A prominent feature of the exile that plagued the people of Israel for thousands of years was a curse of fear (Vayikra 26:36-37).
While the ancient Israelites were known for their courage and prowess in battle, the Jewish people in exile gained a reputation for cowardice amongst our neighbors and even amongst ourselves.
For centuries, Jews typically related to gentile aggression in the same manner that one would relate to an earthquake or hurricane. They could try to escape or find shelter but to actually fight back and draw blood from the persecutor was as unthinkable as fighting back against a hurricane.
With few notable exceptions, this was the psychological state of the Jewish people for thousands of years.
But when the children of Israel began to return to our land, something changed. We were suddenly infused with a spirit of valor reminiscent of our ancestors. In fighting to free our land from the British empire and in all of the Arab-Israeli wars that followed, Jews were once again able to display an astonishing military competency and uncanny levels of heroic self-sacrifice.
This is the true essence of Yom HaZikaron – to celebrate the fact that the Creator infused Israel with a spirit of valor that had been missing for thousands of years.
