One of the most persistent controversies within Orthodox Judaism today concerns the question of whether to say the prayer known as Hallel on Yom Ha-Atsma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day (which this year falls tomorrow, May 12)—and if so, whether the prayer should begin with the blessing that traditionally accompanies it. This dispute is generally understood as being over whether one opposes or embraces Zionism, but I’d like to suggest that it’s about much more than that.