Seven Versus Seven

And I have come down to take them out of the hands of the Egyptians, guiding them out of that land into a good and spacious Land, into a Land flowing milk and honey; into the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.                                           Exodus 3:8

            Rebbi Natan, the disciple and successor of Rebbi Naḥman of Braslav, comments that the seven nations of Canaan (of whom only six are mentioned in our verse) hide the sanctity of the Land:

They cover the sanctity of the Land of Israel, hiding the savor of the Land’s sanctity and keeping it secret.

It is our responsibility to reveal the Land’s sanctity.

            The seven nations of Canaan stand opposite the seven species for which the Torah praises the Land:

For the essential praise (of the Land of Israel) is that it is from her that the sublime grace emanates, which is the source of the taste of these fruits. Therefore, in opposition to the seven fruits which convey the praise of the Land, stand the seven Canaanite nations, who prevent the expression of Land’s quality.

            That is, the physical taste of the fruits of the Land of Israel express the Land’s sanctity.

            Based upon this thought, Rebbi Natan explains the wording of our verse:  “guiding them out of that land … into a Land flowing milk and honey; into the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite:”

For the matters are inter-dependent, since in order to conquer and overcome the seven nations, it is necessary to believe in the Land’s praise that it a Land flowing milk and honey; that is, that it exudes the sublime grace, which is the source of the sweetness of the seven species. It is through this appreciation that it is possible to subjugate and conquer all the seven nations, who represent the deterrents to realizing the sanctity of the Land, for the main deterrent is the failure to feel the Land’s sanctity.

            In order to overcome “Canaaniteness” and turn the land of Canaan into the Land of Israel, to reveal the spiritual facet of the Land and its sanctity, it is necessary to appreciate the Land in its physical level, and to understand that the Land’s material aspect expresses her spirituality.