70 years.
Dickens said it best. "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times".
The best of times: So many people live freely in the Holy Land. The country is so amazingly developed technologically. People live on a very high standard [certainly compared to hundreds of millions of people in the world who live in dire poverty]. Paved roads, hospitals, a health care system, countless beautiful parks and gardens. A tremendous boom of Torah study, Yeshivos, Kollelim, Beis Yaakovs and other girls schools, Talmudei Torah, shuls and Batei Medrash, mikvaos and limitless kosher food, every day new sfarim are being published etc. etc. The brachos we enjoy are beyond what ANYBODY could have imagined 70 years ago. Or even 40 years ago! Rav Kavs. Milk bags. We have the KOTEL!!!!:-) Yerushalayim!!
The worst of times: Over 20 thousand of our boys and girls killed in the line of duty. A problem with our "cousins" that never seems to go away. The mosque on הר הבית. Rampant secularism in so many parts of the country where people are ignorant of the basics of our tradition. So many kids who don't even know what Shema Yisrael is. Tremendous disunity and animosity between Jews of different groups and often of the same group. A holy country that is extremely influenced by the Western culture of consumption, pleasure seeking, sports-idol worship and many other non-Jewish values and entertainment outlets etc. etc. Chazal say that before Moshiach comes the place of government will turn into a place of מינות. We have seen that. And so much corruption on so many levels [including a former Prime Minister who went to jail and a former President as well]. So much חילול השם. Too many disgraced rabbis [including a former Chief Rabbi who sits in jail and various politicians with black kippot who have also done time]. The country that has the most Jewish jail inmates of any country in the world.... And the worst - so many misspelled English words on street signs and products. ["Petac Tiqwa", "Greit Flor Kleener", "Delishis Apil Juce"]
So much good and so much to fix.
My conclusion??
זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בך!!!!!
Thank you Hashem for all you have done for us and continue showering us with Your brachos and leading us toward the geulah.
[I once was in a Yeshiva where I was scolded by my superior for writing a post on Yom Ha-atzmaut that wasn't Zionist enough for him and a graduate of the Yeshiva complained. The WORST thing that could happen is that the Yeshiva get a name as not being Zionist. Yet, the Chazon Ish didn't consider himself a Zionist. Rav Moshe Feinstein didn't consider himself a Zionist. Rav Elyashiv didn't consider himself a Zionist and the list is very long. Gaonim, Tzadikim and great Torah leaders who didn't consider themselves "Zionist" (although they LOVED Zion). So if you consider yourself a Zionist - fine!:-). But people who love Eretz Yisrael and even live in Eretz Yisrael who aren't fans of the "Medinah" are not bad Jews. They are in the company of many great people. Now that I no longer get paid a whopping 13 thousand dollars a year to attempt to teach - I can say whatever I want without fear!!:-)!!! May the truth always reign supreme!]
