Mitzva to Appreciate the Land

You must thus meditate on the fact that just as a man might chastise his child, so God your Lord is chastising you.                                                    Numbers 8:5

"As a man might chastise his child": as a father acts for his child's benefit, as the verse [Proverbs 19:18] states: "Chasten your son, for there is hope; but do not set your heart on his destruction." Similarly, "God your Lord is chastising you," first with the suffering in the wilderness and with the trial of manna, so the goodness of the Land and its fruit will be pleasant for your soul.

                                                        Naḥmanides

Naḥmanides adds that, indeed, our verse serves as the introduction to the declaration that "God your Lord is bringing you to a good Land," and through reflection on Israel's Egyptian servitude and the travails of the wilderness, when Israel merits entering the Promised Land and eating its fruit, they will surely bless God.

Rabbi Yeruḥam Lebovitz notes that the straightforward meaning of Naḥmanides' comments is that all of God's "chastising you" was for the purpose of recognizing the merits of the Land. Based upon Naḥmanides' approach, Rabbi Lebovitz concludes that there is a mitzva to reflect upon the importance of the Land of Israel, and further that the blessings to be recited before partaking of the fruit of the Land are intended to stress the greatness of the Land and thereby to bring us to appreciation of the greatness of the Creator as well as His unlimited ability and might.

Praying Via the Land

And you shall fear the Lord your God; Him shall you serve; and to Him you shall cleave, and by His name shall you swear.                                      Deuteronomy 10:20

            Sefer haḤinuch [mitzva 431] cites the phrase “Him shall you serve” from our verse as the source of the positive mitzva to pray to God.

            Maimonides [Sefer haMitzvot, positive commandment 5] adds:

The Sages (Sifrei on our verse) also say: “Serve Him through His Torah and serve Him in His sanctuary,” which means that you should aspire to pray either in the Temple or towards it, as Solomon clearly said [I Kings 8:30].

            The Talmud [B’rachot, 30a], in a comment codified in the Halacha [Shulḥan Aruch Oraḥ Ḥayyim 84:2], phrases the point thus:

If he is standing (in prayer) outside the Land, he should incline   his   heart  towards   Eretz Yisrael,   as  the  verse [I Kings 8:48] states: “and pray to You towards their Land;” if he stands in Israel, he should incline his heart towards Jerusalem; as the verse [ibid. 44] says, “And they pray unto the Lord toward the city which You have chosen;” if he is standing in Jerusalem he should turn mentally towards the sanctuary, as the verse [II Chronicles 6:26] says, “they pray toward this house.” … In this way all Israel will incline their hearts towards one place.

            Rabbi Yehonatan Eybschutz has a slightly different reading of the relevant verse from Kings [8:48], understanding it to mean “and pray to You via their Land,” and explains that when one prays outside Israel, his intention must be that his prayer be routed through the Holy Land, whence it will reach God. Rabbi Yehonatan goes further, and states that since in accordance with Naḥmanides’ opinion (based upon Sifrei) that mitzva observance is mandatory only in the Land, when a Jew outside Israel performs a mitzva, his intent and thought must be that it is as if he were standing in the Holy Land, and performing the mitzva there.

            Rabbi Yehonatan concludes with the prayer that by virtue of the thought and intention of performing mitzvot within the Holy Land, and that his mitzva, as it were, passing through the Land, “and this is what his heart and eyes seek,” that he be privileged to see the Land with his own eyes and experience its pure air.

Opportunity to Perform More Mitzvot

All the commandments which I command you this day you shall observe to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the Land which the Lord swore to your fathers.          Deuteronomy 8:1

            Apparently, the simple meaning of the verse is that we are instructed to observe mitzvot in order to merit entering the Holy Land, that is, the mitzvot are to be fulfilled in order to receive a reward. Sho'el u'Meshiv (Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson [1810 – 1875]) expresses astonishment at this possibility, as it contradicts our Sages' dictum [Ethics of the Fathers 1:3] that one must not be as a servant who does his master's bidding in order to receive rewards.

            Rather, explains Sho'el u'Meshiv, inheriting the Land is in itself a mitzva, and the meaning of the verse is that if we observe the other mitzvot, we will merit inheriting the Land, thereby fulfill an additional mitzva, as well as the  mitzvot which are dependent upon the Land. The verse does not deal with reward for fulfilling mitzvot, but with the opportunity to merit performing more and more mitzvot.

