FOR

THE COMMANDMENT THAT I COMMAND YOU THIS DAY:

IT

IS NOT TOO EXTRAORDINARY FOR YOU,

IT

IS NOT TOO FAR AWAY!

IT

IS NOT IN THE HEAVENS, FOR YOU TO SAY:

WHO

WILL GO UP FOR US TO THE HEAVENS AND GET IT FOR US

AND

HAVE US HEAR IT, THAT WE MAY OBSERVE IT…

RATHER,

NEAR TO YOU IS THE WORD, EXCEEDINGLY,

IN

YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART, TO OBSERVE IT!

(Devarim

30)

"It Is Not In the Heavens –

Near to You Is the Word"

"It is not in the

heavens… And it is not across the sea" – "It is not in the heavens" – if it is in

the heavens, you must climb up after it, and if it is across the sea – you will

have to cross it to attain it.

Rabba said: "It is not in the heavens" – You

will not find it in whoever sets himself above it like the heavens [i.e., not

needing a teacher] and it will not be found in who sees himself wider than it

like the sea.

Rabbi Yochanan said: "It is not in the heavens" – it

will not be found among the arrogant, "and it is not across the sea"

– it will not be found among merchants and peddlers.

 (Bavli, Eruvin 55a)

"It is not in the heavens"

– The understandings and the actions to which it refers are not in the

realm of the superhuman, the celestial; all the divine revelations necessary

for its understanding and observance have already been given in full, and

nothing remains of them in the heavens. Therefore you cannot say: Where can be

found that man with superhuman spirit who will penetrate for us the secrets of

heaven, or will bring down from heaven a new revelation which will complete our

comprehension…

"For near to you is the

word, exceedingly" – The subject and the substance of Torah

is very close to you; it is closer to you than anything else, for you yourself

are the subject of Torah, and your worldly life is its substance. If you wish

to understand the two, delve deep into your inner heart and see with open eyes

your worldly-human relations…

Three times these words "They

are not in the heavens" guard the Torah against whomever

claims that he has merited a supernatural enlightenment or a divine revelation,

and, on the basis of that enlightenment or revelation, he presumes to influence

the Torah and its students.

 (Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch, Devarim 30:12-14)

ERETZ YISRAEL: THE HOLY

LAND,

OR A LAND WHICH IS AN

OBSTACLE TO HOLINESS

Danny Statman

At the end of his life, before Israel's entry

into the Land – denied to him – Moshe reemphasizes the reward awaiting those

who observe the Torah:

"See, I set before you today life and

the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter, to possess." (Devarim 30:15-18)

Eretz Yisrael is promised here as a place

where God's blessing will rest upon the Jewish people, provided they walk in

the ways of the Torah and observe its mitzvoth. To be more accurate: The

land itself is a source of blessing – "flowing with milk and honey"(Parashat

Vayelach, 30:20); it is also the place where the blessings (longevity,

victory over enemies, rain in its season, etc.) will be realized. The wonderful

qualities of the land described by the Book of Devarim are underlined in the

well-known verses from Parashat Ekev:

"When the Lord your God brings you

given you."

It seems that because of the severe water

problems in Israel, and the influences of the political and economic situation,

we tend to interpret these descriptions metaphorically; it is difficult to be

impressed by the abundance of water in the streams and springs in the land,

especially when we compare them with other countries. There are other countries

much richer in agricultural and mineral resources. But there is no doubt that

in the view of the Bible, these descriptions of abundant water, thriving

agriculture, and rich mines, are to be taken literally. Eretz Yisrael is a

wonderful country, flowing with milk and honey, which is promised to the nation

as a fine reward if it fulfills the laws of the Torah and its commandments.

Eretz Yisrael is a "good land", in the simple meaning

of the words: a land that everyone would be happy to live in because of its

physical qualities.

