KabbalaOnline.org The Good of the Land "A Land for Every Nation"
KabbalaOnline.org The Good of the Land "A Land for Every Nation"
A Land for Every Nation
Chapter Two, Part 1
Beginner
By Rabbi
Nathan Schapira; translation & commentary by David Slavin
"Other
Side" in the Land (1:2)
Know
that each and every parcel of land was granted to the nation that was best
suited for that land. This is hinted at in the verse, "And I shall give the land of Ar to
the children of Lot as an inheritance" (Deut.
2:9). That implies that that parcel of land is destined for the children of
Lot. Similarly, we see G‑d allocating the area of land, known as the
Mountain of Seir, to Esau, as in the verse "As an inheritance to Esau, I have
given the Mount of Seir" (Deut.
2:5). Chazal explained that just like he, Esau, was ruddy, so too his land
is reddish. Thus again indicating how the land is appropriate for he who was
destined to dwell therein.
The
reason for the suitability of a land to its nation is because of the
compatibility of the ministering angel ruling those people to that piece of
land. So too the very souls of those people stem from the kelipa (spiritual
husk) that represents that parcel of land. This leads us to observe three types
of correlations: the relation of the nation, of the physical land, and of the
ministering angel to the soul and providence.This is hinted to in the verse,
"That they should save you from a forbidden woman, a strange
woman" (Proverbs
7:5). The hint is from the letters spelling "forbidden woman"
spell "that the Sar (the ministering angel)", the ruler
of that country. For he who lives outside the Land is as if he serves
idolatry (cf. Gemara Ketubot 110a), as will be
explained.
This
concept is surely similar with the Jews and Eretz Yisrael. The level of
their Neshama, their Torah, and their relationship with G‑d,
is dependent upon their presence in the Land of Israel. For the very soil
of Eretz
Yisrael is holy and the Jewish people are holy, their souls are holy
and their Torah is
holy as well as their G‑d is holy for He is their minister. Not only that, but
just like Eretz Yisrael and its abundant mitzvot have no
comparison with the other countries of the world and the mitzvot that
could be performed therein, the same is true that the Torah, the code of life
of Eretz Yisrael, has no comparison with the legal codes and statutes of the
other nations of the world. About this it is written, "And you shall not
do any of these abominations (the laws of the pagans)" (Lev.
18:26) and "For all of those abominations…" (ibid.
27) and "Let not the land disgorge you, as it had vomited
out…" (ibid. 28).
Behold
the holy Torah and Eretz Yisrael have a unique relationship. So too the Jewish
people have a unique deep spiritual relationship to the land of Israel. This
can be seen from the prophet Ezekiel (chapter 48) dividing up
the land between the twelve tribes, granting each tribe the parcel of land best
suited for its needs. This was accomplished by each tribe bordering the place
from where the soul of his tribe emanates from. Thus each mitzvah performed
in Eretz Yisrael ascends and adorns each of the borders in relationship to the
soul of each tribe. In this way, the completeness of the soul is dependent upon
which portion of land it dwells in. And the fulfillment of the land is
dependent upon the souls that dwell there in accordance with its existence.
The
essence of this is that Zion is the point of the original creation (Gemara Yoma 54b) For,
from that point the rest of the world unfolded. That point of course is
associated with the Shechina. There are twelve boundaries emanating
from that central point. They are the mystery of the measurements of the land
and the sanctuary as recounted by the prophet Ezekiel (ch. 48). The Jews
take shelter under the edges of the out-spread wings of the Shechina that
extend to the entire border of Eretz Yisrael. Yet, just as the Shechina is
not complete so long as the Holy Temple is incomplete, so too
the Shechina is incomplete so long as Eretz Yisrael is not
complete to the extent of its true borders, which are from the river of Egypt
until the Euphrates. That completion is dependent upon its being inhabited by
Jews, each according to the place that is most befitting him; this is because G‑d
had promised Abraham ten lands as an inheritance to his descendents.
Those ten lands correspond to the attribute of malchut that is
nesting in the realm of Asiya, for she is incorporated by ten sefirot of
her own.
"Other
Side" in the Land (1:2)
By
Rabbi Nathan Schapira; translation & commentary by David Slavin
Rabbi
Nathan Schapira, an honored member of an eminent Polish rabbinical family, came
to Eretz Israel from Cracow during the 17th century, where he became part of a
consortium of kabbala scholars. It is reported that he wrote the volume Tuv
Haaretz during a trip to Italy, where he was encouraged to print it by
R. Moshe Zaccuto, as an effort to ease the emotional and financial hardships of
the people at that time of great pogroms.
Rabbi
David Slavin is an American long-time student of Torah who now lives in Israel
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