RE’EH
ME OR WE – THAT IS THE QUESTION
by Rabbi Moshe D. Lichtman. [https://toratzion.com/]
כי יכרית ה’ אלוקיך את הגויים אשר אתה בא שמה לרשת אותם מפניך,
וירשת אותם וישבת בארצם (יב:כט)
When the Lord your God will cut down the nations, which you come to drive them
out from before you, you shall drive them out and dwell in their Land (12:29).
The Midrash Sifrei comments on this verse:
WHEN THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL CUT DOWN THE NATIONS: Perform a mitzvah stated in this
context, and in its merit the Lord your God will cut down the nations. WHICH YOU COME
TO DRIVE THEM OUT FROM BEFORE YOU: In the merit of coming, you will drive them out…
The Malbim explains that the words “which you come to drive them out” are superfluous.
The Torah could have simply stated, When the Lord your God will cut down the nations from
before you. Therefore, Chazal understood that when the Jews perform the mitzvah of coming
to the Land, in order to drive the nations out, HaShem will cut down our enemies, and we will
succeed in driving them out.
How appropriate these words are for our current predicament. I have asserted so many
times that the only way to defeat our enemies is to pick up and move to Eretz Yisrael. This is
true from both a natural and supernatural perspective. From a natural perspective, the more
Jews that live in the Land, the less chance the Arabs have of driving us out. Their ultimate
goal is to outnumber us and defeat us “democratically.” Years ago Fareed Zakaria wrote in
Newsweek (Aug. 13, 2001): “Two week’s ago one of Israel’s leading demographers, Arnon
Sofer of Haifa University, published a monograph that has received much attention in Israel.
Sofer predicts that by 2020 the area comprising Israel and the occupied territories will be 58
percent Arab. For Israel, the Palestinian problem is going to get more difficult with each
passing year. Arafat well understands this, which is why he has often said that his strongest
weapon is ‘the womb of the Arab woman.’ ” All we need is a mass aliyah of Jews from the
“West” to end the “Palestinian problem” forever. We must make it very clear to the Arabs
that we are not going anywhere; on the contrary, our numbers will increase despite their
terror.
From a supernatural perspective, we must show HaShem that we are willing to sacrifice for
His Land, and then He will intervene on our behalf. This is exactly what the above-cited
Midrash teaches us: In the merit of the mitzvah of coming to the Land, HaShem will cut
down our enemies and allow us to drive them out. All we have to do is look beyond our own
selfish concerns and think about the Klal a little more. True, one’s personal life might be a bit
more difficult in Eretz Yisrael, but each of us is part of a whole known as Klal Yisrael, and
that whole needs us all in the Holy Land.
The Midrash continues:
YOU SHALL DWELL IN THEIR LAND: Once, R. Yehudah ben Beteira, R. Matya ben Charash,
R. Chanina son of the brother of R. Yehoshua, and R. Yonatan were leaving the Land.
They reached Paltum [a place in Chutz LaAretz] and remembered Eretz Yisrael. They
lifted their eyes; their tears began to flow; they tore their garments, and they read this
verse, You shall drive them out and dwell in their Land. Then, they returned to their
place and said, “Dwelling in Eretz Yisrael is equal to all the mitzvot of the Torah.”
(The Midrash goes on to tell an almost identical story involving R. Elazar ben Shamu’a and
R. Yochanan HaSandlar, who left Eretz Yisrael to learn Torah under R. Yehudah ben
Beteira.)
The Torah Temimah explains this statement based on something we learned last week:
It is impossible to fulfill all of the Torah’s commandments except in Eretz Yisrael,
because many of them depend on the Land, as is well known. And even those mitzvot
that depend on the body were given mainly to be kept in Eretz Yisrael; that is their entire
purpose… The reason we keep them in the Diaspora is only so that they are not
forgotten when the Jews return to the Land… Therefore, it follows that the mitzvah
of dwelling in the Land is equal to all the rest, because it is the foundation and basis of
the fulfillment of all the mitzvot.
