The Rabbanut writes:
As is known, this year Yom HaAtzmaut falls out on Friday. In order to prevent desecration of Shabbos that would be caused by the various events as a result of being so close to Shabbos, it has been decided to make the celebrations and ceremonies earlier to Thursday 4 iyar.
Yom HaZikaron is therefore also made earlier, pushed up to Wednesday 3 Iyar.
With that, the minhag to not say tachanun on Yom HaAtzmaut will be followed this year as well as it is every year on the original date of Yom HaAtzmaut, on Friday the 5th of Iyar. The change in the date is only relevant to the various events, and not regarding the tefillot.
Yom Yerushalayim, which is on 28th of Iyar, this year falls out on Sunday. The Rabbanut has decided that this day also, in order to avoid potential desecration of Shabbos when preparing for the various events, events will not be held on Saturday night but will be delayed until Sunday.
However, also on this day, the prayers of Yom Yerushalayim are not changing. The tefilla said on the night of Yom yerushalayim will still be said on Saturday night, and the prayers said by day will be said Sunday morning as every year.
The statement by the Rabbanut relates to which day tachanun should be skipped - Friday. Does that mean that tomorrow, on Thursday, tachanun should be said, as usual for 4 Iyar?
As well, they make no reference to specifically hallel or the other special prayers (e.g. Torah reading, etc.) - are they included in the statement that they should be said on Thursday night-Friday, and not on Thursday? The shuls I am familiar with holding special holiday services for Yom HaAtzmaut are doing so on Wednesday night-Thursday, and not on Friday. In previous years I remember the holiday prayers being said on the cellebrated day, and not on the original date.
Because the Rabbanut statement of clarification was so unclear, the Rabbanut issued another clarification shortly after the first.
In this reclarification, the Rabbanut explains that tachanun should not be said on Wednesday mincha of Yom HaZikaron, Thursday being Yom HaAtzmaut and on Friday 5 Iyar.
The Rabbanut still said nothing specifically about hallel and the other prayers, but it seems to me that they are continuing to mandate hallel and the prayers for Thursday, and are just adding that on Friday tachanun should not be said despite that not being the celebrated day.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
On the other hand, with regards to Yom Yerushalayim, they do seem to imply that Hallel should be said on sunday morning, not Monday. Would the same logic not apply to Yom Ha'atzmaut?
ReplyDeleteThe rabanut gets its knickers in a twist all the time over this. What happens when yom haatzamaut is postponed to 6 Iyar will we then not say tachanun on youm hazikaron?
ReplyDeletecorrect.
Deletethat is what happened last year.
slightly odd, I agree, as is the whole idea of yom hazikaron on 5 Iyar.
(incidentally the pushing off is a more recent decision, a result of daylight savings time and the loust security situation - I am not sure its a permanent decision or a "hora'at sha'ah")
Our last Yom Hatzmaut before making aliyah Yom Ha'atzmaut was celebrated on 6 Iyar. Someone told the Rabbi that we shouldn't be saying Tachnun because it was 5 Iyar. The Rabbi said no problem, but that means we will say Tachnun tomorrow. The request was quickly dropped.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me if this was a straight up halachic question the Rabbanut should easily come up with a consistant guidelines to come up with their answer. They have had 64 years to come up with a final answer.
Isnt yom atzmaut just a choose for yourself type of thing?
ReplyDeleteI have heard the following minhagim:
half hallel
whole hallel w/o bracha
whole hallel w/o bracha, but be yotze someone else's bracha
whole hallel with bracha
shabbos pesukei dezimra
regular pesukai dezimra
haftara with bracha
haftara w/o bracha (not sure which one)
haftara, but only when there is torah reading
haftara even w/o torah reading
are you allowed to get a haircut?
yes - its a chag
no - even though its a chag, the hair cut will impact the aveilus aspect of the rest of sefirah
Based on rafis letters, which day can you get a haircut, assuming you can?
And my personal favorite, that quasi lecha dodi sung to the tune of hatikvah at night at the YA tekes.
This is a holiday that promotes unity among everyone - except chareidim. With all these minhagim, you would think that the chareidi approach of no hallel would be accepted, and not frowned upon.
These people think davening is in their hands to do with it whatever they want. Say Tachanun, don't bother with hallel. If you feel happy that the state of israel exists, thank g-d in your own way. There is no halachic way to justify this hallel business, even if the state of israel would be a positive thing for the jewish people.
ReplyDeletedo you say Hallel on Hanucah?
Deletewould you even consider saying Tahanun on Hanucah?
(not to mention many communities having their own purim-type days after being saved from destruction over the centuries)
think before you make statements like "There is no halachic way to justify this hallel business"
in my opinion the greatest justification for someone who wants to say hallel, even with a bracha, is the widespread custom of saying hallel with a bracha on the night of pesach after davening in shul even delaying the pesach seder.
DeleteOnce you say hallel then, you cant question any time anyone else says hallel.
-please note that the first letter is unsigned - no name, signature, or stamp at the bottom. makes you wonder who wrote it, and under what (lack of) authority.
ReplyDeleteIMHO, the vagueness on what tefillot are involved is presumably a product of the ambivalence of many involved in the Rabbanut these days to the day - an unfortunate fact that does not add the the honour of the institution in recent years.
- the second letter is consistent with the takanot of the rabbinate from the early years that the day should be moved to prevent hillul shabbat. (A fitting takana IMHO when you consider that the mandate actually ended 6 Iyar, but the declaration of independence was moved up to the afternoon of 5 Iyar to avoid hillul shabbat).
There were differing opinions, but this was the decision, and this is what is done by the praying public. (פוק חזי מאי עמא דבר)
-even though the day is moved, 5 Iyar still maintains a status as a "no tahanun day". There are also responsa that maintain one may shave for shabbat fri as it is 5 Iyar - I believe it was Rav Zvi Pessah Frank in Har Zvi, but I would have to double check.
- this approach was not universal, and when the issue of yom yerushalaim on fri or sun came up, the approach taken was different, to move the celebrations and not the prayers. I believe this was a function of the Rabbanim involved in the decision, as well as the unfortunate fact that yom yerushalaim was not declared a national holiday with massive celebration, so it was more feasible to shift a few events from one of the day to the other.
moadim lesimha legeula shlema.
interesting. I didnt notice the first letter was unsigned. i wonder how that happened. It came from Rav Rafi Yochai on his regular mailing list, so it came directly from the Rabbanut... very strange
Deletei also got the letter from Rav Rafi yohai's office - they send out any announcements of rabbanut, so that dioesn't mean he had anything to do with the latter..
DeleteI noticed straight away it was unsigned (all rabbanut announcements are signed), וזה אומר דרשני
right, but the fact that he sent it means it came from the rabbanut, rather than having been forged or anything like that
DeleteThe comparison to hallel on leil haseder is ridiculos, on pesach it was instituted by great tzadikim, hallel on 5 iyar was just to fill a political cause. Besides, the minhag of most israelis is not to daven at all, so why hallel on 5 iyar, perhaps shachris?....
ReplyDeleteso you just dont like who instituted it.. thats fine. I never said you have to say hallel. I am fine with differences of halachic opinion.
Delete