation from the Holocaust together with his Aliyah. Since he cannot answer the question of “why me?” he cannot celebrate his salvation from the Holocaust alone; he can celebrate it only in conjunction with his Aliyah to Israel. As Rav Amital said: “These doubts plague me until this day. Clearly, the answer lies in the hands of God, and because I do not know the answer, I do not have the boldness to designate a specific day as a holiday because I was saved. Thus I combine both focal points of my life, my salvation and my Aliyah, into one personal holiday. And yet... I still feel that heavy burden.” We can follow in Rav Amital’s footsteps by embracing both the man of fate and the man of destiny within each of us and meaningfully marking this transition from Yom Hashoah to Yom Ha’Atzmaut.