The t’fisa (perception) that Eretz Yisrael is just a "territory" or a safe haven for Jews is a fundamental error. It’s a chisaron in da'as. The Land is not a kinyan chitzoni (external acquisition)—it is an etzem (essence). It’s not just "ground"; it is living earth with a neshama.
The Chiluk Between Mitzrayim and Eretz Yisrael
To understand this, we have to look at the psukim in Eikev regarding the hanhaga (conduct) of the land.
Mitzrayim: The Torah calls it a place where you water the fields "with your foot" [רגל-הרגל]. It’s mechanical. It’s teva (nature). The Nile rises, you get water. You don’t need a kesher (connection) with the Ribono Shel Olam to survive there.
Eretz Yisrael: It’s completely different. It drinks water from the l’mtar hashamayim (rain of heaven). It demands tefillah. The hashgacha is constant—"The eyes of Hashem are upon it from the beginning of the year to the end."
The Amkus of the Brachos: Yaakov vs. Esau
Esav's Bracha: He gets "Mishmani ha'aretz" (fat of the land). It’s unconditional shefa. Whether he is a tzaddik or a rasha, the ground produces.
Yaakov's Bracha: It says "V'yiten lecha Ha'Elokim"—using the Shem Elokim, which implies Midas HaDin. Rashi puts it gevaldig: If you are rauy (worthy), you get. If not, you don't.
The Mashal: Why would we want a conditional bracha? The mashal is brought of a father and a king. If the King gives the son a lump sum for the year, they never talk. If he gives him a daily allowance, they have to meet every day. The tachlis of Eretz Yisrael is the Dveikus. The "lack" of water is actually the bracha, because it forces us to look up to Hashem.
L’Ma’aseh: The "Allergic Reaction" of the Land
This brings us to the harsh reality we see today—the balagan, the security issues, the internal strife. The Land is sensitive. It’s not "neutral ground." As the Torah warns in Acharei Mos: "V'lo saki ha'aretz eschem"—the Land literally vomits out those who defile it.
If we treat Eretz Yisrael like it’s Switzerland—just real estate and economics—the Land reacts. The "rebellion" we see from our enemies, the lack of sovereignty in Yerushalayim, is a siman that we are missing the point. We are trying to hold onto the guf of the land without the neshama.
One can't say that Eretz Yisrael is a "safe haven" because if the Jews sin - it stops being safe and starts being very dangerous.
The Maskana:
We have to "change the diskette" [old expression]. The battle for Eretz Yisrael isn't political or military alone; it’s a battle of consciousness. We need to realize we are living in the King’s Palace, and the walls themselves are alive and reacting to our ruchniyus. Only when we grasp the segula of the Land can we truly settle it properly. [רי"ז]
