In Honor of Israel’s 65^th Birthday and Josh Halickman’s 39^th Birthday

Why are we celebrating Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut a day late this year?

Usually, the date for Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers) is on the 4^th of Iyar and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) is on the 5^th of Iyar. However, this year, we will be celebrating Yom Hazikaron on the 5^th of Iyar and Yom HaAtzmaut on the 6^th of Iyar.

The reason that the Rabbis changed the dates for this year is because Yom HaZikaron would have fallen out on Saturday night and Sunday and the Rabbis were worried that people would break Shabbat in order to attend memorial ceremonies throughout the country for the fallen soldiers.

By having an extra day, families don’t have to worry over Shabbat about whether they will make it to the memorial ceremonies on time.

I have a secret for you. If you read the Megilat HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Proclamation of Independence it actually says: “We declare that, with effect from the moment of the termination of the Mandate being tonight, the eve of Sabbath, the 6th Iyar, 5708 (15th May, 1948), until the establishment of the elected, regular authorities of the State in accordance with the Constitution which shall be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948, the People's Council shall act as a Provisional Council of State, and its executive organ, the People's Administration, shall be the Provisional Government of the Jewish State, to be called "Israel."

The State of Israel was declared on Friday afternoon (the 5^th of Iyar) so that Shabbat would not be transgressed even though it only officially went into effect on the 6^th of Iyar at the termination of the British Mandate.

We see from here that just as we did not want Shabbat to be desecrated when the State of Israel was declared, so too we do not want Shabbat desecrated now.