Three Precious Gifts

You must thus meditate on the fact that just as a man might chastise his child, so God your Lord is chastising you. God your Lord is bringing you to a good Land - a Land with flowing streams, and underground springs gushing out in valley and mountain.                                                  Deuteronomy 8:5,7

          Our verses constitute the proof text for a teaching of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai:

It has been taught: R. Simeon bar Yoḥai says: The Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel three precious gifts, and all of them were given only through sufferings. These are: The Torah, the Land of Israel and the World to Come. How do we know this of the Torah? — Because it is said: “Happy is the man whom You chasten, o Lord, and teach him out of Your law.” [Psalms 94:12]  How do we know this of the Land of Israel? — Because it is written:  “Just as a man might chastise his child, so God your Lord is chastising you,” and after that it is written: “God your Lord is bringing you to a good Land.” [Deuteronomy 8:5,7] How do we know this of the World to Come? — Because it is written: “For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and reproofs of sufferings are the way of life.” [Proverbs 6:23]                         Babylonian Talmud, B'rachot 5a

            On the simplest level, Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai is teaching us that those things which are truly worth having are worth suffering for to achieve.

    Rabbi Kook, in his brilliant commentary, reveals a much deeper understanding of bar Yoḥai’s comment.

     Rabbi Kook explains that those things which are natural can be achieved without suffering.  However, whatever is above nature cannot be achieved without suffering, because the human body is limited by its natural aspects. Thus, Maimonides describes a prophet’s body as almost being torn apart during prophecy, because prophecy is a super-natural event.

       Man is composed of intellect, body and soul. The three presents correspond to these three spheres of man’s existence.

      To truly achieve Torah is to link with the divine intellect. Since this is super-natural, Torah can be fully achieved only through suffering.

      The Land of Israel is a physical land, but also has a super-natural aspect. As our Sages teach us, (western) Eretz Yisrael is the only land worthy of the Shechinah (divine presence). Thus, the Land of Israel can be achieved only through suffering.

       The World to Come is the ultimate super-natural reward for the soul, and it too can be achieved only through suffering.

Advantages of Dependence Upon Rain

            In preparing the Children of Israel for entry into their land, Moses included the following comments:

For the Land which go into to take it into possession is not like the land of Egypt from which you came out, that you sow your seed and water with your foot as a vegetable garden. But the Land which you go to take it into possession is a land of mountains and valleys, by rain of heaven it drinks water.                                                        Deuteronomy 11:10 - 11

            On the face of it, the land of the Nile, having an abundance of water regardless of the amount of rain, has a tremendous advantage over the Land of Israel which is dependent upon rainfall.   Yet, our tradition sees the above verses as being praise of the Holy Land. Rashi, quoting the Midrash Sifrei, comments “the Land which you go into ... is not like the land of Egypt, rather better”. This comment seems surprising.

            In truth, dependence upon rain is actually dependence upon He who causes it to rain. The Egyptian, knowing that the Nile will provide water no matter what happens, does not have to maintain a direct and personal relationship with God. The farmer in Israel must pray for rain, and therefore he must maintain the direct and personal relationship with God. In this way, the Land of Israel is superior to the land of the Nile.

            Rabbi Yaakov haLevi Filber points out an additional dimension of the advantage of Israel, with its dependence upon rain over the land of the Nile.  In Egypt, each individual farmer drew his own water from the Nile (either through digging irrigation channels or using water wheels, which perhaps is the meaning of the phrase “and water with your foot”). Israel’s dependence upon rain means each farmer is equally dependent. The reality of Israel in effect forces each individual to see himself as part of the whole and inclines the People of Israel towards unity.

            The first of these points is clearly stated in Midrash Breishit Rabba [13:9], while the second is implied:

Rabbi Ḥanan of Zippori, quoting Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, says: for four reasons God chose to have the world drink from above (i.e. rain water, as opposed to the “mist [which] rose up from the earth, and watered the entire surface of the ground” [Genesis 2:6]). Because of the strong-armed (that the powerful not prevent the less powerful having access to water); to wash away the evil dew; so those who are higher will have access as well as the lower ones; as well, so all will raise their eyes to heaven (in prayer for sufficient rain).

The Welfare of All Nations

A Land constantly under God your Lord’s scrutiny, the eyes of God your Lord are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.                          Deuteronomy 11:12

            Or haḤayyim comments that the words “your Lord” seem superfluous and was inserted to teach that the quality of God’s scrutiny of the Holy Land is a function of Israel’s presence therein.

The praise of the Land is when God attached his Lordship specifically over Israel, however, when Israel is exiled from its Land and the Shechina is not within them, the praise of the Land is diminished.

            Rashi, in commenting on the verse quotes Midrash Sifrei:,

Is God’s scrutiny not over all lands, as it is written [Job 38:26] “To cause it to rain on a land where no man is?” Rather, as it were, He scrutinizes only her (the Holy Land), and through that scrutiny he looks after all other lands with her.