Thus, the Midrash on this week’s parashah provides us with two very compelling reasons
to make aliyah – for our own spiritual benefit (to help us fulfill all the mitzvot), and for the
benefit of Klal Yisrael (to help us defeat our enemies). Whichever reason you choose, and
even if you have your own reasons, the important thing is to come back home. Then, we will
begin to see salvations and consolations, speedily in our days. Amen.
THE LAST WORD 1
Over the past two years, Tehilla has given me the opportunity to share with you divrei
Torah on the centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Am Yisrael. In over a hundred articles, I have tried
to demonstrate that Eretz Yisrael is where the Jewish people belong (especially during these
exciting yet trying times) and the only place where a Jew can truly reach spiritual perfection
(which, after all, is our goal in life, or at least it should be).
This week’s d’var Torah will be the last in this series. Tehilla is now putting its efforts
into publishing a monthly (and eventually maybe even more frequent) pamphlet containing
As the introduction to this article indicates, this was the last article I wrote for Tehilla’s web
site. As such, it is a summary, of sorts, of the main purpose of this book.
several articles on the centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Am Yisrael, called Midrash Eretz Yisrael.
Four editions already appeared last year in synagogues throughout the world. These articles
will also be posted on the web site.
I hope that people have enjoyed my articles and, more importantly, have internalized their
message – that is, the Torah’s message.
Several months ago, after the second edition of Midrash Eretz Yisrael came out, the Tehilla
office received the following email:
Dear Sirs,
I wince every time I read of attempts to make Eretz Yisrael central to Am Yisrael.
There are only two things which we must make central to Am Yisrael: G-d and the
Torah. Everything else is secondary. Jews worship the deity, not rocks.
As Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch taught, Eretz Yisrael is a means to an end, not the
end itself.
Neither are we “nationalists.” The people of Israel have a mission to spread the
message of monotheism and morality to the world. Let’s do so, but not be egotistical
about it.
I have wanted to respond to this for quite some time now, but have not had the opportunity.
Unfortunately, I still do not have time to write a full rejoinder, but I would nevertheless like to
make a few points (some of which are connected to the parashah). This will also serve as a
synopsis of sorts of the past two years’ divrei Torah.
Dear “Mr. Wincer” (The writer actually gave his name, but I chose to keep it anonymous for
obvious reasons),
It could be that there is no argument here, and that the only point of debate is how to define
the word “central.” If you understand “central” to mean the most important aspect of our
religion, I fully agree that Eretz Yisrael is not more important than Torah or belief in God. I
also agree that we should not worship rocks. The problem is that the word “central” usually
means “principal” or “dominant,” to quote Webster’s Dictionary. And if you do not agree
that Eretz Yisrael is a principal component of our religion, you are either ignorant or very
misguided.
Every single parashah in the Torah mentions Eretz Yisrael in some way, as I have
demonstrated over the past two years. Granted, sometimes the references are weak, but the
vast majority of parshiot mention the Land explicitly and extol its special qualities. You must
wince an awful lot when we read Sefer BeReishit, where there is hardly a section in which the
Torah does not glorify Eretz Yisrael. Almost every time HaShem spoke to our forefathers, He
promised them the Land. I hope for your sake that you do not study these parshiot in depth,
because you must get very aggravated reading some of the commentaries. And what about
Sefer Devarim, which we are reading now? There is hardly a verse in which Moshe Rabbeinu
does not remind the Jewish people that they are entering the Promised Land where they will
be able to serve God to the fullest.
For example, this week’s parashah states: When the Lord your God will cut down the
nations, which you come to drive them out from before you, you shall drive them out and
dwell in their Land (12:29). Midrash Sifrei comments on this verse:
Once, R. Yehudah ben Beteira, R. Matya ben Charash, R. Chanina son of the brother of
R. Yehoshua, and R. Yonatan were leaving the Land. They reached Paltum (a place in
Chutz LaAretz) and remembered Eretz Yisrael. They lifted their eyes; their tears began
to flow; they tore their garments, and they read this verse, You shall drive them out and
dwell in their Land. Then, they returned to their place and said, “Dwelling in Eretz
Yisrael is equal to all the mitzvot of the Torah.”
