Parshat Ekev
“But the land you are
crossing into to possess is a land of hills and cleft-valleys; from the rain of
the heavens it drinks water; a land of which God makes demands.” (Devarim
11:11-12)
“A
land of which God makes demands.” A
land of which demands may be made, e.g., to set aside challah,
heave-offerings, and tithes -- or
is it possible that such demands be made of other lands as well? We derive from
the passage that demands may be made of it – but not of other lands. (Sifri, Ekev, 40)
A LAND OF WHICH DEMANDS ARE MADE, AND WHICH
MAKES DEMANDS OF THOSE WHO DWELL THEREIN
“For the
land which you are entering to possess; it is not like the land of Egypt, from
which you went out, where you sow your seed and water it with your foot like a
garden of greens; But the land you are crossing into to possess is a land of
hills and cleft-valleys; from the rain of the heavens it drinks water; a land
of which God makes demands.” The Yalkut, on Ekev, (860) concludes
that it alone is subject to demands, such as the giving of challa,
heave-offerings, and tithes – but not other lands:
“. . . and whosoever has eyes to
see and heart to understand must wonder at what he sees – what is the
connection of challah and terumah to the subject at hand? And how
are we to understand the word otah (“it” – the land) as implying
exclusion of all other lands with regard to teruma and tithes? And why
is this exclusion mentioned here? But, he [the editor of the Yalkut] must have
wanted to give a rationale for Eretz Yisrael being obligated to give challa,
teruma, and maaser more than any other country. He said: In all
other lands, all the effort is upon you, even when growing wheat. You must
irrigate with your feet, like the garden of greens, and therefore the Torah
freed you of the obligations of terumot and maasrot. But the land
which you are coming to possess, “from the rain of heaven it drinks
water.” This being the case,
half the effort is yours and half is God’s , therefore it is right that
you share God’s share with the servants of our God. And this explains why there were people who despised the
land, because they were hard-hearted, uncharitable persons, who had no will or desire
to leave a land of exemption for a land of obligation, and they admitted this
freely: “We remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt for free” - this is explained in the Sifre as “free from
mitzvoth.”
(Kli Yakar, Bemidbar 26:64)
TO LEAVE EGYPT
Ariel Rothaus
Egypt,
referred to in Torah and Prophets as “the iron furnace”, was the place where
the Israeli nation was formed; it was also the place from which the Children of
Israel had to sever relations, in order to become a real nation. Until this
very day, we are commanded to recall twice daily this process of detachment,
“the Exodus from Egypt”. On the night of Pesach, we declare that the individual
consciousness of the Jew is molded by the historical memory of the separation
and exodus from that land: “In every generation one must consider himself as
though he himself had left Egypt.”
In
our parasha, the phrase “Land of Egypt” appears three times; at least in two of
them, the intention is to stress how the process of separation from “the iron
furnace” – the birthplace of our nation – is essential to the definition of our
national character.
One
of these two references relates to the physical basis of all nations of the world – the land upon
which they dwell (or, in our case,
the land on which it is destined to dwell). The Torah, describing the land of the people of Israel, the
promised land, compares it with the land which the Children of Israel had left,
Egypt.
“For the land which you are entering to possess; it
is not like the land of Egypt, from which you went out, where you sow your seed
and water it with your foot like a garden of greens; But the land you are
crossing into to possess is a land of hills and cleft-valleys; from the rain of
the heavens it drinks water; a land of which God makes demands; regularly are
the eyes of the Lord your God upon
it, from the beginning of the year until the afterpart of the year.”
The
commentators differ in their interpretations of the tone in which these words
were said. Is the Torah praising the “land of milk and honey” – or does
it intend to praise Egypt as being physically superior to Eretz Yisrael? According to Rashi, these words were
said in praise of the Land and in deprecation of Egypt:
“In the Land of Egypt it was
necessary to bring water from the Nile with your feet to irrigate it, you must
sacrifice sleep and exert yourself, and the lower [areas] drink, but not the
high ground, and you must raise the water from the lowland to the highlands;
but this [the Land of Israel] – “from the rain of the heavens it drinks
water”, you sleep in your bed, and The Holy One, Blessed Be He, waters both lowlands and highlands,
both the exposed and the concealed.”