            Combining the two comments leads to the conclusion that the welfare of all nations requires that Israel be within its Land.

Partnership Agreement

Take heed lest you forget the Lord your God, not to keep His commandments and his social regulations and His statutes which I command you this day.                                    Deuteronomy 8:11

            Moses prepared the Israelites for a major transformation in their life style: no longer will God be feeding them directly, as He had done by providing manna for forty years. Upon entering their Land, Israel will be required to work hard for their food and sustenance. Yet Moses warns that the Children of Israel not lose sight of the fact that it is God Who helps them and crowns their toil with success. 

           My father explained that essentially Moses’ message is that there is a necessary partnership between man and God. Man’s efforts alone do not suffice, while if mortals do not do their share, God is unlikely to help them. The ultimate message is that man and God are partners in creation, and as with any true partnership, each partner must do his share in order to achieve success. Moses stresses that part of the partnership agreement is Israel’s obligation to fulfill mitzvot.

Grace and the Land

And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God for the good Land which He has given you.                                              Deuteronomy 8:10

         This verse presents the positive mitzva to say the Grace After Meals. The Torah mandates that the blessing be not merely for the food which one has eaten, but as well for the gift of the Land to the People of Israel, an obligation which applies universally, no matter whether a Jew says the Grace within the Land or the furthest reaches of the earth.

      My father explained that since our Sages taught [Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 10a] that the rest of the world is blessed through God’s continual looking after the Holy Land [Deuteronomy 11:12], wherever one’s food was grown, it has been blessed through the Land, hence, no matter where one finds himself, he must thank God for the Land when he says the Grace After Meals.

          Additionally, the command conveys the concept that the Land is eternally Israel’s, whether or not they are within her.

Nothing Lacking in the Land

A Land wherein you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack (lo techsar) anything in it, a Land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig brass.                 Deuteronomy 8:9

            Ba’al haTurim connect our verse’s use of the words “lo techsar” with that in I Kings 17:14:

For thus says the Lord God: the jar of flour shall not be spent, neither shall the cruse of oil fail (lo techsar), until the day the Lord sends rain upon the Land.

            My father explained that just as oil continued to flow from the jar for as long as the widow of Tzarfat continued to pour [v.16], so too our verse’s blessing is that as long as Israel works its Land, the Land will provide its bounty.

            Further, Ba’al haTurim notes that the final letter of the word “techsar” is written in a Torah scroll with decorative “crowns”, because the Land is “the beginning of the dust of the world” [Proverbs 8:26] (our Sages [Babylonian Talmud Ta’anit 10a] understood the verse to mean that the Holy Land is the dearest part of earth for God).

            My father noted that our Sages [ibid.] taught that it is through the blessing of the Land that the remainder of the world receives Divine blessing, and this, in turn can happen only when Israel is within the Land.

The Future and Contemporary Review

       In our parasha, Moses continues his review of the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness of Sinai. My father commented that the purpose of Moses’ review is not merely for the newer generation, which will enter the Land to know its history, but to learn from that history and know how to conduct themselves. In essence, the review is future – oriented. Indeed, Torah is not a history book, rather a guide which directs the life of the nation of Israel.

      Almost every verse in our Parasha has a direct bearing on our contemporary life, and teaches us what to do if and when we face obstacles. 

Material and Spiritual Life

And it shall come to pass, as the consequence of your hearing these ordinances, and carefully carrying them out, that the Lord your God will keep the covenant and the love with you that He swore to your fathers, and He will love you, and bless you and multiply you, and bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your soil, your corn, your wine and oil, and increase of your cattle and the riches of your sheep, in the Land which He swore unto your fathers to give you.                                              Deuteronomy 7:12-13

            My father noted that our verses are God’s explicit promise that as long as we observe His commandments and obey the laws of the Torah, He will keep the covenant He made with the people of Israel. The result will be great material reward. In truth, we should observe God’s law without expecting any reward. The greatest reward may be in the fact that we observe His law, are His servants and carry His flag. Nevertheless, God promises Israel great reward, not only spiritual, but also tangible reward for fulfillment of mitzvot.

            The Torah approach is that everything God created is for man’s benefit and pleasure. However, we must be aware that our material blessings come from the Almighty. Without Divine blessing, man’s efforts alone are insufficient, true blessing comes from the combination of man’s efforts and Providence, which is reflected in the Halachic requirement to recite a blessing before eating anything.