This image of the land is totally different

from another prevalent image, the image of Eretz Yisrael as the Land of the Holy, or The Holy Land. According to this image,

what is unique about this land is not its physical attributes (abundance of

water, agriculture, mines) but its religious properties. According to this

conception, Eretz Yisrael is not in the category of a reward, or bonus, for

living a Torah life; it is an integral part of this life. According to the "good

land" model, Eretz Yisrael is given as reward for living by God's word,

and certainly this life is not dependent upon the land. In contrast, according

to the "holy land" model, it is impossible to walk entirely in the

ways of God without living in Eretz Yisrael. According to "the good land",

the yearning for land has no more religious value than the yearning for health,

victory in war, or rains in their seasons; there is no religious value in

desire for the reward which the Torah promises for observance of the mitzvoth.

In "The Holy Land" view, however, longing for the land clearly has

religious value, for the land has unique religious and spiritual qualities

which make possible or reinforce the observance of mitzvoth.

The verses in our parasha, as in many other

places, highlight the fact that in the Bible, the prevalent model is not that

of the "Holy Land", but that of the "good land". The term "land

of holiness" does not appear even once, nor does "the holy land".

We do find "the holy city" in reference to Yerushalayim (Isaiah 1), and "holy

soil", that earth upon which Moshe stood before the burning bush. But Eretz Yisrael does not appear as the

of the term.

And yet more: not only is Eretz Yisrael not

described as being permeated with sanctity, as preparing for, or making

possible, a life of holiness. On the contrary – its physical excellence is

presented as an obstacle to a life

of holiness. Following the verses from Parashat Ekev quoted above, the Torah

continues:

"When you eat and you are satisfied,

house of serfs."

The physical blessings of Eretz Yisrael, the

good houses, the herds and the flocks, the fine food, all these are more an

impediment to a life of holiness than a condition for such life. The obstacle

is tied to the danger of sinking into materialism, and even more, into

haughtiness, "and your heart become haughty", which

flows from the thought that "My power and the might of my hand have

produced all this wealth for me" (8:17) This haughtiness is not distant from a

phenomenon whose dangers the world learned on its own flesh in modern times,

arrogant and ruthless nationalism. Excessive pride in material accomplishments

and in the physical properties of the land in which one dwells is liable to

lead to hubris and a lack of respect for other nations. In our case, it may

interfere with the realization of the Torah's demands for law and justice, and

for concern for the orphan and the widow. In this sense, too, the chosen land

may turn into a kind trap from a religious point of view.

Throughout the generations, various

approaches regarding the land have been offered; the holiness model prevailed,

was developed, and gained many adherents. What I have attempted to show is that

in the Bible it is davka the "good

land" model which holds sway. And if this is the correct model for

understanding the place of Eretz Yisrael in the Torah conception, then granting

inherent value to Eretz Yisrael – certainly making it a central or supreme

value – is, from a religious standpoint, a total aberration. To what may this

be compared? To ascribing intrinsic religious value to the proliferation of

sheep and cattle, or to the erection of lovely homes, or to the realization of

any other blessing promised by the Torah. These blessings are supposed to be

the reward for the real thing required, i.e., the observance of the mitzvoth;

the blessings themselves have no independent value.

The 'good land' model has ramifications

regarding religious expectations for the distant future. Since the most

important thing, according to this model, is the occupation with Torah and mitzvoth,

it is, then, this pursuit which fills the Geula picture and not material

abundance, or national honor. Rambam phrased this idea in his well-known lines

at the end of his "Laws of Kings":

"The Sages and the Prophets yearned for

the days of the Messiah, not so that they may rule the world, not so that they

reign over peoples, not so that they be uplifted by the nations, not so that

they may eat, drink, and be merry, but so that they be free to engage in Torah

and its wisdom, without a taskmaster to interfere, so that they merit the life

of the World to Come, as we explained in "The Laws of Repentance" (13:4)."