After you finish wincing, answer me, my friend, how can something equal to all the mitzvot
not be considered central to Judaism? Chazal say the same thing about only a handful of
mitzvot: Sabbath observance, Torah study, the negation of idolatry, brit milah, tzitzit, and acts
of kindness and charity. Is Shabbat the most important aspect of Judaism? No. Should one
worship the day of rest? Of course not. Is it central to Judaism? Absolutely (see Sefer
HaChinuch, Mitzvah 31 and 32). Now tell me, if someone were to put out a monthly
publication about the importance of Sabbath observance or chesed would you write them and
say, “I wince every time I read of attempts to make Shabbat or chesed central to Judaism”?
There are many such publications on the severity of Lashon HaRa, even though it is not in the
list of mega-mitzvot. Do you wince every time you read them? Perhaps, in your opinion, the
Chafetz Chayim put a little too much emphasis on this mitzvah. After all, it isn’t God or
Torah. My point is, just because something is not THE most important part of Judaism does
not mean that it is bad to emphasize its significance and stress its centrality to our religion.
In terms of Rav Hirsch: I am not an expert in his writings, but let us assume that he is right
– Eretz Yisrael is a means to an end. And what is that end? Serving God and keeping the
Torah. That itself makes Eretz Yisrael central to our religion, because this is the only place
where a Jew can keep all the mitzvot and serve God to the utmost. Besides the Land-related
mitzvot, which can only be kept here, we have pointed out many times that all 613 mitzvot are
more meaningful and on a higher level when kept in God’s Chosen Land. This idea is
repeated again in Parashat Re’eh. Regarding the mitzvah of charity (which is equal to all
other mitzvot), the Torah states, – If there shall be a pauper among you, one of your brethren
in one of your gates [i.e. cities], in your Land that the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand against your destitute brother (15:7). Rabbeinu Bachya explains that even though charity is not a Land-related mitzvah, the Torah alludes here to the fact that it, and every other Divine commandment, is more “at home” in the Land that the Lord your God gives you. See Rabbeinu Bachya inside (unless, of course, you are
afraid that it might bring on a wincing attack).
As I said, I am not an expert on Rav Hirsch’s writings, but what about all the other Gedolei
Yisrael throughout the generations who emphasized the centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Am
Yisrael? Some examples: The Rambam claims that if no Jews lived in Eretz Yisrael the
Jewish people would, in effect, cease to exist, God forbid (see Parashat Bo, “The Secret of
the Jewish Calendar”). R. Ya’akov Emden calls Eretz Yisrael “The peg upon which the
entire Torah hangs” (Sullam Beit Ya’akov, his introduction to the Siddur). The Or
HaChayim HaKadosh writes that “dwelling in the Land is a mitzvah that encompasses the
entire Torah” (Devarim 30:20). The Abarbanel states, “It is impossible for the Jewish
nation to reach perfection anywhere outside the Chosen Land” (Yeshayah 5). R. Yosef
Chayim Sonnenfeld told his grandson, who was offered a rabbinical post in Europe (where he
would make a decent salary and be able to spend more time learning Torah), “I feel that being
a laborer in Eretz Yisrael is greater than being a Rav in Chutz LaAretz” (Guardian of
Jerusalem, p. 244). Sounds pretty central to me.
Last point: “Neither are we nationalists.” The time has come for us to realize that
“nationalism” and “Zionism” are not dirty words. Just because Gentiles and secular Jews
espouse these ideals does not make them intrinsically bad. Like everything else in the
physical world, if they are imbued with sanctity, they can be elevated to a higher realm.
Besides which, God is a Zionist, as it says, – The Lord has chosen Zion; He desired it for His
dwelling place (Tehillim 132:13).