            While, indeed, man is a physical being, he possesses within himself the spirit of Godliness, having been sanctified by the Almighty Himself. Man realizes his personal sanctity to the extent that he fulfils his obligations to God and to fellow – men. Torah does not see sanctity as deriving from performance of miracles, but through observance of the Divine will. Indeed, fulfilling one’s duties to God and to man on a daily basis is much harder than performing a miracle once or twice in a lifetime.

            The Torah teaches that material and spiritual life go together and are interdependent. Spiritual life does not exist in a vacuum, detached from society, but necessarily and exclusively within society. A holy person is not a hermit who withdraws from society, but rather one who works for and within his society, to influence, improve and elevate his society.

Vestiges of the Holy Tongue

Bind (these words) as a sign on your hand, and let them be an emblem (totafot) in the center of your head.                               Deuteronomy 8:6 Rabbi Akiva maintains that the word totafot is composed of tot which means two in Katpi (perhaps the Coptic language) and fot which means two in Afriki (the language of North Africa).             Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 4b

            At first glance, Rabbi Akiva understands the meaning of the word “totafot” based upon two foreign words! It seems strange indeed that the Torah would abandon the Holy Tongue and use words borrowed from languages of the nations of the world. Rabbi Yehoshua ibn Shueib (c.1280 – 1340) phrases his astonishment at this possibility thus: “heaven forbid that we should learn about the holy mitzvot from the languages of the gentiles, or adduce proofs from their inferior tongues.”

            Rather, explains Rabbi ibn Shueib, the Holy Tongue is the primal language, the language of creation, and the sole language of all mankind until the generation of the Tower of Babel. When God “confused the world’s language” [Genesis 11:9] in response to the plan to build the tower, He taught each nation a different language and left the Holy Tongue for His nation Israel, albeit in diluted manner. Nonetheless, the Creator left vestiges of the Holy Tongue in each of the new languages He taught the nations of the world. Thus, Rabbi Akiva’s comment is to be understood that “tot” in the language of Katpi and “fot” in the language of Africa are words from the Holy Tongue which have been left in those languages.

            While Rabbi ibn Shueib’s comments are a reasonable explanation of Rabbi Akiva’s statement, the questions which beg asking are: Why did the Creator see fit to leave vestiges of the Holy Tongue within all languages and why did He choose to leave His people with a diminished version of the Holy Tongue?

            We can suggest that the Holy One, blessed be He, left hints both for the nations and for Israel. In leaving a small part of the Holy Tongue in every language, God hinted to the nations that they have the ability to achieve a higher level of sanctity, and indeed they should strive to advance themselves spiritually. For Israel, God’s flock, the message is a warning that we not satisfy ourselves with our current level of sanctity, thinking that we have maximized our spiritual development, rather we should always strive to reach the highest level possible. 

Righteous Vision

Please let me cross (the Jordan). Let me see the good land across the Jordan, the good mountain and the Lebanon.     Deuteronomy 3:25

            Thus Moses pleaded with God.

      The Kotzker Rebbi (1787-1859) notes that Moses’ phrasing seems redundant, for if he crosses the River Jordan, and enters western Eretz Yisrael, he will certainly see the Land. The Kotzker explains that Moses’ intention is to “see” the Land in its internal - spiritual dimension. It is possible to walk the length and breadth of the Land of Israel without ever seeing her. Even one who is involved in the study of Torah and fulfillment of mitzvot must pray that he be privileged to see the internal – spiritual Land.

            Two verses later, we read God’s response to the Master of all Prophets:

Climb up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and see with your eyes; for you shall not go over this Jordan.                                                                         Deuteronomy 3:27

         Here, as well, there are seemingly unnecessary words. As Alshikh phrases it, among the questions he raises on the verse: “Who does not understand that he (Moses) will see the Land only with his eyes?” What does the Torah add by including the words “see with your eyes?”

         Alshikh answers that the Torah stresses that Moses actually saw the Land with his own eyes, and not merely in a prophetic vision. Many of our classical commentators (among them, Abravanel, Or haḤayyim and Malbim) follow this approach. (Or haḤayyim [who died in 1743] adds that the words preclude the possibility that Moses used “the wisdom that allows bringing nearer that which is far away by visual means,” that is, Moses did not see the Land through a telescope!)

            It is perfectly clear that vision such as this, being able to see the entire Land of “four hundred parasangs” (a unit equal to approximately four kilometers [2.5 miles] square) [Otzar haMidrashim 366], cannot be natural. Indeed Rabbi Eliezer [Yalkut Shimoni, vaEtḥanan 823] states “(God) gave Moses eyes the ability to see from one end of the world to the other. (And so we see that righteous people have the ability to see from one end of the world to the other.)” That being the case, the question arises: why did God instruct Moses to ascend to the top of Pisgah? Surely, Moses would have been able to benefit from this super-human vision even if he were standing in a plain, or even in a valley. Alshikh explains that in order to benefit from this exceptional visual acuity, Moses himself had to act, to do his part, and only then would God bestow upon him the ability to see the entire Land.

