68 18
JULY 29, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Think, Feel, Grow
The Uniqueness of Eretz Yisrael By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman
D
onny walked up to the podium. It was his high school graduation, and he was the valedictorian. After thanking his classmates, teachers, and family, he paused for a moment before sharing the following story: Right now, I’m standing here as the valedictorian of my high school class. I excelled in my studies, I am good friends with my classmates, and I am heading towards a bright future. Many of you may not remember this, but four years ago, I moved here from another country. I was new to this school, and I had trouble speaking the language, but I was excited to start fresh and meet new people. That excitement was short-lived. On the first day of school, I was teased, bullied, and ignored. I had trouble with my classes, but things got even worse once I left the classroom. Nobody sat with me at lunch, nobody tried to talk to me during breaks. But I had hope things would get better. They didn’t. Over the next few weeks, things began to fall apart. I tried telling my parents, but they were so focused on adjusting to their new lives here that they barely had time for me. I felt absolutely lost, completely alone. One day, as I was walking home from school, I tripped, and my books scattered all over the street. As I bent down to pick them up, I heard a voice, “Hey Donny, would you like some help?” It was Moshe. Wait, Moshe?! He was so popular and fun, everyone liked him. Why would he be talking to me? But as I looked up, I saw Moshe heading towards me. He bent down and helped me pick my books. “Wow, these are a lot of books. I’m happy to help you carry them back home.” I tried to tell him that it was okay, that he didn’t have to help me, but he wouldn’t hear it. He was so nice, so
friendly. On the walk back, he told me all about his dreams and aspirations, and how he would never give up until he achieved his goals. He asked me about my own dreams as well. No one had ever asked me about my dreams before, and I began to feel hopeful for the first time as I began sharing them with him. As we arrived at my house, he invited me over to his house later that night to meet his other friends. Before I could respond, he said, “I won’t take no for an answer. See you there!” After that, everything changed. I got along with all of Moshe’s friends and started to pick up the language. I began to excel in my classes and genuinely enjoyed school. I had friends, I was learning every day, and I was beginning to pave my path. As the years passed, Moshe and I became best friends, taking on the world together, as a team. As I stand here today, I want to share something with you, something that I’ve never shared with anyone before. That night, when I was carrying my books home, I wasn’t just heading home. I was heading home for good. I was absolutely lost and completely alone. The previous night, I had decided to end my life, to finally
escape my misery. The reason I was carrying all my books home was to make it easier for my parents, so that they wouldn’t have to show up at my school to collect all my things. I was on my way back when Hashem sent me Moshe. If not for Moshe, I would not be here right now. Moshe saved my life. He was the first person to care about me, to make me feel like I mattered, to show me that I’m important. He was the first to ask me about my dreams, to actually listen when I shared them with him. Well, because of Moshe, I’m still here; because of Moshe, I’m still dreaming. Sometimes, there’s more to greatness than meets the eye.
The Very Best “I want the very best.” That’s what we tell ourselves, isn’t it? As human beings, we understand that there is a spectrum of quality for everything, and we want only the best. We desire the best relationships, teachers, friends, food, clothing, experiences – the best of everything. But what makes something the best? Sometimes, it’s the quantity; this brand supplies more of its product for the same price. But often, it’s the quality that makes the difference. When you
pay an increased rate for a service, experience, or luxury, you do so with the assumption that you are receiving a higher quality product, one that is fundamentally improved from the basic, standard package. With this in mind, let us explore a unique idea connected to Parshas Eikev. Parshas Eikev is replete with mention of Eretz Yisrael’s greatness and uniqueness. While we often hear about Eretz Yisrael’s unique kedushah., we must ask: what is the nature of this holiness, uniqueness, and greatness? One can suggest that the land itself is of better quality and more inhabitable or that Eretz Yisrael is the home of the Jewish People. But there is something more at hand; its value goes far beyond that. For instance: The Beis Ha’Mikdash, the spiritual center of the universe, was located at the center of Eretz Yisrael. Hashem promised Avraham the land of Israel as a sign of their eternal covenant. There are a number of mitzvos that can only be performed in Eretz Yisrael. Our question, then, is twofold. What is the underlying uniqueness of this special land, and why does Eretz Yisrael possess this unique quality?
The Center of the Universe At a surface level, the land of Israel is no more than that: a land for the Jewish People to inhabit. There is nothing unique or fundamentally different about Eretz Yisrael; it simply serves as the homeland of the Jewish People. This was the argument made in the 20th century when some proposed that Uganda should be given to the Jewish People as a homeland. This stems from the pragmatic view that Israel was a safe haven for the Jewish People and any other land could serve this function just as well.
