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TORAT MIZRACHI
                                                                                            T ORA   T MIZRA   CHI


                                                                                    Rabbi Doron Perez
                                                                                    R
                                                                                      abbi Doron P
                                                                                                    erez













                                e Covenant





         e Extraordinary Relationship Between a People and a Land






          s there another people on earth who   one is the ה ָ לי ִ מ תי ִ ר ְּ ב, the Covenant of   As Rabbi Sacks zt”l defines it:
          has a deeper relationship with and   Circumcision, where G-d commits
      Istronger claim to a tract of land,   himself to a number of things: to make   “Covenant occurs when two individ-
       than the Jewish people’s claim to the   Abram’s progeny into a great people, to   uals or groups, differing perhaps in
       Land of Israel? This relationship is a   change his name to Avraham, meaning   power,  but  each acknowledging  the
       deeply spiritual one and expresses itself   a father of many nations, and then two   integrity and sovereignty of the other,
       in four convincing claims – religious,   everlasting pledges – to be a G-d to him   pledge themselves in mutual loyalty
       historical, moral and legal.         and his people and to grant them the   to achieve together what neither can
                                            Land as an eternal inheritance.      achieve alone... A covenant is not a
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       All are rooted in a powerful paradigm,                                    contract. It differs in three respects.
       in one of the most transformational   To understand the meaning of this con-  It is not limited to specific conditions
       and revolutionary concepts in all of   nection, we need to understand what   and circumstances. It is open-ended
       religious history – תי ִ ר ְּ ב, covenant.   a covenant is. Let us first distinguish   and long-lasting. And it is not based
                                            between two similar yet very different   on the idea of two individuals, other-
       Covenant                             types of agreements, a covenant and a   wise unconnected, pursuing personal
                                            contract.
       From a spiritual point of view, the rela-                                 advantage. It is about the ‘we’ that gives
       tionship between the Jewish people and   Contract or Covenant             identity to the ‘I’.  There is a place for
       the Land is unique in that it is presented                                contracts, but covenants are prior and
       in the form of a Divine Covenant. It is   A contract is when both sides enter into   more fundamental.  They form the
       quite remarkable that G-d initiates and   an agreement because it is mutually   matrix of mutuality within which con-
       enters into covenants with his creations.   beneficial. When the agendas align to   tractual relationships can exist. 3
                                            the extent that the agreement can serve
       The first such covenant G-d makes    both parties, a contract is signed.   The Religious Claim
       with humanity is after the flood – a
       Divine commitment never to destroy   A covenant goes much deeper. It is not   It is this type of relationship which G-d
       the world again. Then with Avraham   based on interests but on shared values.   created between the Jewish people and
       Avinu, He makes two covenants, both   It is not built on what each party can get   the Land. A covenant not dependent on
       about granting the Land of Israel to   but on what each party ought to give.   any conditions or circumstances. A cov-
       his (and His) children. The first one is   It is not based on personal gain but on   enant unlimited by time and one which
       known as םי ִ ר ָ ת ְּ ב ַ ה ןי ֵּ ב תי ִ ר ְּ ב, the Covenant   a greater good, where the goal is best   is built on a fundamental relationship
       of the Pieces, which is exclusively about   served by the sum total of the parties   rooted in the spiritual mission and
       this: “On that day, G-d made a covenant   entering into the agreement.    destiny of the world and of the Jewish
       with Abram saying, to your descendants   A contract is about Me and You, a cov-  people in particular. It is for this reason
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       have I given this Land…”  The second   enant is about Us and We.          our Sages have framed the relationship
                                                                                                   Continued on page 4




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