HRH Prince Charles was recently on
his first official state visit to Israel.
One of the highlights of his trip was a reception held at the residence
of the British Ambassador. The
Ambassador invited a number of world-renowned Israeli scientists and business
leaders to the dinner, each of whom dazzled His Royal Highness with
cutting-edge technological advances and business processes forming the
foundation of many of our systems today and for the years ahead.
Following the event, Prince Charles
marvelled at Israel’s “riveting developments and ingenious inventions” and
commented, “It seems to me like Israeli genius is maintaining the entire
structure of the NHS (Britain’s National Health Service), along with a great
deal of other technology.”
Meanwhile, just down the road at
the Mir Yeshiva, over eight thousand students were returning to the study hall
for their evening seder (schedule of learning). Some closed their sefarim (holy books)
just after 10pm, others continued to plumb the depths of the Talmud until the
wee hours of the morning . . .
רַב חִסְדָּא וְרַב
הַמְנוּנָא הֲווֹ יָתְבִי בִּסְעוֹדְתָּא. אַיְיתוֹ לְקַמַּיְיהוּ תַּמְרֵי
וְרִמּוֹנֵי, שְׁקַל רַב הַמְנוּנָא, בָּרֵיךְ אַתַּמְרֵי בְּרֵישָׁא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ
רַב חִסְדָּא: לָא סָבַר לַהּ מָר לְהָא דְּאָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף, וְאִיתֵּימָא רַבִּי
יִצְחָק: כׇּל הַמּוּקְדָּם בְּפָסוּק זֶה קוֹדֵם לִבְרָכָה? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: זֶה
שֵׁנִי ״לְאֶרֶץ״, וְזֶה חֲמִישִׁי ״לְאֶרֶץ״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מַאן יָהֵיב לַן
נִגְרֵי דְפַרְזְלָא וּנְשַׁמְּעִינָּךְ.
The Torah (Deut.8:8) calls Israel, "a land of wheat, barley,
grapevines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and date-honey."
Rav Chisda and Rav Hamnuna were having lunch together. They were served
dates and pomegranates. Rav Hamnuna took and recited a blessing over the dates
first. Rav Chisda said to him, 'Does the master not accept that which Rav
Yosef, and some say Rabbi Yitzcḥak, said: Each food that precedes the others in
the verse precedes the others in terms of blessing as well?' Rav Hamnuna said to him, 'This, the date, is
mentioned second to the word ‘land’ in the verse, and this, the pomegranate, is
fifth to the word land.' Rav Chisda said to him, 'O that we would be given iron
legs so that we would be attentive to you.'
The Torah describes seven special species of the Land of Israel. The verse, however, is separated into two
parts, the first mention of ‘land’ lists five of the species, while the second
‘land’ contains two of the species.
According to Rav Hamnuna, the hierarchy of the species is determined by
their proximity to either of the ‘land’ appearances. Why, in fact, is the verse divided in two?
Rav Kook explains (CM Gold 304) that there are two types of love for
the Land of Israel. Some people love the
land based upon its spiritual distinction.
Others love the land for its special physical qualities. These two loves are represented in the verse
by the two parts of the list of species.
The spiritual list contains five items, corresponding to the Chumash
(Pentateuch). The physical list contains
oil and honey symbolizing intellectual and material prosperity.
When Hashem promised the Land of Israel to Avraham, He informed him, “And
all the families of the Earth will be blessed through you.” It’s taken thousands of years, but we are
finally seeing the fulfilment of G-d’s decree that the entire world would be
blessed through Israel. That blessing is
manifest in two general forms, the spiritual and the physical.
The highest form of blessing is the spiritual sustenance provided to the
world by the merit of Torah. Few would
contest the influence the Bible has had upon human morality over the last three
and half millennia. Its impact, however,
does not wane; it grows ever stronger.
While we may be able to discern the obvious role of Torah in advancing
religious, legal, political, and scholarly fields, the true power of Torah lies
in the Heavenly blessing it draws down into the world. Our Sages teach, “Torah scholars increase
peace in the world.” We might not see
that impact with our flesh and blood eyes, but we believe that increased Torah
learning improves human behavior and interaction across the globe.
The numbers of people learning Torah today are historically
unprecedented. There are literally tens
of thousands of young men and women occupied in full-time Torah study,
primarily in the Land of Israel. And the
flourishing of daily Torah engagement by everyday people from all walks of life
in Israel and abroad is the clear fulfilment of the messianic prophecy, “And
the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the ocean is filled with
water.”
At the same time, one hundred years ago, Rav Kook could never have imagined
how quickly his ideas would become a reality.
The spiritual blessing Israel is providing to the world in the twenty
first century is paralleled only by an incredible physical and material burst
of blessing. Our prophets foretold of
the day the nations of the world would flock to Israel to be part of the
material blessing. Today, a hugely
disproportionate share of medical and technological advances finds its origins
in Israel.
Which aspect is more important, the spiritual or physical benefits of the
Land of Israel? Naturally, one would
assume that a spiritual connection is more powerful than a physical connection. Rav Hamnuna interprets the Torah verse,
however, to establish that whichever species is closest to the word ‘land’
takes precedence. The dates from the
second list are closer to the land than the pomegranate of the first list. Rav Kook explains that some people’s physical
connection to and love for the land is stronger than others’ spiritual
connection. Every person has their
personal connection to the Land of Israel.
Motivation ranks second to passion.
Who, would you think, is more dedicated to Israel, the family that visits
annually and spends the bulk of their time in Tel Aviv, or the family that
visits once each decade and stays in Jerusalem? If Israel were only a spiritual concept, then
the latter family would win the debate.
But Israel is both a manifestation of the spiritual, and at the same
time, a physical piece of land. If you
dedicate yourself constantly to the promotion of Israel’s amazing material
contribution to the world, you are closer to the ‘land’ than someone whose
first stop when they land is the Kotel, but then return home to the Diaspora
and think little of Israel until their next visit.
Ultimately, both aspects are essential to the maximization of Israel’s blessing
to an individual and to the world. If
all you ever do when you go to Israel is visit startups and Tel Aviv cafes,
next time you might consider scheduling in a day of yeshiva learning into your
itinerary. If all you ever do is visit
the Kotel and graves of the righteous, next time you should think about
including a lecture about Israel’s medical impact on the world.
(Indeed, on one family trip to Israel, the Rabbanit commented, ‘Enough with
the kevorim (graves) already! At
this rate, that’s all our children will remember about Israel – one big
cemetery! Yes, they’re important – both the
graves of ancient rabbis and modern IDF soldiers – but we must remember to
demonstrate to our children that Israel is alive and well, thriving and
flourishing. And that is a clear and
open miracle – the rebirth of a nation in its ancient homeland – an event that’s
never happened to any other nation and land in history.)
We are living in biblical times. The
ancient prophecies are unfolding before our very eyes. The Land of Israel is central in the minds and
lives of nations and individuals across the globe, as they engage with Israeli
scientists, academics, and business leaders on a daily basis. And Torah is being learned in numbers that
have not been seen since we stood together at the foot of Mt. Sinai. May you make Israel central to your life and
may the land be a source of physical and spiritual blessing for you and your
family!
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