In the light of all this, look at the strange

situation in which those who observe the Torah find themselves today. In a

generation in which atheism and corruption are on the increase in the nation

which dwells in Zion, a large part of this public devotes its might not to

repairing the religious and moral breaches, but to holding on to the land which

is supposed to be the reward for proper religious and moral behavior! The Torah

states again and again that this reward will be taken away from the people if

they abandon the covenant ["So the anger of God flared up against that

anger, wrath, and great fury" (29:26-27)], and behold! instead of striving, in

trepidation, to strengthen society, this sector, with conceit and

self-confidence, devotes its efforts to the strengthening of settlement in the

land, under the assumption that if the stakes tying us to the land are strong

enough, God will not be able "to cast them into another land, as is

this day" (Ibid.)

Settlement on every mountain and under every verdant tree is especially

problematic when it is accompanied – as often is the case – by acts of

provocation and injustice; not only is this moral corruption, it also endangers

the entire nation. This was the subject of the Yirmiyahu's famous prophecy "Under

every high hill and under every verdant tree, you recline as a whore"

(Yirmiyahu 2:20). There

is no exaggeration in saying that, from the view of the 'good land' model – which

is the model which Moshe presents before the entry into the land – we are

caught up in a chaos of priorities gone awry.

Danny Statman

in Professor of Philosophy in Haifa University

Prideful

Leadership Leads To War

Said R' Yehuda to Rav: When Moshe, our teacher, was about to pass on to

the Garden of Eden, he said to Yehoshua: Ask me all things of which you are in

doubt. He replied, Rebbi, did I ever leave you for an hour to go elsewhere? Did

you not write about me (Shemot

33), "But his attendant, Yehoshua son of Nun, a youth, would not

stir out of the tent!?" Immediately Yehoshua became weak, and

he forgot 300 laws, and 700 doubts arose, and all Israel rose up to kill him.

Said to him The Holy One, Blessed Be He: To tell you all is impossible; go and keep them busy with war, as is

written (Joshua 1):

"After the death of Moshe the servant of the Lord…"

(Bavli, Temura 16a)

 "Righteousness and Justice Are the

Base of Your Throne,

 Steadfast Love and Faithfulness Stand before

You"

 (Psalms 89:15, Slichot service)

The story is told of King Mumbaz who spent all of his treasures in years

of famine. His brothers told him: Your fathers hid treasures and increased

those of their fathers, whereas you wasted all your treasures and those of your

fathers.

He replied: My fathers hid treasures below, I hid them above, as is

written "Truth springs up from the earth"; my fathers hid

treasures in a place under human control, but I hid treasures in places not

under man's control, as is written "Righteous

and justice are the base of Your throne"; my fathers hid treasures

which bear no fruit, but I hid treasures which bear fruit, as is written, "Hail

the just man for he shall fare well, he shall eat the fruit of his works";

my fathers hid treasures of money, but I hid treasures of souls, as is written, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree

of life; a wise man captivates people'; my fathers hid treasures for

others, but I hid them for myself, as is written, "And it will be to

your merit before the Lord your God"; my fathers hid treasures in this

world, but I hid them in the world to come, as is written, "Your righteousness

shall go before you."

(Tosefta Peah, 4:18)

It is known that Justice is the

base of the throne of glory, as is written: "Righteousness and justice are the base of Your throne", and

whoever establishes justice, establishes the throne. And whoever casts aside

petitions for judgement or blemishes it blemishes the throne, and therefore

Scripture reminds us that one who is not good will not merit the good mentioned

in Psalm 31, "How abundant is the good that You have in store for those

who fear You". With

this, Shelomo teaches us that whoever shows favoritism in judgment is punished

both in this world and the next. Justice is the reason for peace, and therefore

we find that Yitro, in his advice he gave Moshe regarding judgment, mentions

peace, as is written: "If you

stand, and also this people will come to its place in peace." The

world exists because of peace.

Therefore, judgment was assigned to the Sages, for the Sages increase peace in

the world.

 (Rabeinu Bechayeh, Shemot 20:22)

Editorial

Board: Pinchas

Leiser (Editor), Miriam Fine (Coordinator), Itzhak Frankenthal and Dr. Menachem Klein

Translation:

Kadish

Goldberg

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