Little by little the State of Israel is embracing Torah values.

The following is a translation of an excerpt, from the Facebook page of the Israel State Archives. The post was made on December 13, 2017

“In August 1948, during the war, two cooks in the religious company were sentenced to a week in prison after refusing an order to cook on Shabbat in preparation for combat operations. The trial provoked severe outrage in the religious community, with the general feeling being that the army did not respect the lifestyle of religious soldiers and even prevented them from being promoted. The affair also reached the government and sparked a broad discussion about the status of religious soldiers in the IDF”

Fast forward 78 years

From Matzav.com
April 15, 2026

“Four Israeli Border Police soldiers stationed at the Beit Horon base have been sentenced to time in a military prison after lighting a barbecue on Shabbos, an act deemed a violation of both orders and religious observance regulations.
Following a disciplinary hearing, the soldiers were originally handed 20-day prison sentences. However, after filing an appeal challenging the severity of the punishment, the sentence was cut in half to 10 days, which they are serving”

For most of us 78 years is too long a time for us to recognize, much less appreciate, changes in the State of Israel. Especially for those far removed from it, either physically or spiritually. But we must always remember Hashem operates on a different timetable than we do.

מעשה: רבי חיא רבה ורבי שמעון בן חלפתה הוון מהלכין בהדא בקעת ארבל בקריצתה, וראו אילת השחר שבקע אורה. אמר רבי חיא רבה לרבי שמעון בן חלפתה: בריבי, כך היא גאלתן של ישראל: בתחלה, קמאה, קמאה. כל מה שהיא הולכת, היא רבה והולכת (תלמוד ירושלמי, ברכות א:א)

“Once, Rabbi Chiya the Great and Rabbi Shimon Ben Chalafta were walking in the Arbel Valley in the early morning, and they saw the first light of dawn breaking through the darkness. Rabbi Chiya said to Rabbi Shimon, ‘This is how the redemption of Israel will take place. It will begin slowly, slowly, and gradually grow and strengthen all the time.’” (Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachot 1:1)