            Concerning Rabbi Eliezer’s comment, Rabbi Kook related that during his enforced stay in London (during the First World War) he often visited the National Art Gallery and was especially impressed by Rembrandt’s use of light, which reminded Rabbi Kook of the Sages’ saying that when God created light it was so strong that one could see from one end of the world to the other, but G-d was afraid that the wicked might abuse it. What did He do? He reserved that light for the righteous (tzadikim) when the Messiah should come. Rabbi Kook concluded his comments on Rembrandt by saying: “But now and then there are great men who are blessed and privileged to see it. I think that Rembrandt was one of them, and the light in his pictures is the very light that was originally created by God Almighty.”

            If Rembrandt was gifted with the primal power of vision, it is not surprising that the Master of all Prophets was.

            The story is told that a man once came to the great kabbalist Rabbi Meir Abuḥatzeira and tearfully sought his help in locating his son who had disappeared. Rabbi Meir entered into a trance and drew a street map of London, marking a particular building and informing the father that his son will be found there. Indeed, Rabbi Meir was correct. Rabbi Meir’s attendant asked him if he had ever been to London, to which the rabbi answered in the negative. The attendant then asked Rabbi Meir to explain how he could have drawn the map for the father. Rabbi Meir answered, “we in the Abuḥatzeira family have always been most careful in the matter of purity of sight, and therefore, we have retained a portion of the primal vision of Adam. Thus, I was able to see the son in that house in London!”

Alternate Roads

            The parasha presents the Shem’a, the basic expression of faith of a Jew (so much so that, traditionally, if a Jew knows he is about to die, he recites Shem’a Yisrael as his final words). The second and third verses of Shem’a are:

And you shall love God, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all of your fortune. And these words which I command you this day shall be on your heart.                Deuteronomy 6:5 - 6

            Rashi, quoting the Midrash Sifrei, comments:

“What is the love (referred to in verse 5)? ‘these words which I command you ... shall be on your heart’, through this you will recognize  the Holy One blessed be He and cling to His ways. “ 

Thus, verse 6 complements and explains verse 5.

            Re’em (Rabbi Eliyahu Mizraḥi, 1450 - 1525) in his commentary on Rashi, quotes Maimonides, who writes:

What is the way to love God? When man ponders God’s acts and His great and wonderful creations, and sees in them His wisdom, which is unbounded, he will immediately love, praise and glorify Him and have a great desire to know the Great Name.

         Laws of the Fundamentals of Torah, 2:2

            Re’em understood the comments of Rashi and Maimonides to conflict with one another.

            My father explained that the approaches of Rashi and of Maimonides are not contradictory. Rather, these two giants of Torah present alternate roads to achieving love of God.

            One can recognize the greatness of the Creator through following His commands and clinging to His ways, as Rashi teaches.  The second road is presented by Maimonides: perceiving the beauty and order of God’s creation will bring one to realize that there is a Creator and to love Him.

The Spokes of the Israelite Hub

From there (the exile brought about by Israel’s sins) you (plural) will seek the Lord your God and you (singular) will find him if you search after Him with all your heart and all your soul.                                                    Deuteronomy 4:29

          The verse begins with the plural “you” and continues with the singular.

         Meshech Ḥochma comments that, ideally, the Congregation of Israel is, as it were, one single person, with each individual Israelite as a limb of that person. This ideal state can be realized only when the individuals remain connected to the true central source of life, the Creator. At such times, the People of Israel are as spokes coming out of a central hub. Each spoke is connected to all the others through the hub. However, when Israel breaks its connection with its Divine central point, necessarily the interconnection of the Jews with each other is dissolved. Thus, our verse begins with the plural form. As the result of Israel’s sins, the unity of the People has been broken. Once the Children of Israel return to God, they once again become as the limbs of a single body, and therefore the continuation of the verse uses the singular form.

The Exodus and the Land

And He brought us out from there, in order to bring us to the Land which He swore to our forefathers.                          Deuteronomy 6:23

          Our verse is quoted by our Sages, the authors of the Haggada, at the conclusion of the recitation (Maggid) of the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

          The simple meaning of the verse is that the purpose of the Exodus was not merely to free Israel from Egyptian bondage, but to bring the nation into its own Land.

