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THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND RAV KOOK’S TEACHINGS

Rabbi Chanan Morrison

Our Ties to the

Land of Israel

fter King David brought the – and Eretz Yisrael. This is our special sphere of occupation, building up the
Holy Ark to Jerusalem, he com- portion in the Land. Land in some material or spiritual
Amanded the Levites to play their 1 fashion.
lyres and harps and sing G-d’s praises. In a 1906 letter, Rav Kook discussed
He instructed them to thank G-d for the nature of this personal connection Specific Connection
His many kindnesses, including the to Eretz Yisrael. The special distinc- and Eternal Ties
tion of Jerusalem, the great mitzvah
ָ
special gift of Eretz Yisrael: ת ֶ א ן ֵּ ת ֶ א ך ְ ל to live there and develop the city, is This is the meaning of David’s com-
ם ֶ כ ְ ת ַ ל ֲ חַנ ל ֶ ב ֶ ח ן ַ עָנ ְּ כ ץ ֶ ר ֶ א.
well known. But if this is the case, mand. The verse starts with the indi-
“[G-d] established it to Ya’akov as a why do we find lofty tzadikim who vidual level: “to each of you I give
statute, an eternal covenant to Israel, chose to live in other cities in Israel? the Land.” It then adds the national
saying: To each of you I give the land Why don’t they all make their home level: “the portion of your [collective]
of Canaan, the portion of your inher- in Jerusalem? inheritance.” Our bonds to the Land
itance” (Tehillim 105:10–11; Divrei Rav Kook answered that every loca- of Israel include our own personal
HaYamim 16:17–18). connection to the Land as well as the
tion in Israel has its own unique holi- nation’s eternal ties.
The Hebrew text contains a gram- ness. As an example, Rav Kook noted
matical difficulty not apparent in the some of the special spiritual qualities This double connection is also
translation. The verse opens with of Jaffa (where he then served as Chief reflected in the phrase ם ֶ כ ְ ת ַ ל ֲ חַנ ל ֶ ב ֶ ח,
G-d’s promise to give each individ- Rabbi): the place where the prophet “the portion of your inheritance.” This
ual (ך ְ ל, in the singular) a portion of Jonah visited, and its role in the con- phrase appears to be self-contradic-
the Land of Israel. But the verse con- struction of Solomon’s Temple. tory, for chevel means a set, measured
cludes by referring to the Land of area of land, while the word nachala
Background illustration of Rav Kook courtesy of www.gedolimcanvas.com
Israel as ם ֶ כ ְ ת ַ ל ֲ חַנ, using the plural “you” “Jerusalem is highly cherished, its indicates an eternal inheritance for all
– your collective inheritance. holiness is an overall holiness, and times. Is our inheritance both mea-
its settlement takes precedence [over sured and boundless?
Why this switch from singular to other places in the Land of Israel].
plural? Nevertheless, each tzadik perceived In fact, our ties to Eretz Yisrael
encompass both aspects. We have
in his distinct inner soul that he a specific portion in the Land, our
Two Connections belonged to the particular holiness chevel, according to our unique
Rav Kook explained that we connect associated with a certain location, so soul-qualities. And we share eternal
to the Land of Israel on two levels. he established his residence there.” bonds to the Land, our nachala, as
Our first connection is through the Rav Kook added that this was cer- members of the Jewish people, party
ties that connect the Jewish people as tainly true for the various tribes of to G-d’s “eternal covenant with Israel.”
a whole to the Land of Israel. This is Israel. Each tribe was prophetically Adapted from Olat Re’iyah vol. I, p. 203.
an eternal bond for all generations. assigned an area in Eretz Yisrael that
But there exists an additional layer: corresponded to its own unique spir-
the special connection between each itual qualities. 1 Igrot HaRe’iyah I, p. 35.
individual Jew and the Land of Israel. Of course, our special ties to the Land
There is a distinct match between of Israel do not have to be expressed Rabbi Chanan Morrison is the author
each individual – according to his or geographically. We may find our con- of several books on Rav Kook’s
her unique talents and soul-qualities nection to Eretz Yisrael in a particular writings.

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