Finally, Tatty's Toira

Kol hakavod to Pete for raising an issue that is both serious and controversial. Also, kol hakavod to Chaim for warning Pete about the ground rules of our family discussions. I can't figure out how to post, so I'll have to wait for Bat Zion or Chanina to give me hadracha. I also cannot figure out the means of writing this piece in Hebrew, so I beg your indulgence for using English. Perhaps this will scare Elli off and he won't be so angry with me for my views.
L'gufo shel inyan ... Pete's mekorot are interesting but alas, are not major league sources. You might find this comment surprising coming from me - perhaps the decade here in America among the MOs has made me mellow - but if it is so obvious that the day should be celebrated, why did the Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rav, Rav Isser Zalman and those who followed their derech refrain from doing so. Did the Chazon Ish sense something that we perhaps don't?
Moreover, the attitude of this group of gedolim changed as the State developed, becoming more hostile as time passed. The euphoria of the declaration of statehood, so soon after the Holocaust, gave way to the reality of a political entity whose policies and pronouncements were anathema to believing and practicing Jews. I often wonder if a gadol like Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlop would have continued to say Hallel had he lived into the 1960's. Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt"l, despite his close association with the Mizrachi Olami did not say Hallel in Boston and at YU would only participate in those minyanim that did not recite Hallel with a berachah.
Clearly, in our hashkafa, the establishment of an independent State represents a Divine gift. By the same token, the malchut of Achav and Izevel also was a Divine gift; the gemara praises Achav for his financial support of talmidei chachamim [notice the parallel to those who claim that the modern State deserves praise for the fact that more Torah is learned in Israel]. Nevertheless, Eliyahu haNavi never suggested that Hallel be recited to celebrate the coronation of Achav! Divine gifts are potential in nature, and when they do not develop as one would hope, celebration would seem to be out of order. We can be thankful and add the gift to the list of which we are conscious when we recite Modim, but to say Hallel when we see what has resulted ....
To my mind, and I have used this paradigm often, we must distinguish between memshalah and medinah. The creation of a medinah is reason to be thankful - see the Rambam at the end of hilchos megillah where he differs from the Ramban's view of malchus hachashmonaim and writes that Chanukah is at least partially a celebration of the establishment of an independent State. However, the State created by the Chashmonaim - even when the kings were no longer observant [or even Jewish as in the case of Hurdus] - never attempted to create an entity based on anti-Torah values. Throughout this period, the sanhedrin retained its absolute power and the kings, for the most part, followed their direction. Even when Hurdus killed the rabbanim because he feared their influence [which would seem to support my previous point], he still felt the necessity of seeking the advice of Bava ben Buta. Thus, as much as I am happy that there is a medinah, I personally find it impossible to celebrate until such time as a memshalah that is at least pareve in its relationship to halachah comes to power.
Having said all this, and despite my turn of leaf, I must express my dismay that the gedolei yisrael still, almost 60 years after the fact, seem to be in a state of confusion and allow askanim [a euphemism for handlers] to present a message to the tzibbur that is equivocal. Throughout the period between the wars, Isaac Breuer attempted to bring the question of statehood to a decision by the Moetzet and never succeeded. That lack of clarity has led our camp to embrace a position that is often logically unsupportable. I have no right to criticize the gedolim; nevertheless, my emunas chachamim would be immeasurably strengthened if there was a clear statement of policy.
In summation, I can only quote Rav Wolfson [a surprise in itself] who is reported to have recently told someone that there are no longer any gedolim - hara'ayah, people ask him questions.
Abba