          Netziv (Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin [1817 – 1893], Rosh Yeshiva of the great yeshiva of Volozhin) adds a significant dimension, explaining the verse’s intent thus: the Land is directly dependent upon Divine supervision (as our Sages taught, that God entrusted the supervision of all lands to his ministering angels, save the Holy Land, which He Himself supervises personally and continually), and therefore, the Land can be acquired only by subjugation to the Divine will, through fulfillment of the mitzvot.

          Thus, Netziv teaches that our verse conveys a challenge as well as a promise, or perhaps, more exactly, the verse presents a conditional promise.  

Faith Determining Reality

When he (Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai] reached the Romans he said to Vespasian: Peace to you, O king, peace to you, O king. Vespasian responded: Your life is forfeit on two counts, one because I am not a king and you call me king, and again, if I am a king, why did you not come to me before now? He replied: As for your saying that you are not a king, in truth you are a king, since if you were not a king Jerusalem would not be delivered into your hand, as it is written [Isaiah 10:34], “And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.” ‘Mighty one’ (is an epithet) applied only to a king, as it is written [Jeremiah 30:21], “And their mighty one shall be of themselves etc.”; and ‘Lebanon’ refers to the Sanctuary, as it says [Deuteronomy 3:25], “This goodly mountain and Lebanon.”            Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 56 a-b

Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe notes the greatness of Rabban Yoḥanan: he was so certain of the truth of the scripture that he did not hesitate to risk his life in appearing before Vespasian. Rabban Yoḥanan’s faith was so strong that he did not take “objective reality” into account. In essence, faith in God’s words created the only true reality for Rabban Yochanan.

Rabban Yoḥanan’s students’ student, Rabbi Akiva, too, reached the lofty level of faith which was achieved by his teachers' teacher, as the Talmud relates:

It happened again that they (Rabban Gamaliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Akiva) were going to Jerusalem, when they arrived at Mount Scopus, they tore their garments; and when they approached the Temple Mount and saw a fox running from the place where the Holy of Holies had been located, they began to weep; but Rabbi Akiva smiled. To their question why he smiled, he answered: It reads [Isaiah, 8:2]: “I will take for Me faithful witnesses, Uriyah the priest, and Zecharyahu, son of Yeverechyahu,” why is Uriyah conjoined with Zecharyahu? Was not the former at the first Temple and the latter at the second? It is because the passage bases the prophecy of Zecharyahu upon the prophecy of Uriyah. Uriyah said [Micha 3:12]: “Therefore for your sake Zion shall be ploughed up as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps..” Zechariah said [8:4]: “Again shall there sit old men and old women in the streets of Jerusalem…” Until the prophecy of Uriyah was not fulfilled I feared the prophecy of Zechariah will not come to be realized but now since I see that Uriyah’s prophecy is fulfilled I am sure that Zechariah’s prophecy will also be fulfilled in the near future. They said to him: Akiva, you have consoled us, you have consoled us!                                 Makot 24b

Rabbi Akiva did not ignore the destruction, as evidenced by the fact that he, along with his colleagues, tore their garments as a sign of mourning when they saw the Temple Mount from Mount Scopus. The greatness of Rabbi Akiva lies in the fact that the rebuilding of Jerusalem was as vivid and real for him as the destruction which he saw before his eyes.

It is fair to say that for such spiritual giants as Rabban Yoḥanan and Rabbi Akiva, it was faith which determined reality, and not the opposite.

While I do not have pretensions of reaching anywhere near the spiritual level of our Sages, to the extent that we have faith in the prophecies of comfort, we will hasten their fulfillment.

May we truly be comforted with the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Critical Mass for Rebuilding Jerusalem

Our Sages taught us that the Second Temple was destroyed because of “baseless hatred” among the Jews. Rabbi Kook taught us that Jerusalem will be rebuilt when we achieve the antidote, “baseless love,” that is, loving one another simply because we are all brothers and sisters.

Malbim has a detailed and systematic introduction to the Tabernacle and its vessels. Malbim explains that the divine will is for man to bring the Shechina down to earth which requires great spiritual power. Our forefathers began the process, but we do not have the requisite spiritual strength because each of us possesses but a spark of spiritual energy. But just as combining ten candles yields ten times the light of a single candle, so too combining the sparks of spiritual energy yields a much greater level of spiritual energy. Thus, our Sages commented that the Shechina cannot rest on fewer than 22,000 Jews. In their divinely inspired wisdom, our Sages understood that 22,000 is the critical mass.

