TO BE CLOSE TO HASHEM

One of the things Moshe said to B’nei Yisrael when he rebuked them for the Sin of the Spies was: – You murmured in your tents and said, “Because the Lord hates us He took us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorite to destroy us” (1:26). Rashi comments on this verse:

BECAUSE THE LORD HATES US: He really loved you, but you hated Him. A common proverb says, “The way you feel towards your fellow is the way [you think] he feels towards you.” BECAUSE THE LORD HATES US HE TOOK US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT: …This can be compared to a mortal king who has two sons and two fields. One field is well-irrigated, and the other is arid [depending solely on rain]. He gives the irrigated field to the [son] he loves, and the arid field to the one he hates. [Similarly], the land of Egypt is well-irrigated, for the Nile rises and waters it, but the Land of Canaan is arid. And [God] took us out of Egypt to give us the Land of Canaan.

It is clear that the Spies’ intentions were evil, but that doesn’t exempt us from dealing with their arguments. We cannot just ignore them and hope they go away. If we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that they had a good point here. Seemingly, Eretz Yisrael is not on par with Egypt – and many other lands, for that matter – in terms of natural resources (especially water), physical beauty, etc. Didn’t God promise us a good land, flowing with milk and honey?

Actually, this question can be asked on an explicit verse in Parashat Eikev: – For the Land into which you go to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt that you left, where you would plant your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden. But the Land into which you cross over to possess it, is a Land of hills and valleys; from the rain of heaven it drinks water (11:10-11). At face value, the Torah seems to be degrading Eretz Yisrael, saying that it is not as good as Egypt, which has all the agricultural advantages one could ask for. It has an inexhaustible water supply (water it with your foot), it is mostly flat land (after all, the Torah does not call it a land of hills and valleys), and it is very fertile (like a vegetable garden).

The answer to all of these queries is found in the very next verse in parashat Eikev: – A Land that the Lord your God seeks out; the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. The main function of Eretz Yisrael is to be a place where the Jewish people can develop an intimate relationship with God, for that is where He is constantly found. And the physical qualities of the Land are suited perfectly for this purpose. A famous mussar vort will help us understand this better:

When the snake enticed Adam and Eve to sin, God punished it, saying, – You will eat dust all the days of your life (BeReishit 3:14). The masters of mussar ask: “What is so bad about that? Beforehand, the snake had to search high and low for its food. Now, however, it can find sustenance wherever and whenever it needs it.” The answer is that this is the greatest possible curse God could give. As long as a creature lacks its basic needs, it must put its trust in God and develop some kind of a relationship with the Great Provider. If it has everything it needs at all times, it tends to forget about God and rely on its own skills. In effect, God was saying to the snake, “Here is all you need; I don’t ever want to hear from you again; I don’t ever want to have any kind of a relationship with you.”

This explains the difference between Eretz Yisrael and Chutz LaAretz. It is easier to make a living outside the Land, where there are basic rules to follow in order to succeed. If you plant the right seeds and irrigate the fields properly in Egypt, you will have a bountiful yield. If you study hard and enter the right profession in America, you will make a decent amount of money. The problem is that since everything (seemingly) depends on you, you can easily forget about the One Who truly provides your needs. In Eretz Yisrael, however, this is much less likely to happen. You can plant the right seeds, but if God doesn’t provide rain, you’re in trouble. You could spend five years studying a profession only to find out that it is no longer lucrative, due to a hundred-and-one factors. (Of course, this could happen anywhere in the world, but it is more common in Israel). What do you do then? You lift your eyes heavenward and beg for mercy. Thus, Eretz Yisrael is more conducive to developing a close relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

The Spies failed to recognize this. All they could see were the externals, and we suffer for their mistake to this very day (don’t forget that Tish’a B’Av received its calamitous nature from the episode of the Spies). But we cannot blame it all on the Jews of that generation. We are as much to blame as they are, for we have yet to rectify their sin. The very fact that millions of Jews still live outside the Holy Land (despite the fact that its gates are opened wide) shows that we, too, have failed to recognize Eretz Yisrael’s unique, spiritual and physical qualities, concentrating only on its external deficiencies.

The Yerushalmi states, “Any generation that does not witness the rebuilding of the Temple is considered as if it destroyed it” (Yoma 1:1). This Tish’a B’Av, let us strengthen our commitment to Torah, mitzvot, and Eretz Yisrael, so that we can finally witness the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash, speedily in our days. Amen.

Reprinted from Eretz Yisrael in the Parashah by R’ Moshe Lichtman

Daily Archives: July 27, 2017

Devarim

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