In my neighborhood, a hard core Charedi/Yeshivish/Chasidish place, they just built the very first shul. Until now, all of the shuls were housed in caravans but now - after yeeeeaaarss of raising money and building - the first proper building is up [even though there is a lot more to go until the building is completed], as fitting for a בית השם and מקדש מעט.
On the outside wall of the shul there is an inscription saying "Thank you so much Medinat Yisrael for your financial and other assistance in building this edifice". And there is a Menorah - the emblem of the Medinah. Well it doesn't exactly say that. It actually thanks the office of the religion ministry for their help. But that is an office of the Medinah. So here the anti-medinah Charedim are acknowledging the benefit of the Medinah [possibly against their will....].
Mussar Haskel: People can curse the Medinah all they want - and there is a lot to curse - but one cannot deny the many many benefits we have due to its existence. Li-havdil - it is like one's parents. Yes, it is likely they messed you up [each person to their own degree], it could be that they sent you to schools and camps which gave you a very flawed education, but at the end of the day they are your parents and you owe them everything. The Rambam paskens that you have to honor a parent even if he or she is a Rasha.
The Medinah is in many respects a Rasha. The government is filled with anti-religious Torah hating Jews and some Arabs sprinkled in. The "good guys", the right wingers who feel more positively about our tradition, are often Mechalelei Shabbos and Boalei Niddos [saying only "מקצת שבחם"]. The laws of the State are explicitly to a great extent against our tradition but rather bothered from the Brits, the Turks and others. The national army is often the turning point in the life of young people when they become irreligious. Not to mention the amount of זנות and sexual harassment that takes place there. And the list goes on.
But the fact cannot be denied that the Medinah builds roads, provides services that make our lives much easier, has an army to protect us [the Torah is pro-army in principal....], gives money to our Yeshivos and Beis Yaakovs, allows every Jew to live here, permits free speech, freedom to follow Torah [which we take for granted but until this day there are countries which deny this] etc. etc. For that we should be grateful..... To them and to Hashem.
A freilichin Yom Ha-atzmaus!!!