This point is reflected in the Halacha as well. When ten adult Jews say the grace after meals together, the zimun adds the words nevarech l’Eloheinu. When one hundred Jews say the Grace, the wording is changed, as it is if ten thousand join together for the Grace. The Halacha reflects the fact that the more Jews who are gathered together, the higher the level of spiritual energy. Therefore, the Tabernacle could be built in the desert because there were six-hundred thousand Jews. As Malbim states: “when six hundred thousand souls gather and unite and kindle six hundred thousand (spiritual) candles, this number includes all the spiritual light and splendor which can be found. Then it is possible to bring the Divine down (to Earth) in all its glory, grandeur and magnificence.”

Malbim’s comments allow us to understand why “baseless hatred” was the source of the destruction. Once there was hatred among the Jewish People, there was disunity. Hence, we no longer maintained the necessary aggregate spiritual power to keep the Shechina among us, and the Temple’s destruction became inevitable.

This Shabbat begins the series of seven Shabbatot leading up to Rosh haShana which is known as “Sheva d’Nechemta,” the seven Shabbatot of comfort. We have the right to take comfort if we are striving towards achieving Jewish unity and thereby doing our part to hasten the rebuilding of the Temple.

The Human Landscape of the Future

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.                                                       Isaiah 40:4

When the prophets speak of the Messianic era, they talk of an age of beauty. Isaiah does not envision a flat world, with no Grand Canyon and no Rocky Mountains, a monotonous planet, deprived of the beauty of nature. Rather, Isaiah refers to the human landscape, and visualizes a time of social justice and true equality. The mountains and valleys of nature will remain, but there will be a leveling off among people, with no one thinking of himself as higher than his fellow man, nor will any person see himself on a lower stage than others, which will change human nature to establish the true and lasting equality of Mankind.

From my father’s writings

Speaking to the Heart

Isaiah’s declaration “Comfort ye, comfort ye” is the commencement of the “Consolations of Isaiah” (Maimonides’ phrase [Laws of Prayer 13:19]) as well as the first haftara of the “Seven of Consolation.”

Isaiah’s prophecy calls to “speak to the heart of Jerusalem” [verse 2], and Midrash Pesikta Rabbati [33] comments:

Israel sinned with their hearts, as the verse states: “they made their hearts as an adamant stone” [Zecharya 7:12], (therefore) their hearts were punished, as the verse says: “my sighs are many and my heart is faint” [Lamentations 1:22] and their hearts shall be comforted, as the verse states: “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.”                                               Isaiah 40:2

The Midrash teaches that the imperative “speak to the heart of Jerusalem” is the direct rectification, measure for measure, of the “sin of the heart” and the direct consolation of the “faint heart.”

There are commentators who understand Isaiah’s prophecy to refer to the final consolation of Jerusalem, which we eagerly await. Our Sages taught that the Second Temple was destroyed as the result of “baseless hatred” [Babylonian Talmud Yoma 9b], that is, sins within man’s heart [as opposed to the overt and active sins of bloodshed, idolatry and adultery, which brought about the destruction of the First Temple].

Thus, Isaiah hints that the consolation of Jerusalem depends upon rectifying her heart. (It is significant that among our classical commentators, there are those who see “Jerusalem” here serving as a symbol for the Assembly of Israel. [Amos Ḥacham, Da’at Mikra]) One who delves into this prophecy will understand that when Israel rectifies its sins of the heart, then we will be privileged to see Jerusalem’s consolation and be doubly comforted.

Based upon this exposition, Isaiah’s first prophecy of consolation hints at Rabbi Kook’s comment:

Given that we were destroyed, and the entire world with us, as the result of “unfounded hatred,” we will merit being rebuilt, and the world with us, through “unbounded love.”

Without in any way minimizing my tremendous respect for Rabbi Kook, I believe his above comment already was stated in a prophecy of Zecharya [8:18]:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month (17 Tammuz), and the fast of the fifth (9 Av), and the fast of the seventh (Fast of Gedalya), and the fast of the tenth (10 Tevet), shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful seasons; therefore love truth and peace.

The classical commentators explain that the final phrase “therefore love truth and peace” constitutes the condition for fulfillment of the prophecy: the four fast days associated with Jerusalem’s destruction will become festive days when Israel achieves the level of loving truth and peace. On the simplest [and truest] level, “peace” refers to interpersonal relations (bein adam l’ ḥavero). Seen as such, Zecharya’s prophecy is indeed identical to Rabbi Kook’s comment.

We can add that both our Sages’ comment on “baseless hatred” as the cause of the second destruction and Rabbi Kook/Zecharya’s comment flow from the same principle: since Jerusalem’s destiny and purpose is to unite the People of Israel, once she became the focus of hatred within the nation, Jerusalem ceased being herself, and the destruction became inevitable. Equally, when we bring Jerusalem to realize her destiny, through “unbounded love,” the rebuilding of the Holy City will be inevitable.

