EPISODE · Apr 21, 2026 · 13 MIN
They Gave Their Lives So Israel Could Live | 10@9 | Yom HaZikaron | 2026.04.21
from Mining The Riches Of The Parsha · host Rabbi Michael Whitman
Today is Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers. Israel commemorates its fallen with an intensity that is difficult to fully grasp from the outside - a national experience of grief, gratitude, and memory that touches every life. Few works capture this more powerfully than “The Silver Platter” by Natan Alterman. Each time I read it, I am moved to tears of gratitude and awe for the young men and women who gave - and continue to give - their lives so that the State of Israel can not only endure, but flourish. Without their sacrifice, Israel would not exist. The transition from Yom HaZikaron immediately into Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, is not incidental. It is designed to allow us to experience and appreciate the loss and the joy, the dark and the light, the pain and the beauty which coexist for Israel at every moment. Today asks something of us: to feel both. To carry the weight of what has been lost, and at the same time, to recognize the miracle that continues because of it. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.
What this episode covers
Today is Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers. Israel commemorates its fallen with an intensity that is difficult to fully grasp from the outside - a national experience of grief, gratitude, and memory that touches every life. Few works capture this more powerfully than “The Silver Platter” by Natan Alterman. Each time I read it, I am moved to tears of gratitude and awe for the young men and women who gave - and continue to give - their lives so that the State of Israel can not only endure, but flourish. Without their sacrifice, Israel would not exist. The transition from Yom HaZikaron immediately into Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, is not incidental. It is designed to allow us to experience and appreciate the loss and the joy, the dark and the light, the pain and the beauty which coexist for Israel at every moment. Today asks something of us: to feel both. To carry the weight of what has been lost, and at the same time, to recognize the miracle that continues because of it. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.
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They Gave Their Lives So Israel Could Live | 10@9 | Yom HaZikaron | 2026.04.21
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