But
the negative picture of Egypt -- as a place where one must work hard for his
sustenance because of the dearth of water -- is not acceptable to most of the
commentators. Ramban does quote Rashi, but he adds that a plain reading of the
text leads to the opposite conclusion; the Torah means to tell us that Eretz
Yisrael is not rich in the waters of
“the rivers and the lakes”
as is Egypt, but it is “a very thirsty
land,
requiring rain all through the year.”
Ibn Ezra seems to agree, and Seforno explicitly claims that the Land of
Egypt “needs no rain, whereas in Eretz Yisrael there are not sufficient rivers to irrigate the fields, and
they must drink the waters of rain.”
All
the above commentators agree, however, that there must be clear differentiation
between the material value of Eretz Yisrael and Egypt, and between their
spiritual value. The material
value of water-blessed Egypt is higher than that of thirsting Eretz Yisrael,
but Eretz Yisrael is the land which God demands from the beginning of the year
till its end, a land in which survival is the result of man’s spiritual level and his moral decisions.
In contrast to all other lands, including Egypt, the relation between the
inhabitants to their promised land is not determined by the land’s natural
resources; if one behaves properly, he will merit rain, and he will continue to
exist in Eretz Yisrael, but if not, he will quickly perish from the face of the
good land, as is written in “Vehaya im shamoa tish'meu” with which
Parashat Ekev concludes. Rashbam
sums up the significance of the comparison between Eretz Yisrael and Egypt:
This land is superior to the land of Egypt for those who
observe the mitzvot; it is the worst of all lands for the non-observant; for
the land to which you are coming is not like the land of Egypt which does not
need rain, and the inhabitants never lack for bread regardless of whether they
are diligent or neglectful in irrigating their lands. But in Eretz Yisrael, if
you observe the mitzvoth, the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it, to
irrigate it with rain from heaven.
According
to the Rashbam’s perception, the basis difference between Eretz Yisrael and
Egypt is that the latter is a place where livelihood is assured; its
welfare is not contingent upon
moral and value judgments. Eretz Yisrael is a serious and difficult
testing-ground for the Jewish people – this is the Land’s merit and this is its
greatness. Deliverance from the
‘House of Slavery’ and the entry into the Promised Land mean liberation from a
place marked by insensitivity, coming into a new world, a world of accepting responsibility for one’s
actions. Eretz Yisrael, in itself, is no better than Egypt – it is good for
whoever desires to do that which is good and just in the eyes of the Lord.
Another reference to the Land of Egypt is to be found in
the passages dealing with the destiny of the Jewish people, with its being
chosen to be a “special possession from among all the nations”. We read:
Only
to your fathers was God attached, to love them, so he chose their seed after
them, you, above all peoples, as this very day. So circumcise the foreskin of
your heart, your neck you are not to keep stiff any more; for the Lord your
God, he is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the God great, powerful, and
awe-inspiring, he who lifts up no face (in favor) and takes no bribe, providing
justice for orphan and widow, loving sojourner, by giving him food and clothing. So you are to love
the sojourner, for sojourners were you in the land of Egypt.” (Devarim
10:15-19)
This is not the place to recall, even briefly, the plethora
of varied explanations offered for this complex, mysterious, and incomprehensible
concept of the election of Israel. But whatever our understanding of the
significance of the election, there can be no doubt regarding its ramifications
– as derived from a plain reading of Scripture. The Torah states explicitly that the election charges the
elected with a severe and difficult commitment. The “desired one” must be worthy of the “desire”. He
must circumcise “ the foreskin of his heart”; he must behave in a manner
consonant with this unique appointment. Malbim effectively stresses this commitment, when –
explaining the phrase “he who lifts up no face (in favor)” – he adds the
following pithy, but most meaningful, remark: “. . . no face (in favor) of
anyone, regardless of whatever quality he may possess.” In other words, in those passages which
deal with election, with “Israel’s high station” the Torah emphasizes that this election is free of
favoritism; the “person of stature” will not be excused from obligations
imposed upon him because of his “stature.”
The
special content of the Chosen People’s commitment is spelled out clearly in
these passages. The Torah makes no mention here of mitzvoth beyn adam
laMakom – commandments between
Man and God, i.e., “religious commandments” – but of mitzvoth beyn adam
le’chavero – between and man and his fellow, between man and the stranger.