Pleading for Comfort

Parashat vaEtḥanan is always read on Shabbat Naḥamu, the Shabbat following Tisha b'Av. The name derives from the opening words of the haftara: Naḥamu Naḥamu ami "comfort ye, comfort ye, My people" [Isaiah 40:1]

There is a substantive connection between the beginning of Parashat vaEtḥanan and Naḥamu. The parasha opens with Moses pleading with God to be allowed to cross the River Jordan and enter western Eretz Yisrael. As our Sages noted, Moses did not desire to enter the Land to eat of its fruit, but rather to be able to fulfill those mitzvot which apply only in the Land. Malbim rephrases the words of our Sages: Moses wished to enter the Land because it is ripe for the highest level of sanctity and there Moses would be able to achieve a higher level of spiritual perfection.

The sin of the spies was the People's failure to appreciate the unique Divine providence over the Land. Ten of the twelve spies presented a negative report, concluding that the Israelites could not capture the Land. Only Caleb and Joshua submitted a report concluding that the Children of Israel will be able to enter and capture the Land with God’s help. On the face of it, the People were right to accept the majority report, especially since it was an overwhelming majority. However, accepting the majority report constituted rejection of God's promise to bring the Children of Israel into the Land. Therefore, accepting the majority report indeed constituted a grave sin.

Tisha b'Av became the darkest date in Jewish history because it was the day on which the Children of Israel rejected the Land in its spiritual aspect. Moses' desire to enter the Land, motivated as it was by a full appreciation of its spiritual advantage, represents compensation for the sin of the spies and rectification of that sin.

If we collectively apply the lesson of Moses and learn to understand and appreciate the spiritual uniqueness of the Land, we will be doing our part to achieve the comfort which Isaiah prophesied. VaEtḥanan is the repentance which leads to Naḥamu.

Sins: Revealed and Not

Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar both say: The former ones (the generation of the destruction of the First Temple) whose sin was revealed had their end revealed, the latter ones (the generation of the destruction of the Second Temple) whose sin was not revealed have their end still unrevealed.              Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 9b

            Rashi explains that the sins which brought about the destruction of the First Temple, idolatry, murder and adultery, were “revealed” and committed openly, hence God “revealed their end,” announcing in advance that the first exile will last seventy years [Jeremiah 29:10]. However, the “latter ones” caused the destruction of the Second Temple through “baseless hatred” (sin’at ḥinam), a sin which was committed in secret, within ones heart, hence God kept secret the end of the second exile.

            My saintly teacher, Rabbi Mordechai Rogov, added an additional aspect of the distinction between the sins which brought about the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Concerning the three (cardinal) sins which caused the first destruction, the sinner cannot rationalize or convince himself that he has not sinned, it is clear to all, even to the sinner himself, that a grievous sin has been committed. Therefore, these sins leave open the path of repentance, through reflection on the great evil which has been done. However, concerning sin’at ḥinam, it is quite easy for the sinner to rationalize his hatred and convince himself that he has not sinned (and even perhaps that he is performing a mitzva). Because this sin was not revealed, that is, the sinners did not recognize nor acknowledge their sin, God did not reveal their end.

            We can add that our generation is in a situation similar to that of the generation of the Second Temple’s destruction, and we therefore are delaying our own redemption.

Israel's Journey of Self-fulfillment

Turn you and journey forth and go into the mountains of the Amorites and to all its neighbors, in the plain, in the highland and in the lowland and in the south and by the sea coast, the land of the Canaanites and the Lebanon , as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.           Deuteronomy 1:7

            Alshikh comments that every human being's spiritual roots are connected to the Shechinah, which, as it were, is above the Land of Israel. Therefore, when a Jew is outside the Holy Land, on some level he is separated from his (spiritual) roots and internally divided, and when a Jew reaches Israel, he comes closer to his roots. Thus, a Jew's journey to Israel is a journey towards his spiritual self and his essence.

            Thus, the Torah's wording is "s'oo lachem", which literally means "journey to yourselves", that is, it is to your own selves that you will travel when you journey to the Land, for your spiritual roots are there. For this reason, our verse continues "u'v'ou" ("come"), rather than "lechoo" ("go"), for a Jew's journey to the Land is as one who comes home, who returns to his essence.

            Alshikh offered the same explanation of God’s instructions to Abram: “lech l’cha” (literally “go to yourself”): Abram’s journey to the Land was a journey of self-fulfillment, he could not realize his full spiritual potential until he came into the Land. So it is with Abraham’s descendants.