Torat Eretz Yisrael: An Everlasting Gift

In the second perek of פרשת בראשית, Pasuk יב, the Torah reads,

      “וּֽזְהַ֛ב הָאָ֥רֶץ הַהִ֖וא ט֑וֹב שָׁ֥ם הַבְּדֹ֖לַח וְאֶ֥בֶן הַשֹּֽׁהַם׃” 

“And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the shoham stone:”

Why do we need to know about the gold in the land even before the creation of Hashem of Adam and Chava? Bereshit Rabbah extrapolates that this is referring to Eretz Yisrael, and the gold that is being referred to is not actually gold, but rather to Torah itself.  

Rav Kook explains in Orot HaTorah that there is nothing like Torat Eretz Yisrael, and it uses a much more holistic approach to governing the Jewish people, connecting the details found in Torat Galut with the governing principles of those details. We must demonstrate the true depth of the mitzvot given to us by Hashem, complementing them with the Kabbalistic arm of the Torah.

Rav Kook asserts that the Jewish nation can achieve its national destiny through Torah study, mitzvah performance, Zionism, and cultural activity. Torat Galut concentrates on improving the individual’s spiritual nature, while Torat Eretz Yisrael concerns the spiritual needs of a nation that makes Kiddushei Hashem through its words and actions. 

As Rav Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l shared, “The premise of the Torah is that God must be found somewhere in particular if He is to be found everywhere in general”.  That somewhere is Eretz Yisrael.

This past Thursday night and Friday, we commemorated the first yahrtzeit of October 7th: Shabbat HaSchorah, the Black Shabbat, a day that nobody will ever forget.  

Capt. Yaron Eliezer Chitiz (Photo courtesy of World Mizrachi)

One of the Chayalim who has fallen in the war being fought since this dreadful date is Yaron Chitiz HY”D. He was only 23 when he fell. In a letter Yaron HY”D wrote on his phone and was later given to his family members to read, he wrote, “I feel privileged to take part in the defense of our special and fantastic country. I feel part of the history that is being written now of the state of Israel. Mom, Dad, Doron, Daniel, Dovi, Yaeli, thank you for educating me about sanctifying G-d, and kindness and love for the land. It’s thanks to all of you. If it wasn’t for the crazy family you are, who raised me and didn’t give up on me, and raised me on values and love for the country, I wouldn’t be where I am now!” 

Yaron’s connection to Eretz Yisrael and values that reflect this is the epitome of Torat Eretz Yisrael: A connection to the Land propelled Yaron to feel a sense of immense joy and courage when he went into battle. 

My connection to October 7th stems from a fellow native of my hometown, Omer Neutra. Omer, an accepted student at Binghamton, decided to defer his acceptance to Binghamton to attend Mechinat Galil Elyon. There, Omer strengthened his sense of Torat Eretz Yisrael and decided to stay in Israel after the year was over to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier. Omer, whose grandparents are survivors of the Shoah, knew that the most important thing was for him to stay in Israel and protect Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael.  

It would be difficult to overlook the tremendous Kiddushei HaShem that Am Yisrael became in the weeks and months after October 7th. On October 8th, Israelis began to line up along highways as IDF vehicles made their way to the frontlines and handed out food, clothing, and other supplies to the Chayallim. Israelis who were evacuated to hotels were welcomed with open arms by locals who offered to help the almost 68,000 Israelis with anything they needed help with. Some helped by washing the laundry of evacuated families, others pitched in by acclimating Israeli children to schools, and others worked together to feed the wives, husbands, and children of Miluinikim. All of these examples demonstrate the principles of Torat Eretz Yisrael that can be found in this very parsha that we will read this week.