The "Desirable Land"
  Selections from classical Torah sources which express the special relationship between the People of Israel and Eretz Yisrael THE "DESIRABLE LAND" "I gave you a desirable land" is how the Creator describes His gift of Eretz Yisrael to His chosen people. (Yirmiyahu 3:19) The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni Tehillim 7:19) explains with a parable the manner in which this Divine gift was made: A king once made a great feast at which his most beloved friend was a guest. When the main course was served on a communal platter, the king signaled to this friend to take one portion which he knew to be the best. Since the friend failed to understand the hint, the king himself took the portion and handed it to him. When the Creator divided all the lands of the world amongst the nations, each of them chose a portion at least twice the size of Eretz Yisrael. He signaled to the People of Israel to choose Eretz Yisrael. When they showed reluctance to do so because it was so small, He took the land and handed it to them. A little land but a most "desirable" one. |
Written by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
HTML Production: Eli Ballon
HTML Design: Michael Treblow
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