Please forgive me if I have made you wince while reading this article, but I wince every
time I read or hear negative comments about God’s Special Land, especially from people who
obviously know very little about the topic.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
It shall come to pass, when the Lord your God will bring you to the Land into which you
are coming to possess it, you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on
Mount Eival. Are they not on the other side of the Jordan… in the Land of the Canaanite…?
For you are crossing the Jordan to come and possess the Land that the Lord your God gives
you; you shall possess it and you shall dwell therein. And you shall be careful to perform all
the statutes and the judgments that I place before you today (11:29-32).
Moshe Rabbeinu apologized for not giving them the blessing and the curse on his own,
but rather commanded that they be given afterwards, on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Eival. He,
therefore, said, For you are crossing the Jordan to come and possess the Land… That is
to say, since you are crossing into the Land where you shall be careful to perform all the
statutes and the judgments that I place before you, therefore, it is appropriate that you
establish the covenant there, when you enter [the Land]… not here. (Abarbanel)
ARE THEY NOT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN: [The reason HaShem wanted them to
accept the blessing and the curse] shortly after entering the Land was in order to make it
known right away that they will not dwell there averagely. Rather, [they will dwell
there] either successfully [i.e. with great blessing] or cursedly, [depending on their
actions]. (Sforno)
These are the statutes and the judgments that you shall be careful to perform in the Land
that the Lord, God of your forefathers, gave you to possess it, all the days that you live on
the Land. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations that you are
dispossessing served their gods… (12:1-3).
[This mitzvah] applies to men and women, in all places, and at all times. That is, we are
commanded to destroy the memory of idolatry, if we have the power to do so. However,
we are not obligated to pursue it in order to destroy it, except in Eretz Yisrael, when we
have the upper hand over its worshippers. (Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 436)
Only to the place that the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes to place His
name there shall you seek out His Presence and come there (12:5).
This is the first of sixteen times in this week’s parashah that the Torah alludes to Jerusalem
as “The place that the Lord your God will choose to place His name there” (see 12:11, 14, 18,
21, 26; 14:23, 24, 25; 15:20; 16:2, 6, 7, 11, 15, 16). The obvious question is, why didn’t the
Torah reveal its true identity from the outset? The Rambam answers as follows:
There is no doubt in my mind that Moshe Rabbeinu knew of the place that Avraham
Avinu had designated prophetically – that is, Mount Moriah. Why, then, doesn’t the
Torah clarify and mention it explicitly, instead of alluding to it as “The place that the
Lord will choose”? I have three reasons for this: First, so that the nations would not
take hold of it [the site of the Temple] and fight a great war over it. Second, so that the
nations would not damage and destroy it as much as they could. Third – and this is the
strongest of all – to prevent each [of the twelve] tribes from requesting that this [special]
place fall in their territory, so that they can rule over it. (Moreh Nevuchim 3:45)
The meaning of YOU SHALL SEEK OUT HIS PRESENCE is that you shall come from far-off
lands and ask, “Where is the road that leads to the House of the Lord?” And each man
should say to his friend, “Come let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of
the God of Ya’akov” (Yeshayah 2:3)… The Sifrei [expounds as follows]: You shall seek
out His Presence: seek out [the location of God’s chosen place] according to a prophet.
You might think that [this means] you must wait until a prophet tells you [where it is].
Therefore, the verse says, You shall seek out His Presence and come there: seek it out
and find it; then, afterwards, a prophet will tell you [whether this is truly the place]. This
is [actually] what happened with [King] David… (Ramban)
For you will not yet have come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God
gives you (12:9).
FOR YOU WILL NOT YET HAVE COME: all of those fourteen years [of conquering and dividing
the Land]. TO THE REST: this is Shiloh. THE INHERITANCE: this is Jerusalem. (Rashi)
Jerusalem is called “inheritance” because an inheritance has no end, as opposed to “rest”
which can be annulled. (Gur Aryeh by the Maharal of Prague)
You shall cross the Jordan and dwell in the Land that the Lord your God gives you as an
inheritance, and He will give you rest from all your enemies around, and you will dwell
securely. It shall be that the place where the Lord your God will choose to cause His name to
dwell there – there you shall bring all that I command you… (12:10-11).
