In the last 200 or even 250 years we as Jews have been witnessing a gradual return of our people to the land of Israel. The events in the last centuries have been very dramatic for good and bad, and tremendous changes happened to our people.
On one hand the Enlightenment that shucked the world influenced the Jewish world dramatically and caused a big percentage of secular Jews. On the other hand, Jews have become recognized as equal in society and became very cantered in the several places around the world.
On one hand we are standing today in a situation that there is almost a majority of world Jewry in the land of Israel, living under a known and recognized Jewish state, but on the other hand is this the state that we have dreamt for all these years in the exile? This mixed situation causes a lot of confusions, questions and doubts. Is this the way we thought and learned that the redemption will come? Where is the “Mashiach”, and is it right to establish a Jewish state before we have a true reveal of G-d to us? What is the Halachic perspective regarding these changes? What is the Torah guiding us regarding a secular state in the land of Israel? In this corner we will try and address several of these subjects on a weekly basis. The questions will be discussed from a pure Halachic and Torah vision, starting from the Torah and the rest of the Bible, through the Mishna Gemara and our early and late authorities (the “Rishonim” and “Acharonim”). This week and in the next few weeks we will try and focus on the centrality of Israel in Judaism. The land of Israel is mentioned for the first time in our sources when G-d commanded Avraham to leave his homeland-birthplace and his family and to go to a land that G-d will guide him (Genesis 12). From the continuation of the story we know that this land is the land of Israel. (In fact, it seems that Avraham and his family left their country before getting the command, and they were facing the land of Canaan – Israel. – (Genesis 11, 31)) But that isn’t really the firs mention of Israel in history.
Our rabbis teach us that the whole world was created out of the land of Israel, Jerusalem.
תלמוד בבלי מסכת יומא דף נד עמוד ב: "תנא: שממנה הושתת העולם. תנן כמאן דאמר מציון נברא העולם… וחכמים אומרים: אלו ואלו מציון נבראו, שנאמר מזמור לאסף אל א-להים ה' דבר ויקרא ארץ ממזרח שמש עד מבאו ואומר מציון מכלל יפי א-להים הופיע – ממנו מוכלל יופיו של עולם".
We can easily find hints for this in the Torah. The Torah gives us (Genesis 2 10-14) names of four rivers in the Garden of Eden,which could be identified later as rivers in Israel. (Genesis 15, 18; Deuteronomy 1,7 & 11, 24) G-d promises the land of Israel to Avraham (Genesis 15, 18) , so too to Ytzchak (Genesis 26, 3-4) and Yakov (Genesis 28, 13), and most of the book of Genesis happens around the land of Israel. Our forefathers purchased places in Israel. (Genesis 23).
In fact, we started here to list some of our connections to the land of Israel, and the centralism of Israel in our faith. This topic fits the days we are in – the three weeks – between the 17th of Tamuz and the 9th of Av, days that were designated for mourning over the exile and the distruction of the temple. The original case that took place on the day of “Tisha Be’Av” (out of 5 mentioned by our Rabbis in the last Mishna of “Ta’anit”) was the sin of the spies who rejected entering the land of Israel. Last week we focused on the time period of the creation of the world, and on our forefathers. This week we will continue our journie to the land of Israel, continuing along with the Torah. The exodus from Egypt is described more than once as a fulfillment of the promise to the forefathers regarding the land of Israel. Already in the first reaveal of G-d to Moshe, at the burning bush, we find the following: “וָאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ׀ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּֽלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ֘ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִוא֒ אֶל־אֶ֤רֶץ טוֹבָה֙ וּרְחָבָ֔ה אֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ אֶל־מְק֤וֹם הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי” (Exodus 3, 8) The full proclamation of the redemption includes bringing the Jewish people to the land of Israel. We find the same later on (exodus 6 2-8; 12, 25; 13. 5; 13, 11). In Several cases we see that the children of Israel seem to know about their final destination. We find in the song that was sung on the sea of reeds – “Shirat Ha’Yam” – a song we say each morning in “Pesukei De’Zimra”, that the nations that are mentioned as frightened as a result of the crossing of the red see are those who reside in the land of Israel, teaching us that even the rest of the world knew about belonging of the land of Israel to the Jewish nation. The plan as it was supposed to take place – was to enter the land of Israel a short time after the exodus from Egypt – as we read in this weeks’ Parsha –
דברים פרק א פסוק ו – ח (פרשת דברים)
(ו) יְקֹוָ֧ק אֱלֹהֵ֛ינוּ דִּבֶּ֥ר אֵלֵ֖ינוּ בְּחֹרֵ֣ב לֵאמֹ֑ר רַב־לָכֶ֥ם שֶׁ֖בֶת בָּהָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה:
(ז) פְּנ֣וּ׀ וּסְע֣וּ לָכֶ֗ם וּבֹ֨אוּ הַ֥ר הָֽאֱמֹרִי֘ וְאֶל־כָּל־שְׁכֵנָיו֒ בָּעֲרָבָ֥ה בָהָ֛ר וּבַשְּׁפֵלָ֥ה וּבַנֶּ֖גֶב וּבְח֣וֹף הַיָּ֑ם אֶ֤רֶץ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַלְּבָנ֔וֹן עַד־הַנָּהָ֥ר הַגָּדֹ֖ל נְהַר־פְּרָֽת:
(ח) רְאֵ֛ה נָתַ֥תִּי לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ בֹּ֚אוּ וּרְשׁ֣וּ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְׁבַּ֣ע יְ֠קֹוָק לַאֲבֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם לְאַבְרָהָ֨ם לְיִצְחָ֤ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹב֙ לָתֵ֣ת לָהֶ֔ם וּלְזַרְעָ֖ם אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם:
(Deuteronomy 1, 6-8)
We also find Datan & Aviram complaining in their wicked manner about not yet reaching the promised land of milk and honey (Numbers 16, 12-14). Last week we read about the way the land of Israel should be devided between the tribes, and the laws of inheratence of land in Israel. Finally we see that the Torah ends with the death of our great leader Moshe as a punishment on the sin of Kadesh. Moshes’ punishment was not to lead the people into their home-land – the land of Israel. Next week we will take a general cursory glance on the rest of the Bible. May we all observe with our own eyes a full redemption and return to the land of Israel.
