On Yom HaAtzmaut of every year, we are immersed in singing the Hallel and giving thanks to HaShem for the privilege of living as an independent nation in our land. And this year, we are doubly obliged to give thanks and Hallel (praise), since we can only imagine what could have happened if, G-d forbid, we weren't capable of waging war and fighting back against the enemies of Israel. The most immediate manifestation of our national independence is salvation from death to life, but there is a much deeper side to it, as is expressed in Masechet Megillah (14a) which raises the question of why Mordechai and Esther did not institute reciting Hallel over the miracle of Purim:   

Rava said: Understandably, there (regarding the Exodus from Egypt, we say Hallel, since it says) "Give praise, servants of HaShem" - and not slaves of Pharaoh. But here - (regarding the miracle of Purim, can we say) "Give praise, servants of HaShem" and not servants of Achashverosh? We still remained the servants of Achashverosh.
 

The Gemara determines that from the verse (Tehillim 113:1) "Give praise, servants of HaShem" we learn that a miracle in which Israel remains enslaved to the nations of the world is a miracle for which it is impossible to say Hallel. The question which arises is why independence carries such a great weight in determining the manner in which we give thanks to HaShem. And evidently we can explain the critical importance of our independence in four different ways which complement each other, all of which are derived from a verse further on in the Psalm of Hallel:

"From the rising of the sun (the East) to its setting (the West), HaShem's name is exalted."
And as we mentioned, this verse can be interpreted in four ways:
 

1. Most of the commentators explain that this verse states the fact that all the inhabitants of the earth, from the far east to the west, acknowledge HaShem's greatness. And indeed the Book of Malachi (1:11) expresses this similarly:  

"As from the rising of the sun to its setting, great is My Name amid the nations, and in every place sacrifices are burnt and offered up to My name, a pure offering, for My Name is great among the nations, says the Lord of Hosts."
 

According to this explanation, as long as Israel are subjugated, the nations of the world cannot recognize the greatness of HaShem, who delivers His nation from their oppressors. The deeper significance of this explanation is the necessity of stressing Israel's independence as an expression of Hashem's greatness, particularly outwardly, vis a vis the nations of the world. According to this, it is appropriate to read the verses of Hallel which praise HaShem and stress that we are the sheep of His flock specifically at ceremonies at the embassies and in the streets of the Diaspora.
 

2. In the Gemara (Megillah 17a) we see that Hallel is said during the day and not at night, and this as well is learned from this verse:

From where (do we learn that we must say) Hallel? Raba says: It is written "From the rising of the sun to its setting."

The Gemara explains that from the rising of the sun until sunset we must praise the Name of HaShem. And apparently, the idea behind this is that slaves are not free to take a day off from their work, and they are forced to work from sunrise to sunset. In contrast, free men can take a day off and use their time as they wish – in our case, to praise HaShem all day long. This explanation as well has deep implications – Yom HaAtzmaut must be a sabbatical day in which we all feel like free men, and only free men can find room in their souls to praise HaShem with all their heart. An additional meaning is that the entire day should be utilized for giving thanks and praise. Those who hike on this day should look at the expanses of our land and thank HaShem that we are ruling over them. Those who celebrate with meat and wine should sing hymns of praise out of the joy of the Mitzvah, and of course those who study should focus their learning on the subject of this special day.
 

1. Perhaps we can offer an additional explanation: this expression 'from the rising of the sun (east) to its setting (west)' alludes to the large and spacious Land of Israel, since the region east of the Jordan River is called 'mizrach shamesh' (the rising of the sun) as we see in Parshat Va'ethanan (Devarim 4:47): "And they conquered his land, and the land of Og the king of the Bashan, the two kings of the Emorites from across the Jordan mizrach shamesh (to the east)." And the Mediterranean Sea, in the language of the Torah and the Prophets, is called mevo hashamesh (the setting of the sun, meaning west) as it says in the book of Yehoshua (1:4):  "And to the great sea mevo hashamesh (to the west) will be your border." And according to this interpretation, HaShem's name must be exalted end elevated by Israel who dwell as an independent nation in their great and broad land.

According to this, on every Yom HaAtzmaut we must reinforce our hearts, thoughts and desire to inherit all of the Land of HaShem which was promised to the Avot, from the Euphrates to the River of Egypt. We must deepen and strengthen our connection with all the inheritance of our forefathers, especially with those parts of our land which our enemies are scheming to wrest away from us. How proper it is, on Yom HaAtzmaut, to travel in the expanses of Eretz Israel, to prize its stones and to cherish its dust.
 

1. An additional explanation is that this is a prophetic Psalm which foretells the ingathering of the exiles and the Hallel which they will say in the future. According to this, "From the rising of the sun to its setting" refers to Am Israel which is returning from distant lands. And this interpretation has a strong foundation in the words of Zechariah (8:7-8):

"So says the Lord of Hosts: Behold I will redeem My nation from the land of the east and from the land of the setting of the sun. And I will bring them and they will dwell within Yerushalayim and they will be a nation unto Me and I will be their Lord in truth and in righteousness."

And according to this, this Psalm speaks of our days, in which we have been fortunate to witness the ingathering of the exiles from the four corners of the earth. According to this interpretation, on Yom HaAtzmaut we must emphasize kibbutz galuyot and the solidarity of the Jewish people who returned to be one nation in the Land.

In conclusion, we learned that our independence is the foundation and basis for the world's recognition of the greatness of HaShem and the greatness of Israel His nation and His inheritance. And it is this independence is which enables Am Israel to realize its special qualities and destiny, out of the incredible sense of being free men. Additionally, we learned that complete, full independence is impossible as long as parts of Eretz Israel and Am Israel are still missing.
 

We have so much to give thanks for, and yet so much which we still have to pray for. And this is especially true regarding our valiant soldiers who, with their bodies and souls, uphold this independence which is the foundation of HaShem's Throne on the earth.