The people of Israel must walk in the paths of The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and
adjucate – just as He does – the suit of the orphan and the widow. They must
love the stranger, because they themselves were once a nation of
strangers. In order to be worthy
of election, therefore, we must cut ourselves off from the land of Egypt. We must forever remember that we were
there, at the same time behaving differently than did the Egyptians, who saw in
us not strangers to be loved, but slaves to be exploited. Particularly in the
passages about the greatness of the people of Israel and its election, the
Torah reminds us – indirectly, in an incisive dialectic process -- of the
opposite of greatness and election: slavery. This is to teach us that greatness in not a absolute and
objective reality, that true greatness of a nation is expressed in its
sensitivity to the suffering of its dependents, of those who have no land and birthplace of their own.
The
election of Israel obligates us to transcend isolationist, national, egoism; to
treat the strangers among us with tolerance and encouragement. In view of all
said above, it is not unreasonable to argue that Eretz Yisrael will really be
our land, will be for us “good” and not “bad” (in the terminology of the
Rashbam) only to the degree that we chose the good and just path, that we take
up the case of the orphan and the widow, and that we erect a dam against those
racist inclinations against which no nation is immune.
Dr.
Ariel Rathaus is a literary researcher and a translator.
SO YOU ARE TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS
OF THE LORD YOUR GOD, TO WALK IN HIS WAYS AND TO HOLD HIM IN AWE.
(Devarim
8:6)
.
. . and when he (Moshe) said “to walk in His ways”, they said to him,
“Who can walk in His ways?! It is
written (Nahum 1:3) “He travels in whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the
dust on His feet” and it is written (Psalms 77:20) “Your way was through
the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; your tracks could not be
seen,” and it is written
(ibid. 50:3) “Devouring fire
preceded Him; it stormed around Him fiercely.” Replied Moshe to Israel: I did not tell you that, but [I told you] that His ways are loyalty and
faithfulness and the practice of kindness, as is written, “all
the ways of God are loyalty and faithfulness,” for the Torah begins with
good deeds, at its center is good deeds, and it concludes with good deeds. It begins with the clothing of the
naked, as is written, “And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and
his wife, and clothed them” (Bereishit 3:21). At its center is visitation of the sick, as is written, “And
God appeared to him at Alonei Mamre” (ibid. 18:1). And it concludes with the burial of the
deceased, as is written “And He buried him in the valley” (Devarim,
34:6). So you, too, follow the
attributes of the The Holy One, Blessed Be He. (Tanhuma, Warsaw ed., Parashat
Vayishlach 10)
“To
walk in His ways” – In gematriya the numerical
equivalent of“To walk in His ways” is “to study Torah”.
Why is this? For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land; do
not be ungrateful. (Baal HaTurim, Devarim, Ibid., ibid.)
“And
when you harvest . . . you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger” -- the explanation of this is, that
after they accepted Him as the Lord, it is proper for us to go in his ways, to
do charity and justice; leket, shichecha, and peah
mentioned in this chapter, are forms of charity. This He clarified by stating “I
am the Lord your God”, that is to say, because I am your Lord, and all my
paths are goodness and faithfulness, it is meet that you observe all these
forms of charity which I find desirable. Following this, He enumerates forms of
justice – some relating to the individuals in society, some to judge-society
relations, some to the leaders of the people. In those laws relating to the
individual and society, He admonished against one’s causing monetary damage to
his fellow. (Seforno,
Vayikra 19:9-10)
WHAT IS THE MEANS AND WHAT
IS THE END?
“And
you shall observe all the commandments which I enjoin you upon this day, that
you may have the strength to enter and take possession of the land that you are
about to cross into and possess . . .”
-- “That you have the strength” – this does not mean to say “Keep
the mitzvot in order that you have
the strength, for one does not serve the Master for the sake of reward. Rather,
this is the meaning: In order to keep the mitzvot, be strong . . . that you
live long . . .” (Hizkuni, Devarim 11:8)
Readers React:
Clarification of “Reaction
to a Reaction”
In reaction to the words of Shammai Leibovitz (“Shabbat
Shalom”, Parashat Pin’has) Dr. Gavriel H. Cohen wishes to clarify that his
remarks (“Shabbat Shalom” , Parashat Balak) were not at all directed at the
Netziv’s profound explanation of the sin of Nadav and Avihu; his criticism was
leveled at Shammai Leibovitz’s
novel elaboration on this
commentary, i.e, the passage “and sons had they not” indicating absence
of interest in normal family relations.