R. Yosi says, “The people of Israel were commanded [to perform] three mitzvot upon
entering the Land: to appoint a king, to destroy the descendants of Amalek, and to build
the Beit HaBechirah [the Holy Temple]. But I do not know which one comes first.
When it says, For the hand is on the throne of God [to swear that] the Lord is at war
with Amalek (Shemot 17:16), that implies that appointing a king comes first, for [the
word] throne implies a king… But I still do not know whether building the Temple or
annihilating the descendants of Amalek is [next]. When it says, And He will give you
rest from all your enemies around… It shall be that the place where the Lord your God
will choose, that implies that annihilating the descendants of Amalek comes first…”
(Sanhedrin 20b)
The Torah Temimah explains why these three mitzvot depend on entry into the Land:
Regarding all three of these issues, it says, “inheritance” and “dwelling,” implying that
they depend on dwelling in the Land. Now, even though the Torah makes several
mitzvot dependent on entry into the Land, these [three] are communal mitzvot [that can
only be fulfilled] in conjunction with the entire nation. The other mitzvot, however, are
specific to individuals, and each person is independent of his fellow.
Be careful, lest you forsake the Levite, all your days on your Land (12:19).
BE CAREFUL: This adds a negative commandment to [the positive one mentioned in the
previous verse]. ON YOUR LAND: but in the Diaspora, you are not admonished against
[neglecting] him more than you are regarding any other poor Jew. (Rashi)
When the Lord your God will widen your border, as He spoke to you, and you will say, “I
will eat meat,” for you will desire to eat meat; you may eat meat to all your heart’s desire. If
the place that the Lord your God will choose to place His name there will be far from you,
you shall slaughter from your herd and your flock… as I have commanded you… (12:20-21).
WHEN THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL WIDEN YOUR BORDER: Perform the mitzvah that is stated
herein [i.e. ritual slaughter], in reward for which the Lord will widen your borders. (This
mitzvah began immediately when they entered the Land. Therefore, it must be that the words “When He will
widen” mean that by virtue of this [mitzvah] HaShem will widen your borders.)
AS HE SPOKE TO YOU: What did He say to you? [To your descendants have I given this
Land…] the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite (BeReishit 15:18). Rebbe says, “These
are already stated (below: If the Lord your God will widen your border as He swore to your forefathers
[Parashat Shoftim 19:8]). But what did He say to you? From the eastern side to the western
side… Dan one [portion]… Asher one [portion]… (Yechezkel 48). (Besides [the territory that
God] already promised to give to Avraham, He promised his descendants that He would widen their borders
even more, which is what Yechezkel saw in [his prophecy about] the future borders of Eretz Yisrael.)
(Sifrei with commentary from the Malbim)
If you shall hear, in one of your cities that the Lord your God gives you to dwell there,
saying, “Rebellious men have gone out from your midst, and they have caused the inhabitants
of their city to go astray, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not
known’ ” (13:13-14).
THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD GIVES YOU: This excludes Chutz LaAretz. (Sifrei)
FROM YOUR MIDST: but not from a border city. (Sanhedrin 111b)
The Torah Temimah explains the first derashah based on the second one:
Apparently, the reason for this is that [Chutz LaAretz] does not fall in the category of
From your midst, as [Chazal] expound upon the next verse – “From your midst: but not
from a border city” – for the reason that will be explained there…
[A “border city” means] a city that separates Eretz Yisrael from the lands of the
nations. In such a situation, we would only kill the idolaters, without burning down the
city… The reason being, lest the Gentiles hear about this and come and destroy Eretz
Yisrael. Therefore, we do not leave the city as an eternal heap, as the laws of Ir
HaNidachat require.
