Entering the Land: Necessary Conditions

And it shall be, when you come into the Land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and possess it, and dwell therein.     Deuteronomy 26:1

            The previous Parasha, Ki Teitzei, ends with the mitzva to remember and to wipe out Amalek.

      My father noted our Sages' teaching that there were three requirements upon entering the Land of Israel: appointing a king, wiping out Amalek and building the Temple. This explains the connection between the two parashot. Since the mitzva of wiping out Amalek is dependent upon Israel's entering its Land, it is followed immediately by the words "And it will be when you come into the Land". Netziv comments that the mitzva incumbent upon Israel is to destroy the kingdom of Amalek. In essence, Israel's nationhood is the prerequisite for destroying Amalek's nationhood. Quite clearly, Israel's nationhood depends upon entering its Land.

    While entering the Land is a necessary condition for Israel's nationhood, it is not a sufficient condition. The second necessary component of Israel's nationhood is Torah. Sfat Emet, noting that Amalek's unprovoked attack on the Israelites preceded the revelation at Mount Sinai, understands that Amalek's motivation was to prevent Israel from accepting the Torah. Thus, Israel's nationhood and that of Amalek are mutually contradictory, and upon achieving its nationhood, Israel was commanded to eradicate that of Amalek.