Page 46 - HaMizrachi Tu BiShvat 5782 - USA

CHASSIDUT

The Land that

“Eats” its Inhabitants

Shoshana Judelman

s a child, the Seer of Lublin, many funerals and mistakenly con- He explains that when we eat food, it
Rabbi Ya’akov Yitzchak cluded the Land was an ָהי ֶב ׁשֹוי ת ֶל ֶכֹא ץ ֶר ֶא becomes a part of us. The food itself is
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Horowitz, used to go into או ִה, “a land that consumes its inhabi- transformed and elevated, remade as
A the forests to daven. When tants,” draining them of their life force cells of our bodies.
his father asked him why this was nec- (Bemidbar 13:32). Rashi explains that The same is true of Eretz Yisrael and
essary, he answered, “I go to find G-d.” Hashem caused these deaths so that the
“But my son,” said his father, “G-d is the Canaanites would be preoccupied with the Jewish people. When we describe
Eretz Yisrael as “a land that consumes
same everywhere.” “He is,” responded burying their loved ones and wouldn’t its inhabitants,” it means that when
the boy, “but I am not.” pay attention to the spies. But instead we enter Eretz Yisrael, we become one
And neither are we. of appreciating Hashem’s kindness, the with the land. We are elevated and per-
spies came to the opposite conclusion, meated by the essence of Eretz Yisrael
The very first thing Hashem ever said that Hashem had brought His people to until we are transformed into the same
to Avraham Avinu was, “Go forth from a land that would destroy them.
your native land... to the land that I holy substance. Yes, living in Eretz Yis-
rael challenges us, but it doesn’t drain
will show you.” From this point on, Although the spies were terribly wrong,
every promise Hashem makes to the their report contained some truth. us of life; it nourishes us and elevates us
through the most profound connection.
forefathers includes the guarantee of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai teaches that
Eretz Yisrael. In fact, throughout the Hashem gave the Jewish People three This connection enables us to cultivate
Torah, the goal is clear – Am Yisrael is gifts: The Land of Israel, the Torah, a level of faith that we cannot other-
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destined to be in Eretz Yisrael. As Rabbi and the World to Come – but that all wise reach. ה ָנּומ ֱא ה ֵע ְרּו ץ ֶר ֶא ן ָכ ׁש, “dwelling
Yehudah HaLevi writes in the Kuzari, three can only be acquired through in the land nourishes faith” (Tehillim
the Jewish people in the Land of Israel suffering (Berachot 5a). Anyone who 37:3). Faith gives us the energy and
are like a vineyard planted in the per- has made Aliyah can attest to the truth courage to keep going. Every minute we
fect mountain soil. Grapes can grow in of this statement. To build a new life in spend in Eretz Yisrael pushes us beyond
many places, but only in certain envi- Israel, new olim must not only navigate our previous limits, growing our capac-
ronments can they reach their greatest complicated paperwork and frustrat- ity for connection and empowering us
potential. The same is true of Am Yisrael. ing bureaucracy but also conquer their to explore our potential.
Only through living in and connecting fears and anxieties. But this “suffer- May we find the courage to embrace
to Eretz Yisrael can we fully develop ing” benefits us in the long run, for it is the challenge of Eretz Yisrael and be
our promise. human nature only to appreciate what transformed by the Holy Land!
we work hard to acquire. If something
When Am Yisrael reached the borders comes too easily, we don’t value it.
of the Land for the first time, they sent
spies to gather information about the Is the Land of Israel the ideal place to Shoshana Judelman teaches Chassidut for
Holy Land. Tragically, the spies allowed reach our potential or the “Land that Shiviti Women’s Institute in Jerusalem and
(PHOTO: RABBI ALEX ISRAEL) their negative report tainted the Jewish Rebbe Nachman interprets the spies’ guides at Yad Vashem. Shoshana holds a BA in
eats its inhabitants”?
in the Shirat David Community in Efrat, and
their fears to overwhelm them and
History and an MA in Jewish History. She lived
people’s view of this Holy Land.
statement in a startlingly original
around the world, including in New Jersey,
way, empowering us to integrate
Where did the spies go wrong? They
Western Australia and Pennsylvania before
these seemingly opposite perceptions.
saw the people of Canaan attending
settling in Israel in 2013.

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