Love of the Land - A Desirable Portion
  Selections from classical Torah sources which express the special relationship between the People of Israel and Eretz Yisrael A DESIRABLE PORTION "My eye gives you counsel," Hashem says to us through King David (Tehillim 32:8), and our Sages in the Midrash interpret this as a Divine "wink of the eye" in regard to Eretz Yisrael. A king once made a feast for everyone in his palace. When the serving plate was brought before them, the king winked a hint to his favorite guest to take a particularly good portion. When he realized that the hint was not understood, the king took the portion with his own hands and presented it to his beloved. In similar fashion, when Hashem divided His world amongst the nations, each of them selected a land double the size of Eretz Yisrael. Hashem winked to the Jewish People to choose Eretz Yisrael but they were reluctant to do so because it was so much smaller than all the other lands. What did Hashem do? He took Eretz Yisrael into His hand and presented it to His favorite people. This is what the Prophet Yirmiyahu alludes to when he says in Hashem's Name (Yirmiyahu 3:19) "I presented you with a desirable land."
(Yalkut Shimoni Tehillim 32)
|
Written by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
HTML Production: Eli Ballon
HTML Design: Michael Treblow
© 1998 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.
This publication is available via E-Mail
Ohr Somayach Institutions is an international network of Yeshivot and outreach centers, with branches in North America, Europe, South Africa and South America. The Central Campus in Jerusalem provides a full range of educational services for over 685 full-time students.
The Jewish Learning Exchange (JLE) of Ohr Somayach offers summer and winter programs in Israel that attract hundreds of university students from around the world for 3 to 8 weeks of study and touring.
Ohr Somayach's Web site is hosted by TeamGenesis
Copyright © 1998 Ohr Somayach International.
Send us Feedback.Dedication opportunities are available for Torah Weekly. Please contact us for details.