The Yaakov Herzog Center
for Jewish Studies
Under The Auspices of the Religious Kibbutz Movement
Invites
you to participate in a unique program of studies
to take
place on Wednesday mornings during
the year 5702.
The Many Faces Of Judaism
Orthodox, Reform, Conservative,
Ultra-Orthodox –
What are they really
arguing about?
Scholars
representing the different denominations
meet to
discuss controversial issues
facing Israeli society.
Lecturers
include:
Rabbi
Ariel Picard, Dr. Avinoam Rosenak,
Dr. Gili
Zivan, Yuval Rivlin, and guests.
For
details, contact Bracha, Merkaz
Yaakov Herzog,
Kibbutz
Ein Tsurim, Tel. 08-8501420/3
The
course is recognized for in-service training credits (g’mul hishtalmut).
Editorial Board: Pinchas Leiser
(Editor), Miriam Fine (Coordinator), Itzhak Frankenthal and Dr. Menachem Klein
Translation: Kadish Goldberg
This weekly
publication was made possible by:
The New Israel
Fund
The Moriah Fund
To our readers:
We will be happy
to have you actively participate in “Shabbat Shalom” by:
·
Letters to the editor
·
Publication of Divrei Torah (in coordination with the editorial board)
·
Membership in Oz V’Shalom – Netivot Shalom and payment of dues.
If you enjoy Shabbat
Shalom, please consider contributing towards its publication and
distribution.
1 Hebrew edition
distributed in Israel $1000
1 English edition
distributed via email $ 100
Issues may be
dedicated in honor of an event, person,
simcha, etc. Requests must be made 3-4 weeks in advance to appear in the
Hebrew, 10 days in advance to appear in the English email.
Tax-exempt
contributions to OzveShalom may be made through the New Israel Fund or through
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc.
Contributions
should be marked as donor-advised to OzveShalom/Netivot Shalom.
New Israel Fund,
POB 53410, Jerusalem 91534 (Please include Israeli address and telephone
number)
New Israel Fund,
POB 91588, Washington, DC 20090-1588, USA
New Israel Fund of
Canada, 801 Eglinton Ave. West, Suite #401, Toronto, Ontario M5N 1E3 Canada
New Israel Fund of
Great Britain, 26 Enford Street, London W1H 2DD, United Kingdom
P.E.F. Israel
Endowment Funds, Inc., 317 Madison Ave., Suite 607, New York, New York 10017
USA
Oz
Veshalom-Netivot Shalom is a movement dedicated to the advancement of a civil
society in Israel. It is committed to promoting the ideals of tolerance,
pluralism, and justice, concepts which have always been central to Jewish
tradition and law.
Oz
Veshalom-Netivot Shalom shares a deep attachment to the land of Israel and it
no less views peace as a central religious value. It believes that Jews have
both the religious and the national obligation to support the pursuit of peace.
It maintains that Jewish law clearly requires us to create a fair and just
society, and that co-existence between Jews and Arabs is not an option but an
imperative.
Oz
Veshalom-Netivot Shalom`s programs include both educational and protest
activities. Seminars, lectures, workshops, conferences and weekend programs are
held for students, educators and families, as well as joint seminars for Jews,
Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. Protest activities focus on issues of human
rights, co-existence between Jews and Arabs, and responses to issues of
particular religious relevance.
9,000 copies of a
4 page peace oriented commentary on the weekly Torah reading are written and
published by Oz VeShalom/Netivot Shalom and they are distributed to over 350
synagogues in Israel and are sent overseas via email.
Oz
Veshalom-Netivot Shalom`s educational forums draw people of different
backgrounds, secular and religious, who are keen to deepen their Jewish
knowledge and to hear an alternative religious standpoint on the subjects of
peace and social issues.
Oz
Veshalom-Netivot Shalom fills an ideological vacuum in Israel’s society.
Committed both to Jewish tradition and observance, and to the furthering of
peace and coexistence, the movement is in a unique position to engage in dialogue
with the secular left and the religious right, with Israeli Arabs and with
Palestinians
Our activities are
funded by donations, volunteer efforts and one part time employee.