The great Sages would kiss the borders of Eretz Yisrael, kiss
its stones, and roll in its dust. Similarly, the verse states: “For Your
servants hold her stones dear and cherish her dust.” [Psalms 102:15] Maimonides Laws of Kings 5:10
Maimonides’ source is the stories
related in the Babylonian Talmud at the end of Tractate Ketubot:
Rabbi Abba would kiss the rocks of Akko … Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Gamda would
roll in the dust of the Land, as it is stated: “For Your servants hold her
stones dear and cherish her dust.” Ketubot 112b
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed expresses surprise that
Maimonides included the stories of the “Great Sages” in his halachic work,
since “their apparent place is in works of morals.” Rabbi Melamed explains that
Maimonides intention is to teach that it is not sufficient to “live within the
Land and understand its value and virtues, one must also love our good and holy
Land.” That is, the stories in fact convey a practical halacha.
Rabbi Yehuda haLevi
concludes his philosophical magnum opus by stressing the practical implication
of the verse from Psalms:
It is written: “You will arise and have compassion on
Zion, for it is time to show favor to her- the appointed time has come. For
Your servants hold her stones dear and cherish her dust.” [Psalms 102:14-15]
This means that Jerusalem can only be rebuilt when Israel yearns for it to such
an extent that they embrace her stones and dust. Kuzari
5:27
When the people of Israel demonstrate their love for Jerusalem, the Holy
City will be rebuilt.
Based upon
Maimonides’ codification and upon the words of Rabbi Yehuda haLevi, we can
understand that the obligation is not only to love the Holy Land and the Holy
City, but to actively demonstrate that love.
Ḥassidic Master Rabbi
Avraham Mordechai Alter of Gur notes that counter to his typical style, Rashi
on the Talmudic statements merely quotes the full verse from Psalms, without
adding a single word of commentary. Rabbi Alter comments that it is that which Rashi
left out which gives meaning to his commentary. Rashi omits the introductory
Talmud’s comment “as it is stated.” In so doing, Rashi hints that the Sages’
motivation lay not in the fact that they found a verse which taught that they
should kiss the stones of the Land or roll in its dust, but their personal need
to express love for the Holy Land.
Alshikh, who did not
see Jewish independence within the Land, adds another dimension:
“Hold her stones dear:” this is true now, when the stones
are destroyed, burnt and strewn all around, yet they are dear because they
belong to the Land. “And cherish her dust:” – which is scorched by the fire of
destruction.
How much more so is
our generation, which has been privileged to see Israel return to its Land and
rebuild her, obligated to hold her stones dear and cherish her dust, and as
Alshikh comments, to use those stones and dust to rebuild the House of God.
Based upon Malbim’s
elucidation of the verse, we can understand that by holding dear the Land’s
stones and cherishing her dust, we have the power to rectify the sin of the
spies, which was despising the Promised Land.
We have the power to
return greatness to our holy Land, as the Midrash states:
When will God return greatness to the Land? When (the
Israelites) take her stones and dust and kiss them, as the verse states: “For
Your servants hold her stones dear and cherish her dust.”
Midrashic
Selections from the Genizah
It is within our
grasp and it is our obligation.
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