Eikev 5771

This shabbat will bH be my last shabbat as a ben chutz laaretz. In a few more days I will be leaving to eretz yisrael. I would just like to thank you all so much for joining my divrei torah list, whether you read them weekly or once in a blue moon, it means a lot to me. It has almost been two full years since I started writing these weekly (at it was more like daily...) and I hope to continue in eretz yisrael, if it is possible. I will miss you all.

On the theme of eretz yisrael, I couldn't really resist...

This week's parsha (11:12) Moshe tells the Jews that eretz yisrael is "the land that Hashem your God looks after it,constantly the eyes of Hashem your God are on it, from the beginning of the year until the end."

The midrash asks (Sifri 40) "But doesn't [Hashem] looks after all of the lands?... Rather it is as if it is the only land that is watched over and by watching over it, this watching covers the other lands with it.

The Ramban explains here that everything comes from this land and all other lands get their sustenance from eretz yisrael.

At this point the Jews were afraid of leaving the midbar, where they got so used to constantly being with Hashem. First, Moshe told the Jews that this land is much greater than the land of mitrziam that they left behind. Then, he mentioned that eretz yisrael is constantly under the watchful eye of Hashem, and that the land is constantly dependent on Hashem for water.

All lands, excluding eretz yisrael, are controlled by angels, but eretz yisrael is controlled completely by Hashem.

Later in this week's parsha (11:18) the Ramban explains that the main place to do mitzvot is in eretz yisrael as it says (11:21) "So that your days and the days of your children will be many on the land..." (The last pasuk of the second paragraph of Shema)

May we all be zoche to meet in eretz yisrael!

Next week in Yerushaliam, Have a good Shabbat!