On May 17, 1977, Menachem Begin was elected Prime Minister, ending 29 years of uninterrupted Labor rule in what became known as “The Revolution” (Ha-Mahapakh).
When the results were announced, Begin entered Likkud headquarters to the cheers of his supporters. Taking a kippah from his pocket, he recited the Sheheḥeyanu blessing and a psalm. Television viewers, accustomed to secular prime ministers, were stunned. He then turned to his wife, Aliza, and quoted the first of the Three Haftarot of Admonition, read in the weeks before Tisha B’Av: “I remember for you the affection of your youth, the love of your bridal days, your following Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown” (Jeremiah 2:2).
Begin had waited his entire life for this moment. Amid life’s ups and downs, may we always remember what is most precious to us.