The Torah Temimah probably derived this from the Rambam:
None of the Cities of Refuge may become an Ir HaNidachat… Jerusalem cannot
become an Ir HaNidachat, because it was not apportioned to the Tribes. Also, we do not
make a border city into an Ir HaNidachat, so that the Gentiles will not enter [the city]
and destroy Eretz Yisrael. (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 4:4)
In my humble opinion, this halachah has great relevance to our current situation in the Holy
Land, particularly regarding the question of land for peace. After all, most places currently
slated for relinquishment serve as borders between our enemies and us.
But there will be no paupers among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the Land that
the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, to possess it: only if you truly hearken to the
voice of the Lord your God, to be careful to perform all these commandments that I command
you today… If there shall be a pauper among you, one of your brethren in one of your gates,
in your Land that the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut
your hand against your destitute brother… For paupers will not cease from within the land;
therefore, I command you, saying, “You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your
poor, and to your destitute in your Land” (15:4-11).
BUT THERE WILL BE NO PAUPERS AMONG YOU: Below, however, it says, For paupers will not
cease from within the Land. Our Sages z”l explain, “The first [verse] refers to a time
when [the Jews] do the will of God, and the other one refers to a time when they fail to
do His will.” Evidence that this [answer is true] is the fact that [the verse] says, But
there will be no paupers among you… only if you truly hearken to the voice of the Lord.
That is to say, [there will be no paupers] only on condition that you truly hearken.
However, [Chazal’s] statement regarding the verse “For paupers will not cease from
within the land” requires explanation. What indicates that this verse refers to a time
when [the Jews] fail to do the will of HaShem? Furthermore, why does [the Torah]
present [the words “For paupers will not cease”] as a reason? – as it says, Therefore, I
command you, saying, You shall surely open your hand. What does this come to teach
us? It is self-evident! If there are no paupers, to whom shall he give? Another
difficulty: why does the section of “If there shall be a pauper among you…” begin with
[the words] in your Land? Is giving charity not a personal obligation, which applies
even outside the Land? The end of the section also states, And to your destitute in your
Land. The verse “For paupers will not cease,” however, says, From within the Land,
not “your Land.”
The explanation is undoubtedly as follows: One should always give precedence to the
poor of “your Land” over those of Chutz LaAretz. Now, the entire section speaks of a
time when [the Jews] do the will of HaShem, as the phrase “Only if you truly hearken”
indicates. Similarly, all the expressions of “one” in the verse “If there shall be a pauper
among you, one of your brethren in one of your gates, in your Land,” demonstrate
clearly that it refers to a time when [the Jews] do the will of God, may He be blessed.
For then, paupers are very rare [in the Land] – only one per city and one per [extended]
family.
[On the other hand], the statement For paupers will not cease from within the land
refers to Chutz LaAretz, at a time when [the Jews] fail to do the will of God, by not
ascending to Eretz Yisrael with their brethren, as occurred at the time of Ezra,
when most of the Jews remained in Babylonia. There [in Chutz LaAretz], paupers
will not cease from within the land, meaning, from the world in general. This is why it
does not say, “your Land.”
The entire verse of “For paupers will not cease” is an answer to the [inherent
difficulty in the] first verse, which says, If there shall be a pauper among you… in your
Land. Why does it say, in your Land when this mitzvah applies in Chutz LaAretz, as
well? Therefore, it says – as if to answer [this question] – For paupers will not cease
from within the land, meaning, in Chutz LaAretz. You might mistakenly think that since
the poor of Chutz LaAretz come to you from a far-off land, it is improper to reject them,
and they should come before the poor of your Land. Therefore, I command you,
[saying], “You shall surely open your hand [to your brother,] to your poor, and to your
destitute in your Land.” That is to say, this is why I said above, [If there shall be a
pauper…] in your Land, to state unequivocally that the poor of your Land take
precedence over the poor of Chutz LaAretz, who come from the midst of the land [i.e.,
the rest of the world]. (Kli Yakar)
