DWELL IN THE LAND
There was a famine in the Land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Avraham; and Yitzchak went to Avimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar. The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell (שכן) in the Land that I shall tell you. Sojourn (גור) in this Land and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands …” (26:1-3)
Rashi comments: “[Yitzchak] thought to go down to Egypt as his father had done in time of famine. [HaShem] said to him, ‘Do not go down to Egypt, for you are a perfect burnt-offering, and Chutz LaAretz is not befitting you.’ ” Rashi’s source is BeReishit Rabbah (64:3):
SOJOURN IN THIS LAND: R. Hoshaya said, “You are a perfect burnt-offering. Just as a burnt-offering becomes disqualified if it leaves the boundaries [of the Temple], so too, you will become disqualified if you leave the Land…
Midrash Tanchuma (HaYashan) quotes a different version of R. Hoshaya’s explanation:
The Holy One Blessed be He said: “Yitzchak! Your father, who came from Chutz LaAretz, went down to Egypt. But you were born in Eretz Yisrael and are a pure burnt-offering. Should you go down [too]?!”
These sources seem to imply that Chutz LaAretz is detrimental only to those who are extremely pure and holy, like Yitzchak Avinu, or to those who have been living in the Holy Land all their lives. Numerous other sources, however, indicate that even simple Jews like us, who were unfortunate enough to be born on foreign soil, forfeit a great deal of spirituality by living outside the Land. One such source is quoted by Rashi on BeReishit 17:8: “A Jew who lives outside the Land is like one who has no God.”
I believe that the Kli Yakar clarifies why it is preferable to live in Eretz Yisrael, no matter what level a Jew is on. He asks why God said to Yitzchak, Dwell in the land that I shall tell you (implying that He will reveal the location at some later date), when the very next words say, Sojourn in this Land? The Kli Yakar answers:
It seems to me that HaShem prevented Yitzchak from going to Chutz LaAretz because the Shechinah is not revealed there. Thus, HaShem would not be able to grant him prophecy and speak to him there, if necessary. Therefore, [He said], Dwell in the Land where My Shechinah is revealed, and I will speak to you there whenever I want to give you a prophecy. [Instead of translating the verse as, Dwell in the land that I shall tell you, the Kli Yakar interprets it as, Dwell in the Land so that I can tell you (prophecies)]. This explains why HaShem first said, Dwell (שכן) in the Land, and afterwards, Sojourn (גור) in the Land. שכן implies a more permanent dwelling than גור, which comes from the word גרות (to be a stranger). [HaShem, in effect, said to Yitzchak]: In terms of acquiring spiritual perfection, dwell in this Land like a permanent settler. But when it comes to acquiring the physical blessings, be like a stranger in the Land… For, all the following verses speak of material promises…
For Yitzchak Avinu, the difference between living in Eretz Yisrael and living outside the Land was whether or not he would receive prophecy. For us the difference is how close we get to HaShem and how much spiritual perfection we acquire. Everyone on his or her own level is affected by the spiritual benefits of the Holy Land and by the Shechinah that dwells there.
The beginning of the Midrash Rabbah quoted above adds an important point:
The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell (שכן) in the Land”: [That is], Make a settlement (שכונה) in Eretz Yisrael; plant, sow, and graft trees. Another interpretation: Dwell (שכן) in the Land – Cause the Shechinah to dwell (שכן את השכינה) in the Land.
Some commentators explain that these two interpretations are interdependent. HaShem told Yitzchak that the way to bring the Shechinah into the Land is by building the Land. The same applies to us. The more Jews that settle in Eretz Yisrael and contribute to its development, the more the Shechinah will dwell in our midst.
Reprinted from Eretz Yisrael in the Parashah by R’ Moshe D. Lichtman